Alona O. Dolinsky
@alonadolinsky.com
Political scientist. Research Fellow, School of Government, University of Birmingham.
Co-PI CONSTRUCT project. EPSS Diversity Committee.
Neurodivergent. I study parties, representation, group appeals and text-as-data.
📺 🥣 & 🐈⬛
www.alonadolinsky.com
Co-PI CONSTRUCT project. EPSS Diversity Committee.
Neurodivergent. I study parties, representation, group appeals and text-as-data.
📺 🥣 & 🐈⬛
www.alonadolinsky.com
I have a follow up appointment at the fracture clinic today and while I wait for an x-ray I read a notice on the wall that the radiology department here is doing a study with AI analysing x-rays and I don’t even know where to start
February 10, 2026 at 11:40 AM
I have a follow up appointment at the fracture clinic today and while I wait for an x-ray I read a notice on the wall that the radiology department here is doing a study with AI analysing x-rays and I don’t even know where to start
I never thought about the “I don’t listen to music whose lyrics are in a language I don’t understand.” I’m far from a music expert; my go-to is eclectic and whatever makes me feel good. Whether I understand the lyrics isn’t part of it. Is this a flex? I don’t know. The argument feels pointless.
February 9, 2026 at 9:02 PM
I never thought about the “I don’t listen to music whose lyrics are in a language I don’t understand.” I’m far from a music expert; my go-to is eclectic and whatever makes me feel good. Whether I understand the lyrics isn’t part of it. Is this a flex? I don’t know. The argument feels pointless.
39 trips around the sun are now complete (time-differences aside 😅) and I’m really looking forward to the next one ☺️
An evening of good food and Lego is a nice start.
An evening of good food and Lego is a nice start.
February 6, 2026 at 5:14 PM
39 trips around the sun are now complete (time-differences aside 😅) and I’m really looking forward to the next one ☺️
An evening of good food and Lego is a nice start.
An evening of good food and Lego is a nice start.
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
Good to see this up!
In this piece itself, I argue the problem is not *just* Keir Starmer.
In this piece itself, I argue the problem is not *just* Keir Starmer.
A useful reminder on today of all days from our @qmulsse.bsky.social colleague @colmpm.bsky.social
Labour's problem isn't Keir Starmer | LSE British Politics
Labour's dismal performance in the polls has lead to Keir Starmer's leadership of the Labour Party being openly contested. But Colm Murphy argues that, while Starmer is a flawed politician, many of th...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
February 4, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Good to see this up!
In this piece itself, I argue the problem is not *just* Keir Starmer.
In this piece itself, I argue the problem is not *just* Keir Starmer.
זה כזה מוזר שחברות מסחריות שולחות איחולי מזל טוב.
ככה היום תיבת המייל שלי מלאה בכאלה כמו מגדל ביטוחים ופיננסים עם ״שמענו שיש לך יום הולדת״ חחח
לפחות KLM שלחו שובר של 30 יורו 🤪
ככה היום תיבת המייל שלי מלאה בכאלה כמו מגדל ביטוחים ופיננסים עם ״שמענו שיש לך יום הולדת״ חחח
לפחות KLM שלחו שובר של 30 יורו 🤪
February 6, 2026 at 9:07 AM
זה כזה מוזר שחברות מסחריות שולחות איחולי מזל טוב.
ככה היום תיבת המייל שלי מלאה בכאלה כמו מגדל ביטוחים ופיננסים עם ״שמענו שיש לך יום הולדת״ חחח
לפחות KLM שלחו שובר של 30 יורו 🤪
ככה היום תיבת המייל שלי מלאה בכאלה כמו מגדל ביטוחים ופיננסים עם ״שמענו שיש לך יום הולדת״ חחח
לפחות KLM שלחו שובר של 30 יורו 🤪
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
🎉 New paper out in Political Behavior (with @gijsschumacher.bsky.social & @mrooduijn.bsky.social)
Why do some people feel stronger emotions about politics than others?
💡Not political knowledge, but interest and confidence-in-knowledge drive emotional engagement.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
🧵
Why do some people feel stronger emotions about politics than others?
💡Not political knowledge, but interest and confidence-in-knowledge drive emotional engagement.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
🧵
Disentangling the Sophistication-Emotion Link: Political Interest and Confidence-in-Knowledge, but not Knowledge, Drive Emotional Responses - Political Behavior
Why do some people feel stronger emotions about politics than others? Past work suggests that political sophistication, consisting of knowledge and interest, is related to feeling strong emotions abou...
link.springer.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:19 AM
🎉 New paper out in Political Behavior (with @gijsschumacher.bsky.social & @mrooduijn.bsky.social)
Why do some people feel stronger emotions about politics than others?
💡Not political knowledge, but interest and confidence-in-knowledge drive emotional engagement.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
🧵
Why do some people feel stronger emotions about politics than others?
💡Not political knowledge, but interest and confidence-in-knowledge drive emotional engagement.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
🧵
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.
February 5, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.
I’ve spent so much time today looking at w-a-y too many articles published in the past 15 years that used coding schemes without ever making those public. How did the field ever think that this is acceptable???
February 5, 2026 at 3:22 PM
I’ve spent so much time today looking at w-a-y too many articles published in the past 15 years that used coding schemes without ever making those public. How did the field ever think that this is acceptable???
Day 6 with broken foot:
Second this I hate most is how long my mornings take now. I’m anyway a slow morning starter but now everything takes about twice as long + having to wait for the pain meds to kick in.
Second this I hate most is how long my mornings take now. I’m anyway a slow morning starter but now everything takes about twice as long + having to wait for the pain meds to kick in.
What I hate most about this broken foot situation is that it makes my everyday life so much more expensive - a simple trip to campus for an IT appointment (that ended with no solution and no laptop) is 3 times more expensive than normal, as is every trip for groceries or any venture outside
a blue stuffed animal is crying and says it 's ok ... i 'm fine
ALT: a blue stuffed animal is crying and says it 's ok ... i 'm fine
media.tenor.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:54 AM
Day 6 with broken foot:
Second this I hate most is how long my mornings take now. I’m anyway a slow morning starter but now everything takes about twice as long + having to wait for the pain meds to kick in.
Second this I hate most is how long my mornings take now. I’m anyway a slow morning starter but now everything takes about twice as long + having to wait for the pain meds to kick in.
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
Some people like using our (w/ @markuswagner.bsky.social) heroes & villains paper to teach partisanship.
We've made it easier (and fun?) for students with a new online playground 🦹
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
www.turnbulldugarte.com/heroes-playg...
We've made it easier (and fun?) for students with a new online playground 🦹
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
www.turnbulldugarte.com/heroes-playg...
February 5, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Some people like using our (w/ @markuswagner.bsky.social) heroes & villains paper to teach partisanship.
We've made it easier (and fun?) for students with a new online playground 🦹
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
www.turnbulldugarte.com/heroes-playg...
We've made it easier (and fun?) for students with a new online playground 🦹
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
www.turnbulldugarte.com/heroes-playg...
With Harvard Dataverse being down -
where else would you make public a large (and extremely important to you) dataset that should be accessible to as wide-as-possible political science audience?
Unfortunately my position does not allow me to maintain my own source.
where else would you make public a large (and extremely important to you) dataset that should be accessible to as wide-as-possible political science audience?
Unfortunately my position does not allow me to maintain my own source.
a cat is sitting in front of a laptop computer asking for advice
ALT: a cat is sitting in front of a laptop computer asking for advice
media.tenor.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:23 PM
With Harvard Dataverse being down -
where else would you make public a large (and extremely important to you) dataset that should be accessible to as wide-as-possible political science audience?
Unfortunately my position does not allow me to maintain my own source.
where else would you make public a large (and extremely important to you) dataset that should be accessible to as wide-as-possible political science audience?
Unfortunately my position does not allow me to maintain my own source.
Day 4 with a broken foot - working from home and managed the pain enough to work a good amount today. Now I’m waiting for the pain killers to take effect again so I can sleep.
5 weeks and 3 days (🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻) to go.
5 weeks and 3 days (🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻) to go.
a man with a cast on his leg is reading a book while laying in a hospital bed .
ALT: a man with a cast on his leg is reading a book while laying in a hospital bed .
media.tenor.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Day 4 with a broken foot - working from home and managed the pain enough to work a good amount today. Now I’m waiting for the pain killers to take effect again so I can sleep.
5 weeks and 3 days (🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻) to go.
5 weeks and 3 days (🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻) to go.
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
After a short hiatus, Respect the Marble is back:
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/introducin...
Introducing a new series The Long Carve:
about how to decide which ideas deserves our long-term writing attention,
& how we learn to keep writing when the outcome is unknown and uncertain.
🧵
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/introducin...
Introducing a new series The Long Carve:
about how to decide which ideas deserves our long-term writing attention,
& how we learn to keep writing when the outcome is unknown and uncertain.
🧵
Introducing The Long Carve: What Deserves Your Four Thousand Weeks?
A series about choosing and staying with one idea long enough for it to change you
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:47 AM
After a short hiatus, Respect the Marble is back:
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/introducin...
Introducing a new series The Long Carve:
about how to decide which ideas deserves our long-term writing attention,
& how we learn to keep writing when the outcome is unknown and uncertain.
🧵
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/introducin...
Introducing a new series The Long Carve:
about how to decide which ideas deserves our long-term writing attention,
& how we learn to keep writing when the outcome is unknown and uncertain.
🧵
This is who runs this account
February 2, 2026 at 10:36 PM
This is who runs this account
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
Acceptances (+ rejections 😔) on panel & paper proposals for this year’s EPSS conference in Belfast 18-20 June went out today.
If you have submitted, please check your inbox!
You need to register for the conference by Friday 13 March.
1/3
If you have submitted, please check your inbox!
You need to register for the conference by Friday 13 March.
1/3
February 2, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Acceptances (+ rejections 😔) on panel & paper proposals for this year’s EPSS conference in Belfast 18-20 June went out today.
If you have submitted, please check your inbox!
You need to register for the conference by Friday 13 March.
1/3
If you have submitted, please check your inbox!
You need to register for the conference by Friday 13 March.
1/3
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
☀️ The Call for a fantastic Summer School is out: 👇
🚨 Join us for the next edition Summer School for Women* in Political Methodology in Mannheim 🚨
7 days of hands-on advanced methods + networking for PhDs, postdocs & early-career researchers.
Free of charge (limited travel support).
Deadline 1 March 2026: summerschoolwpm.org
#methodsky #polisky
7 days of hands-on advanced methods + networking for PhDs, postdocs & early-career researchers.
Free of charge (limited travel support).
Deadline 1 March 2026: summerschoolwpm.org
#methodsky #polisky
February 2, 2026 at 2:08 PM
☀️ The Call for a fantastic Summer School is out: 👇
What I hate most about this broken foot situation is that it makes my everyday life so much more expensive - a simple trip to campus for an IT appointment (that ended with no solution and no laptop) is 3 times more expensive than normal, as is every trip for groceries or any venture outside
a blue stuffed animal is crying and says it 's ok ... i 'm fine
ALT: a blue stuffed animal is crying and says it 's ok ... i 'm fine
media.tenor.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:10 AM
What I hate most about this broken foot situation is that it makes my everyday life so much more expensive - a simple trip to campus for an IT appointment (that ended with no solution and no laptop) is 3 times more expensive than normal, as is every trip for groceries or any venture outside
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
I was interviewed for a podcast!
I talked with Wendo King'ang'i about (large) language models and opinion mining. It was recorded some time ago, so my affiliation is old, but the topic is still relevant, and I tried to make it as accessible as I could.
I talked with Wendo King'ang'i about (large) language models and opinion mining. It was recorded some time ago, so my affiliation is old, but the topic is still relevant, and I tried to make it as accessible as I could.
Observing Opinions: What Are Language Models? by What is it about computational communication science?
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Johannes Gruber from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam to unpack the world of language models. Johannes explains what language models really are and how they shape how ...
podcasters.spotify.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:56 AM
I was interviewed for a podcast!
I talked with Wendo King'ang'i about (large) language models and opinion mining. It was recorded some time ago, so my affiliation is old, but the topic is still relevant, and I tried to make it as accessible as I could.
I talked with Wendo King'ang'i about (large) language models and opinion mining. It was recorded some time ago, so my affiliation is old, but the topic is still relevant, and I tried to make it as accessible as I could.
Day 2 with a broken foot: managed quite a lot while the pain killers are in effect but can do very little when they wear off. Given the limited amount of them I can take, my day it much shorter. No fun.
February 1, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Day 2 with a broken foot: managed quite a lot while the pain killers are in effect but can do very little when they wear off. Given the limited amount of them I can take, my day it much shorter. No fun.
I generally love my life & my job & living in Birmingham.
But some days, like today, with my family all gathered at my mom’s for dinner while I’ll be spending my birthday next week alone with a broken foot, it really sucks
And I know the world is messed up rn, but tonight I’m just bummed for me.
But some days, like today, with my family all gathered at my mom’s for dinner while I’ll be spending my birthday next week alone with a broken foot, it really sucks
And I know the world is messed up rn, but tonight I’m just bummed for me.
January 31, 2026 at 6:51 PM
I generally love my life & my job & living in Birmingham.
But some days, like today, with my family all gathered at my mom’s for dinner while I’ll be spending my birthday next week alone with a broken foot, it really sucks
And I know the world is messed up rn, but tonight I’m just bummed for me.
But some days, like today, with my family all gathered at my mom’s for dinner while I’ll be spending my birthday next week alone with a broken foot, it really sucks
And I know the world is messed up rn, but tonight I’m just bummed for me.
Broken in two places 😩😩
Thank the gods for the NHS. Really. Aside from the app picking an UTC that was quite far away, the whole thing (x-rays included) took about an hour and cost nothing out of pocket.
6-10 weeks in a boot cast and it should be fine 🤞🏻
Thank the gods for the NHS. Really. Aside from the app picking an UTC that was quite far away, the whole thing (x-rays included) took about an hour and cost nothing out of pocket.
6-10 weeks in a boot cast and it should be fine 🤞🏻
11.5 years living abroad and other than getting treatment for my CRPS, I’ve managed to avoid Urgent Care in the US, Ireland and the Netherlands. 4 weeks in the UK and my lucky streak has ended, am spending my morning at a UTC.
Cross all your fingers that it is not a fracture.
Cross all your fingers that it is not a fracture.
a woman with curly hair is crossing her fingers and making a face
ALT: a woman with curly hair is crossing her fingers and making a face
media.tenor.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Broken in two places 😩😩
Thank the gods for the NHS. Really. Aside from the app picking an UTC that was quite far away, the whole thing (x-rays included) took about an hour and cost nothing out of pocket.
6-10 weeks in a boot cast and it should be fine 🤞🏻
Thank the gods for the NHS. Really. Aside from the app picking an UTC that was quite far away, the whole thing (x-rays included) took about an hour and cost nothing out of pocket.
6-10 weeks in a boot cast and it should be fine 🤞🏻
11.5 years living abroad and other than getting treatment for my CRPS, I’ve managed to avoid Urgent Care in the US, Ireland and the Netherlands. 4 weeks in the UK and my lucky streak has ended, am spending my morning at a UTC.
Cross all your fingers that it is not a fracture.
Cross all your fingers that it is not a fracture.
a woman with curly hair is crossing her fingers and making a face
ALT: a woman with curly hair is crossing her fingers and making a face
media.tenor.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:15 PM
11.5 years living abroad and other than getting treatment for my CRPS, I’ve managed to avoid Urgent Care in the US, Ireland and the Netherlands. 4 weeks in the UK and my lucky streak has ended, am spending my morning at a UTC.
Cross all your fingers that it is not a fracture.
Cross all your fingers that it is not a fracture.
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
Thrilled to share our new paper with amazing Agus.
We show that non-traditional families, especially open and age-gap couples, face substantial prejudice. Even LGB couples encounter bias, highlighting persistent inequalities in societies often seen as tolerant.
We show that non-traditional families, especially open and age-gap couples, face substantial prejudice. Even LGB couples encounter bias, highlighting persistent inequalities in societies often seen as tolerant.
❗My first publication is out!
Using a conjoint experiment with adoption solicitations, @bertous.bsky.social and I demonstrate that modern societies still exhibit prejudice against non-traditional relationships, including same-sex, open and age-gap couples
More below and in @poqjournal.bsky.social
Using a conjoint experiment with adoption solicitations, @bertous.bsky.social and I demonstrate that modern societies still exhibit prejudice against non-traditional relationships, including same-sex, open and age-gap couples
More below and in @poqjournal.bsky.social
January 28, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Thrilled to share our new paper with amazing Agus.
We show that non-traditional families, especially open and age-gap couples, face substantial prejudice. Even LGB couples encounter bias, highlighting persistent inequalities in societies often seen as tolerant.
We show that non-traditional families, especially open and age-gap couples, face substantial prejudice. Even LGB couples encounter bias, highlighting persistent inequalities in societies often seen as tolerant.
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
I just got done watching a truly horrible movie at Sundance ("The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist"). It was introduced by the Sundance programming rep as having "a strong sense of informational integrity", but it's hard to imagine a characterization more off the mark.
A long thread 🧵>>
A long thread 🧵>>
January 28, 2026 at 8:40 PM
I just got done watching a truly horrible movie at Sundance ("The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist"). It was introduced by the Sundance programming rep as having "a strong sense of informational integrity", but it's hard to imagine a characterization more off the mark.
A long thread 🧵>>
A long thread 🧵>>
Reposted by Alona O. Dolinsky
One person claims that "AI" (ahem: image and video synthesis systems -EMB) can generate images and video "from scratch". That's bullshit: these systems can only generate images and video because they were out of tremendous collections of (largely stolen) images and video.
>>
>>
January 28, 2026 at 8:43 PM
One person claims that "AI" (ahem: image and video synthesis systems -EMB) can generate images and video "from scratch". That's bullshit: these systems can only generate images and video because they were out of tremendous collections of (largely stolen) images and video.
>>
>>