Daniel Aldrich
danielaldrich.bsky.social
Daniel Aldrich
@danielaldrich.bsky.social

Social scientist interested in social capital, social infrastructure, energy and environmental politics. Books at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Daniel-P.-Aldrich/author/B001JSDHPW

Daniel P. Aldrich is an academic in the fields of political science, public policy and Asian studies. He is currently full professor of political science and public policy at Northeastern University. Aldrich has held several Fulbright fellowships, including a Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Applied Public Policy at Flinders University in Australia in 2023, a Fulbright Specialist in Trinidad-Tobago in 2018, a Fulbright research fellowship at the University of Tokyo's Economic's Department for the 2012–2013 academic year, and a IIE Fulbright Dissertation Fellowship in Tokyo in 2002–2003. His research, prompted in part by his own family's experience of Hurricane Katrina, explores how communities around the world respond to and recover from disaster. .. more

Political science 31%
Sociology 29%

FEMA inaction after Hurricane Helene means that some owners are in double jeopardy, paying a mortgage on a destroyed home and their new one as well www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Hundreds of residents signed up for FEMA buyouts after Helene. Not one has been approved.
More than a year after applying for a federal buyout, many North Carolina homeowners have heard almost nothing definitive.
www.washingtonpost.com

The Japanese government is floating the idea of requiring anyone applying for permanent residency to have reached a certain standard of Japanese language skills and undergo instruction on how to be a good citizen www.scmp.com/week-asia/li...
Mind your language: Japan considers new fluency bar for permanent residents
While some say Japanese knowledge is a fair demand, others worry it will introduce ‘roadblocks’ at a time when the country needs more workers.
www.scmp.com

When you’re using Live Translation, your responses appear on your phone screen in the translated language, and you can have the phone read them out loud through the speaker. I sometimes took advantage of this functional, but awkward, arrangement. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/t...
Can Apple’s AirPod Translation Get You Through Tokyo? We Tested It.
www.nytimes.com

Thanks for the shout out
Obligatory holiday book haul photo, including Black Wave by @danielaldrich.bsky.social and Water Always Wins by @ericagies.bsky.social. 😎

Reposted by Daniel P. Aldrich

Obligatory holiday book haul photo, including Black Wave by @danielaldrich.bsky.social and Water Always Wins by @ericagies.bsky.social. 😎

Phrase of the day: Lawless Patrimonialism
ht Theda Skocpol
sociologica.unibo.it/article/view...

UK must rethink the resilience of its infrastructure, build up its armed forces, reserves and civil defense, and invest in its health service, industry and the economy, to allow a quick pivot to a war footing. www.cnn.com/2025/12/25/e...
The shadow Russia casts over Europe has forced it to face the truth: the risk of war is once again real | CNN
When a group of defense insiders gathered in Whitehall, the home of the British government, last month to discuss how prepared the United Kingdom and its allies were for a war they believe could come ...
www.cnn.com

New #article from Birtel and Tausch: Brexit and Wellbeing: Strained Intergroup Relations and Positive Intergroup Contact Predict Wellbeing of Remainers and Leavers Post Brexit
TL;DR: Strained intergroup relations were linked with lower wellbeing
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

New #article from Mangara et al: The king will tell us: traditional authority and the politics of trust in cyclone preparedness
TL;DR: importance of messenger legitimacy and hybrid governance in disaster preparedness
www.emerald.com/dpm/article/...

New #article from Weng: Hurricane Katrina: A Case Study of Climate Resilience
TL;DR: need integrated approaches that combine engineering innovation, ecological restoration, equity-focused planning, and strengthened community capacity
ace.ewapub.com/article/view...

Our hope is that the guidelines can elevate the importance of social connection to the same level as basic public health practices such as exercising, not smoking and relying on a designated driver when you go out drinking with friends.
theconversation.com/we-created-h...
We created health guidelines for fighting loneliness - here’s what we recommend
Guidelines for social well-being can help health care providers identify when someone is socially isolated and provide goals and standards for policymakers.
theconversation.com

TEPCO - responsible for the meltdowns at the #Fukushima nuclear plant - will restart the first unit of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, the world’s biggest.
www.japantimes.co.jp/business/202...
Tepco pledges safety ahead of restart of world's biggest nuclear power plant
The company plans to restart the first unit of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture on Jan. 20, Tepco President Tomiaki ​Kobayakawa says.
www.japantimes.co.jp

Identify who has historically had power (car owners, federal funders) and those who have not (pedestrians, Indigenous organizations) and flip that power dynamic. This flip won’t be easy, but it is critical in moving toward long-lasting climate resilience www.seattletimes.com/opinion/its-...
It's time to do a 180 in our thinking about the climate crisis | Op-Ed
Climate 180 involves identifying where great impact can be made, and flipping the power dynamic in favor of those who traditionally don't have a say.
www.seattletimes.com

Social infrastructure waning: COVID19 may have triggered a retreat from the third spaces like libraries, parks, and cafes where we build trust and connections www.9news.com.au/national/thi...

New #article from Mangara et al: The king will tell us: traditional authority and the politics of trust in cyclone preparedness

TL;DR: Formal agencies should see authority structures not as competitors but as partners in strengthening preparedness

www.emerald.com/dpm/article/...

New #article from caterina ruscio and Spadolini: Revitalising Fontecchio: a community-led approach to heritage conservation and cultural regeneration

TL;DR: communities contribute to the preservation of heritage, including traditions such as the Festa della Perdonanza.

ph.pollub.pl/index.php/od...