𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
@mkang.bsky.social
Sociology PhD candidate at Princeton trying to make sense of gun violence, deviance, and gangs | megankang.com
Pinned
𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
@mkang.bsky.social
· Sep 17
Weaker the gang, harder the exit
This study draws on 95 interviews and observations with gang-affiliated individuals in Chicago to examine how gang structures shape disengagement and desistance from crime. During the last two decade...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
As Chicago’s gangs have weakened, it’s become easier for members to leave their groups but harder to avoid violence. My research in Criminology reveals why.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
Fantastic! Theory in violence interventions is often weak and simplistic. Qualitative work with programme participants is the way to improve.
How does a violence intervention program actually work? We interviewed 99 READI participants to find out.
Key finding: They came for the job, stayed for the therapy.
crimelab.uchicago.edu/resources/wh...
Key finding: They came for the job, stayed for the therapy.
crimelab.uchicago.edu/resources/wh...
Why Might READI Chicago Work to Reduce Gun Violence? Qualitative Evidence from the Field - University of Chicago Crime Lab
Building on a body of evidence showing that behavioral science-informed programs can reduce violence among youth and adults, this report highlights findings from a qualitative analysis to understand w...
crimelab.uchicago.edu
November 7, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Fantastic! Theory in violence interventions is often weak and simplistic. Qualitative work with programme participants is the way to improve.
How does a violence intervention program actually work? We interviewed 99 READI participants to find out.
Key finding: They came for the job, stayed for the therapy.
crimelab.uchicago.edu/resources/wh...
Key finding: They came for the job, stayed for the therapy.
crimelab.uchicago.edu/resources/wh...
Why Might READI Chicago Work to Reduce Gun Violence? Qualitative Evidence from the Field - University of Chicago Crime Lab
Building on a body of evidence showing that behavioral science-informed programs can reduce violence among youth and adults, this report highlights findings from a qualitative analysis to understand w...
crimelab.uchicago.edu
November 7, 2025 at 9:10 PM
How does a violence intervention program actually work? We interviewed 99 READI participants to find out.
Key finding: They came for the job, stayed for the therapy.
crimelab.uchicago.edu/resources/wh...
Key finding: They came for the job, stayed for the therapy.
crimelab.uchicago.edu/resources/wh...
“True scholars often work in loneliness, compelled to find reward in the awareness that they have made valuable, even beautiful, contributions to the cumulative structure of human knowledge, whether anyone knows it at the time or not.” — George F. Kennan
October 13, 2025 at 3:38 PM
“True scholars often work in loneliness, compelled to find reward in the awareness that they have made valuable, even beautiful, contributions to the cumulative structure of human knowledge, whether anyone knows it at the time or not.” — George F. Kennan
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
"It is not hyperbole to say that the future of higher education in America requires that every university reject it. If any schools capitulate, the pressure will be enormous on all to fold. The only solution is solidarity & collective action against this effort at federal control over higher ed."
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion
www.nytimes.com
October 3, 2025 at 1:21 PM
"It is not hyperbole to say that the future of higher education in America requires that every university reject it. If any schools capitulate, the pressure will be enormous on all to fold. The only solution is solidarity & collective action against this effort at federal control over higher ed."
As Chicago’s gangs have weakened, it’s become easier for members to leave their groups but harder to avoid violence. My research in Criminology reveals why.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Weaker the gang, harder the exit
This study draws on 95 interviews and observations with gang-affiliated individuals in Chicago to examine how gang structures shape disengagement and desistance from crime. During the last two decade...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 17, 2025 at 2:53 PM
As Chicago’s gangs have weakened, it’s become easier for members to leave their groups but harder to avoid violence. My research in Criminology reveals why.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
@mkang.bsky.social was instrumental in pulling this together. I’m damn proud of her
She also happens to be on the academic job market. So if you’re hiring this year, consider hiring her!
www.megankang.com
She also happens to be on the academic job market. So if you’re hiring this year, consider hiring her!
www.megankang.com
September 14, 2025 at 5:24 PM
@mkang.bsky.social was instrumental in pulling this together. I’m damn proud of her
She also happens to be on the academic job market. So if you’re hiring this year, consider hiring her!
www.megankang.com
She also happens to be on the academic job market. So if you’re hiring this year, consider hiring her!
www.megankang.com
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
Check out our latest @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social piece on the role of states in regulating the proliferation of guns throughout the U.S.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/sta...
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/sta...
Vital City | State Gun Laws Matter
In our federalist nation, regulation in 50 capitals makes a huge difference.
www.vitalcitynyc.org
September 11, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Check out our latest @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social piece on the role of states in regulating the proliferation of guns throughout the U.S.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/sta...
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/sta...
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
When it comes to dealing with illegal guns in the US, the Pareto Principle reminds us that the vast majority are supplied by a small number of bad dealers. So what can we do? Find out in my new @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social piece, out today in a brand new issue.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/the...
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/the...
Vital City | The 80/20 Rule of Gun Supply
Why focusing on the small fraction of problem dealers offers the clearest path to reducing violence
www.vitalcitynyc.org
September 10, 2025 at 6:07 PM
When it comes to dealing with illegal guns in the US, the Pareto Principle reminds us that the vast majority are supplied by a small number of bad dealers. So what can we do? Find out in my new @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social piece, out today in a brand new issue.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/the...
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/the...
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
Latest issue of @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social is on gun supply, lots of interesting contributions, here is mine (with Dan O'Flaherty) www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/whe...
Vital City | When Products Can Kill
The unfortunate limits of legal gun regulation
www.vitalcitynyc.org
September 10, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Latest issue of @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social is on gun supply, lots of interesting contributions, here is mine (with Dan O'Flaherty) www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/whe...
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
Excited to see my essay "Gun Culture Then & Now" appear today in a special issue of @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social. Thanks to @mkang.bsky.social for making this issue happen. Please read and share - the whole issue is packed with wonderful essays about the past, present, and future of guns in America.
Vital City | Gun Culture Then and Now
Firearm ownership meant something very different when the United States was founded.
www.vitalcitynyc.org
September 10, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Excited to see my essay "Gun Culture Then & Now" appear today in a special issue of @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social. Thanks to @mkang.bsky.social for making this issue happen. Please read and share - the whole issue is packed with wonderful essays about the past, present, and future of guns in America.
Check out the @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social issue on gun supply! This volume is a tour de force on how the U.S. got to have so many guns and what can be done about it. Thanks to @everytown.bsky.social for their support.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/issues/issue...
www.vitalcitynyc.org/issues/issue...
www.vitalcitynyc.org
September 10, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Check out the @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social issue on gun supply! This volume is a tour de force on how the U.S. got to have so many guns and what can be done about it. Thanks to @everytown.bsky.social for their support.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/issues/issue...
www.vitalcitynyc.org/issues/issue...
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
Guns don’t just enable violence; they produce the “shooter” as a durable social identity. Our hidden gem of the week details how the collapse of corporate gang governance and social media’s permanent archives turn youth violence into lifelong stigma.
By @mkang.bsky.social
buff.ly/98uFxpT
By @mkang.bsky.social
buff.ly/98uFxpT
September 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Guns don’t just enable violence; they produce the “shooter” as a durable social identity. Our hidden gem of the week details how the collapse of corporate gang governance and social media’s permanent archives turn youth violence into lifelong stigma.
By @mkang.bsky.social
buff.ly/98uFxpT
By @mkang.bsky.social
buff.ly/98uFxpT
Thanks @the-syllabus.bsky.social for featuring my paper, and @benhr.bsky.social for the heads up. What a cool honor!
Working paper here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Working paper here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
September 2, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Thanks @the-syllabus.bsky.social for featuring my paper, and @benhr.bsky.social for the heads up. What a cool honor!
Working paper here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Working paper here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
As we mourn today's Annunciation Church shooting, the reporting and photojournalism are almost too much to take in; sharing this gift link for those seeking good local coverage from Minneapolis. www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...
Live: Neighbors describe volley of gunfire in attack that killed two children, wounded 17
Sources identified Robin Westman, 23, as the shooter, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. One source told the Star Tribune Westman’s mother once worked at Annunciation.
www.startribune.com
August 27, 2025 at 7:55 PM
As we mourn today's Annunciation Church shooting, the reporting and photojournalism are almost too much to take in; sharing this gift link for those seeking good local coverage from Minneapolis. www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...
Thank you @njgvrc.bsky.social for your invaluable support for my dissertation research!
🔍 #NJGVRC Research Spotlight 🔍
"Triggering Inequality: How Gun Availability Shapes Life in Urban Poverty"
🔫 Guns shape daily life decisions
🏚️ Fuel poverty cycles
🚧 Reinforce structural barriers
Learn more & explore funding opportunities ➡️ Link in bio.
#GunViolencePrevention #UrbanInequality #GVRC
"Triggering Inequality: How Gun Availability Shapes Life in Urban Poverty"
🔫 Guns shape daily life decisions
🏚️ Fuel poverty cycles
🚧 Reinforce structural barriers
Learn more & explore funding opportunities ➡️ Link in bio.
#GunViolencePrevention #UrbanInequality #GVRC
August 17, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Thank you @njgvrc.bsky.social for your invaluable support for my dissertation research!
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
Join us on August 8 at UIC for this year’s Junior Theorists Symposium (JTS)! #asa
(In suppressed voice) Also it’d be great if folks can make a small donation so that we can buy coffee for everyone ☕️
(In suppressed voice) Also it’d be great if folks can make a small donation so that we can buy coffee for everyone ☕️
July 17, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Join us on August 8 at UIC for this year’s Junior Theorists Symposium (JTS)! #asa
(In suppressed voice) Also it’d be great if folks can make a small donation so that we can buy coffee for everyone ☕️
(In suppressed voice) Also it’d be great if folks can make a small donation so that we can buy coffee for everyone ☕️
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
On Juneteenth, we celebrate freedom and recommit ourselves to the work that remains undone. We remember that even in the darkest hours, there is cause to hope for tomorrow’s light.
June 19, 2025 at 1:46 PM
On Juneteenth, we celebrate freedom and recommit ourselves to the work that remains undone. We remember that even in the darkest hours, there is cause to hope for tomorrow’s light.
We’ve updated the FSS proxy for household gun ownership to include 2020–2023. The dataset now spans 1949–2023 and includes state-level estimates of gun ownership, homicide, firearm homicide, and suicide rates.
dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtm...
dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtm...
June 10, 2025 at 5:38 PM
We’ve updated the FSS proxy for household gun ownership to include 2020–2023. The dataset now spans 1949–2023 and includes state-level estimates of gun ownership, homicide, firearm homicide, and suicide rates.
dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtm...
dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtm...
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
If you're interested in understanding why honour killings happen, my paper with @aksoyundan.bsky.social has some answers. We also suggest ways to reduce them: journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....
Making Sense of Honor Killings
journals.sagepub.com
April 12, 2025 at 12:18 PM
If you're interested in understanding why honour killings happen, my paper with @aksoyundan.bsky.social has some answers. We also suggest ways to reduce them: journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....
Reposted by 𝙼𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐
📢 My paper w Aron Szekely on honour-based violence is published online (Open Access): journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....
We explain this puzzling phenomenon applying game-theory and testing it using large-scale data on norms and actual femicides.
@sriucl.bsky.social @uclsociology.bsky.social
We explain this puzzling phenomenon applying game-theory and testing it using large-scale data on norms and actual femicides.
@sriucl.bsky.social @uclsociology.bsky.social
April 12, 2025 at 7:13 AM
📢 My paper w Aron Szekely on honour-based violence is published online (Open Access): journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....
We explain this puzzling phenomenon applying game-theory and testing it using large-scale data on norms and actual femicides.
@sriucl.bsky.social @uclsociology.bsky.social
We explain this puzzling phenomenon applying game-theory and testing it using large-scale data on norms and actual femicides.
@sriucl.bsky.social @uclsociology.bsky.social
6 yrs ago an economist asked if I wanted to help him write a book about gun violence. It seemed crazy and fun. Working on this book w/ Jens changed my worldview, introduced me to my partner, and clarified what I want to spend my life doing. I’m grateful to have played a small part & hope you buy it!
April 15, 2025 at 1:08 PM
6 yrs ago an economist asked if I wanted to help him write a book about gun violence. It seemed crazy and fun. Working on this book w/ Jens changed my worldview, introduced me to my partner, and clarified what I want to spend my life doing. I’m grateful to have played a small part & hope you buy it!
A much needed piece and example of strong leadership www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Cost of the Government’s Attack on Columbia
American universities have given the country prosperity and security. The Trump administration’s attack on academic freedom endangers all of that.
www.theatlantic.com
March 19, 2025 at 10:34 PM
A much needed piece and example of strong leadership www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Dissertating in good company
February 21, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Dissertating in good company
Excited to be assembling a @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social volume on Gun Supply! If you have an idea for a short op-ed on the topic, we’d love to hear it—shoot me a message. 🔍✍️
February 14, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Excited to be assembling a @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social volume on Gun Supply! If you have an idea for a short op-ed on the topic, we’d love to hear it—shoot me a message. 🔍✍️
What an inspiring life www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/b...
Christopher Jencks, a Shaper of Views on Economic Inequality, Dies at 88
His clear prose, illuminating data and novel arguments helped transform debates around issues like public education and welfare reform.
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2025 at 11:52 PM
What an inspiring life www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/b...