Oscar P
@oscarp.bsky.social
political scientist @newamerica.org
📍 NY
📍 NY
The Dynamic Democracy data is an invaluable resource, and now easily accessible here: dynamicdemocracy.shinyapps.io/ShinyApp/
We're excited to release version 1.0 of the Dynamic Democracy website. It includes updated data on state policy, public opinion, mass ideology, and representation. The website enables you to see how these measures are changing overtime across states and within states.
www.dynamicdemocracy.us
www.dynamicdemocracy.us
January 6, 2026 at 9:05 PM
The Dynamic Democracy data is an invaluable resource, and now easily accessible here: dynamicdemocracy.shinyapps.io/ShinyApp/
A useful guide to recreating in ggplot2 the style of the figures from one of my reports #rstats
✨New blog post✨
I break down the beautiful data visualizations from a New America report (cowritten by @oscarp.bsky.social) and try to recreate them in R using ggplot2.
danielroelfs.com/posts/new-am...
I break down the beautiful data visualizations from a New America report (cowritten by @oscarp.bsky.social) and try to recreate them in R using ggplot2.
danielroelfs.com/posts/new-am...
Daniel Roelfs
Learning data viz from the best: New America and Datawrapper
danielroelfs.com
January 4, 2026 at 8:44 PM
A useful guide to recreating in ggplot2 the style of the figures from one of my reports #rstats
We wrote about this in 2022 - and the divergence seems to have continued since.
We wanted to see what types of districts each party represented in 2020/2022, what competitive districts looked like, and what that means for the coalitions parties need to win in a winner-take-all system.
We wanted to see what types of districts each party represented in 2020/2022, what competitive districts looked like, and what that means for the coalitions parties need to win in a winner-take-all system.
December 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM
We wrote about this in 2022 - and the divergence seems to have continued since.
We wanted to see what types of districts each party represented in 2020/2022, what competitive districts looked like, and what that means for the coalitions parties need to win in a winner-take-all system.
We wanted to see what types of districts each party represented in 2020/2022, what competitive districts looked like, and what that means for the coalitions parties need to win in a winner-take-all system.
Majoritarian electoral systems offer very limited pathways for minority representation and the Supreme Court may soon block one of the most crucial ones.
What are the alternatives? Mike Latner and I take on this question in this piece ⬇️
houstoninstitute.substack.com/p/pathways-t...
What are the alternatives? Mike Latner and I take on this question in this piece ⬇️
houstoninstitute.substack.com/p/pathways-t...
Pathways to Minority Representation
How do voters of color achieve representation through different electoral systems?
houstoninstitute.substack.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Majoritarian electoral systems offer very limited pathways for minority representation and the Supreme Court may soon block one of the most crucial ones.
What are the alternatives? Mike Latner and I take on this question in this piece ⬇️
houstoninstitute.substack.com/p/pathways-t...
What are the alternatives? Mike Latner and I take on this question in this piece ⬇️
houstoninstitute.substack.com/p/pathways-t...
How do minority groups achieve representation under different electoral systems?
In this explainer written with Mike Latner, we describe the pathways to representation under majoritarian/plurality systems, ranking systems & proportional systems.
houstoninstitute.substack.com/p/pathways-t...
In this explainer written with Mike Latner, we describe the pathways to representation under majoritarian/plurality systems, ranking systems & proportional systems.
houstoninstitute.substack.com/p/pathways-t...
Pathways to Minority Representation
How do voters of color achieve representation through different electoral systems?
houstoninstitute.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:54 PM
How do minority groups achieve representation under different electoral systems?
In this explainer written with Mike Latner, we describe the pathways to representation under majoritarian/plurality systems, ranking systems & proportional systems.
houstoninstitute.substack.com/p/pathways-t...
In this explainer written with Mike Latner, we describe the pathways to representation under majoritarian/plurality systems, ranking systems & proportional systems.
houstoninstitute.substack.com/p/pathways-t...
Very cool to see our report on the age divide referenced in the latest @marketplace.org podcast:
www.marketplace.org/episode/2025...
www.marketplace.org/episode/2025...
Is the U.S. a gerontocracy?
What an aging Congress has to do with the United States’ generational wealth gap.
www.marketplace.org
December 5, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Very cool to see our report on the age divide referenced in the latest @marketplace.org podcast:
www.marketplace.org/episode/2025...
www.marketplace.org/episode/2025...
I'm so deeply saddened by the passing of Kimuli.
She was an incisive scholar of comparative politics, generous with her advice and feedback, and had the most infectious of laughs.
fas.columbia.edu/news/memoria...
She was an incisive scholar of comparative politics, generous with her advice and feedback, and had the most infectious of laughs.
fas.columbia.edu/news/memoria...
In Memoriam: Professor Kimuli Kasara | Arts & Sciences
fas.columbia.edu
December 3, 2025 at 7:41 PM
I'm so deeply saddened by the passing of Kimuli.
She was an incisive scholar of comparative politics, generous with her advice and feedback, and had the most infectious of laughs.
fas.columbia.edu/news/memoria...
She was an incisive scholar of comparative politics, generous with her advice and feedback, and had the most infectious of laughs.
fas.columbia.edu/news/memoria...
I wrote about some of the research on this here - but as Jack points out, it's important to note that context matters and electoral institutions are not determinative.
www.newamerica.org/political-re...
www.newamerica.org/political-re...
December 1, 2025 at 6:25 PM
I wrote about some of the research on this here - but as Jack points out, it's important to note that context matters and electoral institutions are not determinative.
www.newamerica.org/political-re...
www.newamerica.org/political-re...
I thought death by lightning was great, but still annoyed that one politician from NY in the show said he liked the cherry blossoms in DC when cherry blossoms didn't arrive to DC until 1912.
November 29, 2025 at 10:47 PM
I thought death by lightning was great, but still annoyed that one politician from NY in the show said he liked the cherry blossoms in DC when cherry blossoms didn't arrive to DC until 1912.
Reposted by Oscar P
🚨New genAI teaching material: an Electoral System Explorer built with Claude. It lets students see how votes translate to seats under different electoral systems. Try it here: claude.ai/public/artif.... Feedback, as always, is very much appreciated!
#poliski
#poliski
Electoral System Explorer - Interactive Voting & Gerrymandering Tool
Explore how electoral systems work with this interactive tool. Draw districts, adjust party support, and compare majoritarian vs proportional results.
claude.ai
November 25, 2025 at 9:48 AM
🚨New genAI teaching material: an Electoral System Explorer built with Claude. It lets students see how votes translate to seats under different electoral systems. Try it here: claude.ai/public/artif.... Feedback, as always, is very much appreciated!
#poliski
#poliski
I deactivated instagram back in May and haven't looked back since 🙌
Forthcoming in AEJ: Economic Policy: "The Effect of Deactivating Facebook and Instagram on Users’ Emotional State" by Hunt Allcott, Matthew Gentzkow, Benjamin Wittenbrink, et al. www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
The Effect of Deactivating Facebook and Instagram on Users’ Emotional State
(Forthcoming Article) - We estimate the effect of social media deactivation on users’ emotional state in
two large randomized experiments before the 2020 U.S. election. People who
deactivated Facebook...
www.aeaweb.org
November 21, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I deactivated instagram back in May and haven't looked back since 🙌
Reposted by Oscar P
@gelliottmorris.com's piece on what Americans actually want from parties is fascinating. It also (re-)produces a classic finding: Almost no one is in the "socially liberal but economically conservative" bucket, but those who are have very popular Substacks
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
November 20, 2025 at 3:51 PM
@gelliottmorris.com's piece on what Americans actually want from parties is fascinating. It also (re-)produces a classic finding: Almost no one is in the "socially liberal but economically conservative" bucket, but those who are have very popular Substacks
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
Outstanding analysis.
Now if only we had an electoral system that could reflect this!
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Now if only we had an electoral system that could reflect this!
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The hidden axis: the left-right spectrum has a non-ideology problem
Most voters want a party that emphasizes cost of living issues and makes the world a better place. Few Americans think in solidly ideologically terms. "Moderates" are mostly non-ideological.
substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Outstanding analysis.
Now if only we had an electoral system that could reflect this!
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Now if only we had an electoral system that could reflect this!
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The application for the @newamerica.org fellows program is now open:
www.newamerica.org/fellows/abou...
www.newamerica.org/fellows/abou...
Apply to the New America Fellows Program
We are now accepting applications for the Class of 2027 to the New America Fellows Program!
www.newamerica.org
November 17, 2025 at 8:01 PM
The application for the @newamerica.org fellows program is now open:
www.newamerica.org/fellows/abou...
www.newamerica.org/fellows/abou...
Great way to visualize the distance between poverty and different income levels
I decided to convert dollars to centimeters. That allows us to visualize, for example, the distance between having no money and being at poverty level — about four city blocks.
2/8
2/8
November 15, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Great way to visualize the distance between poverty and different income levels
Reposted by Oscar P
Why were some NYC candidates listed twice?
The short answer: fusion voting. @oscarp.bsky.social
explains how and why it's used for @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social: thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
The short answer: fusion voting. @oscarp.bsky.social
explains how and why it's used for @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social: thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
Why Mamdani and Sliwa Appeared Twice on the New York City Ballot
As New Yorkers headed to vote for their next mayor and other local officials, those unfamiliar with New York elections found a surprise: Zohran Mamdani, Curtis Sliwa, and several other candidates were...
thefulcrum.us
November 14, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Why were some NYC candidates listed twice?
The short answer: fusion voting. @oscarp.bsky.social
explains how and why it's used for @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social: thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
The short answer: fusion voting. @oscarp.bsky.social
explains how and why it's used for @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social: thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
You can even make a (formal) argument that it can lead to more intense partisan positions at the expense of running on broad appeals.
osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io/preprints/so...
November 13, 2025 at 8:04 PM
You can even make a (formal) argument that it can lead to more intense partisan positions at the expense of running on broad appeals.
osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io/preprints/so...
Elon Musk called it a scam.
But really it's a long-standing electoral practice of New York.
In this piece, I explain what fusion voting is and why there's a movement to revive the practice in other states:
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
But really it's a long-standing electoral practice of New York.
In this piece, I explain what fusion voting is and why there's a movement to revive the practice in other states:
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
Why Mamdani and Sliwa Appeared Twice on the New York City Ballot
As New Yorkers headed to vote for their next mayor and other local officials, those unfamiliar with New York elections found a surprise: Zohran Mamdani, Curtis Sliwa, and several other candidates were...
thefulcrum.us
November 8, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Elon Musk called it a scam.
But really it's a long-standing electoral practice of New York.
In this piece, I explain what fusion voting is and why there's a movement to revive the practice in other states:
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
But really it's a long-standing electoral practice of New York.
In this piece, I explain what fusion voting is and why there's a movement to revive the practice in other states:
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
Reposted by Oscar P
electoral reform is very popular in the US. there is a broad devotion to the idea of fairness. PR can get us there and is one popular option, but not the only one
Wow! That's a lot higher support level than I expected. And that 32%"don't know" means there's a high ceiling
November 7, 2025 at 2:57 AM
electoral reform is very popular in the US. there is a broad devotion to the idea of fairness. PR can get us there and is one popular option, but not the only one
November 5, 2025 at 4:38 PM
If you want to read more about Moon Duchin's work, here's a study she and her team did for @newamerica.org on how more proportional electoral systems could enhance representation in Massachusetts.
www.newamerica.org/political-re...
www.newamerica.org/political-re...
November 3, 2025 at 8:21 PM
If you want to read more about Moon Duchin's work, here's a study she and her team did for @newamerica.org on how more proportional electoral systems could enhance representation in Massachusetts.
www.newamerica.org/political-re...
www.newamerica.org/political-re...
Marathon day in NYC and perfect fall weather = city wide block party
November 2, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Marathon day in NYC and perfect fall weather = city wide block party
And all of the sudden, everyone’s about to become an expert in Dutch parliamentary politics
It‘s going to be a wild ride tomorrow when pundits around the globe explain to us what kind of party D66 is and why they did exactly what they have always told us their favorite strategy is
And just to emphasize it again: yes, PVV is down by a lot but the other two far-right parties are up by a lot
And just to emphasize it again: yes, PVV is down by a lot but the other two far-right parties are up by a lot
October 29, 2025 at 9:19 PM
And all of the sudden, everyone’s about to become an expert in Dutch parliamentary politics
huh - a quirk of Monaco's electoral system:
"In case of a tie, the eldest candidate is declared elected."
archive.ipu.org/parline/repo...
"In case of a tie, the eldest candidate is declared elected."
archive.ipu.org/parline/repo...
IPU PARLINE database: MONACO (Conseil national), Electoral system
IPU PARLINE database on national parliaments: MONACO (Conseil national), Electoral system
archive.ipu.org
October 20, 2025 at 10:08 PM
huh - a quirk of Monaco's electoral system:
"In case of a tie, the eldest candidate is declared elected."
archive.ipu.org/parline/repo...
"In case of a tie, the eldest candidate is declared elected."
archive.ipu.org/parline/repo...