Laia Balcells
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laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells
@laiabalcells.bsky.social
7.2K followers 1.5K following 780 posts

Yale educated political scientist. Georgetown professor. Reskeets are not endorsements.

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Political science 60%
Sociology 17%
Posts Replies Media Videos

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 10h
This is so important.
aclu.org ACLU @aclu.org · 14h
BREAKING: The Supreme Court denied an attempt to challenge Obergefell v. Hodges, the case affirming marriage equality nationwide.

Our freedom to marry remains the law of the land.

Reposted by Laia Balcells

karlykingsley.bsky.social
Karly Kingsley @karlykingsley.bsky.social · 13h
SCOTUS declined to hear the challenge meant to overturn Obergefell. Which means marriage equality stays. Heritage Foundation and other Christian nationalists were counting on this case to roll back rights. Welp…Not today!

Reposted by Laia Balcells

thetnholler.bsky.social
The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 14h
⚡️ SCOTUS will NOT overturn marriage equality 🎉

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Laia Balcells

aclu.org
ACLU @aclu.org · 14h
BREAKING: The Supreme Court denied an attempt to challenge Obergefell v. Hodges, the case affirming marriage equality nationwide.

Our freedom to marry remains the law of the land.

Reposted by Caroline Krafft, Laia Balcells

lavidagata.bsky.social
Kat O’Brien @lavidagata.bsky.social · 3d
Fascinating indeed. And not reassuring for those of us for whom excellent writing has been a differentiator.
Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have significantly lowered the cost of producing written content. This paper studies how LLMs, through lowering writing costs, disrupt markets that traditionally relied on writing as a costly signal of quality (e.g., job applications, college essays). Using data from Freelancer.com, a major digital labor platform, we explore the effects of LLMs’ disruption of labor market signaling on equilibrium market outcomes. We develop a novel LLM-based measure to quantify the extent to which an application is tailored to a given job posting. Taking the measure to the data, we find that employers had a high willingness to pay for workers with more customized applications in the period before LLMs were introduced, but not after. To isolate and quantify the effect of LLMs’ disruption of signaling on equilibrium outcomes, we develop and estimate a structural model of labor market signaling, in which workers invest costly effort to produce noisy signals that predict their ability in equilibrium. We use the estimated model to simulate a counterfactual equilibrium in which LLMs render written applications useless in signaling workers’ ability. Without costly signaling, employers are less able to identify high-ability workers, causing the market to become significantly less meritocratic: compared to the pre-LLM equilibrium, workers in the top quintile of the ability distribution are hired 19% less often, workers in the bottom quintile are hired 14% more often.

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 3d
Gen AI and labor market signaling. Fascinating research: jesse-silbert.github.io/website/silb...
jesse-silbert.github.io

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Laia Balcells, Robert B. Reich

sanders.senate.gov
Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 4d
This is what oligarchy looks like:

If you're Elon Musk, the richest man alive, Tesla gives you a $1 trillion pay package & Trump gives you a huge tax break.

If you're a poor kid on SNAP, Trump appeals a court decision that would have prevented you from going hungry.

Obscene.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Dorothy Bishop, Axel Bruns , and 20 more

rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social
Republicans Against Trumpism @rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social · 4d
Steve Bannon: If we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison, myself included.

Reposted by Laia Balcells

mississippifreepress.org
Mississippi Free Press @mississippifreepress.org · 4d
Theresa Gillespie Isom flipped a Republican-held Mississippi Senate seat while running on Medicaid expansion and helping rural hospitals.
Democrat Theresa Gillespie Isom Flips GOP-Held Mississippi Senate Seat in North Mississippi
Theresa Gillespie Isom, a North Mississippi Democrat, has won a special election for Mississippi Senate District 2, flipping a GOP-held seat.
buff.ly

Reposted by Laia Balcells

maxberger.bsky.social
Max Berger @maxberger.bsky.social · 6d
To balance the glut of articles interviewing New Yorkers who claim they’re going to leave the city if Mamdani wins, someone should interview my wife and I who want to move back if he wins.

Reposted by Laia Balcells, David Darmofal

merovingians.bsky.social
the abbot of unreason (an archaeologist) @merovingians.bsky.social · 6d
that's Virginia's most hispanic county, Manassas, trending 16 points bluer than 2024

Reposted by Laia Balcells, Melissa R. Michelson, Rebecca Tushnet , and 5 more

chadbourn.bsky.social
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 6d
Every single county in Virginia shifted Blue.
2 0 2 5 Updates Key Races N.Y.C. Mayor Va. Gov. County Margin Shift from 2024 pres. T Votes Loudoun Spanberger +29 * 12 pts. 164,366 Prince William Spanberger +34 × 16 pts. 161,419 Portsmouth Spanberger +47 * 8.1 pts. 29,956 Washington Earle-Sears +49 * 4.5 pts. 20,927 Louisa Earle-Sears +20 * 6.5 pts. 18,719 Orange Earle-Sears +15 * 9.3 pts. 17,127 Powhatan Earle-Sears +40 * 4.4 pts. 16,957 Pulaski Earle-Sears +38 * 7.1 pts. 12,466 Dinwiddie Earle-Sears +17 ~ 6.3 pts. 11,974 Harrisonburg Spanberger +41 × 15 pts. 11,753 Manassas Spanberger +30 * 16 pts. 11,514 Carroll Earle-Sears +57 ~ 6.1 pts. 11,277 Wise Earle-Sears +59 ~ 4.6 pts. 10,962 Fairfax City Spanberger +45 * 11 pts. 10,232 Fredericksburg Spanberger +43 * 11 pts. 10,191 Salem Earle-Sears +12 6.9 pts. 9,374 King William Earle-Sears +34 * 7.1 pts. 8,999 Russell Earle-Sears +63 * 4.9 pts. 8,860

Reposted by Timothy Snyder, Richard S.J. Tol, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 5 more

apnews.com
The Associated Press @apnews.com · 6d
BREAKING: Democrat Aftab Pureval wins Cincinnati mayoral election over Cory Bowman, half-brother of Vice President JD Vance.

Follow AP for live updates.
Live updates: US voters head to the polls in first general election since Trump's return to power
One year after Donald Trump retook the presidency, 2025 Election Day includes closely watched races for New York City mayor, New Jersey governor and California's Proposition 50.
bit.ly

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Laia Balcells, Alan Richardson , and 2 more

jamescdownie.bsky.social
James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 6d
A moment of silence, please, for the "young men are all MAGA now" narrative.

(Source: www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...)
Spanberger v. Earle-Sears exit poll Men 18-29: Spanberger 56%; Earle-Sears 42%

Reposted by Laia Balcells

echamp.bsky.social
Eric Champnella @echamp.bsky.social · 10d
Betting markets? WTAF, @cnn.com? This isn't a game. This is a wannabe dictator trying to burn America's democracy to the ground.

STOP ACTING AS IF THIS IS NORMAL!

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 10d
So Republicans can end the shutdown if they want? I thought it was a Democratic shutdown.
nbcnews.com NBC News @nbcnews.com · 10d
President Trump is pushing Senate Republicans to abolish the 60-vote filibuster rule in order to reopen the shuttered government without Democratic votes, but his own party is resistant.
Trump's push to nuke the Senate filibuster hits immediate Republican resistance
In a pair of late-night posts, Trump told Senate Republicans to use the "nuclear option" to eliminate the 60-vote threshold and pass a government funding bill without Democrats.
nbcnews.to

Reposted by Laia Balcells

nbcnews.com
NBC News @nbcnews.com · 10d
President Trump is pushing Senate Republicans to abolish the 60-vote filibuster rule in order to reopen the shuttered government without Democratic votes, but his own party is resistant.
Trump's push to nuke the Senate filibuster hits immediate Republican resistance
In a pair of late-night posts, Trump told Senate Republicans to use the "nuclear option" to eliminate the 60-vote threshold and pass a government funding bill without Democrats.
nbcnews.to

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 10d
A poll from the journal "Nature" earlier this year found that 75 percent of researchers in the U.S. are considering leaving the country.

Reposted by Laia Balcells, David Darmofal

jenrubin.bsky.social
Jen Rubin @jenrubin.bsky.social · 10d
societal suicide www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
Top researchers consider leaving U.S. amid funding cuts: 'The science world is ending'
A poll from the journal Nature found that 75% of researchers in the U.S. are considering leaving the country. That includes a man who’s been dubbed the "Mozart of Math." Stephanie Sy examines what’s b...
www.pbs.org

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 10d
La nit més màgica de l'any als Estats Units és...avui. #happyhalloween

Reposted by Laia Balcells, Silke Roth

sinisamalesevic.bsky.social
Sinisa Malesevic @sinisamalesevic.bsky.social · 10d
1 Assistant Professor in Politics, Maynooth University, Ireland: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPG506/a...
Assistant Professor / Lecturer in Politics at Maynooth University, National University of Ireland Maynooth
Looking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Assistant Professor / Lecturer in Politics on jobs.ac.uk!
www.jobs.ac.uk

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 10d
This new paper out at CPS looks fascinating: Narrating the Nation: Colonial Memory and Citizen Attitudes in East and Southeast Asia journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Narrating the Nation: Colonial Memory and Citizen Attitudes in East and Southeast Asia - Dean Dulay, Jiyoung Ko, 2025
The postcolonial world exhibits stark variation in how citizens of formerly colonized states view their former colonizers. Some harbor continuing animosity, whi...
journals.sagepub.com

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 11d
Nice photo. Thanks!

Reposted by Laia Balcells

pauliinapatana.bsky.social
Pauliina Patana @pauliinapatana.bsky.social · 11d
What a delight to attend @kbclarke.bsky.social’s book launch at the fully packed @mortaracenter.bsky.social tonight! Such thought-provoking and insightful scholarship and engaging discussion @laiabalcells.bsky.social

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 12d
How easy is it to fudge your scientific rank? Meet Larry, the world’s most cited cat -- Science www.science.org/content/arti...
How easy is it to fudge your scientific rank? Meet Larry, the world’s most cited cat
“Exercise in absurdity” reveals flaws in Google Scholar’s productivity metrics
www.science.org

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 12d
MAGA was this.
darinself.com Darin Self @darinself.com · 12d
Stagflation

The Fed Chair is describing stagflation but does not want to say the word.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12d
Powell: "In the near term, risks to inflation are tilted to the upside, and risks to employment to the downside -- a challenging situation. There is no risk-free path for policy as we navigate this tension between our employment and inflation goals."

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 12d
Juan Carlos I sobre Franco: "¿Por qué mentir si fue él quien me convirtió en rey?" www.publico.es/politica/jua...
Juan Carlos I sobre Franco: "¿Por qué mentir si fue él quien me convirtió en rey?"
El exjefe del Estado defiende su legado en una entrevista en el diario francés 'Le Figaro', en la que admite su simpatía hacia el dictador y elude dar explicaciones sobre el cobro de comisiones y s...
www.publico.es

Reposted by Laia Balcells, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Greg Linden

justinwolfers.bsky.social
Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 12d
Powell's press conference is more consequential than usual:
1. December rate cut may not happen
2. The FOMC is divided ("strongly differing views")
3. Powell very worried—about both inflation and unemployment.

Stocks are falling, bond yields rising, as he speaks.

Reposted by Laia Balcells

nividhia.bsky.social
Edu Nividhia @nividhia.bsky.social · 12d
Esta foto de Robert Solsona para Europa Press es durísima

Reposted by Laia Balcells, Greg Linden

darinself.com
Darin Self @darinself.com · 12d
Stagflation

The Fed Chair is describing stagflation but does not want to say the word.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12d
Powell: "In the near term, risks to inflation are tilted to the upside, and risks to employment to the downside -- a challenging situation. There is no risk-free path for policy as we navigate this tension between our employment and inflation goals."