Denise Baron
@denisebaron.bsky.social
Political researcher & strategist | Slow reader | PhD from & Visiting Fellow @ London School of Economics | Director at Public First | Midwestern 🇺🇸 in 🇬🇧
https://denisebaron.substack.com/
https://denisebaron.substack.com/
Pinned
Denise Baron
@denisebaron.bsky.social
· Dec 20
“Practically perfect in every way.” This week, I wrote about the authoritarianism embedded in one of my favorite characters of all time.
Mary Poppins is the strict yet whimsical authority figure who shows us you don’t have to just be one thing or the other.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
Mary Poppins is the strict yet whimsical authority figure who shows us you don’t have to just be one thing or the other.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
DC is such a haircut town
March 3, 2025 at 11:30 PM
DC is such a haircut town
Reposted by Denise Baron
Very happy that our paper (w/ @dziblatt.bsky.social & E Dinas) has been accepted @bjpols.bsky.social .
We've seen the center right increasingly adopt far-right rhetoric.
Our experiment in 🇩🇪 finds that this erodes anti-prejudice norms *more* than when the far-right employs similar rhetoric.
1/3
We've seen the center right increasingly adopt far-right rhetoric.
Our experiment in 🇩🇪 finds that this erodes anti-prejudice norms *more* than when the far-right employs similar rhetoric.
1/3
February 28, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Very happy that our paper (w/ @dziblatt.bsky.social & E Dinas) has been accepted @bjpols.bsky.social .
We've seen the center right increasingly adopt far-right rhetoric.
Our experiment in 🇩🇪 finds that this erodes anti-prejudice norms *more* than when the far-right employs similar rhetoric.
1/3
We've seen the center right increasingly adopt far-right rhetoric.
Our experiment in 🇩🇪 finds that this erodes anti-prejudice norms *more* than when the far-right employs similar rhetoric.
1/3
Reposted by Denise Baron
For those suggesting otherwise, Republican voters tend to sympathise with Ukraine over Russia and don’t like Putin.
March 1, 2025 at 8:39 PM
For those suggesting otherwise, Republican voters tend to sympathise with Ukraine over Russia and don’t like Putin.
With one thing and another, usage of the word “authoritarian” has increased over the last decade.
Here’s my primer on this ideology or personality or just general way of thinking - with a special focus on the followers:
denisebaron.substack.com/p/who-makes-...
Here’s my primer on this ideology or personality or just general way of thinking - with a special focus on the followers:
denisebaron.substack.com/p/who-makes-...
February 8, 2025 at 11:22 AM
With one thing and another, usage of the word “authoritarian” has increased over the last decade.
Here’s my primer on this ideology or personality or just general way of thinking - with a special focus on the followers:
denisebaron.substack.com/p/who-makes-...
Here’s my primer on this ideology or personality or just general way of thinking - with a special focus on the followers:
denisebaron.substack.com/p/who-makes-...
Was trying to find a way to share how I’m feeling and then it found me
A headless, armless statue depicting a female form was found in a black plastic bag near garbage cans on a street in Thessaloniki, Greece. The police announced on Wednesday that the statue was believed to be 2,000 years old.
An Ancient Headless Statue Is Found Amid Trash in Greece
The police said a man handed over a statue that he said he found in a plastic bag among trash bins.
www.nytimes.com
January 22, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Was trying to find a way to share how I’m feeling and then it found me
Earlier this week, I wrote about “outsider” elections in the US. This might be the only time I compare Jimmy Carter with Donald Trump.
It’s a nice, quick read with a handful of maps: open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
It’s a nice, quick read with a handful of maps: open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
“Outsider” elections: Jimmy Carter’s America versus today
4 maps and 4 bullet points
open.substack.com
January 17, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Earlier this week, I wrote about “outsider” elections in the US. This might be the only time I compare Jimmy Carter with Donald Trump.
It’s a nice, quick read with a handful of maps: open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
It’s a nice, quick read with a handful of maps: open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
Reposted by Denise Baron
My first blog for @lseinequalities.bsky.social let me get a political psychology point off my chest that's been bugging me since November! @lsepbs.bsky.social @denisebaron.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities...
The rise of the anti-establishment right highlights the power of ideology over identity
What is the political psychology behind the surge in support for figures like Donald Trump? Taking stock of the research, Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington argues that we need to go beyond crud…
blogs.lse.ac.uk
January 15, 2025 at 10:19 AM
My first blog for @lseinequalities.bsky.social let me get a political psychology point off my chest that's been bugging me since November! @lsepbs.bsky.social @denisebaron.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities...
“Practically perfect in every way.” This week, I wrote about the authoritarianism embedded in one of my favorite characters of all time.
Mary Poppins is the strict yet whimsical authority figure who shows us you don’t have to just be one thing or the other.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
Mary Poppins is the strict yet whimsical authority figure who shows us you don’t have to just be one thing or the other.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
December 20, 2024 at 10:33 AM
“Practically perfect in every way.” This week, I wrote about the authoritarianism embedded in one of my favorite characters of all time.
Mary Poppins is the strict yet whimsical authority figure who shows us you don’t have to just be one thing or the other.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
Mary Poppins is the strict yet whimsical authority figure who shows us you don’t have to just be one thing or the other.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
Reposted by Denise Baron
I'm biased because I'm married to her, but I sincerely recommend Denise's Substack for its insights into data science, political psychology (and occasionally pop culture), AND for the good jokes.
New post up 💃🏻
I’ve been thinking a lot about shifting social norms, about how we know when something has gone from being outside to inside the Overton window. So this week, I wrote about the film NIGHTBITCH but also events in S Korea
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
I’ve been thinking a lot about shifting social norms, about how we know when something has gone from being outside to inside the Overton window. So this week, I wrote about the film NIGHTBITCH but also events in S Korea
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
What’s possible? What’s acceptable?
Nightbitch, Korea, and the Overton window
open.substack.com
December 12, 2024 at 3:06 PM
I'm biased because I'm married to her, but I sincerely recommend Denise's Substack for its insights into data science, political psychology (and occasionally pop culture), AND for the good jokes.
New post up 💃🏻
I’ve been thinking a lot about shifting social norms, about how we know when something has gone from being outside to inside the Overton window. So this week, I wrote about the film NIGHTBITCH but also events in S Korea
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
I’ve been thinking a lot about shifting social norms, about how we know when something has gone from being outside to inside the Overton window. So this week, I wrote about the film NIGHTBITCH but also events in S Korea
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
What’s possible? What’s acceptable?
Nightbitch, Korea, and the Overton window
open.substack.com
December 12, 2024 at 10:47 AM
New post up 💃🏻
I’ve been thinking a lot about shifting social norms, about how we know when something has gone from being outside to inside the Overton window. So this week, I wrote about the film NIGHTBITCH but also events in S Korea
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
I’ve been thinking a lot about shifting social norms, about how we know when something has gone from being outside to inside the Overton window. So this week, I wrote about the film NIGHTBITCH but also events in S Korea
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
Reposted by Denise Baron
Damn right. Good on Jonn for his long campaign to expose NIMBY campaigns across the political spectrum - it’s a hugely costly form of organised selfishness (often justified with self-serving hypocrisy) which like Japanese knotweed, blights everything by it touches on this country
“Nimbyism without a very good reason … would be as socially acceptable as facial tattoos or relieving yourself in the street. These people should be tarred and feathered.”
Nimby Watch: The fight must go on
It is with a heavy heart that we publish the final edition of Nimby Watch. Over 32 pieces, Jonn Elledge has exposed the most egregious cases of Nimbyism and shown us why major planning reform is so ba...
capx.co
December 6, 2024 at 3:32 PM
Damn right. Good on Jonn for his long campaign to expose NIMBY campaigns across the political spectrum - it’s a hugely costly form of organised selfishness (often justified with self-serving hypocrisy) which like Japanese knotweed, blights everything by it touches on this country
Reposted by Denise Baron
I wrote an essay for @nytimes.com Ideas about how people decide where to give away money and how the tech industry's obsession with optimization filtered into so many parts of our culture. Here's a gift link www.nytimes.com/2024/12/07/b...
What if Charity Shouldn’t Be Optimized? (Gift Article)
The recent trend in philanthropy has been to look for the most bang for your buck. Maybe you don’t have to.
www.nytimes.com
December 7, 2024 at 2:10 PM
I wrote an essay for @nytimes.com Ideas about how people decide where to give away money and how the tech industry's obsession with optimization filtered into so many parts of our culture. Here's a gift link www.nytimes.com/2024/12/07/b...
Reposted by Denise Baron
APSR will start inviting replications for a random subset of accepted papers. I really like this as well as the constructive tone around it 👏 (from the latest Notes from the Editors)
December 5, 2024 at 12:30 PM
APSR will start inviting replications for a random subset of accepted papers. I really like this as well as the constructive tone around it 👏 (from the latest Notes from the Editors)
The best thing about mince pies has nothing to do with how they taste. (Thank god, because they taste horrible.)
In this week's post, I find a way to connect turkey burgers, mince pies, and trad wives - and reveal why one of those things is not like the others.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
In this week's post, I find a way to connect turkey burgers, mince pies, and trad wives - and reveal why one of those things is not like the others.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
Traditions, not traditional
Turkey burgers and mince pies, but not trad wives
open.substack.com
December 6, 2024 at 1:37 PM
The best thing about mince pies has nothing to do with how they taste. (Thank god, because they taste horrible.)
In this week's post, I find a way to connect turkey burgers, mince pies, and trad wives - and reveal why one of those things is not like the others.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
In this week's post, I find a way to connect turkey burgers, mince pies, and trad wives - and reveal why one of those things is not like the others.
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
Confirming that
people who were
mean to me in
high school now > getting my PhD
have ugly an
child (or two) by
looking at photos
on multiple social platforms
people who were
mean to me in
high school now > getting my PhD
have ugly an
child (or two) by
looking at photos
on multiple social platforms
December 6, 2024 at 1:02 AM
Confirming that
people who were
mean to me in
high school now > getting my PhD
have ugly an
child (or two) by
looking at photos
on multiple social platforms
people who were
mean to me in
high school now > getting my PhD
have ugly an
child (or two) by
looking at photos
on multiple social platforms
Reposted by Denise Baron
Dec 3rd: HIGH FIDELITY (Disney+). I’m in Wicker Park for the first time and just passed the location for Championship Vinyl, so today’s pick has to be Stephen Frears’s Nick Hornby adaptation, a great Chicago movie and an embarrassingly formative film for me that still holds up 25(!) years on.
December 3, 2024 at 7:51 PM
Dec 3rd: HIGH FIDELITY (Disney+). I’m in Wicker Park for the first time and just passed the location for Championship Vinyl, so today’s pick has to be Stephen Frears’s Nick Hornby adaptation, a great Chicago movie and an embarrassingly formative film for me that still holds up 25(!) years on.
Didn’t do crazy numbers but should’ve
November 28, 2024 at 4:22 PM
Didn’t do crazy numbers but should’ve
In 2024, 10 states had pro-abortion measures on their ballots. In each and every one of those states more voters supported abortion rights than Kamala Harris.
Looking at the actual votes - Harris received fewer votes in every single state with a abortion rights measure.
Looking at the actual votes - Harris received fewer votes in every single state with a abortion rights measure.
November 28, 2024 at 3:02 PM
In 2024, 10 states had pro-abortion measures on their ballots. In each and every one of those states more voters supported abortion rights than Kamala Harris.
Looking at the actual votes - Harris received fewer votes in every single state with a abortion rights measure.
Looking at the actual votes - Harris received fewer votes in every single state with a abortion rights measure.
Reposted by Denise Baron
polls missed big in 2016, but pollsters spent the past 8 years adapting to those misses and these adjustments worked pretty well in 2024. my new @goodauth.bsky.social piece with Caroline Soler goodauthority.org/news/pollste...
November 26, 2024 at 6:22 PM
polls missed big in 2016, but pollsters spent the past 8 years adapting to those misses and these adjustments worked pretty well in 2024. my new @goodauth.bsky.social piece with Caroline Soler goodauthority.org/news/pollste...
I'm back in the US for Thanksgiving & realized it's been a decade since I was here for turkey day. (I hate it when people say turkey day)
So I wrote about how I keep my temper in check when political sparks fly during the holidays
(or when someone says turkey day)
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
So I wrote about how I keep my temper in check when political sparks fly during the holidays
(or when someone says turkey day)
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
Something between clenched fists and dead eyes
For my first Thanksgiving back in the US in a decade, a refresher on how to avoid those political “conversations”
open.substack.com
November 27, 2024 at 1:13 PM
I'm back in the US for Thanksgiving & realized it's been a decade since I was here for turkey day. (I hate it when people say turkey day)
So I wrote about how I keep my temper in check when political sparks fly during the holidays
(or when someone says turkey day)
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
So I wrote about how I keep my temper in check when political sparks fly during the holidays
(or when someone says turkey day)
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
It’s a seemingly small but telling difference between US and UK politics.
Arrived in the US yesterday (put in my SIM card), and immediately inundated with fundraising texts from campaigns
Arrived in the US yesterday (put in my SIM card), and immediately inundated with fundraising texts from campaigns
November 27, 2024 at 12:29 PM
It’s a seemingly small but telling difference between US and UK politics.
Arrived in the US yesterday (put in my SIM card), and immediately inundated with fundraising texts from campaigns
Arrived in the US yesterday (put in my SIM card), and immediately inundated with fundraising texts from campaigns
Is it just me or have other Americans abroad noticed a certain sympathy or consideration from non-Americans about the election?
A colleague literally asked “permission to talk about the election?”
Friends who I haven’t seen since the election greet me with “I’m so sorry. How are you doing?”
A colleague literally asked “permission to talk about the election?”
Friends who I haven’t seen since the election greet me with “I’m so sorry. How are you doing?”
November 22, 2024 at 12:59 PM
Is it just me or have other Americans abroad noticed a certain sympathy or consideration from non-Americans about the election?
A colleague literally asked “permission to talk about the election?”
Friends who I haven’t seen since the election greet me with “I’m so sorry. How are you doing?”
A colleague literally asked “permission to talk about the election?”
Friends who I haven’t seen since the election greet me with “I’m so sorry. How are you doing?”
For me, this is one of the most intriguing outcomes from the 2024 US election.
10 states had pro-abortion measures on their ballots, and in each and every one of those states more voters supported abortion rights than Kamala Harris.
What's going on there?
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
10 states had pro-abortion measures on their ballots, and in each and every one of those states more voters supported abortion rights than Kamala Harris.
What's going on there?
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
How can someone vote for Abortion Rights AND for Trump?
Voters who supported abortion rights as well as Trump made a difference in key swing states. What motivated that ballot splitting?
open.substack.com
November 22, 2024 at 12:07 PM
For me, this is one of the most intriguing outcomes from the 2024 US election.
10 states had pro-abortion measures on their ballots, and in each and every one of those states more voters supported abortion rights than Kamala Harris.
What's going on there?
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...
10 states had pro-abortion measures on their ballots, and in each and every one of those states more voters supported abortion rights than Kamala Harris.
What's going on there?
open.substack.com/pub/deniseba...