Justin de Benedictis-Kessner
@jdbk.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Urban and local politics + policy; cyclist; 🏳️🌈; he/him.
As @tedsvo.bsky.social says: “learning isn’t just getting answers to questions.” Worth a listen for anyone who teaches, is learning (anything), or cares about the quality of education in the age of AI!
September 26, 2025 at 12:17 AM
As @tedsvo.bsky.social says: “learning isn’t just getting answers to questions.” Worth a listen for anyone who teaches, is learning (anything), or cares about the quality of education in the age of AI!
This partisan finger-pointing is based on falsehoods. To fix crime, we should focus on evidence-based strategies to address crime, rather than engaging in a distracting blame-game. theconversation.com/crime-is-non...
Crime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sides
Mayors from the Democratic Party aren’t making cities any more – or less – dangerous than mayors from the Republican Party.
theconversation.com
August 11, 2025 at 3:35 PM
This partisan finger-pointing is based on falsehoods. To fix crime, we should focus on evidence-based strategies to address crime, rather than engaging in a distracting blame-game. theconversation.com/crime-is-non...
More details on our research here: bsky.app/profile/jdbk...
Are Democratic leaders making cities more dangerous than Republicans? Trump + others have repeatedly made claims like this. New paper in Science Advances w/ @chriswarshaw.bsky.social, Dan Jones & Matt Harvey shows that, in short, the answer is no.
August 11, 2025 at 3:35 PM
More details on our research here: bsky.app/profile/jdbk...
Our open-access research shows that the partisanship of mayors has no causal effect on crime rates. Nor does it affect police spending, staffing, or arrest rates. www.science.org/doi/full/10....
The partisanship of mayors has no detectable effect on police spending, police employment, crime, or arrests
Across hundreds of cities and three decades, there is no impact of a mayor’s partisan affiliation on crime and arrest rates.
www.science.org
August 11, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Our open-access research shows that the partisanship of mayors has no causal effect on crime rates. Nor does it affect police spending, staffing, or arrest rates. www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Ideological claims from both sides of the aisle about crime and policing aren't facing the facts: what's happening in cities across the country has little to do with partisanship. Reducing crime should focus on evidence-backed strategies rather than partisan finger-pointing.
January 15, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Ideological claims from both sides of the aisle about crime and policing aren't facing the facts: what's happening in cities across the country has little to do with partisanship. Reducing crime should focus on evidence-backed strategies rather than partisan finger-pointing.
Nor do we find consistent evidence that Democrats are making police leadership or police forces substantially more diverse than Republicans.
January 15, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Nor do we find consistent evidence that Democrats are making police leadership or police forces substantially more diverse than Republicans.
Nor are Democrats "defunding the police" relative to Republicans. Neither party is reducing the size of the police force, or its funding.
January 15, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Nor are Democrats "defunding the police" relative to Republicans. Neither party is reducing the size of the police force, or its funding.
Implicit in this argument is that Democratic leaders are making crime worse, and Republicans would make it better. That's a causal question, and exactly what we wanted to answer. Our results show that Dems are no worse OR better at reducing crime than Reps www.science.org/doi/full/10....
The partisanship of mayors has no detectable effect on police spending, police employment, crime, or arrests
Across hundreds of cities and three decades, there is no impact of a mayor’s partisan affiliation on crime and arrest rates.
www.science.org
January 15, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Implicit in this argument is that Democratic leaders are making crime worse, and Republicans would make it better. That's a causal question, and exactly what we wanted to answer. Our results show that Dems are no worse OR better at reducing crime than Reps www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Leaders on both sides of the aisle have said that Democrats need to change their approach on crime–often pointing to elections where progressive politicians have been unseated after widespread frustration with their handling of crime www.nytimes.com/2024/11/08/u...
California Shifts Rightward on Crime in an Election Fueled by Frustration
Voters in the Democratic-run state overwhelmingly approved a measure to impose harsher sentences for crimes and were on their way to ousting two progressive district attorneys.
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Leaders on both sides of the aisle have said that Democrats need to change their approach on crime–often pointing to elections where progressive politicians have been unseated after widespread frustration with their handling of crime www.nytimes.com/2024/11/08/u...