Rikki Dean
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rikkidean.bsky.social
Rikki Dean
@rikkidean.bsky.social
Associate Professor in Politics and Co-Director of the Centre for Democratic Futures at Southampton University.

Visiting Professor at Democratic Innovations Research Unit, Frankfurt University.

https://rikkidean.com/
Pinned
AI in Politics: Repairing Democratic Connections? New chapter from @tamaraehs.bsky.social, @ortiztudela.bsky.social and I. We explore what the democratic challenges would be if we all had our own AI political adviser. The whole book is available open access: www.steiner-verlag.de/en/Connectiv...
Connectivity. Networks. Flows. | 400013950
In an age of specialisation, no single researcher can navigate the vast scope of knowledge required to tackle today’s challenges. Modern research recognises the interconnectivity between the natural s...
www.steiner-verlag.de
Police and Crime Commissioners to be abolished.

Called this more than 3 years ago when writing about the distinction between institutionalisation and embedding: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
November 14, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
Useful undergrad resource: A brief overview of 200 important concepts in political science

link.springer.com/referencewor...
IPSA Companion to Political Science
This open access companion is a comprehensive reference work for political science, detailing the 200 most central concepts of the discipline.
link.springer.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
New publication with Emilien Paulis and David Talukder!

We examine how regional economic conditions shape public support for direct and deliberative democratic innovations (DIs). Our findings show that common explanations of support for DIs are context-dependent:

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
November 12, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
This from @benansell.bsky.social is excellent.
Labour at the Margin...
...of survival
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
The Public Opinion Analytics Lab (POAL) is a collaboration by Southampton, Reading, and the LSE to leverage our strengths in public opinion research for academia and beyond. Today we've published our first methods brief— a short primer on conjoint experiments by the fantastic Thomas Robinson (LSE).
"While testing one dimension at a time can yield simple results, those effects may not generalise to richer, real-world contexts."

Read our new POAL Methods Briefs on Conjoint Experiments from Thomas Robinson!

Link: www.poal.co.uk/research/met...
Public Opinion Analytics Lab
The website of the Public Opinion Analytics Lab
www.poal.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 10:48 AM
The way that the BBC has reported on this story has been pretty disgusting. Consistently framing it as a melodrama for Andrew (the abuser) and his family, like we should maybe feel a bit sorry for him. We shouldn't; we should be on the side of the trafficked girls. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Is this finally rock bottom for Mr Andrew Mountbatten Windsor?
Stripping Andrew of the title 'prince' is colossal, says the BBC's royal correspondent Sean Coughlan.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
Looking for postdoc funding? Markus Häggrot has put together this very useful database of opportunities: pt-postdoc-funding.com

It is aimed at political theorists, but lots of the schemes are open to other disciplines, so helpful for others too. #polisky
Political Theory Postdoc Funding: Grants & Fellowships for Early Career Researchers
Grant and fellowship schemes for early-career researchers in political theory. Browse a comprehensive database of international funding sources for your postdoc in political philosophy. Grant applicat...
pt-postdoc-funding.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Looking for postdoc funding? Markus Häggrot has put together this very useful database of opportunities: pt-postdoc-funding.com

It is aimed at political theorists, but lots of the schemes are open to other disciplines, so helpful for others too. #polisky
Political Theory Postdoc Funding: Grants & Fellowships for Early Career Researchers
Grant and fellowship schemes for early-career researchers in political theory. Browse a comprehensive database of international funding sources for your postdoc in political philosophy. Grant applicat...
pt-postdoc-funding.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
Comparative Constitutional Studies early view: O'Flynn on "Constitutional referendums and randomly selected constitutional conventions." www.elgaronline.com/view/journal...
www.elgaronline.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Autumn has arrived on Highfield Campus 🍂🍁
October 27, 2025 at 2:08 PM
The Monday after the clocks go back. The one day a year that, as a night owl, you can get up at a comfortable time for you and feel like a productive member of society and not some kind of degenerate.
October 27, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
🟡 The Incite-Dem Interactive Forums are novel events where institutional actors are recruited to reflect on how citizen-generated models might be integrated into governance structures, and what adaptations are needed to make them work in practice. ⬇️
October 24, 2025 at 10:11 AM
The problem of telling the truth after nine years of denial is that most people will quite reasonably assume either 1) you are just making excuses for current failure, or 2) you spent the last nine years being stupid/lying.
October 22, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Stumbled across what seemed to be an abandoned palace whilst wandering around Lisbon last week.
October 20, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
We are hiring PhDs and postdocs to work on the ERC project GETGOV, where I am the PI.

We will investigate governing elites since 1789. I am sure that it will be a lot of fun and result in great research!

Postdocs: www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

PhDs: www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science (3-4 years) (288628) | University of Oslo
Job title: Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science (3-4 years) (288628), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Monday, November 17, 2025
www.jobbnorge.no
October 20, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
AI in Politics: Repairing Democratic Connections? New chapter from @tamaraehs.bsky.social, @ortiztudela.bsky.social and I. We explore what the democratic challenges would be if we all had our own AI political adviser. The whole book is available open access: www.steiner-verlag.de/en/Connectiv...
Connectivity. Networks. Flows. | 400013950
In an age of specialisation, no single researcher can navigate the vast scope of knowledge required to tackle today’s challenges. Modern research recognises the interconnectivity between the natural s...
www.steiner-verlag.de
October 20, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
Although not yet available to read (January 2026!), very happy to see our book on political trust online. Co-edited with @mfair.bsky.social and available open access, we think it'll be a useful addition to the field.

www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r...
October 20, 2025 at 10:29 AM
AI in Politics: Repairing Democratic Connections? New chapter from @tamaraehs.bsky.social, @ortiztudela.bsky.social and I. We explore what the democratic challenges would be if we all had our own AI political adviser. The whole book is available open access: www.steiner-verlag.de/en/Connectiv...
Connectivity. Networks. Flows. | 400013950
In an age of specialisation, no single researcher can navigate the vast scope of knowledge required to tackle today’s challenges. Modern research recognises the interconnectivity between the natural s...
www.steiner-verlag.de
October 20, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
🛎️New Issue is out❗️

Towards a 3⃣rd generation of #PolicyAdvisorySystems studies❓

Co-guest edited by @andreamigone.bsky.social & @howlettm.bsky.social, the new generation studies how different PAS are structured and operated—or managed—to deliver quality results👇

academic.oup.com/policyandsoc...
October 20, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Just accidentally activated an AI assistant on my phone. It confidently told me that I was looking at the cover art for Compositions, the 2023 album of Norwegian drone artist Deathprod. I was actually checking a purchase on my banking app, but I guess it just knew I really wanted to hear some drone.
a man in a striped sweater is standing in front of a door and says they know everything
ALT: a man in a striped sweater is standing in front of a door and says they know everything
media.tenor.com
October 14, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
📚 new open access book: "Climate Assemblies - New Civic Institutions for a Climate-Changed World" 🌍

✅ 25 co-authors examine the state of the field and the reasons behind the growing hope and hype about climate assemblies

✅Free PDF available here 👉🏼 www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
August 25, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
🎓 Join us for our Autumn 2025 Webinar Series: “Using Social Media as a Research Tool”, co-organised with @aykutozturk.bsky.social!

We explore how social media data can help study democracy, political communication & public engagement. 🧵👇
October 8, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
🧩Democracy is complex, but maybe that’s an asset

🌍🪴@alexalenz.bsky.social, Xavier Fernández-i-Marín, Markus Hinterleitner, @cknill.bsky.social & Yves Steinebach show that democracies handle climate-policy complexity more smoothly than less democratic regimes 👇

🖇️ www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
October 8, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Reposted by Rikki Dean
Second, a more down-to-earth combination in which @tamaraehs.bsky.social, @rikkidean.bsky.social and I reflect on the potentials and pitfalls of AI for Democracy. Much has changed in the AI-sphere since we wrote it but many of our concerns remain! - AI in Politics: Repairing Democratic Connections?
October 5, 2025 at 2:18 PM