Stef Adriaenssens
@stefa3.bsky.social
Economic sociologist - informal economy, sex work, begging, survival activities
@ Department of Economics, KU Leuven.
@ Department of Economics, KU Leuven.
You start with a very very clear statement in mind, and then you remember you were trained to make plenty of qualifications, at least on average, the modal category to be precise, notwithstanding the outliers and some backfiring effects I will try to explain in a minute.
You see? It's that simple!
You see? It's that simple!
Had to dig this up.
November 7, 2025 at 1:48 PM
You start with a very very clear statement in mind, and then you remember you were trained to make plenty of qualifications, at least on average, the modal category to be precise, notwithstanding the outliers and some backfiring effects I will try to explain in a minute.
You see? It's that simple!
You see? It's that simple!
Shooting the piano player, Act IC.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Israel top military lawyer arrested after she admitted leaking video of soldiers’ abuse
Rightwing politicians and pundits have called the soldiers accused of attack on Palestinian detainee ‘heroes’ and military investigators traitors
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Shooting the piano player, Act IC.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
There's a broad consensus to increase military investments. The defense sector is quite sensitive to graft, partly due to the combination of large budgets and secrecy. An easy piece of advice then would be: beef up deterrence. The US DOJ now does the opposite. Not great.
www.ftm.eu/articles/us-...
www.ftm.eu/articles/us-...
U.S. pulls plug on major NATO corruption probes – top suspects walk free
A NATO corruption scandal made international headlines when several suspects were arrested across Europe in May. Several months later, the U.S. dropped charges against four of them – including a Turki...
www.ftm.eu
October 25, 2025 at 5:06 PM
There's a broad consensus to increase military investments. The defense sector is quite sensitive to graft, partly due to the combination of large budgets and secrecy. An easy piece of advice then would be: beef up deterrence. The US DOJ now does the opposite. Not great.
www.ftm.eu/articles/us-...
www.ftm.eu/articles/us-...
US pundits and social media extraverts seem shocked by the demolition of a White House aisle, but much less so by the defunding that may cost 14 million lives in the coming years.
Obelix would have whispered: Ils sont fous, ces A...!
doi-org/10.1038/d415...
Obelix would have whispered: Ils sont fous, ces A...!
doi-org/10.1038/d415...
Shibboleth Authentication Request
www-nature-com.kuleuven.e-bronnen.be
October 23, 2025 at 8:26 PM
US pundits and social media extraverts seem shocked by the demolition of a White House aisle, but much less so by the defunding that may cost 14 million lives in the coming years.
Obelix would have whispered: Ils sont fous, ces A...!
doi-org/10.1038/d415...
Obelix would have whispered: Ils sont fous, ces A...!
doi-org/10.1038/d415...
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.
October 14, 2025 at 11:32 AM
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.
Reposted by Stef Adriaenssens
So far in 2025, Iran’s authorities have executed at least 1,106 people.
Today, on World Day Against the Death Penalty, we urge the international community to apply pressure on Iranian authorities to stop their assault on rights.
Today, on World Day Against the Death Penalty, we urge the international community to apply pressure on Iranian authorities to stop their assault on rights.
October 10, 2025 at 6:01 PM
So far in 2025, Iran’s authorities have executed at least 1,106 people.
Today, on World Day Against the Death Penalty, we urge the international community to apply pressure on Iranian authorities to stop their assault on rights.
Today, on World Day Against the Death Penalty, we urge the international community to apply pressure on Iranian authorities to stop their assault on rights.
María Corina Machado, congrats!
Not just a deserving Nobel peace prize winner. The message the committee seems to give by this choice is: it's democracy, stupid!
Not just a deserving Nobel peace prize winner. The message the committee seems to give by this choice is: it's democracy, stupid!
October 10, 2025 at 9:11 AM
María Corina Machado, congrats!
Not just a deserving Nobel peace prize winner. The message the committee seems to give by this choice is: it's democracy, stupid!
Not just a deserving Nobel peace prize winner. The message the committee seems to give by this choice is: it's democracy, stupid!
I thought of a paradox: the most Kremlin-friendly populists (soon) seem to rule Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary. All countries that resisted and suffered from the Kremlin's iron fist in postwar central Europe. Am I right here? Any central Europe experts have an explanation?
October 5, 2025 at 8:55 AM
I thought of a paradox: the most Kremlin-friendly populists (soon) seem to rule Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary. All countries that resisted and suffered from the Kremlin's iron fist in postwar central Europe. Am I right here? Any central Europe experts have an explanation?
One major challenge in understanding the lives of homeless people, is the lack of reliable and encompassing data. One source that is underexploited are the data produced by outreach organisations. Grateful to Diogenes for the collaboration!
doi.org/10.4000/14tnx
doi.org/10.4000/14tnx
The role of begging in the survival strategies of Brussels street p...
Introduction A good thirty years ago, on 1 March 1993, begging and homelessness were decriminalised after many centuries. Although the phenomenon of begging is no longer a criminal offence, it has ...
doi.org
October 2, 2025 at 8:38 AM
One major challenge in understanding the lives of homeless people, is the lack of reliable and encompassing data. One source that is underexploited are the data produced by outreach organisations. Grateful to Diogenes for the collaboration!
doi.org/10.4000/14tnx
doi.org/10.4000/14tnx
Once bitten, twice shy? The country that invented appeasement does it again.
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...
ABC barred from Trump’s UK press conference after his clash with Australian journalist John Lyons
Exclusive: London bureau of Australia’s national broadcaster informed accreditation removed for ‘logistical reasons’
www.theguardian.com
September 18, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Once bitten, twice shy? The country that invented appeasement does it again.
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...
Wow...
These are calls for mass political violence, against all Democrats. They openly call for the bombing of "Democrat" cities and for the jailing or killing of Democratic politicians. They are from some of the most influential voices in right-wing politics. Will anyone say anything?
September 11, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Wow...
"The Dunning-Kruger effect applies to smart people also. It's not just that stupid people don't know they're stupid; smart people don't know they're stupid. What happens at a certain level of wealth is, you start to believe that the genius that made you rich applies to everything."
August 28, 2025 at 2:03 PM
"The Dunning-Kruger effect applies to smart people also. It's not just that stupid people don't know they're stupid; smart people don't know they're stupid. What happens at a certain level of wealth is, you start to believe that the genius that made you rich applies to everything."
Wow....
Reading for pleasure falls by 40% in the US - on.ft.com/4lBx9yG via @FT
Reading for pleasure falls by 40% in the US - on.ft.com/4lBx9yG via @FT
Reading for pleasure falls by 40% in the US
Decline over two decades ‘deeply concerning’, say researchers of study into daily habits of Americans
on.ft.com
August 20, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Wow....
Reading for pleasure falls by 40% in the US - on.ft.com/4lBx9yG via @FT
Reading for pleasure falls by 40% in the US - on.ft.com/4lBx9yG via @FT
You have to give it to them Americans: irritate your EU and Ukrainian 'allies', give a thumbs up to your kindred spirit, and kiss up to the bully. All of that with choosing a location. Faut le faire.
According to Politico, the U.S. Secret Service has begun preparing Trump’s visit to Budapest, where a possible trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, and Putin may take place.
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
August 20, 2025 at 7:30 AM
You have to give it to them Americans: irritate your EU and Ukrainian 'allies', give a thumbs up to your kindred spirit, and kiss up to the bully. All of that with choosing a location. Faut le faire.
Waiting for a strange press conference, my train of thoughts drives me from Munich to Canossa.
But hey, he didn't have to go to the dictator's crib, and no ashes to see in the POTUS coiffure. So there's hope.
But hey, he didn't have to go to the dictator's crib, and no ashes to see in the POTUS coiffure. So there's hope.
August 15, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Waiting for a strange press conference, my train of thoughts drives me from Munich to Canossa.
But hey, he didn't have to go to the dictator's crib, and no ashes to see in the POTUS coiffure. So there's hope.
But hey, he didn't have to go to the dictator's crib, and no ashes to see in the POTUS coiffure. So there's hope.
Strange that "across the Atlantic" just means the anglophone mother country across the pond. Could it be related to monolingualism?
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/o...
Opinion | A Warning From Across the Atlantic for Both Democrats and Republicans
www.nytimes.com
August 13, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Strange that "across the Atlantic" just means the anglophone mother country across the pond. Could it be related to monolingualism?
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/o...
Long time ago, we drove through Morocco by car. Panhandling in every town, except for the capital. We imagined the king could not bear the sight of misery, hence the Maghreb-style Potemkin town of Rabat.
Now another prospective king plans the same ..
share.google/wBM7WtByk2py...
Now another prospective king plans the same ..
share.google/wBM7WtByk2py...
Trump demands homeless people 'immediately' move out of Washington DC
Trump says homeless people must go "far" from the nation's capital, as part of his anti-crime plan, but the mayor pushes back.
share.google
August 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Long time ago, we drove through Morocco by car. Panhandling in every town, except for the capital. We imagined the king could not bear the sight of misery, hence the Maghreb-style Potemkin town of Rabat.
Now another prospective king plans the same ..
share.google/wBM7WtByk2py...
Now another prospective king plans the same ..
share.google/wBM7WtByk2py...
"Free speech for me, but not for thee" sums it up nicely.
Remember, just recently UATX let go of a faculty member for posting an innocuous thing on LinkedIn about having respectful discussions about DEI initiatives, and UATX people told her that a major funder told them she had to be fired.
www.techdirt.com/2025/05/19/w...
www.techdirt.com/2025/05/19/w...
July 19, 2025 at 6:26 PM
"Free speech for me, but not for thee" sums it up nicely.
"A fraudster always makes the loudest noise".
VERY interesting observation, revealing the rigid thinking of an 8-year old who sipped from his dad's whiskey. As we all know: decibels imply deviance!
VERY interesting observation, revealing the rigid thinking of an 8-year old who sipped from his dad's whiskey. As we all know: decibels imply deviance!
Billionaire brain.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: "Let's say Social Security didn't send out their checks this month, my mother-in-law wouldn't call and complain. She just wouldn't."
July 15, 2025 at 9:26 PM
"A fraudster always makes the loudest noise".
VERY interesting observation, revealing the rigid thinking of an 8-year old who sipped from his dad's whiskey. As we all know: decibels imply deviance!
VERY interesting observation, revealing the rigid thinking of an 8-year old who sipped from his dad's whiskey. As we all know: decibels imply deviance!
Leaving Montréal after the SASE conference. I came to the conclusion I could be a Canadian of sorts: Belgians are the little guy among neighbours, speak English and French, have an even love-hate relationship with both culturally, and are neither Anglo nor French. Great to be stuck in between!
July 14, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Leaving Montréal after the SASE conference. I came to the conclusion I could be a Canadian of sorts: Belgians are the little guy among neighbours, speak English and French, have an even love-hate relationship with both culturally, and are neither Anglo nor French. Great to be stuck in between!
Reposted by Stef Adriaenssens
Using time series graphs to make causal claims be like
July 14, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Using time series graphs to make causal claims be like
Zó een ongeïnformeerde, droevige, oubollige, misbegrepen tirade tegen 'tellen':
"Want het probleem met telbare dingen is net dat: je begint ze te tellen. En met wiskunde komen sommen en vergelijkingen. En met vergelijkingen winnaars en verliezers."
www.standaard.be/opinies/wat-...
"Want het probleem met telbare dingen is net dat: je begint ze te tellen. En met wiskunde komen sommen en vergelijkingen. En met vergelijkingen winnaars en verliezers."
www.standaard.be/opinies/wat-...
Wat echt telt, zijn de dingen die niet telbaar zijn (en zo zijn er ontelbaar veel)
Sommige zelfstandige naamwoorden zijn telbaar, andere niet. Aan die grammaticale bijzonderheid denk ik bijna elke dag. Als je ooit leraar Engels bent geweest, dan kun je bijna niet anders. Het is een taalkundige valkuil waar Nederlandstaligen intuïtief in trappen: voor het Nederlandse ‘minder’ gebruik je in het Engels ‘less’ bij niet-telbare woorden, maar ‘fewer’ bij telbare. Less hate dus. Maar fewer bombs. Ik weet wat u denkt: chill! Grammatica is geen kwestie van levensbelang. Nou.
www.standaard.be
June 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Zó een ongeïnformeerde, droevige, oubollige, misbegrepen tirade tegen 'tellen':
"Want het probleem met telbare dingen is net dat: je begint ze te tellen. En met wiskunde komen sommen en vergelijkingen. En met vergelijkingen winnaars en verliezers."
www.standaard.be/opinies/wat-...
"Want het probleem met telbare dingen is net dat: je begint ze te tellen. En met wiskunde komen sommen en vergelijkingen. En met vergelijkingen winnaars en verliezers."
www.standaard.be/opinies/wat-...
Calling people of colour un-American? Free speech! Antisemitic drivel? Unacceptable.
All racisms are equally horrible, but some are not.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/u...
All racisms are equally horrible, but some are not.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/u...
A White Nationalist Wrote a Law School Paper Promoting Racist Views. It Won Him an Award.
www.nytimes.com
June 21, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Calling people of colour un-American? Free speech! Antisemitic drivel? Unacceptable.
All racisms are equally horrible, but some are not.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/u...
All racisms are equally horrible, but some are not.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/u...
Happy that our article on how the law may change the public's assessment of prostitution has been published. For once I am happy to add complexity to the overly simplistic debate.
doi.org/10.1007/s105...
doi.org/10.1007/s105...
Does the Law Affect the Justification of Prostitution? A Natural Experiment on the Impact of European Law Changes on Prostitution Norms - Archives of Sexual Behavior
While most evaluations of the effects of prostitution policy focus on externalities such as violence, STDs, or risks of human trafficking, this contribution studies the impact on the public’s social n...
doi.org
June 17, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Happy that our article on how the law may change the public's assessment of prostitution has been published. For once I am happy to add complexity to the overly simplistic debate.
doi.org/10.1007/s105...
doi.org/10.1007/s105...