Political scientist at @PoliticsAtPenn. Comparative politics, parties, elections, electoral systems. RT/like≠endorsement.
Aug 21, 2022 • 21 tweets • 13 min read
Tonight, #HouseOfTheDragon premieres on @HBO. The plot revolves around a succession dispute in the ruling Targaryan dynasty, which leads to the "Dance of the Dragons" war.
Here's a short thread about the polisci/econ/history research on dynastic succession and conflict. 🧵 1/20
If a society is ruled by a king, there must be a mechanism for replacing him (usually him) when he dies or vacates office (i.e., is not overthrown by a rival). 2/20
Kishida was elected Japan's 100th PM (64th individual in the post) on Monday. He's a third-generation politician, following his father and grandfather into politics. He defeated another "legacy" politician, Taro Kono, in the LDP's presidential runoff last week. 2/11
Dec 3, 2020 • 13 tweets • 4 min read
As a comparative political scientist who often works with the case of #Japan, I have mixed feelings about stories in the @nytimes and other (US) media that highlight unrepresentative or "exotic" features of the country or its population. 🧵 1/n
On the one hand, as @jolyonbt points out, these stories can be frustrating because they reinforce stereotypes or facile tropes, and often miss complexities and diversities, as well as paint universally common behavior as somehow uniquely Japanese (see #Nihonjinron). 2/n
Mar 10, 2020 • 16 tweets • 7 min read
Today is the 75th anniversary of the firebombing of Tokyo, which burned about 2.5 million houses and killed ~100,000 people (mostly civilians). Here is a short thread about some of the research on the firebombing and its long-term effects. 1/n
Prior to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the strategic bombing of Japan during WWII targeted 138 cities over several hundred campaigns. 2/n
Feb 12, 2020 • 8 tweets • 5 min read
The newest "legacy candidate" in US politics is Amy Kennedy – wife of former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, son of Ted Kennedy and nephew of JFK – who will challenge former Democrat Jeff Van Drew in NJ-2. She probably has a good shot... 1/n politico.com/news/2020/02/1…
In our research (freshly updated version in link), @OlleFolke, @johannarickne and I explore why, at least historically, women have been more likely to be dynastic than their male counterparts. 2/n papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…
