Justin de Benedictis-Kessner

amazon.comThe Fog of Accountability: How Institutions Keep Voters from Holding Their Local Governments Accountable (Chicago Studies in American Politics): de Benedictis-Kessner, Justin: 9780226849102: Amazon.co...The Fog of Accountability: How Institutions Keep Voters from Holding Their Local Governments Accountable (Chicago Studies in American Politics) [de Benedictis-Kessner, Justin] on Amazon.com. *FREE* sh...

My book, "The Fog of Accountability: How Institutions Keep Voters from Holding Their Local Governments Accountable," is here! I hope you'll grab a copy if you're interested in cities 🏙️, elections 🗳️, and how we can make them better 📚📦 www.amazon.com/Fog-Accounta...

The answers from my research come down to institutional problems. Cities are defined by complex institutions that confuse voters, a declining local media provides less and less information to voters that could help them, and local elections feature minimally effective competition

I'm grateful to about 1000 people who helped with this project along the way – from train conductors to editors @uchicagopress.bsky.social to librarians to dissertation committee members. Thank you all!

Years ago, my friend and I were struggling to figure out how to vote in our local city council elections. How were we supposed to know what city government does? And which of the candidates would be the best leaders to serve in that government? [us, pictured below]

@brendannyhan.bsky.social

When I dug into the data, I discovered that many voters are in the same boat: they're quite reasonably confused about what their local government does, whether their leaders are doing a good job, and how they should vote. We're in the fog! 🌫️😶‍🌫️🌫️

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner reposted

Brendan Nyhan

In the mail: The Fog of Accountability by the excellent @jdbk.bsky.social on how "urban politics is defined by minimally effective competition, complex institutions that confuse voters, and a lack of effective media coverage"

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner reposted

Political Science Research and Methods

@psrm.bsky.social

8 Apr

📰 Do the effects of partisan media fade quickly or accumulate over time? ➡️ Using multiwave experiments, M Baum et al. show a single exposure can have effects lasting up to a week, while cumulative effects are hard to detect www.cambridge.org/core/journal... #FirstView

wbur.orgHow one college professor uses AI in the classroomHarvard Kennedy School Professor Teddy Svoronos is mostly optimistic on the benefits of AI in higher education.

26 Sept 2025

My friend and colleague at @harvardkennedy.bsky.social @tedsvo.bsky.social shared his expert perspective on the use of AI in education on @npr.org ’s All Things Considered today: www.wbur.org/upnext/2025/...

26 Sept 2025

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!

Yet again, Trump is falsely claiming that Democrat-controlled cities like DC are letting crime get out of control. Our research – from cities across the US – shows that this just isn't true @chriswarshaw.bsky.social @dbjones.bsky.social @matttheeconguy.bsky.social

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump mentions NYC, Baltimore, and Oakland, says "they're so far gone," and adds, "this will go further. We'll starting very strongly with DC."

More details on our research here: bsky.app/profile/jdbk...

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner@jdbk.bsky.social

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.

theconversation.comCrime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sidesMayors from the Democratic Party aren’t making cities any more – or less – dangerous than mayors from the Republican Party.

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...

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump mentions NYC, Baltimore, and Oakland, says "they're so far gone," and adds, "this will go further. We'll starting very strongly with DC."

science.orgThe partisanship of mayors has no detectable effect on police spending, police employment, crime, or arrestsAcross hundreds of cities and three decades, there is no impact of a mayor’s partisan affiliation on crime and arrest rates.

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....

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner reposted

The Conversation U.S.

@us.theconversation.com

18 Apr 2025

Crime is nonpartisan, and neither party is better at fighting crime in cities. But evidence-backed programs like youth jobs initiatives can help improve public safety. buff.ly/RGmW1ht @jdbk.bsky.social @harvardkennedy.bsky.social and Christopher S. Warshaw, George Washington University #polisky

buff.lyCrime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sidesMayors from the Democratic Party aren’t making cities any more – or less – dangerous than mayors from the Republican Party.

theatlantic.comDOGE Is Failing on Its Own TermsThe Trump administration’s cuts to university research grants will make America sicker and poorer in the long run.

11 Feb 2025

Well said, from my colleague David Deming @harvardkennedy.bsky.social: "If government funding goes away, so will much of the research. The long-run cost will be staggering. We’ll have fewer medical breakthroughs, the progress of lifesaving medical treatments will stall, and America may fall behind."

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com

The Trump administration’s cuts to university research grants will make America sicker and poorer in the long run, David Deming writes. DOGE should stop "confusing efficiency with ill-conceived budget cuts."

Nor do we find consistent evidence that Democrats are making police leadership or police forces substantially more diverse than Republicans.

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.

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....

Nor are Democrats "defunding the police" relative to Republicans. Neither party is reducing the size of the police force, or its funding.

nytimes.comCalifornia Shifts Rightward on Crime in an Election Fueled by FrustrationVoters 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.

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...

hks.harvard.eduThe essential reforms needed to fix the housing crisisHarvard Kennedy School Associate Professor Justin de Benedictis-Kessner and former Burlington, Vermont, Mayor Miro Weinberger MPP 1998 explain the current crisis and offer solutions for a more afforda...

20 Nov 2024

Fun to talk housing policy and potential reforms with former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger on a recent PolicyCast @harvardkennedy.bsky.social www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner reposted

Michael Hankinson

@hankinson.bsky.social

24 Oct 2024

Can developers compensate nearby residents to win support for their housing projects? In a new @jpublicpolicy.bsky.social article, @jdbk.bsky.social and I unpack how compensation works, when it fails, and what that teaches us about symbolic attitudes and housing policy. 1/11

24 Jan 2024

I'm hiring a postdoc to work with me for 2 years at the Harvard Kennedy School thnx to generous funding from the Bloomberg Center for Cities. Official job posting is up now! Please tell anyone you know who might be interested to apply #psjminfo cities.harvard.edu/postdoctoral...