Michael W. Kraus

@mwkraus.bsky.social

7.8K followers 2.1K following 660 posts

Not the German handball player or the historian. The other one. Berkeley Psych alum and social psychologist. | he/him

www.csinequality.org

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Psychology 34%

Political science 30%

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Michael W. Kraus @mwkraus.bsky.social · Aug 21

It's publication day for our first paper out of the www.csinequality.org lab completed entirely at NU. To write it, we asked: what research in the social psychology of inequality do we like and why do we like it? The answer is this paper:

Nature Reviews Psychology @natrevpsychol.nature.com · Aug 21

A functional approach to the psychology of inequality

Perspective by Michael W. Kraus (@mwkraus.bsky.social‬), Daniel J. Sanji, Megan E. Burns, Aline da Silva Frost, Iseul Cha-Ju, A. Chyei Vinluan, LaStarr Hollie & Cydney H. Dupree (‪@cydneydupree.bsky.social‬)

go.nature.com/4fMVfVV

a, An example of the deficit-based model of the psychology of inequality, in which psychological processes related to cognition, emotion and motivation influence desirable behavioural patterns that sort people and groups into different levels of resources and opportunities in society. b, An example of a functional model of inequality as domination and resistance. Psychological processes that arise from the structural context promote actions that either support and reproduce structures of inequality or dismantle those structures.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Scott L. Greer, Michael W. Kraus , and 8 more Anna O. Law, Scott L. Greer, Michael W. Kraus, Brian Keegan, David C. Kimball, Mark Rice, Ann Bartow, Kathleen Kennedy, Manisha Sinha, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, François Guesnet

Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 19h

The Boston Globe identified the companies in Massachusetts that employ the most SNAP recipients. A key stat: "In Massachusetts, 74% of working-age recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are employed, half of them full-time."

Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...

Number of SNAP recipients
Amazon 2,456
Walmart 2,318
Uber 1,799
DoorDash 1,462
Tempus Unlimited 1,425
Stop & Shop 989
Mass General Brigham 956
Dollar Tree 952
Albertsons Companies, Inc. 896
Bayada Home Health 887

Reposted by Michael W. Kraus

Nelson Flores @nelsonlflores.bsky.social · 20h

Fixed it

“Critics have likened Mr. Trump’s approach to extortion, while others have chalked it up as extortion.”

Marty Lederman @martylederman.bsky.social · 1d

How did the @nytimes.com editors let this sentence appear?

"Critics have likened Mr. Trump’s approach to extortion, while others have chalked it up as a cost of doing business with this administration."

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...

Northwestern University Nears Deal to Resolve Its Conflict With the White House

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Jonathan M. Gilligan, Michael W. Kraus, Sam Kamin , and 1 more Jonathan M. Gilligan, Michael W. Kraus, Sam Kamin, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 1d

"The agreement places no restrictions on our transgender community."

Except whether they can play sports, where they can use the bathroom or locker room, what kind of housing they can live in, and what healthcare they can receive.

A screenshot of a webpage FAQ section titled "Gender."
The first question asks: "Does the agreement place new restrictions on our transgender community? Does it dictate how members of our community identify themselves and their gender?"
The answer begins with text highlighted in yellow:
> "No. The agreement places no restrictions on our transgender community. The University unequivocally supports all members of our community, including transgender students, faculty and staff. Members of our community have agency to choose how they identify themselves and the pronouns they use."
>
The answer continues with unhighlighted text:
> "Per the agreement, Northwestern will adhere to federal policies, including Title IX. That includes providing 'safe and fair opportunities for women, including single-sex housing for any woman, defined on the basis of sex, who requests such accommodations, and all-female sports, locker rooms and showering facilities.'"
>
A second question follows: "What has the University agreed to as it relates to transgender care?"
The answer reads:
> "The University and Feinberg School of Medicine have never performed gender-affirming surgeries for minors. Northwestern continues to support transgender members of our community."
>

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael W. Kraus

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1d

Any person who claims to be an academic leader and signs a document like this is neither.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael W. Kraus

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1d

Paragraphs 21-26 are incredibly invasive diversity-related changes.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael W. Kraus, Pádua Fernandes , and 1 more Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael W. Kraus, Pádua Fernandes, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1d

Among the provisions are ones agreeing to the Trump administration's definition of sex as "biological sex" and agreeing "not perform hormonal interventions and transgender surgeries ... on any individual under the age of 18 years old, effective immediately."

28. Northwestern will uphold its commitment to Title IX by providing safe and fair opportunities for women, including single-sex housing for any woman, defined on the basis of sex, who requests such accommodations and all-female sports, locker rooms, and showering facilities.
29. Northwestern and its Feinberg School of Medicine shall not perform hormonal interventions and transgender surgeries, including but not limited to mastectomies, phalloplasties, vaginoplasties, and/or any other procedure intended to alter an individual's sex characteristics, on any individual under the age of 18 years old, effective immediately upon the Effective Date of this Agreement.
a. Northwestern shall revise all policies, protocols, and public-facing materials at Feinberg School of Medicine to reflect the commitment set forth in this paragraph on hormonal interventions and transgender surgeries to individuals under the age of 18 years old and ensure compliance with federal laws.
b. Northwestern shall notify all faculty and administrators of the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern's commitments set forth above regarding transgender surgeries on minors within thirty (30) days of the Effective Date.
30. Together with its first quarterly certification as set out in Paragraph 49, Northwestern shall submit a report to the Assistant Attorney General, confirming compliance with the preceding paragraph. The report shall include documentation of compliance, such as revised policy documents and copies of notifications sent.

"Sex," "female," "male," "women," and "men" are defined in Executive Order 14168, Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government (Jan. 20, 2025), and related executive orders.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael W. Kraus

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1d

This is an incredibly invasive settlement — similar in several parts to the Columbia settlement. It is signed by Northwestern University interim president Henry Bienen. www.northwestern.edu/president/do...

For Northwestern University
Signed by:
1594
08989499FAF4490...
Henry S. Bienen
Interim President, Northwestern University
633 Clark Street
Evanston, IL 60208
For the United States:
Lams Tall
The Honorable Harmeet K. Dhillon
Assistant Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530
For the Department of Health and Human Services:
Paula M. Stannard
Director, Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S. W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Dated:
11/28,2025

Michael W. Kraus @mwkraus.bsky.social · 1d

Nasty work to do this Friday during break.

Reposted by Gavin A. Schmidt, Tom Clark, Steve Peers , and 9 more Gavin A. Schmidt, Tom Clark, Steve Peers, Mark D. White, Rosemary A. Joyce, Laurent Pech, Michael W. Kraus, David R. Miller, Brian Keegan, Sarah Roberts, Nelson Flores, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1d

The legal, media, and academic institutions capitulating to an authoritarian ordering payments for favorable treatment are damning themselves to irrelevance. They are destroying their institutions. They will be — and should be — shunned for failing in their most basic purposes for existing.

Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university

Full statement from NU below:

Reposted by Michael W. Kraus

John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 1d

Appeasement has never worked. Never.

Reposted by Michael W. Kraus, Daxton R. Stewart

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 1d

👀 when it comes to "harassment" and student protest, northwestern has given the trump administration what appears to be a veto over changes in policy: "Northwestern shall not revise or modify these policies and procedures without the consent of the Assistant Attorney General".

horrible.

Heidi Kitrosser @heidikitrosser.bsky.social · 1d

You've heard of the Friday night news dump. Here's the Friday night of Thanksgiving wknd dump. For special circumstances, like when the faculty assembly votes 595-4 against paying to end a shakedown and you do it anyway. Link to agreement here: bulkmail.northwestern.edu/trk/click?re...

Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 1d

Reposted by Michael W. Kraus

Brendan Cantwell @cantb.bsky.social · 1d

Examples like this would seems to support the collaboration argument - some faction of board members and powerful donors wanted this outcome. The deal mandated board compliance sub-committee is further evidence of an inside hand.

Reposted by Alan Richardson, Michael W. Kraus

Brendan Cantwell @cantb.bsky.social · 1d

I’ll look at it in more depth later but Northwestern’s agreement seems more campus-specific than previous deals and imposes restrictions on campus conduct beyond what others ave agreed to. Northwestern seems to have surrendered autonomy to a shocking extent. www.northwestern.edu/president/do...

www.northwestern.edu

Reposted by Michael W. Kraus

Paul Gowder @gowder.io · 1d

TL;DR: basically the same contemptible garbage as all the other schools, anti-trans, anti-protest, more restrictive on admissions than the court held in SFFA. 75 million dollar tribute payment. At least no surveillance of teaching evaluations I guess?

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Kim L. Scheppele , and 11 more Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Kim L. Scheppele, Scott L. Greer, David H. Kaye, Rosemary A. Joyce, Esther K. Choo, Michael Kevane, Melanie C. Green, Janet Murray, Michael W. Kraus, Julia M. Wright, Lisa Diedrich, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Heidi Kitrosser @heidikitrosser.bsky.social · 1d

Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 1d

Reposted by Michael W. Kraus, Sylvia Perry

Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 1d

I'm not reading this tonight but in case you care

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

Trump administration reaches deal with Northwestern University to restore funding

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Friday said it has reached an agreement with Northwestern University to restore hundreds of millions of dollars in research funds and close pending inve...

www.reuters.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Matthew Bunn , and 25 more Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Matthew Bunn, Brendan Nyhan, Gavin A. Schmidt, Tom Clark, Scott L. Greer, Mark D. White, Rosemary A. Joyce, David Rothschild, American Library Association, Dawn J. Wright, Janet Murray, Michael W. Kraus, David R. Miller, Adrian Daub, James Goodwin, Brian Murphy, Brian Keegan, Pádua Fernandes, Annette Yoshiko Reed, Stella M. Rouse, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dan Immergluck, David R. Shumway, Élisabeth Vallet, Sofya Aptekar, Kristina McElheran

Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 1d

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Robert C. Richards, Michael W. Kraus , and 4 more Lisa W. Fazio, Robert C. Richards, Michael W. Kraus, Brian Keegan, Ann Bartow, Rebecca Zorach, Dan Immergluck

Paul Gowder @gowder.io · 1d

Fuck, Northwestern just caved. Reading the deal now. ( www.northwestern.edu/president/do... )

www.northwestern.edu

Reposted by Michael W. Kraus

NYT Tech Guild @nytguildtech.bsky.social · 1d

No contract? No coffee! ✊☕ Our members are out supporting Starbucks Workers United in their strike as they fight for a fair contract.

Striking Starbucks workers picket outside a store in Buffalo, NY

A dog next to a sign reading "no contract, no Starbucks"

Michael W. Kraus @mwkraus.bsky.social · 2d

Me at dinner today.

Scene from pride and prejudice where the priest (Mr. Collins) compliments the Bennett family on their boiled potatoes.

Reposted by Michael W. Kraus

Dr. Lorgia García Peña @laprofelgp.bsky.social · 2d

6 years ago, as I prepared to host students for Thanksgiving, I received a call informing me Harvard denied me tenure. Before I had a chance to process, it was all public. This year the memory stings more as I watch dear colleagues and friends like @durba.bsky.social experience the same violence.

Why Lorgia García Peña Was Denied Tenure at Harvard

A decision not to retain a beloved Latinx-studies professor raised questions about the university’s commitment to students of color.

www.newyorker.com

Beth Popp Berman @epopppp.bsky.social · 2d

This means NSF dissertation improvement grants in the social sciences are simply...not happening.

Kristina Killgrove @killgrove.bsky.social · 3d

NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.

Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪

Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?

Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.

www.livescience.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, David H. Kaye, Michael Kevane , and 3 more Kim L. Scheppele, David H. Kaye, Michael Kevane, Michael W. Kraus, Julia Lynch, Aidan O’Sullivan

Heidi Kitrosser @heidikitrosser.bsky.social · 3d

BTW, any story about a possible Northwestern capitulation should include this detail (screenshot is from the oped linked below)

On Oct. 15, the Northwestern Faculty Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution opposing "any capitulation on the part of Northwestern University" to the Trump Administration's "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" or to "similar demands that undermine constitutional rights, democratic principles, faculty governance, institutional autonomy, and academic freedom." The vote was 595 for the resolution, four against it and eight abstentions.

Reposted by Michael W. Kraus

New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) @thenyic.bsky.social · 3d

🚨 COMMUNITY ALERT🚨

At LaGuardia Airport, there are several rumored and one confirmed ICE arrest of domestic travelers.

If you are at risk of detention or not sure, exercise caution while traveling. Make a safety plan in case of detention and consult an immigration attorney.