Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · 6h

An absolute classic. I think it's a broader phenomenon: 'We pretend to work and you pretend to pay us' ; 'We pretend to study and you pretend to test us'.

Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · 11h

Gambetta & Origgi on the LL Game, in which agents prefer to deliver and receive (!) low quality.

This paper is absolutely savage but also feels uncomfortably relevant to parts of academia outside of Italy 👀

diegogambetta.org/wp-content/u...

Abstract
We investigate a phenomenon which we have experienced as common when dealing
with an assortment of Italian public and private institutions: people promise to exchange
high-quality goods and services, but then something goes wrong and the quality delivered
is lower than had been promised. While this is perceived as ‘cheating’ by outsiders,
insiders seem not only to adapt to, but to rely on this outcome. They do not resent
low-quality exchanges; in fact, they seem to resent high-quality ones, and are inclined
to put pressure on or avoid dealing with agents who deliver high quality. The equilibrium
among low-quality producers relies on an unusual preference ranking which differs from
that associated with the Prisoners’ Dilemma and similar games, whereby self-interested
rational agents prefer to dish out low quality in exchange for high quality. While equally
‘lazy’, agents in our low-quality worlds are oddly ‘pro-social’: for the advantage of
maximizing their raw self-interest, they prefer to receive low-quality goods and services,
provided that they too can in exchange deliver low quality without embarrassment. They
develop a set of oblique social norms to sustain their preferred equilibrium when threatened by the intrusion of high quality. We argue that high-quality collective outcomes are
endangered not only by self-interested individual defectors, but by ‘cartels’ of mutually
satisfied mediocrities.

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · 22d

But, their qualitative investigation raises additional complications! Interviewees report increased tensions within the Group of 77 at the UN and a tendency towards drafting lowest-common-denominator resolutions to maintain unity. It's a really interesting and worthwhile contribution.

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · 22d

They find that South-South solidarity hasn't just persisted in terms of their chosen quantitative measure at the United Nations General Assembly despite the economic development of some Global South states, but that economic development seems to increase a state's alignment with the Global South.

1 2

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · 22d

Just read this very interesting contribution to the debate on the Global South as a diplomatic coalition at the United Nations by Gorana Draguljić and @nickanspach.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/isagsq/artic...

Southern Solidarity? A Mixed-Methods Analysis of The G77 in the United Nations General Assembly

Abstract. North–South politics are a defining feature of modern international relations. Yet as the Global South becomes increasingly diverse, questions re

academic.oup.com

1

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Aug 15

Another great thread from Liam, genuinely very thought provoking.

lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · Aug 15

In my mind Auden, Robert Frost, Rawls, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien (slight edge case cos he was Catholic) and Mr. Rodgers are all part of the same early-mid 20thC. cultural movement which was trying to synthesise this genteel version of WASP culture, and it didn't quite work so now their hegemony is over.

1

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Jul 22

Great Leeds band. Blackbirds Fall is standout.

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Jul 1

Really great thread. Seems to me like some of the 'restrainers' and unilateralists were suffering from what Jon Elster calls the 'younger sibling' fallacy - that others won't react strategically to our own strategic actions.

Dr. Raymond Kuo | 郭泓均 @kuorum.bsky.social · Jun 23

IR Theory 🧵: One issue I have with unilateralist and restraint approaches to foreign policy is that they assume other countries have no choice but to maintain their policies even the face of US withdrawal from global leadership.

The US can get all the benefits of global leadership without the cost.

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Jun 20

We discussed inconsistencies in the foreign policies of all states and within both the N & S, the relationship between historical experiences & contemporary foreign policy positions, the different idioms through which Global South states register dissatisfaction. Thanks all who participated.

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Jun 20

Had a great @mybisa.bsky.social panel on foreign policy of Global South states feat Obert Hodzi, Ahmed Umar, Thaís Doria with Meera Sabaratnam as discussant.

1 1

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Jun 13

Most self-proclaimed 'geopolitics analysts' simply aren't very good at analysing geopolitics. It's usually little more than sports commentary, with a terrible signal to noise ratio.

BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · Jun 13

remember how the Gaza tunnels were an invulnerable fortress into which Hamas would simply retreat? and how Hizbollah would resist the Israeli forces in Lebanon to the death? and how Iranian missiles would wreck Israeli sites? there's been a lot of bad wish casting.

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Jun 5

In a week and a day, I'll be presenting findings from my new book The International Relations of the North-South Divide as part of the British International Studies Association conference in Belfast. Looking forward to sharing ideas with others interested in Global South foreign policy.

Book cover for 'The International Relations of the North-South Divide'.

2 4

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · May 14

Looking forward to @mybisa.bsky.social - where I'll be discussing 'Southern Strategies: Foreign Policy Perspectives of Global South States' with a great group of panelists. My paper offers a new way of looking at foreign policy differences between Global South states, using cluster analysis.

1 3

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · May 6

My forthcoming book with Bristol University Press, The International Relations of the North-South Divide, now available to pre-order from Blackwells.
blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...

The International Relations of the North-South Divide

Available open access digitally under a CC-BY-NC-ND license. This book examines the significance of both historical and contemporary inequality in shaping diplo

blackwells.co.uk

1 3

Reposted by Nicholas Lees

Jessica Weeks @jlpweeks.bsky.social · Apr 28

Research (incl mine) shows that making decisions in a bubble based on loyalty rather than competence can be disastrous for foreign & economic policy (never thought my research on dictatorships would be relevant to the US rather than its adversaries) www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801...

Dictators at War and Peace by Jessica L. P. Weeks | Paperback | Cornell University Press

The first book to focus systematically on the foreign policy of different types of authoritarian regimes, Dictators at War and Peace breaks new ground in our understanding of the international behavio...

www.cornellpress.cornell.edu

1 1 3

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Apr 8

Forthcoming, my first book 'The International Relations of the North-South Divide' with Bristol University Press.
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...

The International Relations of the North-South Divide

The International Relations of the North-South Divide - Historical Inequality, Contemporary Disagreement and World Politics; Available open access digitally under a CC-BY-NC-ND license. This book exam...

bristoluniversitypress.co.uk

2 6

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 31

I go into even more depth about North-South relations and how historical inequality shapes foreign policy disagreements in my forthcoming book with Bristol University Press, reviewing theories and offering new quant & mixed method investigations.
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...

The International Relations of the North-South Divide

The International Relations of the North-South Divide - Historical Inequality, Contemporary Disagreement and World Politics; Through a comprehensive and comparative study of data on foreign policy pos...

bristoluniversitypress.co.uk

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 31

The previous article built on my paper in Review of International Studies that argued that the North-South divide, based on the Brandt Line, still remains relevant in terms of economic inequalities and foreign policy disagreement.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

The Brandt Line after forty years: The more North–South relations change, the more they stay the same? | Review of International Studies | Cambridge Core

The Brandt Line after forty years: The more North–South relations change, the more they stay the same? - Volume 47 Issue 1

www.cambridge.org

1

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 31

I have a longstanding interest in the Global South in diplomacy and multilateralism. Here I argue that the Group of 77 within the UN system promotes a ‘South-South ideology’ that shapes voting patterns and the issues states discuss at the General Assembly.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

www.cambridge.org

1

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 31

Most recently, I investigated whether a state’s voting behaviour at the UN General Assembly depends on what class-based groups support it domestically. I find evidence that class politics affected foreign policy, even after the Cold War.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Is world politics class politics? States, social forces and voting in the United Nations General Assembly 1946–2020 - Nicholas Lees, 2024

Class is often neglected as a factor influencing foreign policy. While recent research explains the foreign policy positions of states in terms of the preferenc...

journals.sagepub.com

1

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 31

I have a lot of new followers, so I thought I’d introduce myself. I’m Nicholas Lees, Senior Lecturer (Associate Prof) of International Politics at Liverpool University. I mainly research role of material inequalities in shaping diplomatic relations between states. Recent research below.

1 2 8

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 28

With Maness, a pioneering effort to put the study of cyber conflict on a social scientific footing.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 28

Advancing a model that links the causes of war to the causes of rivalry between states.
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/1...

Becoming Rivals | The Process of Interstate Rivalry Development | Bran

Rivalries are a fundamental aspect of all international interactions. The concept of rivalry suggests that historic animosity may be the most fundamental

www.taylorfrancis.com

1 1

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 28

Investigating whether the grand claims of some schools of realpolitik thinking are actually consistent with quantitative evidence.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The Tragedy of Offensive Realism: Testing Aggressive Power Politics Models

Offensive realism is a theory of opportunistic state power maximization. States are said to always seek power so that they may dominate the international system and survive under conditions of anar...

www.tandfonline.com

1

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 28

With Van Benthuysen, investigating the connection between territorial conflict and state death - a scenario that can lead to 'forced migration movements, regional instability, to general famine'.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

When States Die: geographic and territorial pathways to state death

State death, understood as the formal loss of control over foreign policy, is an important but neglected issue in the international relations literature. When do states die and why? How do states e...

www.tandfonline.com

1

Nicholas Lees @ndmlees.bsky.social · Mar 28

Introducing the idea of 'complex interstate rivals', which are enduring hostile relationships connecting three states, in an article with Powers.
academic.oup.com/fpa/article-...

Complex Interstate Rivals

Abstract. The goal of this article is to engage the concept of rivalry, analyze its possible deficiencies, and empirically identify which groups of states

academic.oup.com

1