Josh Kertzer
@jkertzer.bsky.social
John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Government at Harvard University | International relations 🤝 political psychology
jkertzer.sites.fas.harvard.edu
jkertzer.sites.fas.harvard.edu
Congratulations to @yusakuhoriuchi.bsky.social and @kmatush.bsky.social for the launch of the Global Public Opinion Lab (GPOL) at Florida State! Lots of exciting plans in the works!
(I couldn't take any pictures of public opinion, so here's one of Spanish moss)
(I couldn't take any pictures of public opinion, so here's one of Spanish moss)
November 18, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Congratulations to @yusakuhoriuchi.bsky.social and @kmatush.bsky.social for the launch of the Global Public Opinion Lab (GPOL) at Florida State! Lots of exciting plans in the works!
(I couldn't take any pictures of public opinion, so here's one of Spanish moss)
(I couldn't take any pictures of public opinion, so here's one of Spanish moss)
You could not pay me enough to voluntarily use a yeet() or no_cap() command in R
November 7, 2025 at 5:53 PM
You could not pay me enough to voluntarily use a yeet() or no_cap() command in R
You'll never guess what Barbra Streisand is up to
July 27, 2025 at 2:51 PM
You'll never guess what Barbra Streisand is up to
Lots going on lately here, but I wanted to take a moment to congratulate our incredible Harvard Government PhD graduates! 🎓🫶
May 30, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Lots going on lately here, but I wanted to take a moment to congratulate our incredible Harvard Government PhD graduates! 🎓🫶
An esteemed panel of judges (last year @tanishafazal.bsky.social was our guest judge!) evaluate each entry on five criteria, and aggregate scores across them!
No coffee category, sadly - I tried to use emojis to represent the winning dishes, but there was no Tiramisu emoji so I improvised 😂
No coffee category, sadly - I tried to use emojis to represent the winning dishes, but there was no Tiramisu emoji so I improvised 😂
February 28, 2025 at 3:42 AM
An esteemed panel of judges (last year @tanishafazal.bsky.social was our guest judge!) evaluate each entry on five criteria, and aggregate scores across them!
No coffee category, sadly - I tried to use emojis to represent the winning dishes, but there was no Tiramisu emoji so I improvised 😂
No coffee category, sadly - I tried to use emojis to represent the winning dishes, but there was no Tiramisu emoji so I improvised 😂
The 3rd Annual Great CGIS Bakeoff was a triumph!
Congratulations to Gabriela Armani for her doubly-winning Brazilian Banoffee, & runner-up Aleksandra Conevska! 🏆
Category winners:
🍪 @marchvidkjaer.bsky.social
🥮 @cerny.bsky.social
🥧 @malpas.bsky.social
☕️ Lucia Mendoza
🏆 @chriskenny.bsky.social
Congratulations to Gabriela Armani for her doubly-winning Brazilian Banoffee, & runner-up Aleksandra Conevska! 🏆
Category winners:
🍪 @marchvidkjaer.bsky.social
🥮 @cerny.bsky.social
🥧 @malpas.bsky.social
☕️ Lucia Mendoza
🏆 @chriskenny.bsky.social
February 28, 2025 at 12:05 AM
The 3rd Annual Great CGIS Bakeoff was a triumph!
Congratulations to Gabriela Armani for her doubly-winning Brazilian Banoffee, & runner-up Aleksandra Conevska! 🏆
Category winners:
🍪 @marchvidkjaer.bsky.social
🥮 @cerny.bsky.social
🥧 @malpas.bsky.social
☕️ Lucia Mendoza
🏆 @chriskenny.bsky.social
Congratulations to Gabriela Armani for her doubly-winning Brazilian Banoffee, & runner-up Aleksandra Conevska! 🏆
Category winners:
🍪 @marchvidkjaer.bsky.social
🥮 @cerny.bsky.social
🥧 @malpas.bsky.social
☕️ Lucia Mendoza
🏆 @chriskenny.bsky.social
Happy to review Mearsheimer and Rosato's new book, a spirited takedown of political psychology that claims that political psychologists don’t study how individuals comprehend the world around them, which is rather like arguing that botanists don’t study plants
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
February 20, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Happy to review Mearsheimer and Rosato's new book, a spirited takedown of political psychology that claims that political psychologists don’t study how individuals comprehend the world around them, which is rather like arguing that botanists don’t study plants
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
I'm *obsessed* with the themed crossword the incredible @rochellesun.bsky.social and Priyanka Sethy created for today's Harvard Government Department Holiday Party
December 6, 2024 at 1:28 AM
I'm *obsessed* with the themed crossword the incredible @rochellesun.bsky.social and Priyanka Sethy created for today's Harvard Government Department Holiday Party
Peace Science 2024 was a great success!
Thanks so much to @dfjung.bsky.social @matanock.bsky.social for an excellent program, @aidanmilliff.com @gabriellalevy2.bsky.social for a terrific workshop on behavioral political violence, and Ann Arbor for being wonderful (despite its triggering shirts)
Thanks so much to @dfjung.bsky.social @matanock.bsky.social for an excellent program, @aidanmilliff.com @gabriellalevy2.bsky.social for a terrific workshop on behavioral political violence, and Ann Arbor for being wonderful (despite its triggering shirts)
November 10, 2024 at 12:57 AM
Peace Science 2024 was a great success!
Thanks so much to @dfjung.bsky.social @matanock.bsky.social for an excellent program, @aidanmilliff.com @gabriellalevy2.bsky.social for a terrific workshop on behavioral political violence, and Ann Arbor for being wonderful (despite its triggering shirts)
Thanks so much to @dfjung.bsky.social @matanock.bsky.social for an excellent program, @aidanmilliff.com @gabriellalevy2.bsky.social for a terrific workshop on behavioral political violence, and Ann Arbor for being wonderful (despite its triggering shirts)
What we read in the Harvard IR Reading Group this summer.📚
Thanks to the authors for writing such interesting pieces, and all the grad students & faculty who showed up each week to offer lively discussion!
#polisky
Thanks to the authors for writing such interesting pieces, and all the grad students & faculty who showed up each week to offer lively discussion!
#polisky
August 23, 2024 at 1:30 PM
What we read in the Harvard IR Reading Group this summer.📚
Thanks to the authors for writing such interesting pieces, and all the grad students & faculty who showed up each week to offer lively discussion!
#polisky
Thanks to the authors for writing such interesting pieces, and all the grad students & faculty who showed up each week to offer lively discussion!
#polisky
New in AJPS with @carlynwayne.bsky.social @mitsurumu.bsky.social @profmholmes.bsky.social: how do group dynamics affect assessments of resolve and costly signals? #polisky
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
August 12, 2024 at 3:10 PM
New in AJPS with @carlynwayne.bsky.social @mitsurumu.bsky.social @profmholmes.bsky.social: how do group dynamics affect assessments of resolve and costly signals? #polisky
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
We have two main findings.
First, we find attribution asymmetries in both the US and Chinese publics, with especially pronounced patterns in China. This suggests that public opinion in a US-China dispute would more likely be an accelerator of conflict rather than an inhibitor of it.
First, we find attribution asymmetries in both the US and Chinese publics, with especially pronounced patterns in China. This suggests that public opinion in a US-China dispute would more likely be an accelerator of conflict rather than an inhibitor of it.
July 15, 2024 at 7:07 PM
We have two main findings.
First, we find attribution asymmetries in both the US and Chinese publics, with especially pronounced patterns in China. This suggests that public opinion in a US-China dispute would more likely be an accelerator of conflict rather than an inhibitor of it.
First, we find attribution asymmetries in both the US and Chinese publics, with especially pronounced patterns in China. This suggests that public opinion in a US-China dispute would more likely be an accelerator of conflict rather than an inhibitor of it.
We argue that the security dilemma is rooted in two psychological dynamics.
The first is an attribution asymmetry: a tendency to perceive behavior as offensively-motivated when the other side does it, but defensively-motivated when carried out by your side.
The first is an attribution asymmetry: a tendency to perceive behavior as offensively-motivated when the other side does it, but defensively-motivated when carried out by your side.
July 15, 2024 at 7:04 PM
We argue that the security dilemma is rooted in two psychological dynamics.
The first is an attribution asymmetry: a tendency to perceive behavior as offensively-motivated when the other side does it, but defensively-motivated when carried out by your side.
The first is an attribution asymmetry: a tendency to perceive behavior as offensively-motivated when the other side does it, but defensively-motivated when carried out by your side.
As tensions continue to mount, pundits are increasingly worried about security dilemmas emerging between the US and China.
New in World Politics w @ryanbrutger.bsky.social and Kai Quek: we show both the 🇺🇸 and 🇨🇳 publics are prone to security dilemma thinking
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
#polisky
New in World Politics w @ryanbrutger.bsky.social and Kai Quek: we show both the 🇺🇸 and 🇨🇳 publics are prone to security dilemma thinking
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
#polisky
July 15, 2024 at 7:03 PM
As tensions continue to mount, pundits are increasingly worried about security dilemmas emerging between the US and China.
New in World Politics w @ryanbrutger.bsky.social and Kai Quek: we show both the 🇺🇸 and 🇨🇳 publics are prone to security dilemma thinking
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
#polisky
New in World Politics w @ryanbrutger.bsky.social and Kai Quek: we show both the 🇺🇸 and 🇨🇳 publics are prone to security dilemma thinking
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
#polisky
Trying my DGS hat on a second platform: congratulations to the 20 *amazing* PhD students who graduated from Harvard's Government Department today. 🎓
A thread about each of them can be found here! x.com/jkertzer/sta...
A thread about each of them can be found here! x.com/jkertzer/sta...
May 23, 2024 at 10:00 PM
Trying my DGS hat on a second platform: congratulations to the 20 *amazing* PhD students who graduated from Harvard's Government Department today. 🎓
A thread about each of them can be found here! x.com/jkertzer/sta...
A thread about each of them can be found here! x.com/jkertzer/sta...
For those in #polisky going to #ISA2024, come join us on Friday @ 4 PM as we celebrate the life and legacy of the incomparable Bear Braumoeller, the recipient of this year's SSIP Distinguished Scholar Award @deborahavant.bsky.social @sbmitche.bsky.social @dreiter.bsky.social @maryumalam.bsky.social
April 3, 2024 at 5:26 PM
For those in #polisky going to #ISA2024, come join us on Friday @ 4 PM as we celebrate the life and legacy of the incomparable Bear Braumoeller, the recipient of this year's SSIP Distinguished Scholar Award @deborahavant.bsky.social @sbmitche.bsky.social @dreiter.bsky.social @maryumalam.bsky.social
A huge thank you to @mlandauwells.bsky.social @ryanbrutger.bsky.social @areddie.bsky.social @sdhyde.bsky.social @mattesmc.bsky.social @matanock.bsky.social @osamet.bsky.social + everyone at UC Berkeley for a wonderful visit earlier this week! [Let's all pretend I posted this in a timely fashion]
March 4, 2024 at 2:54 AM
A huge thank you to @mlandauwells.bsky.social @ryanbrutger.bsky.social @areddie.bsky.social @sdhyde.bsky.social @mattesmc.bsky.social @matanock.bsky.social @osamet.bsky.social + everyone at UC Berkeley for a wonderful visit earlier this week! [Let's all pretend I posted this in a timely fashion]
There's a lot more in the paper (shut-out to IO's 14K word limit!), but I'll say only a couple of things.
First, this has been a 5+ yr project, and it wouldn't have been possible without 72 incredible RAs scattered around the country, & the wizardry and support of WCFIA, IQSS, and DARPA
First, this has been a 5+ yr project, and it wouldn't have been possible without 72 incredible RAs scattered around the country, & the wizardry and support of WCFIA, IQSS, and DARPA
February 8, 2024 at 4:16 PM
There's a lot more in the paper (shut-out to IO's 14K word limit!), but I'll say only a couple of things.
First, this has been a 5+ yr project, and it wouldn't have been possible without 72 incredible RAs scattered around the country, & the wizardry and support of WCFIA, IQSS, and DARPA
First, this has been a 5+ yr project, and it wouldn't have been possible without 72 incredible RAs scattered around the country, & the wizardry and support of WCFIA, IQSS, and DARPA
We show that these meetings feature genuine deliberation, and that the counsel advisers offer is shaped by their predispositions towards hawkishness — but also that adviser dispositions are associated with the ultimate decisions made.
February 8, 2024 at 4:14 PM
We show that these meetings feature genuine deliberation, and that the counsel advisers offer is shaped by their predispositions towards hawkishness — but also that adviser dispositions are associated with the ultimate decisions made.
(Basically, we built new datasets of what people say at the meetings, who they are (like the LEAD data, or ARCHIGOS, but for advisors), and what gets decided.)
February 8, 2024 at 4:13 PM
(Basically, we built new datasets of what people say at the meetings, who they are (like the LEAD data, or ARCHIGOS, but for advisors), and what gets decided.)
We study advisers by building a large corpus of foreign policy deliberations from the first 40 years of the National Security Council.
I'm out of social media practice, so I won't describe how we did it here, but I will include this handy diagram.
I'm out of social media practice, so I won't describe how we did it here, but I will include this handy diagram.
February 8, 2024 at 4:12 PM
We study advisers by building a large corpus of foreign policy deliberations from the first 40 years of the National Security Council.
I'm out of social media practice, so I won't describe how we did it here, but I will include this handy diagram.
I'm out of social media practice, so I won't describe how we did it here, but I will include this handy diagram.
We argue that advisers have dispositions about foreign policy they carry around in their heads, which affects the counsel they offer leaders.
Knowing something about the advisers leaders surround themselves with tells you something important about the decisions that get made.
Knowing something about the advisers leaders surround themselves with tells you something important about the decisions that get made.
February 8, 2024 at 4:12 PM
We argue that advisers have dispositions about foreign policy they carry around in their heads, which affects the counsel they offer leaders.
Knowing something about the advisers leaders surround themselves with tells you something important about the decisions that get made.
Knowing something about the advisers leaders surround themselves with tells you something important about the decisions that get made.
Partially this is for theoretical reasons: foreign policy decision-making is hierarchical, so it makes sense to start by studying those at the top!
Partially though this is because of data limitations, which our project tries to address!
Partially though this is because of data limitations, which our project tries to address!
February 8, 2024 at 4:11 PM
Partially this is for theoretical reasons: foreign policy decision-making is hierarchical, so it makes sense to start by studying those at the top!
Partially though this is because of data limitations, which our project tries to address!
Partially though this is because of data limitations, which our project tries to address!
[Am I too dumb to figure out how to create a thread on Bluesky? Let's find out...]
There's a folk wisdom that advisers matter in foreign policy: the "best and "brightest" driving the Vietnam war, the "Vulcans" in the Iraq War, and so on.
There's a folk wisdom that advisers matter in foreign policy: the "best and "brightest" driving the Vietnam war, the "Vulcans" in the Iraq War, and so on.
February 8, 2024 at 4:08 PM
[Am I too dumb to figure out how to create a thread on Bluesky? Let's find out...]
There's a folk wisdom that advisers matter in foreign policy: the "best and "brightest" driving the Vietnam war, the "Vulcans" in the Iraq War, and so on.
There's a folk wisdom that advisers matter in foreign policy: the "best and "brightest" driving the Vietnam war, the "Vulcans" in the Iraq War, and so on.
New in @iojournal.bsky.social w Jost @ericmin.bsky.social & Schub:
We combine computational methods with uniquely rich Cold War archival evidence to study how advisers matter in foreign policy.
Where advisers stand doesn't just depend on where they sit.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
polisky
We combine computational methods with uniquely rich Cold War archival evidence to study how advisers matter in foreign policy.
Where advisers stand doesn't just depend on where they sit.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
polisky
February 8, 2024 at 4:07 PM
New in @iojournal.bsky.social w Jost @ericmin.bsky.social & Schub:
We combine computational methods with uniquely rich Cold War archival evidence to study how advisers matter in foreign policy.
Where advisers stand doesn't just depend on where they sit.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
polisky
We combine computational methods with uniquely rich Cold War archival evidence to study how advisers matter in foreign policy.
Where advisers stand doesn't just depend on where they sit.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
polisky