Positive Peace Edits
@positivepeaceedits.bsky.social
Multidisciplinary perspectives on peace and stuff. Ex-social science, enjoys spending time above 66N. Long-form threads: positivepeaceedits.github.io
The sunk costs fallacy is real
December 2, 2025 at 1:47 AM
The sunk costs fallacy is real
The US military does some mental fitness assessments for those who are serving, I’m guessing also depending on role.
But no meaningful screenings exist for civilian leaders with power to deploy violence at mass scale.
positivepeaceedits.github.io/2025/02/23/p...
But no meaningful screenings exist for civilian leaders with power to deploy violence at mass scale.
positivepeaceedits.github.io/2025/02/23/p...
Mental fitness assessments as a form of checks and balances
They’re performed for high-responsibility civilian and military roles - why not for potential political leaders?
positivepeaceedits.github.io
November 29, 2025 at 1:00 AM
The US military does some mental fitness assessments for those who are serving, I’m guessing also depending on role.
But no meaningful screenings exist for civilian leaders with power to deploy violence at mass scale.
positivepeaceedits.github.io/2025/02/23/p...
But no meaningful screenings exist for civilian leaders with power to deploy violence at mass scale.
positivepeaceedits.github.io/2025/02/23/p...
To the list of institutional reforms, would be great to consider mental fitness assessments for those with power to deploy violence, which are already done in many civilian and military roles.
positivepeaceedits.github.io/2025/02/23/p...
positivepeaceedits.github.io/2025/02/23/p...
Mental fitness assessments as a form of checks and balances
They’re performed for high-responsibility civilian and military roles - why not for potential political leaders?
positivepeaceedits.github.io
November 29, 2025 at 12:02 AM
To the list of institutional reforms, would be great to consider mental fitness assessments for those with power to deploy violence, which are already done in many civilian and military roles.
positivepeaceedits.github.io/2025/02/23/p...
positivepeaceedits.github.io/2025/02/23/p...
Bonica for president
November 15, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Bonica for president
This sucks. May be part of the pitch is being upfront that the national party failed and that transforming Dems into a party that can govern and inspire begins at the grassroots level.
November 10, 2025 at 4:36 AM
This sucks. May be part of the pitch is being upfront that the national party failed and that transforming Dems into a party that can govern and inspire begins at the grassroots level.
What makes unions in other counties like France so feisty compared to the US?
November 10, 2025 at 4:25 AM
What makes unions in other counties like France so feisty compared to the US?
(Leaving aside massive funding issues in social science)
Contrarianism is rewarded in these disciplines. Suggesting or doing Something Nice is often met with savage criticism.
Tho I think (hope) this is changing with younger gen scholars.
Contrarianism is rewarded in these disciplines. Suggesting or doing Something Nice is often met with savage criticism.
Tho I think (hope) this is changing with younger gen scholars.
November 9, 2025 at 7:52 PM
(Leaving aside massive funding issues in social science)
Contrarianism is rewarded in these disciplines. Suggesting or doing Something Nice is often met with savage criticism.
Tho I think (hope) this is changing with younger gen scholars.
Contrarianism is rewarded in these disciplines. Suggesting or doing Something Nice is often met with savage criticism.
Tho I think (hope) this is changing with younger gen scholars.
Part of the elite overproduction narrative
November 9, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Part of the elite overproduction narrative
Nonviolent ways to resist:
Disrupt their transport. Lots of creative ways to do so.
Disrupt their transport. Lots of creative ways to do so.
November 9, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Nonviolent ways to resist:
Disrupt their transport. Lots of creative ways to do so.
Disrupt their transport. Lots of creative ways to do so.
Nonviolent ways to disrupt:
Pack delicious sandwiches with generous amounts of peanut butter or other sticky substances like honey, chocolate syrup, you name it.
It’s a lot harder to cuff someone or draw a weapon when that sticks to your face, hands, clothing, etc.
Pack delicious sandwiches with generous amounts of peanut butter or other sticky substances like honey, chocolate syrup, you name it.
It’s a lot harder to cuff someone or draw a weapon when that sticks to your face, hands, clothing, etc.
November 9, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Nonviolent ways to disrupt:
Pack delicious sandwiches with generous amounts of peanut butter or other sticky substances like honey, chocolate syrup, you name it.
It’s a lot harder to cuff someone or draw a weapon when that sticks to your face, hands, clothing, etc.
Pack delicious sandwiches with generous amounts of peanut butter or other sticky substances like honey, chocolate syrup, you name it.
It’s a lot harder to cuff someone or draw a weapon when that sticks to your face, hands, clothing, etc.
Case of a nonprofit board looking out for its institution’s short term financial interest, rather than mission?
Below is about hospitals, but could be part of a larger trend of undemocratic governance.
www.nber.org/papers/w34132
Below is about hospitals, but could be part of a larger trend of undemocratic governance.
www.nber.org/papers/w34132
Control Without Ownership: Governance of Nonprofit Hospitals
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
November 8, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Case of a nonprofit board looking out for its institution’s short term financial interest, rather than mission?
Below is about hospitals, but could be part of a larger trend of undemocratic governance.
www.nber.org/papers/w34132
Below is about hospitals, but could be part of a larger trend of undemocratic governance.
www.nber.org/papers/w34132
Nonprofit board looking out for its institution’s short term financial interest, rather than mission?
Below is about hospital governance, but could be part of a larger trend? Solutions might involve reforms to make governance more democratic.
www.nber.org/papers/w34132
Below is about hospital governance, but could be part of a larger trend? Solutions might involve reforms to make governance more democratic.
www.nber.org/papers/w34132
Control Without Ownership: Governance of Nonprofit Hospitals
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
November 8, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Nonprofit board looking out for its institution’s short term financial interest, rather than mission?
Below is about hospital governance, but could be part of a larger trend? Solutions might involve reforms to make governance more democratic.
www.nber.org/papers/w34132
Below is about hospital governance, but could be part of a larger trend? Solutions might involve reforms to make governance more democratic.
www.nber.org/papers/w34132
Yes. But… Translating a PS abstract, let alone contents of a paper, is not something college educated people without a PhD in political science or econ can do by themselves.
November 5, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Yes. But… Translating a PS abstract, let alone contents of a paper, is not something college educated people without a PhD in political science or econ can do by themselves.
Political science is so jargon heavy that it’s unintelligible to most people outside the discipline.
It has so much to offer. But it still fails at communicating its ideas to the public. Some make an effort (like Bonica, Copelovitch) but it’s still not widely encouraged or rewarded.
It has so much to offer. But it still fails at communicating its ideas to the public. Some make an effort (like Bonica, Copelovitch) but it’s still not widely encouraged or rewarded.
November 5, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Political science is so jargon heavy that it’s unintelligible to most people outside the discipline.
It has so much to offer. But it still fails at communicating its ideas to the public. Some make an effort (like Bonica, Copelovitch) but it’s still not widely encouraged or rewarded.
It has so much to offer. But it still fails at communicating its ideas to the public. Some make an effort (like Bonica, Copelovitch) but it’s still not widely encouraged or rewarded.
-Awesome
-Awkward? If the econ department is named after a billionaire megadonor and DT supporter
-Awkward? If the econ department is named after a billionaire megadonor and DT supporter
October 23, 2025 at 3:04 AM
-Awesome
-Awkward? If the econ department is named after a billionaire megadonor and DT supporter
-Awkward? If the econ department is named after a billionaire megadonor and DT supporter
One is using modern tools (comp soc science, text as data) to explore the relationship between public statements and harmful governance. Even without diagnosing, can it be an early warning signal?
Totally within the discipline’s lane, but would benefit enormously from interdisciplinary work.
Totally within the discipline’s lane, but would benefit enormously from interdisciplinary work.
October 20, 2025 at 7:01 PM
One is using modern tools (comp soc science, text as data) to explore the relationship between public statements and harmful governance. Even without diagnosing, can it be an early warning signal?
Totally within the discipline’s lane, but would benefit enormously from interdisciplinary work.
Totally within the discipline’s lane, but would benefit enormously from interdisciplinary work.
In all seriousness, yes.
But mental health professionals incl psychiatrists are prohibited from speaking about public figures or risk career consequences (see Bandy X Lee weighing in about DT and Goldwater rule).
This provides social scientists with an opportunity…
But mental health professionals incl psychiatrists are prohibited from speaking about public figures or risk career consequences (see Bandy X Lee weighing in about DT and Goldwater rule).
This provides social scientists with an opportunity…
October 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM
In all seriousness, yes.
But mental health professionals incl psychiatrists are prohibited from speaking about public figures or risk career consequences (see Bandy X Lee weighing in about DT and Goldwater rule).
This provides social scientists with an opportunity…
But mental health professionals incl psychiatrists are prohibited from speaking about public figures or risk career consequences (see Bandy X Lee weighing in about DT and Goldwater rule).
This provides social scientists with an opportunity…
Diagnosing, then prematurely handing off the task is one of the biggest missed opportunities of the field.
October 5, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Diagnosing, then prematurely handing off the task is one of the biggest missed opportunities of the field.
Mad respect for describing the problem in sober, nuanced way and of course methodological rigor that has come to be standard of the discipline.
What would really move the field forward is not shying away from engaging in meaningful solutions.
Specific recommendations and strategies - next issue?
What would really move the field forward is not shying away from engaging in meaningful solutions.
Specific recommendations and strategies - next issue?
October 5, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Mad respect for describing the problem in sober, nuanced way and of course methodological rigor that has come to be standard of the discipline.
What would really move the field forward is not shying away from engaging in meaningful solutions.
Specific recommendations and strategies - next issue?
What would really move the field forward is not shying away from engaging in meaningful solutions.
Specific recommendations and strategies - next issue?
He’s among the few to impose costs on compliance, remarkably.
There can be a plausible reason, perhaps UC system relies more on state funds vs other R1 academic institutions.
But that’s a partial explanation at best.
There can be a plausible reason, perhaps UC system relies more on state funds vs other R1 academic institutions.
But that’s a partial explanation at best.
October 3, 2025 at 1:38 AM
He’s among the few to impose costs on compliance, remarkably.
There can be a plausible reason, perhaps UC system relies more on state funds vs other R1 academic institutions.
But that’s a partial explanation at best.
There can be a plausible reason, perhaps UC system relies more on state funds vs other R1 academic institutions.
But that’s a partial explanation at best.
Imposing meaningful costs on compliance.
Several comments made a contrast to NY…. How much of that can be explained by funding source? I.e. the biggest beneficiaries of NIH funding in NY are private academic medical centers with fewer state funds, vs UC system that is more funded by both?
Several comments made a contrast to NY…. How much of that can be explained by funding source? I.e. the biggest beneficiaries of NIH funding in NY are private academic medical centers with fewer state funds, vs UC system that is more funded by both?
October 2, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Imposing meaningful costs on compliance.
Several comments made a contrast to NY…. How much of that can be explained by funding source? I.e. the biggest beneficiaries of NIH funding in NY are private academic medical centers with fewer state funds, vs UC system that is more funded by both?
Several comments made a contrast to NY…. How much of that can be explained by funding source? I.e. the biggest beneficiaries of NIH funding in NY are private academic medical centers with fewer state funds, vs UC system that is more funded by both?
…OTOH that may be an understandable strategy. But as Bonica and others point out, US is pretty unique among democracies at failing at accountability (not just in politics but in other areas too, eg white collar crime)
October 2, 2025 at 1:33 PM
…OTOH that may be an understandable strategy. But as Bonica and others point out, US is pretty unique among democracies at failing at accountability (not just in politics but in other areas too, eg white collar crime)