By Sciences Po
The podcast currently has 21 episodes available.
How recommendation algorithms operate on social media to establish relationships with the political positions of users? In order to answer this question, Tim Faverjon designed various models and analysed their predictions, specifically focusing on political attitudes and socio-demographic characteristics. He emphasises the importance of looking inside the algorithms rather than just observing their outcomes to understand their influence on users.
Tim Faverjon, PhD candidate at the médialab, data science engineer and mathematician, carries out his research at the interface between machine learning and sociology. His current research focuses on recommendation algorithms and politics: what do algorithms “know” about user ideology? How is this information used? What impact on the digital public debate?
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The digital inequalities are considerable and directly linked to social inequalities: less money, less equipment, less time, less training. How is political activism developed in this context? With what consequences? Jen Schradie has been studying these questions for over 10 years by combining quantitative, qualitative and computational studies. By sharing her conclusions with us, she also tells us about the impacts of artificial intelligence on research and teaching activities. Next year, she will give a course at Sciences Po on the use of Gen AI in research.
Jen Schradie is an Assistant Professor, researcher at the Centre for Research on Social InequalitieS (CRIS).
Additional Resources:
Schradie, Jen, and Liam Bekirsky, 'The Digital Production Gap in the Algorithmic Era', in Deana A. Rohlinger, and Sarah Sobieraj (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Digital Media Sociology (2022; online edn, Oxford Academic, 8 Oct. 2020)
Schradie, Jen, "Context, class, and community: a methodological framework for studying labor organizing and digital unionizing", Information, Communication & Society, vol. 24, 2021, n° 5, p 700-716
Schradie, Jen - "The Great Equalizer Reproduces Inequality: How the Digital Divide Is a Class Power Divide", Political Power and Social Theory, vol. 37, 2020, Rethinking Class and Social Difference, p. 81-101
Recorded on 3 May 2024
Conversations with Sergei GURIEV is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series, with the help of Jade SOULLARD, Sciences Po Master student. Sciences Po' studio produced and mixed it.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
In the vast landscape of the Internet, YouTube is a giant, hosting over 14 billion videos that shape our digital experience. No one knew this number until Ethan Zukerman and his team calculated it using an advanced method they developed. Not only did they count the number of videos, but they also classified them, providing a vivid picture of YouTube’s cultural and linguistic diversity. This analysis also reveals the algorithmic dynamics that influence user experiences.
Ethan Zuckerman is an associate professor of public policy, communication and information at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He founds of the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure.
Additional Resources:
How Big is YouTube?, Ethan Zukerman's blog Dec. 2023
"Building a More Honest Internet" Columbia Journalism Review, Ethan Zukerman, Fall 2019
Media Cloud, an open source search engine and tool for studying the open web, developed with Ethan Zukerman
Recorded on 20 March 2024
Conversations with Sergei GURIEV is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series, with the help of Jade SOULLARD, Sciences Po Master student. Sciences Po' studio produced and mixed it.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Many studies have shown the limited effectiveness of factual corrections in changing deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes. However, based on the results of his work, Yamil Velez is convinced that thanks to generative AI, researchers can create personalised rebuttals that adapt to individuals' stated positions. It may also be helpful to explore new ways to reduce polarisation and enhance critical thinking skills. A positive outlook explained by Yamil Velez, an Assistant Professor at Columbia University, visiting faculty at CEVIPOF.
Additional resources:
Latino-Targeted Misinformation and The Power of Factual Correctionswith Ethan Porter and Thomas Wood, Journal of Politics
Correcting Covid-19 Misinformation in Ten Countries with Ethan Porter and Thomas Wood, Royal Society Open Science
Factual Corrections Eliminate False Beliefs about Covid-19 Vaccines with Ethan Porter and Thomas Wood), Public Opinion Quarterly
Recorded on 16th February 2024.
Conversations with Sergei GURIEV is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series, with the help of Jade SOULLARD, Sciences Po Master student. Sciences Po' studio produced and mixed it.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
One thing is certain: discrimination is not only perpetuated by algorithms which reflect societal biases, but multiplied. If the constitution of databases and configuration of algorithms must be rethought, it will not be enough. It is essential to rely on law, especially the Europen one which prohibits a large number of discriminations. These legal protections must be adapted and developed, considering the specificities of algorithmic discrimination.
Raphaele XENIDIS, Assistant Professor at Sciences Po's Law School, helps us better understand the questions raised by these issues.
Additional resources
Raphaële Xenidis. Beyond bias: algorithmic machines, discrimination law and the analogy trap. Transnational Legal Theory, 2024, pp.1-35.
Hilde Weerts, Raphaële Xenidis, Fabien Tarissan, Henrik Palmer Olsen, Mykola Pechenizkiy. Algorithmic Unfairness through the Lens of EU Non-Discrimination Law. FAccT Conference 2023, ACM, June 2023, Chicago. pp.805-816.
Recorded on 24th January 2024
Conversations with Sergei GURIEV is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series, with the help of Jade SOULLARD, Sciences Po Master student. Sciences Po' studio produced and mixed it.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Over the last decades, identity is rising as a new ideology influenced by postmodernism, postcolonialism, and critical race theory.
While acknowledging the value of recognising and respecting diverse identities, Yascha Mounk invites us to be vigilant about the potential pitfalls of rigidly defining individuals solely based on their identity groups.
It is crucial to strike a balance between celebrating cultural diversity and avoiding essentialism that may inadvertently leads to exclusion and division, threatening democracy.
Yascha Mounk is professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, a contributing Editor at The Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Moynihan Public Scholar at City College. Next spring he will be an Associate Professor at Sciences Po’s School of International Affairs.
Additional resources
The Identity Trap:A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, Penguin Press (2023)
The Great Experiment. Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure, Penguin Press (2022)
The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom is in Danger and How to Save It, Harvard University Press (2018)
Recorded on 24th November 2023
Conversations with Sergei GURIEV is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series., with the help of Blanca GONZALEZ MARTINEZ, Sciences Po Master student in Political Science. The Sciences Po audio department produced and mixed it.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Political dynasties belong neither to the past nor only to authoritarian regimes. Think about the Trudeau family in Canada, Le Pen in France, or Kirchner in Argentina. An explanatory factor: having lived in a political environment provides skills. Can the evolution of society towards a better level of education and more transparency put an end to these dynasties? Especially since we find a growing desire to reject the established political elites by implementing lotteries. Why this desire? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this system? The research carried out indicates that lotteries can strengthen and improve our democratic systems. Let’s see why.
Brenda Van Coppenolle is a Senior Research Fellow affiliated with the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE) at Sciences Po. She is the Principal Investigator of the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant “Political Lotteries in European Democratisation”.
Additional resources
Brenda Van Coppenolle - Political Dynasties and Bicameralism: Direct Elections and Democratisation in the Netherlands, Electoral Studies, 2022
Brenda Van Coppenolle - How do Political Elites Persist? Political Selection, Political Inequality, and Empirical Historical Research, French Politics, 2020
All publications
Recorded on 17th November 2023
Conversations with Sergei GURIEV is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series., with the help of Blanca GONZALEZ MARTINEZ, Sciences Po Master student in Political Science. The Sciences Po audio department produced and mixed it.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
You could be driving home, on your usual route, and you are lost in thought. Next thing you know you are home, and you don’t remember having taken any of the turns. That is intuition, what many of us use to think about politics. But democratic politics requires that we say stop, you need to reassess and come to a different decision. That’s reflection.
Are voters rational beings, choosing carefully whom to vote for based on their preferences and most desirable outcomes? Or are they more like cheerleaders, led by emotion and affect towards their preferred political parties? This heated and incredibly pertinent debate is the focus of this episode. Dr. Kevin Arceneaux delves into the topic of electoral choice, and revisits many of the arguments made in his book Taming Intuition, where he argues that every voter is different in the way he reaches a decision, and that some voters are more likely to be led astray by their gut feeling than others.
Borrowing from social psychology, Arceneaux brings us through many interesting considerations of why voters behave the way they do, what connection that may have with increasing polarization, and how we can use reflection to, indeed, tame our intuition.
Kevin (Vin) Arceneaux is Professor of Political Science at the Centre for Political Research at Sciences Po Paris (CEVIPOF) since June 2021. He studies how people make political decisions. He has published articles on psychological biases, the influence of partisan campaigns on voting behavior, and the role of human biology in explaining individual variation in predispositions.
Additional resource
Kevin Arceneaux, Ryan J. Vander Wielen. Taming intuition: how reflection minimizes partisan reasoning and promotes democratic accountability. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
Recorded on 24th November 2023
Conversations with Sergei GURIEV is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series., with the help of Blanca GONZALEZ MARTINEZ, Sciences Po Master student in Political Science. The Sciences Po audio department produced and mixed it.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Does it matter who controls the media? What are the democratic implications of the increasing concentration of the media industry in the hands of oligarchs? Is this a result of the weakening of the industry? What changes can we expect in the upcoming years? To answer these burning questions, Julia Cagé lays out some democratic solutions that her research finds promising to break away from editorial political lines and protect the public good that is information. Additionally, she delves into the main conclusions of her latest work, “Une Histoire du Conflit Politique”, co-authored alongside Thomas Piketty, where she investigated geosocial factors of voting behavior and its consequences for current issues like EU membership or radical party voting.
Julia Cagé">Julia Cagé is an associate professor at the Sciences Po's Deparment of economics. She is also member of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). Her main fields of study are political economy, organizational economics and economic history, with a particular focus on the media.
Additional resources
Recorded on 11th October 2023
Conversations with Sergei GURIEV is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series., with the help of Blanca GONZALEZ MARTINEZ, Sciences Po Master student in Political Science. The Sciences Po audio department produced and mixed it.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Egypt, which for so long has been a great referent in the Arab World, seems to be entering decline, politically and economically. Could its authoritarian military regime have something to do with this? In this new episode of our series on Democracy and Populism, we have the pleasure of welcoming Egypt expert Eberhard Kienle. We discuss the particularities of Egypt’s authoritarianism and its institutions, the role of the military, the legacy of the Arab Spring, as well as some prospects for Al-Sissi in the upcoming December elections.
Eberhard Kienle">Eberhard Kienle is a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and a director of research at Sciences Po’s Centre de Recherches Internationales (CERI). He focuses on state transformation, failed states and state varieties, political economy and sociology, and interstate relations in the Middle East.
Additional resource
Eberhard Kienle. Egypt. A Fragile Power">Egypt. A Fragile Power. Routledge, 2021
Eberhard Kienle. Why Have “Failed States” Failed to Disappear?">Why Have “Failed States” Failed to Disappear?. Les Dossiers du CERI, 2021
Eberhard Kienle. Revisiting the State, Again">Revisiting the State, Again. Centre de recherches internationales. Les Dossiers du CERI
Eberhard Kienle. A Grand Delusion. Democracy and Economic Reform in Egypt">A Grand Delusion. Democracy and Economic Reform in Egypt. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2001
Recorded on 4th October 2023
Conversations with Sergei GURIEV is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series., with the help of Blanca GONZALEZ MARTINEZ, Sciences Po Master student in Political Science. The Sciences Po audio department produced and mixed it.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
The podcast currently has 21 episodes available.