Matthew S. Shugart

Just published in Frontiers in Political Science! "Majoritarian politics in a consensus democracy: how judicialization of politics helped lay bare the contradictions of Israel’s constitution," by Johanan D. Mussel (@MadisonDilemma) & me. frontiersin.org/journals/polit…

This is what happens when militias that spent a decade and a half denying women basic rights and committing horrific abuses against them gain state power. Don’t look away.

The UN-based system of aid distribution has been failing the people of Gaza for years. First they enabled Hamas to build hundreds of miles of tunnels using aid, then they facilitated Hamas’ control over Gaza, and now they are providing a losing terror org with life support. And…

A Canadian man losing his Atlanta CEO job over visa issues may not strike you as even one of the top 100 worst immigration episodes of this administration. But it perfectly illustrates how dysfunctional our system is and has been even for the most productive workers born abroad.

A new low for Trump, as the USS Donald Trump takes on a lot of water. His net approval has dropped 17 pt since January to -11 pt now. Underwater on all major issues from immigration (-5 pt) to Epstein (-37 pt). Only presidency with worse ratings at this point? Trump term 1.

Hamxs commanders are feasting in tunnels while screaming starvation to the world.

A timelapse showing 30 minutes worth of clouds flowing over Mt Adams and then Mt Washington after sunrise this morning (22 July 2025). #NHwx #NH #mountains #capcloud #timelapse

I might have to go there just to see that bridge up close!

🚨🚨 120 to 150 Iranian rocket launchers exploded the moment they were activated, and Iran’s entire air defense system was hacked, during the war with Israel - Iran's daily newspaper Eqtesad reports

Signal boosting #freepalestinefromhamas

People say Orthodoxy is obsessed with rules. But rules are how love shows up every day. You don’t pray three times a day because you’re a robot. You do it because you care enough to keep showing up, even when it’s hard.

This conversation between @havivrettiggur and @HusseinAboubak is so informative and stimulating! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask…

Spoke to BC's Electoral Reform committee, and tried to stress the perils of polarization in a first-past-the-post system in my comments—particularly in our current political environment. substack.com/home/post/p-16…

Last week, we ran an editorial warning of an anti-democratic backslide in Ukraine. Today, it’s happening in plain sight. This isn’t what our people have been fighting and dying for, and it’s devastatingly unfair to them.

I keep getting asked, "What's the evidence Hamas is taxing/diverting aid?" Thank God for the @washingtonpost, which actually investigated it. A damning report about how humanitarian aid and commercial goods were Hamas' financial lifeline:

If ceasefire talks collapse, IDF plans new strategy of siege and attrition against Hamas: Taking control of significant areas around Gaza, minimizing friction on the ground, applying massive pressure via airstrikes while reducing risk to troops. This will come instead of a…

I look at whether a) city councils change ideologically and b) fiscal policy changes after a city adopts RCV. I don't find evidence that either claim is true.

Using multiple strategies and across multiple outcomes (fiscal policy, ideology, roll call voting in municipal councils, political representation), @avishwanath28 documents a very limited effect of RCV.

Some countries criticized Israel for establishing a buffer zone after the Assad regime collapsed. Today, dozens of Islamist jihadist groups operate just across Israel’s northern border. They openly state that Israel is their next target. After seeing what the Islamists did to…