Florian G. Kern

More news when the ♻️ RecAIqual ♻️ project properly starts in September 2026. Thanks also to the @lsemethodology.bsky.social for providing us a space to meet!

We sketched a lot, and planned our 4 project workshops in the UK (London & Birmingham) & Kenya (Nairobi, British Institute in Eastern Africa). High productivity was achieved via meeting in-person 👥 , team building over food/drinks 🥙 & excitement of starting something new (+ just a little bit of AI).

@chrisguarnold.bsky.social & I had a fun, productive kick-off for our ESRC ⭐ ♻️ RecAIqual ♻️ ⭐ project “Exploring the Re-Analysis and Recycling of Qualitative Data with Machine Learning”. We discussed how multimodal ML/AI can complement qual research& secondary data analysis+where humans are peerless.

And I am saying this entirely aware of the fact that @chrisguarnold.bsky.social + I are starting an ESRC project on ML and secondary qual analysis, and one of the most fun discussions we are having is on what this can do for original qual data collection down the line.(2/2)

bsky.app/profile/flor...

I feel these takes are often narrow regarding what includes social science. I am sympathetic to the idea of qualitative research and fieldwork becoming rel more weighty as AI improves. ATM, these changes seem most drastic for quant analysis. What really changed for qualitative inquiry, yet?(1/2)

Social science is broader though. What this will likely do is change the value/training of face-to-face type research. I feel this could get more attention. AI can be complementary in analysis of qualitative data, but fieldwork? Maybe, this leads to more such opportunities for grad students, again.

Makes total sense.

a man in a sweater and tie is sitting in a classroom and saying `` i do n't get it '' . ALT: a man in a sweater and tie is sitting in a classroom and saying `` i do n't get it '' .

Me, every year, living in a household with Italians, trying to comprehend the San Remo format. @fgenovese.bsky.social

Heading into fieldwork for your dissertation or next project? This course helps you get fieldwork-ready!

Build a practical toolkit for turning an idea into a workable field plan—methods, ethics, funding, and how to handle challenges on the ground. No prerequisites.

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Get ready for fieldwork!

In the first session, Alexandra Hartman and @floriangkern.bsky.social will help participants to plan and conduct their fieldwork (in person and online).

More info > essexsummerschool.com/course/ess-2...

Upping this: in case people are interested in submitting papers to the African Studies Association of the UK conference this year, @mcchacha.bsky.social and I are convening the International Politics in Africa stream. Looking for abstracts at intersection of comparative and IR in Africa. See below.

Such a hero. This was when she decided to take a swim with her great-grandchildren. Admittedly, she was a youthful 98. #bluezone

so much joying seeing my grandma, a trailblazer Sicilian woman with millions of crazy stories from the past century, turning 99 today 🎈

Can climate policies survive the return of Trump? 🎧 Can climate policies survive the return of Trump? Two experts discuss how the U.S. and the world move forward with climate mitigation.

New @goodauth.bsky.social podcast with @fgenovese.bsky.social and @jeffcolgan.bsky.social on how the world moves on with climate motigation in the new Trump era goodauthority.org/news/can-cli...

Good chatting with @erikvoeten.bsky.social about Jeff’s and my article on what Trump and the movement he represents will do to climate politics going forward.

Come for the excellent questions, stay for me and Jeff trying to summarize and discuss what feels like 15 yrs of events since 2025.

Paper:

A propos demographic decline... I travel a fair bit through Europe with kids and I don’t know how many times @floriangkern.bsky.social has heard me saying that I am convinced Europeans are speedily losing the habit of seeing kids around and interacting with them. Now this.

Russia expands visa-free travel to 4 African countries amid U.S. restrictions Russia plans to expand visa-free travel to four more African countries to boost tourism, strengthen diplomatic ties, and take advantage of gaps caused by U

Russia plans to expand visa-free travel to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique & Eswatini, meaning that citizens from these countries won’t need visas to enter Russia. This could create an easy chance for it to recruit more African fighters for its war on Ukraine
africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifest...

You get a separate ❤️.

Really looking forward to helping build bridges between what was formerly known as 'qualitative' and 'quantitative' research. Couldn't think of a better colleague than @floriangkern.bsky.social to pull this off. Xtra happy to see this happening in the current dire times of UK HE #sciencerocks

Beyond Replication: Secondary Qualitative Data Analysis in Political Science - Florian G Kern, Katariina Mustasilta, 2023 Shared qualitative data – such as interview or focus group transcripts – can be used for secondary qualitative data analysis (SQDA). Yet, much archived qualitat...

Thanks, Ben! Still working on this since that @cpsjournal.bsky.social paper with @katariinamustasilt.bsky.social

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Thanks! We use both, but we went for recycling because a lot of people reflexively think and fear "replication" when they hear secondary analysis, and we wanted to emphasise that that is not our primary interest. That said, the project is funded by the ESRC's "Secondary Data Analysis Initiative".

Thanks! And yes, would be great to catch up and hear about this.

Calls for participation will follow in due course. We are grateful to the many colleagues who have helped shape this project over time by discussing early ideas and providing feedback on drafts. 5/5 @uniessexgov.bsky.social @universityofessex.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social

We will hold two early-stage workshops (in Birmingham & Nairobi) to discuss our research design with scholars and practitioners working with qualitative data. Two additional workshops in London and Nairobi will then focus on sharing findings and practical approaches as the project progresses. 4/5

Rather than treating AI as a replacement for human interpretation, we aim to examine how computational tools can support established qualitative methods - by helping researchers navigate archives, identify patterns, and ask new questions, while keeping interpretation firmly grounded in context. 3/5

Topic: Qualitative researchers often archive collected data (interview transcripts, audio & video recordings) at great expense. Then, these data are rarely used after archiving. We ask: How can recent advances in machine learning help researchers make better use of existing qualitative material? 2/5

Work packages

🚨Excited to announce that @chrisguarnold.bsky.social and I learned that the ESRC has awarded funding for our project "Exploring the Re-Analysis and Recycling of Qualitative Data with Machine Learning". 🚨 In the current climate of UK higher ed, we feel particularly fortunate to be supported. 1/5

@mcchacha.bsky.social

This is inspired by our work with the International Politics in Africa (IPIA) Research Network, and a related research theme on "Africa in the World" at the British Institute in Eastern Africa. Submit your papers and panels!

asauk.net/internationa...