Charles McClean

📢Now published open access at Political Behavior📢 Using age manipulation software, @yoshiono.bsky.social and I find voters (even older ones) like younger candidates but strongly dislike elderly candidates. Why is this the case? Read our article to find out more: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Second piece of good news: my paper with Aksel Sundström and Daniel Stockemer is now forthcoming @bjpols.bsky.social We find that including younger representatives in decision-making bodies can boost perceptions of fairness and trust, even among older adults static1.squarespace.com/static/5c69a...

Happy to share two pieces of good news: first, my job market paper is online @thejop.bsky.social I find younger mayors increase spending on child welfare for young families, especially through long-term investments, but do not cut elderly welfare spending www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

I spoke with @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social for this story on why U.S. politicians tend to be older than those in other democracies thedispatch.com/newsletter/m...

A @usnews.com story yesterday, "U.S. Lawmakers Are Oldest of Any Democracy. Here's Why," cited my paper with Aksel Sundström and Daniel Stockemer (both quoted) on youth representation and democratic legitimacy. Paper: www.charlesmcclean.com/s/Youth-Repr... www.usnews.com/news/best-co...

Excited to share my new article with Don Lee @electoralstudies.bsky.social Using a conjoint experiment during an electoral reform debate in Korea, we show that women and young people favor strengthening representation—but not at any cost to accountability. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Happy to share my paper w/ Aksel Sundström & Daniel Stockemer has won the SPPQ Best Paper Award from @apsa.bsky.social's SPP section We find including younger representatives in decision-making bodies can boost perceptions of fairness & institutional trust www.charlesmcclean.com/s/Youth-Repr...

Thank you to Jim Raymo, the Global Japan Lab, and @princetonpolitics.bsky.social for hosting me yesterday at @princeton.edu to present new research with @strauszm.bsky.social on population aging and democratic representation. Really appreciated the great conversation and thoughtful comments.

New article time with @clsturtz.bsky.social @cmcclean.bsky.social @tomphuongle.bsky.social and other cool but not on bluesky people.

I was quoted in @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social on Takaichi’s unusually strong support among younger voters — and what that meant for the LDP going into Japan’s snap election thedispatch.com/newsletter/m...

This morning, I joined @kristigovella.bsky.social and Nick Szechenyi at @japan.csis.org to discuss the outcome of Japan's snap election. The video is now posted if you'd like to watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF1F...

Takaichi's snap election gamble has clearly paid off. Snap elections tend to benefit incumbents — especially when opposition parties are caught off guard and the campaign period is particularly short. I've written about this dynamic before: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

The scale of the LDP’s victory is hard to overstate: • 316/465 seats (68%) — biggest win in party history • Swept 31 of 47 prefectures • With Ishin: 352 seats (76%), swept 33 prefectures Results: www.asahi.com/senkyo/shuin...

Reminder: Join this online discussion tomorrow morning @japan.csis.org with @kristigovella.bsky.social (2016-17), @cmcclean.bsky.social (2020-21), & Nicholas Szechenyi to make sense of Sunday's election outcome and ways forward for Japan. More info: bit.ly/45HEAPT.

Reminder: there's still time to apply for the Japan Conference for Social Scientists @yalemacmillan.bsky.social Deadline: Feb. 13 Submission link below ⬇️

Join us Feb 9 for a virtual discussion with experts @kristigovella.bsky.social, @cmcclean.bsky.social, & Nick Szechenyi on the outcome of Japan's general election and how it will impact the future direction of Japanese domestic politics and foreign policy. 🗓️ Register here: https://bit.ly/45HEAPT

📢 Save the Date: Feb 9 at 8:00 - 9:00 am EST The CSIS Japan Chair invites you to join a virtual discussion on Japan's February 8 general election results featuring @kristigovella.bsky.social, @cmcclean.bsky.social, & Nicholas Szechenyi. Click here for more information: https://bit.ly/45HEAPT

The @csis.org Japan Chair program is pleased to welcome @cmcclean.bsky.social as a Non-resident Adjunct Fellow. Dr. McClean is an assistant professor at @yale.edu with expertise in Japanese domestic politics, the politics of age, and youth political representation: https://bit.ly/3ZJxOWh

A great piece by my colleague Grace Kao (Sociology) on K-pop, soft power, and Japan-Korea diplomacy—sparked by the now-famous drum duet between Prime Minister Takaichi and President Lee. Glad to be quoted. www.koreaherald.com/article/1065...

Anna Yorozuya and I are delighted to share that we're hosting the Japan Conference for Social Scientists on May 29-30 @yalemacmillan.bsky.social CEAS. 🗓️ Apply by Feb. 13: macmillan.yale.edu/eastasia/eve...

At 34, Zohran Mamdani is New York's youngest mayor in over a century. Over 2 million people voted—the most since 1969—fueled in part by strong youth turnout. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/n...

I spoke with @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social for this story on Takaichi, which also features great insights from Christina Davis @harvardusjapan.bsky.social, @mireyasolis.bsky.social, @kristigovella.bsky.social, and @sheilasmithcfr.bsky.social thedispatch.com/newsletter/m...

Director Christina Davis, Charles McClean @cmcclean.bsky.social (2020-21), Kristi Govella @kristigovella.bsky.social (2017-18), and Sheila Smith @sheilasmithcfr.bsky.social (Distinguished Visitor, 2013-14) are quoted in The Dispatch article, "Japan's Iron Lady." tinyurl.com/yf3vmjpt

Yesterday, we were delighted to welcome James Raymo (Princeton) to @yale.edu to kick off two series: - Population Studies Workshop @ispsyale.bsky.social - Japan as Future @yalemacmillan.bsky.social His talk focused on divorce, remarriage, and fertility in #Japan isps.yale.edu/events/2025/...

With Ishiba resigning, Japan is set to have its 4th new PM in 5 years. Notably, his minority coalition hasn't been unusually short by comparative standards—at 343 days so far, it's longer than the 327-day average in Europe (per our study). link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

Excited to be co-organizing the new @ispsyale.bsky.social Population Studies Workshop with @dremmazang.bsky.social. We've got a fantastic lineup for the year—take a look!

Japan elected a record 42 women to the Upper House—a step forward for gender representation. But our article shows how visible progress in some areas can coexist with deeper patterns of inequality. @takadanobaba.bsky.social, @clsturtz.bsky.social, Charles Crabtree academic.oup.com/ssjj/article...

Newly published, this paper by Paul Christensen, Cindi SturtzSreetharan, Charles Crabtree and Charles McClean looks at the implementation of the SDGs in Japan: academic.oup.com/ssjj/article...

I wrote an article on the absurdity of Japan's use of the SDGs with @clsturtz.bsky.social, @cmcclean.bsky.social, and Charles Crabtree. We think it's pretty good... Selective development goals: examining Japan’s SDG implementation gaps url: academic.oup.com/ssjj/article...

Excited to join Yale Young Global Scholars again this year (@yale.edu)! I’ll be giving three talks on youth representation to 450 high school students from over 60 countries. Looking forward to hearing whether they’d ever consider running for office.

The Experimental Research section of the American Political Science Association (@experimentsapsa.bsky.social) invites research proposals from post-prospectus PhD students for its Experimental Research Early-Career Fellowship program. Share this post! @apsa.bsky.social, @poscresearch.bsky.social

Looking forward to hosting @cmcclean.bsky.social‬ next week. Join us and hear why younger politicians are so rare in countries like Japan and how this shortage shapes democracy and social policy 👇

Excited to visit @fsi.stanford.edu @aparc.stanford.edu on Monday to discuss my book project on youth representation and its implications for policymaking and democracy. aparc.fsi.stanford.edu/events/silve...

And thank you, @alexmathieu.bsky.social, for all your help organizing this series—looking forward to working with you on next year's as well! 🙏

Thank you to our 5 speakers for joining this year's @yalemacmillan.bsky.social CEAS Japan as Future series! 🙏 @tomphuongle.bsky.social Henry Laurence (Bowdoin) Junko Kato @utokyoofficial.bsky.social Erin Chung (Johns Hopkins) @kmcelwain.bsky.social Grateful to Japan Foundation for their support!

📌 Japan Lecture Series @yalemacmillan.bsky.social Join us for a talk by @kmcelwain.bsky.social on public attitudes toward constitutional revision and their implications for democratic governance. 🗓️ Thu, April 10 🕛 12–1:30pm 📍 ISPS A002 🍣 Lunch provided! 🔗 macmillan.yale.edu/eastasia/eve...

📌 Japan Lecture Series @yalemacmillan.bsky.social Excited to host Erin Aeran Chung (Johns Hopkins) for a talk on how Japan's model of immigration control is increasingly becoming the norm globally. 🗓️ Wed, April 2 🕛 12–1:30pm 📍 Luce 202 🍣 Lunch provided! 🔗 macmillan.yale.edu/eastasia/eve...

📌 Japan Lecture Series @yalemacmillan.bsky.social Delighted to host Junko Kato @utokyoofficial.bsky.social this Monday for a talk on taxation, redistribution, and the politics of Japan’s welfare state. 🗓️ Mon, March 24 🕒 12:00–1:30pm 📍 Luce 202 🍣 Lunch provided! 🔗 macmillan.yale.edu/eastasia/eve...

Great discussions last week at Wesleyan on deepening US-Japan ties beyond security! I discussed my book's focus on gerontocracy and the struggle to get young people involved in politics—key challenges for both countries. Thanks to everyone who joined!

Appreciate the shoutout, @polbehavior.bsky.social—thanks for sharing!

Excited to visit Wesleyan tomorrow for this symposium on deepening the non-military aspects of US-Japan relations! 🇺🇸🇯🇵 I'll be discussing how cooperation on population aging and youth political engagement can strengthen the alliance. Join us in person or via Zoom: wesleyan.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

I had a great time discussing my book project at Georgetown! Grateful to everyone who came for their questions and feedback, and special thanks to Trevor Incerti for the invitation!

📅 For the next event in our @yalemacmillan.bsky.social #Japan lecture series, I'm excited to host Henry Laurence (Bowdoin College) on Monday, March 3 Prof. Laurence will discuss the politics of public broadcasting in Japan and Britain, comparing NHK with the BBC macmillan.yale.edu/eastasia/eve...

I'm looking forward to visiting Georgetown's Asian Studies Program in the School of Foreign Service this Thursday (2/27) to discuss my book project on youth representation and its impact on policymaking and democracy. If you're in DC, hope you can join us! www.eventbrite.com/e/silver-dem...