Ben Barr
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benjaminbarr.bsky.social
Ben Barr
@benjaminbarr.bsky.social
2K followers 2K following 240 posts

Professor in Applied Public Health Research. Head WHO collaborating centre for policy research on the determinants of health equity.
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/population-health/staff/benjamin-barr/ . Was once an anthropologist, maybe I still am. .. more

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Public Health 46%
Medicine 29%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Mike Brewer, Ben Barr

resolutionfoundation.org
Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 1d
🚨 New

Britain’s ‘unsung’ army – a million people in poorer working-age households now have full-time unpaid caring responsibilities .
Mike Brewer, Deputy Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: “Britain is getting older and sicker, while a greater share of its population has a disability. While these trends affect the whole of society, they are starkest in the poorest half of working-age families across the country. “But while we talk a lot about the effects of ageing and ill-health, the implications on demand for unpaid care is largely absent from political debate. That’s despite Britain having an ‘unsung army’ of one million people who do at least 35 hours of unpaid care work every week – equivalent to a full-time job. “It is time to provide better support for these carers and their families, just as we have done with working parents in recent decades. Carers deserve greater financial support in Universal Credit, more help to stay in work if they want to, and decent social care system to help the relieve the pressure on families.”

Reposted by Ben Barr, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham

arxivecongnbot.bsky.social
ArXiv Paperboy (Econ.GN + Econ.TH) @arxivecongnbot.bsky.social · 1d
arXiv📈🤖
When can we get away with using the two-way fixed effects regression?
By Lal
The use of the two-way fixed effects regression in empirical social science was historically motivated by folk wisdom that it uncovers the Average Treatment effect on the Treated (ATT) as in the canonical two-period two-group case. This belief has come under scrutiny recently due to recent results in applied econometrics showing that it fails to uncover meaningful averages of heterogeneous treatment effects in the presence of effect heterogeneity over time and across adoption cohorts, and several heterogeneity-robust alternatives have been proposed. However, these estimators often have higher variance and are therefore under-powered for many applications, which poses a bias-variance tradeoff that is challenging for researchers to navigate. In this paper, we propose simple tests of linear restrictions that can be used to test for differences in dynamic treatment effects over cohorts, which allows us to test for when the two-way fixed effects regression is likely to yield biased estimates of the ATT. These tests are implemented as methods in the pyfixest python library.

Reposted by Patrick Dunleavy, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott , and 7 more

whoa-magic.lol
Áine ☽𖤐☾ @whoa-magic.lol · 2d
Peter Thiel warns the Antichrist and apocalypse are linked to the ‘end of modernity’ currently happening—and cites Greta Thunberg as a driving example

fortune.com/2026/02/04/p...

*Not satire.
Peter Thiel warns the Antichrist and apocalypse are linked to the ‘end of modernity’ currently happening—and cites Greta Thunberg as a driving example | Fortune
The Gen Z Swedish climate activist is a legionnaire of the Antichrist, Thiel claims, a “Luddite” who wants to halt technological progress in its tracks.
fortune.com

Reposted by Rebecca Solnit, Ben Barr, Philip N. Cohen , and 12 more

acyn.bsky.social
Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 2d
Ossoff: We were told that MAGA was for working-class Americans. But this is a government of, by, and for the ultra-rich. It’s the wealthiest Cabinet ever. This is the Epstein class. They are the elites they pretend to hate.

Reposted by Ben Barr, Lesley A. Hall, Ben Rosamond , and 2 more

dalupton.bsky.social
Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD @dalupton.bsky.social · 2d
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
‘I’ve lost my friends’: advocacy groups warn Australia’s social media ban risks isolating kids with disabilities
Despite the ban’s aim to protect young people, experts are concerned that those in marginalised communities or living with disabilities could lose vital support networks
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Ben Barr

healthwatch.bsky.social
Healthwatch @healthwatch.bsky.social · 3d
Could a significant rise in young people reporting feelings of despair since 2015 suggest a generation increasingly without hope as paths to social and income mobility close.- life long debts to obtain a degree, declining job opportunities, high housing costs?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Social mobility and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Socioeconomic status (SES) is a robust correlate of mental health, and emerging research indicates that life course trajectories of SES (i.e., social …
www.sciencedirect.com

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Ben Barr

sundersays.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 4d
Immigration salience in the Jan 2026 Ipsos issues index

Most affluent areas (least deprived): 47%
2nd most affluent: 38%
3rd (middle) quintile: 44%
2nd most deprived: 38%
Most deprived quintile: 44%

Reposted by Ben Barr, David D. Buck

charlestallack.bsky.social
Charles Tallack @charlestallack.bsky.social · 4d
On 14 January Wes Streeting said that waiting lists had fallen three times faster in 20 areas of the country where crack teams had been deployed. We’ve looked at this claim and have questions. 🧵
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Waiting lists cut 3 times faster in highest joblessness areas
Waiting lists in 20 areas in England fall 3 times faster than the national average thanks to experts deployed by government to help supercharge NHS care.
www.gov.uk

Reposted by Ben Barr, Michelle Everson, Christopher Peters , and 1 more

zackpolanski.bsky.social
Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 4d
Get Palantir out of the UK.

Protect our NHS.

Protect our country.

www.thenational.scot/news/2582860...
Scrap Palantir UK contracts over Mandelson links, Zack Polanski demands
ZACK Polanski has demanded that the UK Government scraps its contracts with Palantir, amid mounting questions over Peter Mandelson’s role in…
www.thenational.scot

Reposted by Ben Barr

smfthinktank.bsky.social
Social Market Foundation @smfthinktank.bsky.social · 4d
England's SEND system is widely recognised as broken.

As teachers and parents await the Government’s SEND review, @danihpayne.bsky.social @beckymontacute.bsky.social’s latest briefing explores what trade-offs may be needed to fix the system.

Reposted by Ben Barr

profkatsmith.bsky.social
Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 4d
New @centrehealthpolicy.bsky.social blog by @lisagarnham.bsky.social @profellenstu.bsky.social & @clemmiehilloconnor.bsky.social & me summarises what lived experience insights show us that traditional research evidence misses about housing and health: www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/c...
Housing, Health, and What Lived Experience Shows Us that the Evidence-base Misses | University of Strathclyde
www.strath.ac.uk

benjaminbarr.bsky.social
Ben Barr @benjaminbarr.bsky.social · 4d
Remember the same feeling reading Bourdieu back in 1990..

Reposted by Ben Barr

healthwatch.bsky.social
Healthwatch @healthwatch.bsky.social · 4d
A rot at heart of government.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Mandelson’s links with US tech firm Palantir must be fully exposed, campaigners warn
Government faces call for transparency on former peer’s involvement amid fears he may have leaked more sensitive information
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Ben Barr, Joanne Spetz

lhnicholas.bsky.social
Lauren Hersch Nicholas @lhnicholas.bsky.social · 5d
listen to CRR and read our paper on dementia's impact on household finances: www.nber.org/papers/w34659

Reposted by Ben Barr, Daniel S. Goldberg, Evan Roberts

atheendar.bsky.social
Atheendar Venkataramani @atheendar.bsky.social · 5d
"When researchers cannot specify and be transparent about what equity means in their work, it risks becoming an aesthetic rather than a commitment."

Sharp piece by Choi et al outling several issues with contemporary research that have increasingly troubled me.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Advancing the Science and Scholarship of Health Equity
Health equity research has advanced substantially during the past 2 decades and has emerged as a foundational element of population health science and scholarship.1 JAMA Health Forum has embraced thi...
jamanetwork.com

Reposted by Michael Barnett, Brian A. Nosek, Steven Van de Walle , and 11 more

fhollenbach.org
Florian Hollenbach @fhollenbach.org · 6d
🧵 New version of our paper (@bcegerod.bsky.social) is finally online: "How Many is Enough? Sample Size in Staggered Difference-in-Differences Designs"
We show that even well-identified DiD studies are often underpowered; sample sizes needed are surprisingly large
Paper: osf.io/preprints/os... 1/6

Reposted by Ben Barr

resolutionfoundation.org
Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 7d
Failing to pursue closer integration with the EU creates tension with the Government’s growth ambitions.

The Brexit impact on GDP per person may be bigger than feared; the impact on GDP per person may well sit above 4 per cent already.

Read more ➡️ buff.ly/VWHNFCb
Figure 17 shows a range of estimates of the impact of Brexit on GDP per person, using similar methods to the aforementioned study to compare the UK to other countries.The estimates vary based on the economic variables (such as educational attainment and openness to trade) used to match the UK to the countries which make up its counterfactual path. The range reflects the challenges in accurately identifying a counterfactual – we cannot observe how the UK would have grown had it remained within the EU – but it suggests the impact on GDP per person may well sit above 4 per cent already.

Reposted by Ben Barr, Jonathan M. Gilligan, Alan Richardson , and 4 more

kjhealy.co
Kieran Healy @kjhealy.co · 9d
As a side note, it’s funny to see so many of these emails with thirsty academics repeatedly enact Marx’s bit in the 1844 Manuscripts about the power of money. “Oh Mr Epstein, your house in New York is enormous and, unrelatedly, your questions at dinner were so intelligent, so insightful, so deep.”
That which is for me through the medium of money - that for which I can pay (i.e., which money can buy) - that am I myself, the possessor of the money. The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power. Money's properties are my - the possessor's - properties and essential powers. Thus, what I am and am capable of is by no means determined by my individuality. I am ugly, but I can buy for myself the most beautiful of women. Therefore I am not ugly, for the effect of ugliness - its deterrent power - is nullified by money. I, according to my individual characteristics, am lame, but money furnishes me with twenty-four feet. Therefore I am not lame. I am bad, dishonest, unscrupulous, stupid; but money is honoured, and hence its possessor. Money is the supreme good, therefore its possessor is good. Money, besides, saves me the trouble of being dishonest: I am therefore presumed honest. I am brainless, but money is the real brain of all things and how then should its possessor be brainless? Besides, he can buy clever people for himself, and is he who has [In the manuscript: is. - Ed.] power over the clever not more clever than the clever? Do not I, who thanks to money am capable of all that the human heart longs for, possess all human capacities? Does not my money, therefore, transform all my incapacities into their contrary?

Reposted by Patrick Dunleavy, Ben Barr

london.gov.uk
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 9d
London has landed in the top ten greenest cities on the planet 🌱

Not bad for a city that never sits still.

We’re delivering cleaner transport and more green spaces, with even more to come.
London among the top ten greenest cities in the world, report shows
The city came in tenth place overall, earning an admirable Green City Index score of 66.85
www.standard.co.uk

Reposted by Steve Peers, Ben Barr, Renaud Morieux

billybragg.bsky.social
Billy Bragg @billybragg.bsky.social · 10d
CITY OF HEROES, my song celebrating the courage of the people of Minneapolis defending their community from Tяump's goons, is now available to stream on numerous platforms via this link: bbragg.lnk.to/cityofheroes
Billy Bragg - City Of Heroes
Listen to City Of Heroes by Billy Bragg.
bbragg.lnk.to

Reposted by Ben Barr, Ian Loader

zackpolanski.bsky.social
Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 10d
"Reform have a TV pundit.

The Green Party have got Hannah the local plumber!"

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/reform-...
'Reform have a TV pundit, we've got Hannah the plumber'
The Green Party has announced Hannah Spencer as its candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Reposted by Ben Barr

Reposted by Ben Barr

owenjones.bsky.social
Owen Jones @owenjones.bsky.social · 10d
Manchester can see off Nigel Farage - and slap the government in the face.

It's the ultimate two-for-one offer!

Reposted by Alistair Munro, Ben Barr, Tom Griffin

gilesyb.bsky.social
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 10d
Brilliant letter in The Economist from Professor Ian Wray
Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place, University of Liverpool
www.economist.com/letters/2026...

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Ben Barr, John Foot , and 1 more

greenparty.org.uk
The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 10d
Say hello to Hannah Spencer—councillor, plumber, greyhound lover and your Green Party candidate for Gorton and Denton 💚
INTRODUCING! Hannah Spencer Green Party candidate for GORTON & DENTON Green Party Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of the Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ

Reposted by Ben Barr

livunihipr.bsky.social
Health Inequalities Policy Research Group @livunihipr.bsky.social · 10d
Brand new research project by the HIPR team: GROVE - Governance for Household-Level Environment and Health Data
A project to develop solutions for linking health and environmental data at household level to support prevention-focused research.
dareuk.org.uk/how-we-work/...
GROVE: Governance for Household-Level Environment and Health Data - DARE UK
dareuk.org.uk

Reposted by Ben Barr

nionwomen.bsky.social
Not In Our Name (NION) Women @nionwomen.bsky.social · 11d
Some reasons to feel positive today. Well done to all those women who push back on legal challenges, and push through resolutions

notinourname.org.uk
Home - Not in our name
Not In our Name: Women in support of the trans+community
notinourname.org.uk

Reposted by Ben Barr

livunihipr.bsky.social
Health Inequalities Policy Research Group @livunihipr.bsky.social · 11d
New BMJ Editorial by our very own Professor David Taylor-Robinson published today - 29 Jan 2026
Gaps remain in UK’s new child poverty strategy
doi.org/10.1136/bmj....
BMJ 2026;392:s167
Gaps remain in UK’s new child poverty strategy
Coordinated action and binding targets are required The UK government published its long awaited child poverty strategy at the end of 2025. It lands amid the highest levels of child poverty in the UK...
doi.org

Reposted by Ben Barr

resolutionfoundation.org
Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 11d
🚨 New report! 🚨

The Government must increase trust in Universal Credit as full roll out brings 15 million people into the system.

Listen and learn, produced in partnership with @changingrealities.bsky.social, draws on testimony from UC claimants and welfare advisors ⤵️ buff.ly/TjrE4OW

benjaminbarr.bsky.social
Ben Barr @benjaminbarr.bsky.social · 12d
Don't disagree with the overall point. But I suspect the "saves $357 million a year on health costs" is based on a misunderstanding of SROI calculations. The monetary value of health gain is not equal to the cost saving to health services.