Michael Clemens
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Michael Clemens
@mclem.org
20K followers 3K following 3.2K posts

Professor of economics at George Mason University, fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics, IZA, CReAM/UCL, CEPR, CGD. Associate Editor JEP. USAID 2021–2024. Personal views exclusively.

Web: http://mclem.org
ORCID: 0000-0003-1354-0965 .. more

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Michael Andrew Clemens is an American economist who studies international migration and global economic development.

Source: Wikipedia
Economics 40%
Sociology 24%
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mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · Feb 21
Migration does not have to be what it is now

Innovation can change what migration *is*—more orderly, skilled, integrated, & tangibly beneficial to everyone affected

In 2012 I proposed one way: Global Skill Partnerships

The World Bank just released a major GSP roadmap—> hdl.handle.net/10986/42780

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 6h
The groundwork is being laid now to subvert our upcoming elections.

Attacking our Constitutional institutions is not Right or Left. It is poison that will ultimately harm all Conservatives and Liberals by degrading our country.
kyledcheney.bsky.social Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 7h
NEW: President Trump's pardon of his alleged 2020 co-conspirators was less about shielding them from past crimes, his adversaries say, than about signaling to others that he has their back if he needs them again in 2026 or 2028.

w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social

www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens, Daniel W. Drezner , and 2 more

kyledcheney.bsky.social
Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 7h
NEW: President Trump's pardon of his alleged 2020 co-conspirators was less about shielding them from past crimes, his adversaries say, than about signaling to others that he has their back if he needs them again in 2026 or 2028.

w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social

www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 10h
A man on the sidewalk offered to a passerby this COMPACT:

She was to give him her purse, and in exchange, he agreed not to maim her with a weapon.

Vocabulary is not neutral. Choose yours thoughtfully.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Michael A. Clemens, Alan Richardson , and 3 more

wunc.org
WUNC News @wunc.org · 10h
UNC-Chapel Hill's chancellor says the university will not sign on to a higher education compact from the Trump administration.

www.wunc.org/education/20...
After faculty raise concerns, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor says university will not sign Trump's higher ed compact
Lee Roberts called the "preferential treatment" proposal a clear infringement on academic freedom.
www.wunc.org

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Michael A. Clemens, Hyun‐Jung Kim , and 3 more

filipecampante.bsky.social
Filipe Campante @filipecampante.bsky.social · 15h
The evidence keeps accumulating that Brexit was an astonishing self-inflicted economic policy disaster. The fact that it is a slow-moving one bodes ill for those who think that populist economic mismanagement will translate into voters punishing populists. www.nber.org/system/files...

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens

aaup.org
AAUP @aaup.org · 16h
"Bethany Letiecq, a professor at George Mason University...said she expected Ms. Spanberger, a former member of Congress, to defend the state’s university system against the White House [and] to rescind initiatives imposed in recent years by appointees of Glenn Youngkin [the outgoing governor]."
Democrat’s Win May Upend a Conservative Push in Virginia Universities
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Rosemary A. Joyce

glowlaw.org
Government Lawyers Oversight Watchdog @glowlaw.org · 16h
1/6 A new standard for public accountability is here. GLOW—Government Lawyers Oversight Watchdog—is officially launching today to hold government lawyers accountable. We're unveiling The Government Lawyers Database at glowlaw.org. #RuleOfLaw #Accountability
The Government Lawyers Database
glowlaw.org

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Stephen P. Jenkins, Michael A. Clemens , and 6 more

jburnmurdoch.ft.com
John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com · 18h
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:

One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
Yes, their actions were and remain illegal.

Here are the laws they violated, laws that have neither been repealed nor overturned in court.
mclem.org Michael Clemens @mclem.org · Feb 4
Here is United States law regarding the President's attempts to close our development assistance agency in secret over the weekend.

It is illegal. No ambiguity.

Americans decide with their actions, today, if the US is a country of laws or—something else.

—> crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/...
Can the President Abolish, Move, or Consolidate USAID? Because Congress established USAID as an independent establishment (defined in 5 U.S.C. 104) within the executive branch, the President does not have the authority to abolish it; congressional authorization would be required to abolish, move, or consolidate USAID. The Secretary of State established USAID as directed by Executive Order 10973, signed on November 3, 1961. The agency was meant to implement components of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA, P.L. 87-195), enacted on September 4, 1961. Section 1413 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, Division G of P.L. 105-277, established USAID as an “independent establishment” outside of the State Department (22 U.S.C. 6563). In that act, Congress provided the President with temporary authority to reorganize the agency (22 U.S.C. 6601). President Clinton retained the status of USAID as an independent entity, and the authority to reorganize expired in 1999. Congress has not granted the President further authority to abolish, move, or consolidate USAID since. Congressional Research Service

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
Here is some of the research documenting the mass deaths of children, women, and men, across Africa and the rest of the developing world, caused by the decision of the US President and the world’s richest man to illegally obliterate our aid agency.
Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis
USAID funding has significantly contributed to the reduction in adult and child mortality across low-income and middle-income countries over the past two decades. Our estimates show that, unless the a...
www.thelancet.com

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
This striking headline is a faithful reflection of the facts.

If the US President had an interest in saving Christians’ lives in Nigeria, he could do so en masse by simply reinstating the aid program we had in January.
Opinion | Trump Aid Cuts Kill More Christians Than Jihadists Do
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens

kibritcioglu.bsky.social
Aykut Kibritçioğlu @kibritcioglu.bsky.social · 1d
Economics Literature Search
paulgp.com/econlit-pipe...

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
Extreme incompetence among superempowered public servants does not serve the interests of Conservatives or Liberals.
sahilkapur.bsky.social Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 1d
With a “WOW!,” President Trump posts a claim about DOGE and “royalties linked to Obamacare” that originated on a satirical website. That site’s own About section reads: “Everything on this website is fiction… If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.”

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
Good point, thank you, and this is another way in which Mastodon functionality beats other networks. Alt text fully automated there for images of words. Hard to believe it’s difficult for others to implement.

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
Americans, Conservative and Liberal, are standing up to support our Constitutional order and our cherished democracy.

Nothing to do with politics. Not Left or Right. Constitutional order is the bedrock that makes political preferences possible.
yappelbaum.bsky.social Yoni Appelbaum @yappelbaum.bsky.social · 1d
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Michael A. Clemens, David R. Miller

brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 1d
Reagan-appointed federal judge: "justice is supposed to be administered...equally for everyone, without fear or favor. This is the opposite of what is happening now....Day after day, I observed in silence as President Trump, his aides, & his allies dismantled so much of what I dedicated my life to."
ryanjreilly.com Ryan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray” @ryanjreilly.com · 1d
“What Nixon did episodically and covertly, knowing it was illegal or improper, Trump now does routinely and overtly.” — recently retired federal judge

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Why I Am Leaving the Federal Bench
A judge explains his reasons for resigning.
www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Will Jennings, Justin Wolfers , and 7 more

sahilkapur.bsky.social
Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 1d
With a “WOW!,” President Trump posts a claim about DOGE and “royalties linked to Obamacare” that originated on a satirical website. That site’s own About section reads: “Everything on this website is fiction… If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.”

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Richard S.J. Tol, Joe R. Feagin , and 15 more

yappelbaum.bsky.social
Yoni Appelbaum @yappelbaum.bsky.social · 1d
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
Thank you. I didn’t mean to suggest he ever deserved it. My impression from when I was a kid was that he had it then.

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
You’ve got a daytime job—and doing alright.

Reposted by John McLaren

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 3d
The US President has chosen to pervert our fine troops’ mission by deploying them against Americans, in peacetime.

It is illegal. It is extremely dangerous. Conservative and Liberal Americans reject the filth of military rule.
chrisgeidner.bsky.social Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 3d
BREAKING: Following trial, Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, finds that Trump did not properly invoke federal law to call up the National Guard and "permanently enjoins Defendants’ orders to deploy federalized members of the National Guard to Oregon."
After analyzing these statutory provisions, as applied to the facts in this case, this Court arrives at the necessary conclusion that there was neither "a rebellion or danger of a rebellion" nor was the President "unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States" in Oregon when he ordered the federalization and deployment of the National Guard. 10 U.S.C. § 12406(2) (3). The "precise standard" to demarcate the line past which conditions would satisfy the statutory standard to deploy the military in the streets of American cities is ultimately a question for a higher court to decide. Newsom, 141 F.4th at 1051. But based on this Court's application of Newsom to the factual findings at trial and the meaning of 10 U.S.C. § 12406 in light of history and tradition, this Court finds that wherever this line precisely is, Defendants have failed to clear it. Therefore, for all the reasons stated below, this Court permanently enjoins Defendants' orders to deploy federalized members of the National Guard to Oregon.

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller

chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 3d
BREAKING: Following trial, Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, finds that Trump did not properly invoke federal law to call up the National Guard and "permanently enjoins Defendants’ orders to deploy federalized members of the National Guard to Oregon."
After analyzing these statutory provisions, as applied to the facts in this case, this Court arrives at the necessary conclusion that there was neither "a rebellion or danger of a rebellion" nor was the President "unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States" in Oregon when he ordered the federalization and deployment of the National Guard. 10 U.S.C. § 12406(2) (3). The "precise standard" to demarcate the line past which conditions would satisfy the statutory standard to deploy the military in the streets of American cities is ultimately a question for a higher court to decide. Newsom, 141 F.4th at 1051. But based on this Court's application of Newsom to the factual findings at trial and the meaning of 10 U.S.C. § 12406 in light of history and tradition, this Court finds that wherever this line precisely is, Defendants have failed to clear it. Therefore, for all the reasons stated below, this Court permanently enjoins Defendants' orders to deploy federalized members of the National Guard to Oregon.

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 3d
What a bitter shame that he forever poisoned his sterling reputation—a reputation that he could have used for so much good—by tripling down on ignorant racist pseudoscience.

Self-adoring bigotry often turns once-great minds into cottage cheese.

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens

carlzimmer.com
Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 3d
James Watson has died. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Michael A. Clemens, Amir Attaran

ahmacdougall.bsky.social
Andrew MacDougall @ahmacdougall.bsky.social · 3d
"China is now making more money from exporting green technology than America makes from exporting fossil fuels. "

www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
China’s clean-energy revolution will reshape markets and politics
The world’s biggest manufacturer now has an interest in the world decarbonising
www.economist.com

Reposted by Maarten Vink

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 3d
This is accurate.

Here is a serious and rigorous analysis in @thelancet.com, backing up the claim. —> www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
newschambers.bsky.social Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 4d
The world’s first trillionaire initiated a move that has left more than half a million people dead, most of whom are children.

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 3d
Glad this is settled.
marceldirsus.com Marcel Dirsus @marceldirsus.com · 3d
AI could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2 percentage points

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens , and 6 more

marceldirsus.com
Marcel Dirsus @marceldirsus.com · 3d
AI could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2 percentage points

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Paul Nightingale

oldtrotter.bsky.social
David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 3d
Excellent podcast from the FT in which Martin Wolf patiently explains that populism causes fundamental damage to economies even if they continue to grow (aka the counterfactual) and that such damage is difficult and painful to reverse when it finally becomes apparent open.spotify.com/episode/679f...
Martin Wolf on the economics of populism
open.spotify.com

Reposted by Will Jennings, John R. Hutchinson, Patrick Dunleavy , and 14 more

newschambers.bsky.social
Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 4d
The world’s first trillionaire initiated a move that has left more than half a million people dead, most of whom are children.