Amanda Kass
@akass.bsky.social
Assistant Prof. at DePaul, deep in the public finance weeds, grammar + typo offender, stata frenemy. opinions are my own. She/her
Personal site: https://amandakass.blog/
Current research: https://covidfundsforviolenceintervention.com/
Personal site: https://amandakass.blog/
Current research: https://covidfundsforviolenceintervention.com/
Reposted by Amanda Kass
Mayor Brandon Johnson called for more than $617M in new taxes on the wealthiest Chicagoans and largest firms in order to blunt cuts imposed by the Trump administration while avoiding drastic cuts in city services and thousands of layoffs. news.wttw.com/2025/10/16/m...
Mayor Brandon Johnson Calls for $617M in New Taxes to Close Budget Gap, Avoid Layoffs
“The line to draw here is that we either are going to protect working people in Chicago from Trump’s cuts, or we are going to open up the floodgates and allow these individuals to be hurt and harmed f...
news.wttw.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Mayor Brandon Johnson called for more than $617M in new taxes on the wealthiest Chicagoans and largest firms in order to blunt cuts imposed by the Trump administration while avoiding drastic cuts in city services and thousands of layoffs. news.wttw.com/2025/10/16/m...
I really wonder what is going to happen. Some places are all in, some are hard no. Within a department it can vary from instructor to instructor. Then there’s the entire state government of PA that all in on AI (see the Governor’s EO www.pa.gov/content/dam/...)
In about three years the entire university pivot to AI curricula and schools and programs is going to be so deeply embarrassing. We will all pretend it never happened and I will be standing there, looking at people with a mirror in my eyes. This is all so embarrassing.
October 17, 2025 at 12:49 PM
I really wonder what is going to happen. Some places are all in, some are hard no. Within a department it can vary from instructor to instructor. Then there’s the entire state government of PA that all in on AI (see the Governor’s EO www.pa.gov/content/dam/...)
was just forced to update to Windows11. Initial impression is I'm not a fan, but at least I don't think a bunch of AI is integrated
October 16, 2025 at 6:08 PM
was just forced to update to Windows11. Initial impression is I'm not a fan, but at least I don't think a bunch of AI is integrated
Reposted by Amanda Kass
Along with Will Payne and Jovan Lewis, I'm organizing an AAG session on the economic geography of scams for the 2026 conference in San Francisco. Please share widely! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
AAG 2026 CFP: Putting the ‘Con’ in Economic Geography
AAG 2026 CFP: Schemes, Scams, and Flim-flam: Putting the ‘Con’ in Economic Geography Will B. Payne, Rutgers University Desiree Fields, University of California, Berkeley Jovan Scott Lewis, University ...
docs.google.com
October 7, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Along with Will Payne and Jovan Lewis, I'm organizing an AAG session on the economic geography of scams for the 2026 conference in San Francisco. Please share widely! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Thank you Chicago for greeting me with this horrible weather and losing my ventra card. It's good to be back
October 7, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Thank you Chicago for greeting me with this horrible weather and losing my ventra card. It's good to be back
going down a rabbit hole of looking at property tax videos on tik tok....are any public finance or public admin scholars on the platform?
October 1, 2025 at 5:49 PM
going down a rabbit hole of looking at property tax videos on tik tok....are any public finance or public admin scholars on the platform?
I have been working on an article about pandemic federal aid and fiscal federalism since July 2024 and I just the final version. This paper was gone on a real journey, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Fingers crossed it's in print soon
September 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM
I have been working on an article about pandemic federal aid and fiscal federalism since July 2024 and I just the final version. This paper was gone on a real journey, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Fingers crossed it's in print soon
I'm very excited that I was accepted to the NASPAA NEXT cohort! Also means I'll be headed to the NASPAA conference in Flagstaff. First time attending this conference so looking forward to it!
August 29, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I'm very excited that I was accepted to the NASPAA NEXT cohort! Also means I'll be headed to the NASPAA conference in Flagstaff. First time attending this conference so looking forward to it!
putting together the syllabus for my research methods class. As part of the readings I'll have students read academic articles that involve qualitative research. So friends, who has a recent publication I should assign?
August 20, 2025 at 7:56 PM
putting together the syllabus for my research methods class. As part of the readings I'll have students read academic articles that involve qualitative research. So friends, who has a recent publication I should assign?
Urban Affairs Association is now accepting submissions for the 2026 conference in Chicago….and here I was pretending it’s still the start of summer
August 18, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Urban Affairs Association is now accepting submissions for the 2026 conference in Chicago….and here I was pretending it’s still the start of summer
Reposted by Amanda Kass
what baltimore's doing is what a lot of people who actually care about this stuff have been saying should happen (a lot of overlapping things)
what's happening in Baltimore really gives the game away. a Dem major has drastically cut violent crime with a services-focused approach, even including police too, and none of these people give a shit popular.info/p/the-secret...
The secret to Baltimore's extraordinary year
This April, Baltimore saw five homicides.
popular.info
August 14, 2025 at 3:46 PM
what baltimore's doing is what a lot of people who actually care about this stuff have been saying should happen (a lot of overlapping things)
Was listening to the radio this morning and the discourse on Trump’s policy bill is frustrating. Cutting Medicaid is framed as generating “savings”. Sure, it will reduce on-budget government spending, but there are real off-budget costs
June 30, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Was listening to the radio this morning and the discourse on Trump’s policy bill is frustrating. Cutting Medicaid is framed as generating “savings”. Sure, it will reduce on-budget government spending, but there are real off-budget costs
Grades are in so officially a wrap on Spring Quarter 2025!
June 20, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Grades are in so officially a wrap on Spring Quarter 2025!
Reposted by Amanda Kass
My heart breaks for trans kids, who do not deserve this obsessive animus that adults are directing at them.
June 18, 2025 at 2:58 PM
My heart breaks for trans kids, who do not deserve this obsessive animus that adults are directing at them.
This really needs to be recognized for what it is: cutting services for vulnerable, lower income households to give tax cuts to the wealthy
Rather than softening the Medicaid cuts in Republican's megabill, the Senate has made them even more aggressive: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/u...
Senate Bill Would Make Deep Cuts to Medicaid, Setting Up Fight With House
www.nytimes.com
June 17, 2025 at 12:29 PM
This really needs to be recognized for what it is: cutting services for vulnerable, lower income households to give tax cuts to the wealthy
CVI work in Chicago expanded because of federal aid from the American Rescue Plan Act. That money was never a long term solution to pay for this important work, but with Chicago’s budget hole and federal policy turn away from CVI, cuts are coming
What’s driving down #Chicago murder numbers? Some experts point to “community violence intervention.” For @WBEZ.org, I took a ride-along on the West Side to see how street outreach workers are trying to stop the next shooting.
www.wbez.org/public-safet...
www.wbez.org/public-safet...
Why is Chicago violence plummeting? Some credit street outreach workers
A reporter rides along to get an up-close look at the violence intervention work that aims to prevent retaliation in the aftermath of shootings.
www.wbez.org
June 6, 2025 at 4:18 PM
CVI work in Chicago expanded because of federal aid from the American Rescue Plan Act. That money was never a long term solution to pay for this important work, but with Chicago’s budget hole and federal policy turn away from CVI, cuts are coming
what is even happening….been offline most of the day and it, uh, seems like some news has happened
June 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
what is even happening….been offline most of the day and it, uh, seems like some news has happened
That is a wrap for my Spring Quarter classes (well still grading to do). Both classes ended on a high note with wonderful in-class presentations!
June 5, 2025 at 1:22 AM
That is a wrap for my Spring Quarter classes (well still grading to do). Both classes ended on a high note with wonderful in-class presentations!
Between the latest generativeAI higher education article and news that house republicans didn’t know what was in the destructive domestic bill and now regret voting for it I’m feeling extremely deflated this morning
June 4, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Between the latest generativeAI higher education article and news that house republicans didn’t know what was in the destructive domestic bill and now regret voting for it I’m feeling extremely deflated this morning
Anyone have a link to a map that shows all the overlapping local governments in Chicagoland region? @cbgoodman.co maybe you have an example?
May 28, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Anyone have a link to a map that shows all the overlapping local governments in Chicagoland region? @cbgoodman.co maybe you have an example?
UAA conference in Chicago for 2026! Woohoo
✅ Save the date! ICUA 2026 will be held in Chicago (April 29-May 2, 2026) at the Marriott Marquis. #icua2026
May 27, 2025 at 8:16 PM
UAA conference in Chicago for 2026! Woohoo
"His organization isn’t the only one that received cuts, and he said there will be half the number of people this summer out in the community mediating conflicts."
more utterly depressing news
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/27/e...
more utterly depressing news
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/27/e...
After years on the front lines of violence prevention, Englewood group faces layoffs as DOJ shifts priorities
The end of a U.S. Department of Justice federal grant yields layoffs at a local anti-violence program.
www.chicagotribune.com
May 27, 2025 at 5:57 PM
"His organization isn’t the only one that received cuts, and he said there will be half the number of people this summer out in the community mediating conflicts."
more utterly depressing news
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/27/e...
more utterly depressing news
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/27/e...
Reposted by Amanda Kass
I think the messaging around both advocates MMA & labors bill is legit confusing. The rhetoric is often around fiscal cliff but bills are restructuring/reforms without funding-just pledges to fight for money.
Great @chicagotribune.com op-ed from Richards (fmr @septaphilly.bsky.social GM). Promises of funding later do not pay the bills. We need public plan on specific $ sources to prevent cuts (better yet, expand service with more investment). Still relevant op-ed www.chicagotribune.com/2024/08/19/o...
May 22, 2025 at 4:56 PM
I think the messaging around both advocates MMA & labors bill is legit confusing. The rhetoric is often around fiscal cliff but bills are restructuring/reforms without funding-just pledges to fight for money.
I have a fairly straightforward empirical question: Was the ARPA $ a windfall for local governments?
Seems like that would take 5 minutes to answer...but of course not because step 1 is building the dataset! So much of research is data collection, cleaning and processing
Seems like that would take 5 minutes to answer...but of course not because step 1 is building the dataset! So much of research is data collection, cleaning and processing
May 21, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I have a fairly straightforward empirical question: Was the ARPA $ a windfall for local governments?
Seems like that would take 5 minutes to answer...but of course not because step 1 is building the dataset! So much of research is data collection, cleaning and processing
Seems like that would take 5 minutes to answer...but of course not because step 1 is building the dataset! So much of research is data collection, cleaning and processing