Raymond Hicks
@arpie71.bsky.social
Researcher at History Lab @Columbia. IPE scholar, data scientist
Big day! 🚨 My work with Cristina Bodea on [central bank independence](www.cambridge.org/core/journal...) just got cited at the [Supreme Court](www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...)
Price Stability and Central Bank Independence: Discipline, Credibility, and Democratic Institutions | International Organization | Cambridge Core
Price Stability and Central Bank Independence: Discipline, Credibility, and Democratic Institutions - Volume 69 Issue 1
www.cambridge.org
September 25, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Big day! 🚨 My work with Cristina Bodea on [central bank independence](www.cambridge.org/core/journal...) just got cited at the [Supreme Court](www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...)
Central banks are meant to be independent. But what happens when the rule of law erodes?
New @goodauth.bsky.social post by Cristina Bodea & @arpie71.bsky.social breaks down why central bank independence relies not just on legal design—but on democratic institutions that protect it.
New @goodauth.bsky.social post by Cristina Bodea & @arpie71.bsky.social breaks down why central bank independence relies not just on legal design—but on democratic institutions that protect it.
Can central banks and sound money survive a collapse in the rule of law?
The Fed and other central banks function best when politicians let them do their mandated job.
goodauthority.org
May 7, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Central banks are meant to be independent. But what happens when the rule of law erodes?
New @goodauth.bsky.social post by Cristina Bodea & @arpie71.bsky.social breaks down why central bank independence relies not just on legal design—but on democratic institutions that protect it.
New @goodauth.bsky.social post by Cristina Bodea & @arpie71.bsky.social breaks down why central bank independence relies not just on legal design—but on democratic institutions that protect it.
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
Can central banks and sound money survive a collapse in the rule of law?
Read our latest on the importance of sound money.
goodauthority.org/news/can-cen...
Read our latest on the importance of sound money.
goodauthority.org/news/can-cen...
Can central banks and sound money survive a collapse in the rule of law?
The Fed and other central banks function best when politicians let them do their mandated job.
goodauthority.org
May 7, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Can central banks and sound money survive a collapse in the rule of law?
Read our latest on the importance of sound money.
goodauthority.org/news/can-cen...
Read our latest on the importance of sound money.
goodauthority.org/news/can-cen...
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
We’ve just released new Stata (github.com/history-lab/...) and R (github.com/history-lab/...) packages that make it easy to pull History Lab’s text and metadata directly into your favorite statistical tools.
Learn more about what we do at lab.history.columbia.edu!
Learn more about what we do at lab.history.columbia.edu!
GitHub - history-lab/hlapiStata: Stata package to access History Lab API
Stata package to access History Lab API. Contribute to history-lab/hlapiStata development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
April 28, 2025 at 8:39 PM
We’ve just released new Stata (github.com/history-lab/...) and R (github.com/history-lab/...) packages that make it easy to pull History Lab’s text and metadata directly into your favorite statistical tools.
Learn more about what we do at lab.history.columbia.edu!
Learn more about what we do at lab.history.columbia.edu!
A couple of weeks ago, I started writing something up on how with the "reciprocal" tariffs, we would end up back in nearly the same place as before, except victory would be declared and the tariff schedule would be touted as the greatest thing ever, despite not changing.
April 10, 2025 at 5:42 PM
A couple of weeks ago, I started writing something up on how with the "reciprocal" tariffs, we would end up back in nearly the same place as before, except victory would be declared and the tariff schedule would be touted as the greatest thing ever, despite not changing.
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
So Trump calls me up and he's like "tariffs are off" and I'm like:
March 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
So Trump calls me up and he's like "tariffs are off" and I'm like:
In 1951, the US petitioned the GATT to suspend its concessions with Czechoslovakia. It argued that "because we can not reasonably anticipate an improvement of our commerce with Czechoslovakia so long as the present state of relations between us exists" (history.state.gov/historicaldo...)
Historical Documents - Office of the Historian
history.state.gov 3.0 shell
history.state.gov
April 3, 2025 at 2:43 PM
In 1951, the US petitioned the GATT to suspend its concessions with Czechoslovakia. It argued that "because we can not reasonably anticipate an improvement of our commerce with Czechoslovakia so long as the present state of relations between us exists" (history.state.gov/historicaldo...)
I will never complain about the review process again. (From Ian Stewart's Visions of Infinity)
March 15, 2025 at 6:19 PM
I will never complain about the review process again. (From Ian Stewart's Visions of Infinity)
I should have read the fine print when the U.S. replace MFN with Permanent* Normal^ Trade** Relations^^.
* Timeframe not guaranteed
^ HA, Your mileage may vary
** Yeah, this one still works, for now
^^ Quality of relations not specified
* Timeframe not guaranteed
^ HA, Your mileage may vary
** Yeah, this one still works, for now
^^ Quality of relations not specified
March 13, 2025 at 11:39 AM
I should have read the fine print when the U.S. replace MFN with Permanent* Normal^ Trade** Relations^^.
* Timeframe not guaranteed
^ HA, Your mileage may vary
** Yeah, this one still works, for now
^^ Quality of relations not specified
* Timeframe not guaranteed
^ HA, Your mileage may vary
** Yeah, this one still works, for now
^^ Quality of relations not specified
Trade wars are accelerating the decline of international economic governance. But instead of collapsing, global trade institutions are lurching forward in a zombie-like state. What happens next? Julia Gray describes our coming era of half-dead internationalism
Zombie institutions could have "afterlives," but little power.
Zombie internationalism sees a slow, stumbling transformation, and decreased trust in international agreements and global institutions.
goodauthority.org
March 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Trade wars are accelerating the decline of international economic governance. But instead of collapsing, global trade institutions are lurching forward in a zombie-like state. What happens next? Julia Gray describes our coming era of half-dead internationalism
So Trump calls me up and he's like "tariffs are off" and I'm like:
March 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
So Trump calls me up and he's like "tariffs are off" and I'm like:
Version 2 of my dropbox command is out. This tool locates a user’s Dropbox folder automatically and adds an option to search a secondary drive before moving to the primary one. Installation instructions at github.com/arpie71/drop.... (Thanks to
@kevinhorourke.bsky.social for suggesting changes)
@kevinhorourke.bsky.social for suggesting changes)
GitHub - arpie71/dropbox
Contribute to arpie71/dropbox development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
March 6, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Version 2 of my dropbox command is out. This tool locates a user’s Dropbox folder automatically and adds an option to search a secondary drive before moving to the primary one. Installation instructions at github.com/arpie71/drop.... (Thanks to
@kevinhorourke.bsky.social for suggesting changes)
@kevinhorourke.bsky.social for suggesting changes)
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
Canada has challenged Trump's tariffs at the WTO. Clearly Trump won't care since the US can block any ruling (by appealing "into the void"), but Canada is also making a statement about the need to play by the rules.
www.wto.org/english/news...
www.wto.org/english/news...
Canada initiates WTO dispute complaint regarding US tariff measures
Canada has requested WTO dispute consultations with the United States regarding new tariff measures applied by the United States on goods originating in Canada. The request was circulated to WTO memb...
www.wto.org
March 5, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Canada has challenged Trump's tariffs at the WTO. Clearly Trump won't care since the US can block any ruling (by appealing "into the void"), but Canada is also making a statement about the need to play by the rules.
www.wto.org/english/news...
www.wto.org/english/news...
I've been thinking about this song a lot: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az5d...
I'm waiting for a Democratic politician to attempt a "decency" moment rather than a "gotcha" moment.
I'm waiting for a Democratic politician to attempt a "decency" moment rather than a "gotcha" moment.
Exhuming McCarthy
YouTube video by R.E.M. - Topic
www.youtube.com
March 5, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I've been thinking about this song a lot: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az5d...
I'm waiting for a Democratic politician to attempt a "decency" moment rather than a "gotcha" moment.
I'm waiting for a Democratic politician to attempt a "decency" moment rather than a "gotcha" moment.
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
Any parallels? "Selling Swamps Exchange..Leading Issues Tumble as Wall Street Assails the New Tariff"
March 3, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Any parallels? "Selling Swamps Exchange..Leading Issues Tumble as Wall Street Assails the New Tariff"
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
I'm thinking of starting a "today in (recent) history" feature, reminding everyone of all Trump's idiot moves during the one major crisis of his first administration. But then I already missed February 27, 2020, when he said "it's like a miracle, it will disappear"
March 1, 2025 at 10:07 PM
I'm thinking of starting a "today in (recent) history" feature, reminding everyone of all Trump's idiot moves during the one major crisis of his first administration. But then I already missed February 27, 2020, when he said "it's like a miracle, it will disappear"
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
Applications for Archives as Data are open until the end of March! 📅 Decisions will be announced shortly after. Don’t miss this opportunity—submit your application today! lab.history.columbia.edu/content/work... #ArchivesAsData #DigitalHistory #OpenData
February 25, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Applications for Archives as Data are open until the end of March! 📅 Decisions will be announced shortly after. Don’t miss this opportunity—submit your application today! lab.history.columbia.edu/content/work... #ArchivesAsData #DigitalHistory #OpenData
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
Non-coders can also explore and download thousands of docs from the CIA, NATO, State Dept., etc. on our new website: lab.history.columbia.edu
February 19, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Non-coders can also explore and download thousands of docs from the CIA, NATO, State Dept., etc. on our new website: lab.history.columbia.edu
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
📢Into US Foreign Policy or text analysis? This is for you! History Lab has released the full text+metadata from our FOIArchive on Hugging Face.
🔍 Perfect for exploring diplomatic history, NLP, & document analysis
Repost to spread the word! 🗞️📡 #USForeignPolicy #DigitalHistory #TextAnalysis #OpenData
🔍 Perfect for exploring diplomatic history, NLP, & document analysis
Repost to spread the word! 🗞️📡 #USForeignPolicy #DigitalHistory #TextAnalysis #OpenData
History Lab
lab.history.columbia.edu
February 19, 2025 at 10:22 AM
📢Into US Foreign Policy or text analysis? This is for you! History Lab has released the full text+metadata from our FOIArchive on Hugging Face.
🔍 Perfect for exploring diplomatic history, NLP, & document analysis
Repost to spread the word! 🗞️📡 #USForeignPolicy #DigitalHistory #TextAnalysis #OpenData
🔍 Perfect for exploring diplomatic history, NLP, & document analysis
Repost to spread the word! 🗞️📡 #USForeignPolicy #DigitalHistory #TextAnalysis #OpenData
One of the fun things about being a data nerd is finding data you forgot you collected. The annoying thing is remembering that you did not properly annotate and source the data since the collection was not finished.
February 18, 2025 at 6:55 PM
One of the fun things about being a data nerd is finding data you forgot you collected. The annoying thing is remembering that you did not properly annotate and source the data since the collection was not finished.
Is history repeating? In the 1930s, the US rewrote trade
rules with the RTAA, locking in dominance via the principal-supplier rule—later enshrined in GATT. The indomitable Joanne Gowa & I studied how this shaped trade. Now, with tariffs & industrial policy, the US is at it again. Buckle up.
rules with the RTAA, locking in dominance via the principal-supplier rule—later enshrined in GATT. The indomitable Joanne Gowa & I studied how this shaped trade. Now, with tariffs & industrial policy, the US is at it again. Buckle up.
“Big” Treaties, Small Effects | World Politics | Cambridge Core
“Big” Treaties, Small Effects - Volume 70 Issue 2
www.cambridge.org
February 14, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Is history repeating? In the 1930s, the US rewrote trade
rules with the RTAA, locking in dominance via the principal-supplier rule—later enshrined in GATT. The indomitable Joanne Gowa & I studied how this shaped trade. Now, with tariffs & industrial policy, the US is at it again. Buckle up.
rules with the RTAA, locking in dominance via the principal-supplier rule—later enshrined in GATT. The indomitable Joanne Gowa & I studied how this shaped trade. Now, with tariffs & industrial policy, the US is at it again. Buckle up.
Cristina Bodea and I have released our CBI data at github.com/arpie71/CBId.... The data cover 144 countries for the years 1970 through 2020. The component scores for the index are also included. #CBIdata
GitHub - arpie71/CBIdata: Central bank independence dataset
Central bank independence dataset. Contribute to arpie71/CBIdata development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
February 13, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Cristina Bodea and I have released our CBI data at github.com/arpie71/CBId.... The data cover 144 countries for the years 1970 through 2020. The component scores for the index are also included. #CBIdata
Reposted by Raymond Hicks
Applications are now open for Archives as Data. A FREE
@NEHgov workshop @Columbia June 2-13, 2025. It's a crash course for historians and archivists in analyzing digital & digitized texts with an intro to AI for advanced beginners: lab.history.columbia.edu/content/work... #twitterstorians
@NEHgov workshop @Columbia June 2-13, 2025. It's a crash course for historians and archivists in analyzing digital & digitized texts with an intro to AI for advanced beginners: lab.history.columbia.edu/content/work... #twitterstorians
Workshops | History Lab
lab.history.columbia.edu
January 28, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Applications are now open for Archives as Data. A FREE
@NEHgov workshop @Columbia June 2-13, 2025. It's a crash course for historians and archivists in analyzing digital & digitized texts with an intro to AI for advanced beginners: lab.history.columbia.edu/content/work... #twitterstorians
@NEHgov workshop @Columbia June 2-13, 2025. It's a crash course for historians and archivists in analyzing digital & digitized texts with an intro to AI for advanced beginners: lab.history.columbia.edu/content/work... #twitterstorians