Lauren Johnston
banner
drlaj.bsky.social
Lauren Johnston
@drlaj.bsky.social
#Econ #Development, #Demography & #Donkeys; 北大博士; ODI in Sierra Leone & Guyana; 8yrs 在Beijing; @USydney, lauren.johnston@sydney.edu.au (usual disclaimers).
Pinned
China's response to realising its destiny was to "get old before getting rich" (optimistic scenario), is powerful and informative for economic policy makers and economists everywhere (thread):
Getting old after getting rich: Comparing China with Japan (2012)
eastasiaforum.org/2012/12/22/g...
breaking news: being on Bluesky compares to earlier viewpoint compound of reading "the Guardian"; being on X compares to the earlier compound of being a "Murdoch press" reader? (but shaped now by the citizenry instead of journalists).
A new paper shows that less than 2 months of exposure to Twitter’s algorithmic feed significantly shifts people’s political views to the right.

Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement.

This is one of the most concerning papers I’ve read in awhile.
February 19, 2026 at 11:24 PM
How To Choose The Best Donkey Skin: A Complete Buyer's Guide:
- "about verifying traceability, respecting welfare standards, understanding regional grading systems, and aligning procurement with verifiable sustainability frameworks."
www.alibaba.com/product-insi...
How To Choose The Best Donkey Skin: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A practical, ethical, and technical guide to selecting high-quality donkey skin—covering sourcing, grading, legality, sustainability, and real-world verification methods.
www.alibaba.com
February 18, 2026 at 4:45 AM
Funny, back 10-15 years ago I told friends my prediction that aliens would be announced around when China-USA had become peers as such a recognition would provide a new equaliser across all humans & for a shift to a bigger consciousness
www.theage.com.au/world/north-...
Aliens are real, Obama says, as Washington shrugs
While the former president’s off-the-cuff comments to a podcast generated the usual social media heat, they reflect a growing consensus belief in the paranormal.
www.theage.com.au
February 17, 2026 at 12:32 AM
The narrowing path: Trade and development in a new era
- on changing prospects for trade and development by Pinelopi Goldberg & Michele Ruta
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
The narrowing path: Trade and development in a new era
For decades, international trade has been a powerful engine of development. Countries like South Korea and China achieved remarkable transformations – moving from low-income agricultural economies to ...
cepr.org
February 15, 2026 at 1:36 AM
China expands Africa space ties with new satellite ground station in Namibia
China has handed over a newly built satellite ground station to Namibia near the capital, Windhoek, marking another expansion of Beijing’s overseas space cooperation programme.
africa.businessinsider.com/local/market...
China expands Africa space ties with new satellite ground station in Namibia
China has established a satellite ground station in Namibia near the capital, Windhoek, to enhance remote-sensing data capabilities
africa.businessinsider.com
February 15, 2026 at 1:33 AM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
European leaders should find inspiration in Keynes' insight – that the world becomes richer when economies raise productivity and allow wages to keep pace.

Europe’s wage paradox | @michaelpettis.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/eur...
Europe's wage paradox
European leaders should find inspiration in Keynes' insight – that the world becomes richer when economies raise productivity and allow wages to keep pace.
engelsbergideas.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
Priya Parker recommends The Politics of Ritual by Molly Farneth on a recent episode of The Ezra Klein Show. Check out the full episode here:
Opinion | Is Your Social Life Missing Something? This Conversation Is for You.
Priya Parker, the author of “The Art of Gathering,” shares her advice for orchestrating more meaningful gatherings and why that matters for our civic life, as well as our social lives.
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
Just checking in with you guys everybody OK?
February 11, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
Stefanie Stantcheva is EfIP's (@econfip.bsky.social) guest this week
Our latest podcast episode is live! Harvard economist Stefanie Stantcheva joins to explore her groundbreaking research on zero-sum thinking and its profound effects on politics, policy, and the economy.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: lnkd.in/er-3iYSQ

Stefanie on Bluesky: @s-stantcheva.bsky.social
February 11, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Hainan is China's island of the future
New free trade port is becoming a launchpad for medical tourism, finance reform and even space
asia.nikkei.com/opinion/hain...
Hainan is China's island of the future
New free trade port is becoming a launchpad for medical tourism, finance reform and even space
asia.nikkei.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:46 AM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
Getting ready for Fire Horse year in #China
February 5, 2026 at 5:49 AM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
And, according to this story, documents reveal the #UK’s Peter Mandelson was involved in undermining a proposed tax on mining super profits in #Australia

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Epstein files reveal Peter Mandelson supported campaign to undermine then-Australian PM Kevin Rudd’s mining super profits tax
Former UK Labour minister wrote ‘pressure needs to be maintained’ against Australian Labor’s proposed tax in email sent two weeks before Rudd was replaced as PM
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:40 AM
Good e-CNY update, both domestic & international:
数字货币全球博弈升级,人民币飞跃新关口|《财经》封面
finance.sina.com.cn/tech/roll/20... CBDC Renminbi
finance.sina.com.cn
February 3, 2026 at 6:55 AM
University of Adelaide introduces a "Stalls for All" approach:
www.adelaide.edu.au/student/news...
Stalls for all
www.adelaide.edu.au
February 2, 2026 at 3:14 AM
China launches school for interstellar travel
"We cannot merely follow in the footsteps of others to the moon, Mars, or beyond the solar system." ...Zhou said."
www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202601/28/...
School launched for interstellar travel
The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences unveiled its School of Space Exploration on Tuesday in Beijing, marking a key step in cultivating talent for China's endeavors in deep space exploration a...
www.chinadaily.com.cn
January 28, 2026 at 10:38 AM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
📢now forthcoming in ECMA!

The Class Gap in Career Progression: Evidence from US Academia

Class is rarely a focus of research or DEI in elite US occupations.

Evidence suggests it should be: we find a large class gap in at least one occupation - tenure-track academia...🧵
January 27, 2026 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.

This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.

Auschwitz took time.
January 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM
„Ejiao: Ein Luxus, der Millionen Esel tötet“
www.spektrum.de/news/ejiao-e...
- nice that the challenges wrought by China's recently elevated demand for donkeys is staying in the headlines, and nice to chime in there too.
Milliardengeschäft mit Eselshäuten: Ein Luxus, der Millionen Esel tötet
Wegen Chinas Hunger auf Ejiao, Gelatine aus Eselshaut, schwindet Afrikas Eselpopulation.
www.spektrum.de
January 27, 2026 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
Economist & sociologist Beatrice Webb was born #OTD in 1858

+ One of the founders, London School of Economics
+ Co-authored 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰-𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 & 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 where she coined the term "collective bargaining"
+ First female fellow, British Academy, 1931

#WomenInSTEM
January 22, 2026 at 10:37 PM
China-Africa trade surplus hits record $102bn
- delighted to be cited in China Economic Review amid interesting times in China-Africa trade
chinaeconomicreview.com/china-africa...
China-Africa trade surplus hits record $102 BN
China’s trade surplus with the continent surged by 64.5% to a record US$102 billion, reports the South China Morning Post, citing China customs figures. The jump in the trade gap–up from US$62…
chinaeconomicreview.com
January 22, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
1/2
Caixin: "China unveiled a 500 billion yuan state-backed loan guarantee program aimed at boosting private investment and easing credit access for small and midsize enterprises, marking a major shift in how lending risks are distributed between banks...
www.caixinglobal.com/2026-01-21/c...
China Launches $72 Billion Loan Guarantee Plan to Boost Private Sector Lending
New program shifts up to 80% of credit risk to the state, doubling loan caps and expanding support to midsize businesses
www.caixinglobal.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:11 AM
Mark Carney's speech is indeed brilliant - yet it doesn't set out the consensual forward pathway that he implicitly makes necessary. In some ways it might even be destabilising: go.bsky.app/redirect?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fmark-carney-speech-davos-rules-based-order-9.7053350
go.bsky.app
January 21, 2026 at 2:45 AM
Reposted by Lauren Johnston
#OTD in 1961, Eleanor Roosevelt became the first Chair of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW).

The PCSW was established to advise POTUS on issues concerning the status of women. Created by JFK in 1961. In 1975, it became the National Association of Commissions for Women.
January 20, 2026 at 3:19 PM