Jacob Bastian
@jacobbastian.bsky.social
Rutgers Econ Ast Prof || NBER || Brookings || Council of Economic Advisers Senior Economist 2023-24 || PhD UMich || I research how public policy can help low income families || 2021 Child Tax Credit = 👍🏼 || 🏀📚🚲🥃 || 1st gen college || jacobbastian.com
Wrote a post on EITC & CTC for @briefingbook.bsky.social on (1) their current design and historical development, (2) research evidence on their effects on families, and (3) ways they could be improved
www.briefingbook.info/p/tax-credit...
www.briefingbook.info/p/tax-credit...
Tax Credits and the Safety Net: Proven Tools That Could Do Even More
The EITC and CTC effectively deliver over $180 billion in aid annually and could still be improved
www.briefingbook.info
November 10, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Wrote a post on EITC & CTC for @briefingbook.bsky.social on (1) their current design and historical development, (2) research evidence on their effects on families, and (3) ways they could be improved
www.briefingbook.info/p/tax-credit...
www.briefingbook.info/p/tax-credit...
Would love to see @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social keep this going—AFTER the election—with volunteer groups working together on good things
Community in real life is needed more and more, post-Covid, post-religion
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/n...
Community in real life is needed more and more, post-Covid, post-religion
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/n...
November 5, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Would love to see @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social keep this going—AFTER the election—with volunteer groups working together on good things
Community in real life is needed more and more, post-Covid, post-religion
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/n...
Community in real life is needed more and more, post-Covid, post-religion
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/n...
Such a pleasure to be on this panel. Great event at the Urban Institute
www.urban.org/events/cash-...
www.urban.org/events/cash-...
October 21, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Such a pleasure to be on this panel. Great event at the Urban Institute
www.urban.org/events/cash-...
www.urban.org/events/cash-...
The logic for supporting DEI:
Providing extra help not because one is a woman/minority; but rather to help overcome the extra obstructions one faces as a woman/minority
It shouldn’t be called sexist/racist to help people overcome sexism/racism
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/o...
Providing extra help not because one is a woman/minority; but rather to help overcome the extra obstructions one faces as a woman/minority
It shouldn’t be called sexist/racist to help people overcome sexism/racism
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/o...
Opinion | What I Got Wrong About D.E.I.
www.nytimes.com
September 6, 2025 at 7:16 AM
The logic for supporting DEI:
Providing extra help not because one is a woman/minority; but rather to help overcome the extra obstructions one faces as a woman/minority
It shouldn’t be called sexist/racist to help people overcome sexism/racism
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/o...
Providing extra help not because one is a woman/minority; but rather to help overcome the extra obstructions one faces as a woman/minority
It shouldn’t be called sexist/racist to help people overcome sexism/racism
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/o...
Reposted by Jacob Bastian
Putting together something on AI and economics research.
Who are leaders and creative thinkers in this area?
Ideally labor and applied micro economists.
Self promotion accepted!
Who are leaders and creative thinkers in this area?
Ideally labor and applied micro economists.
Self promotion accepted!
August 25, 2025 at 4:35 AM
Putting together something on AI and economics research.
Who are leaders and creative thinkers in this area?
Ideally labor and applied micro economists.
Self promotion accepted!
Who are leaders and creative thinkers in this area?
Ideally labor and applied micro economists.
Self promotion accepted!
Huge thanks to @equitablegrowth.bsky.social for their grant support! Excited for the opportunity to advance this research.
Jacob Bastian (@jacobbastian.bsky.social) from Rutgers University will use administrative data to analyze how the Earned Income Tax Credit plays a role in supporting families’ decisions to move and outcomes for parents and children.
Learn more ➡️ equitablegrowth.org/grants/unloc...
#EGgrantee
Learn more ➡️ equitablegrowth.org/grants/unloc...
#EGgrantee
August 25, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Huge thanks to @equitablegrowth.bsky.social for their grant support! Excited for the opportunity to advance this research.
Putting together something on AI and economics research.
Who are leaders and creative thinkers in this area?
Ideally labor and applied micro economists.
Self promotion accepted!
Who are leaders and creative thinkers in this area?
Ideally labor and applied micro economists.
Self promotion accepted!
August 25, 2025 at 4:35 AM
Putting together something on AI and economics research.
Who are leaders and creative thinkers in this area?
Ideally labor and applied micro economists.
Self promotion accepted!
Who are leaders and creative thinkers in this area?
Ideally labor and applied micro economists.
Self promotion accepted!
Submit that new research project of yours and I will see you in Denver.
Will be a great conference!
Will be a great conference!
Society of Labor Economists (SoLE) Annual Conference will be May 1-2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. Submission portal is now open! Deadline for submissions is October 31--don't forget to submit! It will be a great conference! (organized by me and @jrothst.bsky.social)
mailchi.mp/sole-jole/so...
mailchi.mp/sole-jole/so...
SOLE 2026 Submissions Open
mailchi.mp
August 20, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Submit that new research project of yours and I will see you in Denver.
Will be a great conference!
Will be a great conference!
It’s August which means another @iipf.bsky.social conference. We’re in Nairobi Kenya. Would be a shame to come all the way here and not explore East Africa a bit ;)
I am presenting a few papers, including a brand new project on tax credits in Puerto Rico
Reach out and say hello if you are here!
I am presenting a few papers, including a brand new project on tax credits in Puerto Rico
Reach out and say hello if you are here!
August 20, 2025 at 5:29 AM
It’s August which means another @iipf.bsky.social conference. We’re in Nairobi Kenya. Would be a shame to come all the way here and not explore East Africa a bit ;)
I am presenting a few papers, including a brand new project on tax credits in Puerto Rico
Reach out and say hello if you are here!
I am presenting a few papers, including a brand new project on tax credits in Puerto Rico
Reach out and say hello if you are here!
It is important for researchers and policymakers to think about the interaction of policies, not just one program at a time.
I wrote a short analysis of the US’s two most important tax credits
Here’s EITC+CTC combined by income, kids, marital status
www.rstreet.org/commentary/h...
I wrote a short analysis of the US’s two most important tax credits
Here’s EITC+CTC combined by income, kids, marital status
www.rstreet.org/commentary/h...
July 24, 2025 at 5:43 PM
It is important for researchers and policymakers to think about the interaction of policies, not just one program at a time.
I wrote a short analysis of the US’s two most important tax credits
Here’s EITC+CTC combined by income, kids, marital status
www.rstreet.org/commentary/h...
I wrote a short analysis of the US’s two most important tax credits
Here’s EITC+CTC combined by income, kids, marital status
www.rstreet.org/commentary/h...
Reposted by Jacob Bastian
8/ 📅 July 25
⏰ 9:45 am: "Universal Pre-K as Economic Stimulus: Evidence from Nine States & Large Cities in the U.S." feat. @jacobbastian.bsky.social @kirabojackson.bsky.social
That's a wrap! For more info on this week's sessions, see the schedule: www.nber.org/conferences/...
See you next year!👋
⏰ 9:45 am: "Universal Pre-K as Economic Stimulus: Evidence from Nine States & Large Cities in the U.S." feat. @jacobbastian.bsky.social @kirabojackson.bsky.social
That's a wrap! For more info on this week's sessions, see the schedule: www.nber.org/conferences/...
See you next year!👋
SI 2025 Development of the American Economy
Format: Authors will be given the full 50 minutes of each session, with questions during the presentation.
www.nber.org
July 21, 2025 at 1:04 PM
8/ 📅 July 25
⏰ 9:45 am: "Universal Pre-K as Economic Stimulus: Evidence from Nine States & Large Cities in the U.S." feat. @jacobbastian.bsky.social @kirabojackson.bsky.social
That's a wrap! For more info on this week's sessions, see the schedule: www.nber.org/conferences/...
See you next year!👋
⏰ 9:45 am: "Universal Pre-K as Economic Stimulus: Evidence from Nine States & Large Cities in the U.S." feat. @jacobbastian.bsky.social @kirabojackson.bsky.social
That's a wrap! For more info on this week's sessions, see the schedule: www.nber.org/conferences/...
See you next year!👋
Opinion | Why American Jews No Longer Understand One Another
www.nytimes.com
July 20, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Jacob Bastian
These estimates rely on great paper by @kirabojackson.bsky.social , @julia-turner.bsky.social , & @jacobbastian.bsky.social www.nber.org/papers/w33767 However, my inferences from their paper are based on my own regional econometric model of how shocks to labor supply affect a state's economy.
Universal Pre-K as Economic Stimulus: Evidence from Nine States and Large Cities in the U.S.
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
July 8, 2025 at 7:45 PM
These estimates rely on great paper by @kirabojackson.bsky.social , @julia-turner.bsky.social , & @jacobbastian.bsky.social www.nber.org/papers/w33767 However, my inferences from their paper are based on my own regional econometric model of how shocks to labor supply affect a state's economy.
Reposted by Jacob Bastian
I have an update to my prior paper on the benefits of Michigan's pre-K program. This new paper estimates the fiscal benefits of Michigan moving from its current program to a universal program. Key finding: fiscal benefits for state cover about 2/3rds of costs. research.upjohn.org/up_policypap...
Short-Run Fiscal Effects of Expanding Michigan's Preschool Program to be Universal
This policy paper provides some updated estimates of the short-run fiscal effects of expanding Michigan’s state-funded preschool program, the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), to encompass univers...
research.upjohn.org
July 8, 2025 at 7:45 PM
I have an update to my prior paper on the benefits of Michigan's pre-K program. This new paper estimates the fiscal benefits of Michigan moving from its current program to a universal program. Key finding: fiscal benefits for state cover about 2/3rds of costs. research.upjohn.org/up_policypap...
Good article (based on their forthcoming book!) by my former CEA colleague @mikegeruso.bsky.social
The Population Bust Won’t Solve the Climate Crisis www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/o...
The Population Bust Won’t Solve the Climate Crisis www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/o...
Opinion | Depopulation Is Coming. Don’t Expect It to Solve Our Problems.
www.nytimes.com
June 29, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Good article (based on their forthcoming book!) by my former CEA colleague @mikegeruso.bsky.social
The Population Bust Won’t Solve the Climate Crisis www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/o...
The Population Bust Won’t Solve the Climate Crisis www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/o...
State policymakers are missing a free lunch—figuratively and literally—by declining to implement a new federal program that offers summer grocery benefits to low-income children. Resources that could fight hunger, support families, boost local economies
www.brookings.edu/articles/sun...
www.brookings.edu/articles/sun...
Sun Bucks: A new chapter in the fight against child hunger | Brookings
www.brookings.edu
June 27, 2025 at 9:16 PM
State policymakers are missing a free lunch—figuratively and literally—by declining to implement a new federal program that offers summer grocery benefits to low-income children. Resources that could fight hunger, support families, boost local economies
www.brookings.edu/articles/sun...
www.brookings.edu/articles/sun...
1/ One headline change in the new GOP tax bill is raising the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $2,500. Sounds great—until you look at the details. 🧵
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
A Complete List of Everything in the Republican Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save
In hundreds of provisions across taxes, spending and more, the G.O.P. megabill would preserve lower tax rates for most Americans, increase federal debt by nearly $3 trillion and make large cuts to Med...
www.nytimes.com
June 4, 2025 at 6:19 PM
1/ One headline change in the new GOP tax bill is raising the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $2,500. Sounds great—until you look at the details. 🧵
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
New research w/ @kirabojackson.bsky.social & @julia-turner.bsky.social on NBER homepage
“Universal Pre-K across 9 states & cities increased LFP by 0.8 pp, employment by 0.9 pp, & weekly hours worked by 0.42, with strongest effects for moms. Each $1 spent on UPK generated >$3 in additional earnings”
“Universal Pre-K across 9 states & cities increased LFP by 0.8 pp, employment by 0.9 pp, & weekly hours worked by 0.42, with strongest effects for moms. Each $1 spent on UPK generated >$3 in additional earnings”
June 3, 2025 at 4:30 PM
New research w/ @kirabojackson.bsky.social & @julia-turner.bsky.social on NBER homepage
“Universal Pre-K across 9 states & cities increased LFP by 0.8 pp, employment by 0.9 pp, & weekly hours worked by 0.42, with strongest effects for moms. Each $1 spent on UPK generated >$3 in additional earnings”
“Universal Pre-K across 9 states & cities increased LFP by 0.8 pp, employment by 0.9 pp, & weekly hours worked by 0.42, with strongest effects for moms. Each $1 spent on UPK generated >$3 in additional earnings”
Looking forward to talking about the earned income tax credit (EITC) as it turns 50 years old this year.
Will be a great event tomorrow at 10am EST at @brookings.edu
www.brookings.edu/events/the-e...
Will be a great event tomorrow at 10am EST at @brookings.edu
www.brookings.edu/events/the-e...
June 3, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Looking forward to talking about the earned income tax credit (EITC) as it turns 50 years old this year.
Will be a great event tomorrow at 10am EST at @brookings.edu
www.brookings.edu/events/the-e...
Will be a great event tomorrow at 10am EST at @brookings.edu
www.brookings.edu/events/the-e...
Today is the submission deadline for my favorite conference and I just submitted a few papers! Hope to see you in Boston in November
ntanet.org/2025/03/118t...
ntanet.org/2025/03/118t...
May 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Today is the submission deadline for my favorite conference and I just submitted a few papers! Hope to see you in Boston in November
ntanet.org/2025/03/118t...
ntanet.org/2025/03/118t...
My first @brookings.edu blog!
Evidence from 30 countries: EITC-style wage subsidies consistently raise employment—especially among single parents and marginal workers—and remain one of the best policies to reduce poverty and bring more people into the labor force
www.brookings.edu/articles/do-...
Evidence from 30 countries: EITC-style wage subsidies consistently raise employment—especially among single parents and marginal workers—and remain one of the best policies to reduce poverty and bring more people into the labor force
www.brookings.edu/articles/do-...
Do wage subsidies increase labor force participation?
www.brookings.edu
May 23, 2025 at 2:45 PM
My first @brookings.edu blog!
Evidence from 30 countries: EITC-style wage subsidies consistently raise employment—especially among single parents and marginal workers—and remain one of the best policies to reduce poverty and bring more people into the labor force
www.brookings.edu/articles/do-...
Evidence from 30 countries: EITC-style wage subsidies consistently raise employment—especially among single parents and marginal workers—and remain one of the best policies to reduce poverty and bring more people into the labor force
www.brookings.edu/articles/do-...
Reposted by Jacob Bastian
Universal Pre-K led to a 1.2% rise in labor force participation, a 1.5% increase in employment, and a 1.6% growth in hours worked according to important new research by @kirabojackson.bsky.social, @julia-turner.bsky.social & @jacobbastian.bsky.social.
www.nber.org/papers/w33767
www.nber.org/papers/w33767
Universal Pre-K as Economic Stimulus: Evidence from Nine States and Large Cities in the U.S.
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
May 13, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Universal Pre-K led to a 1.2% rise in labor force participation, a 1.5% increase in employment, and a 1.6% growth in hours worked according to important new research by @kirabojackson.bsky.social, @julia-turner.bsky.social & @jacobbastian.bsky.social.
www.nber.org/papers/w33767
www.nber.org/papers/w33767
Grateful to be a new NBER Faculty Research Fellow! Thank you to those who nominated me and helped get me here
Thrilled to see new @nber.org affiliates announce today, including education/child-focused folks like:
@chloergibbs.bsky.social
@caroartc.bsky.social
@richpatterson.bsky.social
@jacobbastian.bsky.social
Josh Hyman
Congrats to these impressive researchers!
www.nber.org/news/nber-ap...
@chloergibbs.bsky.social
@caroartc.bsky.social
@richpatterson.bsky.social
@jacobbastian.bsky.social
Josh Hyman
Congrats to these impressive researchers!
www.nber.org/news/nber-ap...
NBER Appoints 63 New Affiliates
www.nber.org
May 5, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Grateful to be a new NBER Faculty Research Fellow! Thank you to those who nominated me and helped get me here
I’ve been using chatGPT verbal/audio to improve my Spanish. Prompt as “role play my Spanish teacher” and it works pretty good. Anybody using it in similar way and have tips/advice/ideas?
March 14, 2025 at 10:42 PM
I’ve been using chatGPT verbal/audio to improve my Spanish. Prompt as “role play my Spanish teacher” and it works pretty good. Anybody using it in similar way and have tips/advice/ideas?
Reposted by Jacob Bastian
It's just the preliminary numbers, for which n=~420, and sentiment hasn't been a good guide to consumer activity in recent years. But this is, um, really bad.
www.axios.com/2025/03/14/c...
www.axios.com/2025/03/14/c...
Consumer sentiment plunges in early March, inflation expectations soar
Even among Republicans, sentiment declined by double digits.
www.axios.com
March 14, 2025 at 3:13 PM
It's just the preliminary numbers, for which n=~420, and sentiment hasn't been a good guide to consumer activity in recent years. But this is, um, really bad.
www.axios.com/2025/03/14/c...
www.axios.com/2025/03/14/c...