Jae Yeon Kim
@jaeyeonkim.bsky.social
assistant professor of public policy @UNC Chapel Hill | ex-data science @codeforamerica | Data for Good Roundtables co-founder
https://jaeyk.github.io
https://jaeyk.github.io
Pinned
Happy New Year!
I'm officially starting a new position as Assistant Professor of Public Policy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!
I'm officially starting a new position as Assistant Professor of Public Policy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!
Happy New Year!
I'm officially starting a new position as Assistant Professor of Public Policy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!
I'm officially starting a new position as Assistant Professor of Public Policy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!
January 3, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Happy New Year!
I'm officially starting a new position as Assistant Professor of Public Policy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!
I'm officially starting a new position as Assistant Professor of Public Policy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!
One of my favorite books this year is
The Doors You Can Unlock by Rosalind Chow.
I read the book twice and also purchased the Audible version, which I have been listening to closely to catch the finer details. It is packed with high-quality, practical advice.
The Doors You Can Unlock by Rosalind Chow.
I read the book twice and also purchased the Audible version, which I have been listening to closely to catch the finer details. It is packed with high-quality, practical advice.
December 19, 2025 at 9:21 PM
One of my favorite books this year is
The Doors You Can Unlock by Rosalind Chow.
I read the book twice and also purchased the Audible version, which I have been listening to closely to catch the finer details. It is packed with high-quality, practical advice.
The Doors You Can Unlock by Rosalind Chow.
I read the book twice and also purchased the Audible version, which I have been listening to closely to catch the finer details. It is packed with high-quality, practical advice.
A free research idea.
I occasionally have ideas that fall outside my main research domain. In this case, AI and education.
For some people, this might be interesting.
Here's the link for the proposal: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
I occasionally have ideas that fall outside my main research domain. In this case, AI and education.
For some people, this might be interesting.
Here's the link for the proposal: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Balancing Creativity and Criticism
Balancing Creativity and Criticism: Designing AI Tools to Reduce Innovation Errors in Education Date: Name: Abstract This project examines innovation in education as a problem of balancing two er...
docs.google.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:29 PM
A free research idea.
I occasionally have ideas that fall outside my main research domain. In this case, AI and education.
For some people, this might be interesting.
Here's the link for the proposal: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
I occasionally have ideas that fall outside my main research domain. In this case, AI and education.
For some people, this might be interesting.
Here's the link for the proposal: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
이번 더나은미래 칼럼에서는 1960-70년대에 태동하여 사회과학 중에서 신생학문 중에 속하는 정책학의 성장 배경과 (제가 생각하는) 앞으로의 과제에 대해서 써 보았습니다. futurechosun.com/archives/140...
[공익이 이끄는 데이터 과학] 왜 정책은 실패하는가 - 더나은미래
김재연 미국의 공공 영역 데이터 과학자 사회과학 가운데에서도 정책학은 비교적 젊은 학문이다. 전미정치학회(APSA·1903), 전미경제학회(AEA·1885), 전미심리학회(APA·1892), 전미사회학회(ASA·1905)는 모두 19세기 말에서 20세기 초 사이에 발족했다.
futurechosun.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:38 PM
이번 더나은미래 칼럼에서는 1960-70년대에 태동하여 사회과학 중에서 신생학문 중에 속하는 정책학의 성장 배경과 (제가 생각하는) 앞으로의 과제에 대해서 써 보았습니다. futurechosun.com/archives/140...
jaeyk.github.io/ClassKit/
I played with OpenAI’s Codex and created this collection of lightweight teaching tools (called ClassKit) for my own classes, but it may also be useful for other instructors. I plan to use it in my courses next semester.
I played with OpenAI’s Codex and created this collection of lightweight teaching tools (called ClassKit) for my own classes, but it may also be useful for other instructors. I plan to use it in my courses next semester.
ClassKit | Teaching Tools
jaeyk.github.io
December 15, 2025 at 4:12 AM
jaeyk.github.io/ClassKit/
I played with OpenAI’s Codex and created this collection of lightweight teaching tools (called ClassKit) for my own classes, but it may also be useful for other instructors. I plan to use it in my courses next semester.
I played with OpenAI’s Codex and created this collection of lightweight teaching tools (called ClassKit) for my own classes, but it may also be useful for other instructors. I plan to use it in my courses next semester.
www.nber.org/papers/w34202
Korinek's "AI agents for economic research" paper is super useful.
The future is here.
Korinek's "AI agents for economic research" paper is super useful.
The future is here.
AI Agents for Economic Research
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
December 15, 2025 at 1:34 AM
www.nber.org/papers/w34202
Korinek's "AI agents for economic research" paper is super useful.
The future is here.
Korinek's "AI agents for economic research" paper is super useful.
The future is here.
Has anyone written about the idea that all policy is tech policy? I don’t mean that technology solves every policy problem. Rather, nearly every policy issue now has a technological component, and that component is becoming more consequential for better or worse.
December 12, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Has anyone written about the idea that all policy is tech policy? I don’t mean that technology solves every policy problem. Rather, nearly every policy issue now has a technological component, and that component is becoming more consequential for better or worse.
We're living in a moment when the impulse is to streamline everything, minimize redundancy, and cut waste (using AI or not). Martin Landau argued (1969) that another word for redundancy is reliability. It's a risk management tool. Some forms of redundancy are helpful and others are not.
December 8, 2025 at 7:40 PM
We're living in a moment when the impulse is to streamline everything, minimize redundancy, and cut waste (using AI or not). Martin Landau argued (1969) that another word for redundancy is reliability. It's a risk management tool. Some forms of redundancy are helpful and others are not.
Has anyone compared incrementalism, especially Lindblom's 1959 muddling through approach and subsequent work, with the agile approach? I'd love to read anything that discusses their similarities and differences. FYI, Bendor's work on incrementalism is really insightful.
December 8, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Has anyone compared incrementalism, especially Lindblom's 1959 muddling through approach and subsequent work, with the agile approach? I'd love to read anything that discusses their similarities and differences. FYI, Bendor's work on incrementalism is really insightful.
"There’s no shame in being wrong. Much better to be “strong and wrong” (Schotter 2006), to have produced “a beautiful theory [murdered] by a gang of brutal facts” (La Rochefoucauld [1678]) than one that makes no interesting claims at all."
- Bounded Rationality and Politics, Jon Bendor (2010)
- Bounded Rationality and Politics, Jon Bendor (2010)
December 8, 2025 at 4:05 PM
"There’s no shame in being wrong. Much better to be “strong and wrong” (Schotter 2006), to have produced “a beautiful theory [murdered] by a gang of brutal facts” (La Rochefoucauld [1678]) than one that makes no interesting claims at all."
- Bounded Rationality and Politics, Jon Bendor (2010)
- Bounded Rationality and Politics, Jon Bendor (2010)
I'm so sad to know that Jon Bendor passed away. He's an intellectual giant: www.gsb.stanford.edu/newsroom/sch...
Jonathan “Jon” Bendor, an “Intellectual Omnivore,” Dies at Age 75
A true scholar who inspired generations of students and colleagues
www.gsb.stanford.edu
December 7, 2025 at 6:44 AM
I'm so sad to know that Jon Bendor passed away. He's an intellectual giant: www.gsb.stanford.edu/newsroom/sch...
New from me: I wrote down what I’ve learned about teaching from Herb Simon, Aaron Wildavsky, and Francis Su.
jaeyeonkim.substack.com/p/teaching-is
jaeyeonkim.substack.com/p/teaching-is
Teaching Is …
Education cannot go on satisfactorily without intellectual challenge and excitement.
jaeyeonkim.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:18 PM
New from me: I wrote down what I’ve learned about teaching from Herb Simon, Aaron Wildavsky, and Francis Su.
jaeyeonkim.substack.com/p/teaching-is
jaeyeonkim.substack.com/p/teaching-is
Wildavsky’s Craftways (2nd edition; on how to get scholarly work done) arrived. The book includes his writing tips as well as guidance on teaching, giving job talks (!), and serving as a department chair.
December 6, 2025 at 5:24 AM
Wildavsky’s Craftways (2nd edition; on how to get scholarly work done) arrived. The book includes his writing tips as well as guidance on teaching, giving job talks (!), and serving as a department chair.
Crawford and Ostrom (1995) is excellent: accessible, insightful, and practical. I read Ostrom as very close to Herbert Simon in how she understands theories as bounded and complementary. For Simon this meant economics and psychology, and for Ostrom it meant rules, norms, and shared strategies.
December 5, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Crawford and Ostrom (1995) is excellent: accessible, insightful, and practical. I read Ostrom as very close to Herbert Simon in how she understands theories as bounded and complementary. For Simon this meant economics and psychology, and for Ostrom it meant rules, norms, and shared strategies.
My draft syllabus on the politics of public policy now includes in class activities, as well as assignments focused on implementation and political analysis. I’ll keep refining it as the semester approaches in January.
All questions, comments, or feedback are welcome.
All questions, comments, or feedback are welcome.
Politics of Public Policy Spring 2026 Kim.pdf
drive.google.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:09 AM
My draft syllabus on the politics of public policy now includes in class activities, as well as assignments focused on implementation and political analysis. I’ll keep refining it as the semester approaches in January.
All questions, comments, or feedback are welcome.
All questions, comments, or feedback are welcome.
For those who may find this useful: here is a draft syllabus for my course on the politics of public policy. It focuses on the politics of policy implementation and draws on political science, economics, sociology, public law, and public administration.
Politics of Public Policy Spring 2026 Kim.pdf
drive.google.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:27 AM
For those who may find this useful: here is a draft syllabus for my course on the politics of public policy. It focuses on the politics of policy implementation and draws on political science, economics, sociology, public law, and public administration.
Fellow political scientists teaching in policy programs,
If you’ve taught the politics of policy, I would love to see your syllabus.
If you’ve taught the politics of policy, I would love to see your syllabus.
December 2, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Fellow political scientists teaching in policy programs,
If you’ve taught the politics of policy, I would love to see your syllabus.
If you’ve taught the politics of policy, I would love to see your syllabus.
This is for fellow policy scholarship nerds. UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library has the Wildavsky Collection: oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:.... Check it out next time you visit Cal. FYI, Implementation by Pressman and Wildavsky was the 2nd book of the Oakland Project (6 books in the series by UC Press).
oac.cdlib.org
December 1, 2025 at 10:20 PM
This is for fellow policy scholarship nerds. UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library has the Wildavsky Collection: oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:.... Check it out next time you visit Cal. FYI, Implementation by Pressman and Wildavsky was the 2nd book of the Oakland Project (6 books in the series by UC Press).
This view is always magical.
November 26, 2025 at 12:39 AM
This view is always magical.
I wanted to write a longer piece on Vijayendra Rao's farewell lecture (Policy for the People) at the World Bank after 26 years of service, but I'll save that for later.
www.worldbank.org/en/events/20...
www.worldbank.org/en/events/20...
Policy Research Talk | Policy for the People
In this Policy Research Talk, World Bank Lead Economist Vijayendra Rao explores participatory, adaptive approaches that make development inclusive, accountable, and effective.
www.worldbank.org
November 21, 2025 at 7:04 PM
I wanted to write a longer piece on Vijayendra Rao's farewell lecture (Policy for the People) at the World Bank after 26 years of service, but I'll save that for later.
www.worldbank.org/en/events/20...
www.worldbank.org/en/events/20...
Reposted by Jae Yeon Kim
Hello Bluesky 🤗
November 21, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Hello Bluesky 🤗
9 Tips for Forging Your Own Path After the PhD (Especially for Policy-Oriented Social and Data Scientists)
These are the nine tips (some dos and also don'ts) I’ve shared with graduate students and postdocs at Berkeley, Stanford, and USC.
These are the nine tips (some dos and also don'ts) I’ve shared with graduate students and postdocs at Berkeley, Stanford, and USC.
November 20, 2025 at 2:54 PM
9 Tips for Forging Your Own Path After the PhD (Especially for Policy-Oriented Social and Data Scientists)
These are the nine tips (some dos and also don'ts) I’ve shared with graduate students and postdocs at Berkeley, Stanford, and USC.
These are the nine tips (some dos and also don'ts) I’ve shared with graduate students and postdocs at Berkeley, Stanford, and USC.
jaeyeonkim.substack.com/p/raising-th...
Today was another rejection, this time from one of the big grants I applied to this year. Academic CVs are a perfect example of survivor bias because we never list these parts. But if you aim high, getting knocked down is almost inevitable.
Today was another rejection, this time from one of the big grants I applied to this year. Academic CVs are a perfect example of survivor bias because we never list these parts. But if you aim high, getting knocked down is almost inevitable.
jaeyeonkim.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:53 PM
jaeyeonkim.substack.com/p/raising-th...
Today was another rejection, this time from one of the big grants I applied to this year. Academic CVs are a perfect example of survivor bias because we never list these parts. But if you aim high, getting knocked down is almost inevitable.
Today was another rejection, this time from one of the big grants I applied to this year. Academic CVs are a perfect example of survivor bias because we never list these parts. But if you aim high, getting knocked down is almost inevitable.
Thanks to Brian, I had the chance to share my unusual career path (tenure-track → civic tech → academia → tenure-track) with a group of graduate students in USC's political science PhD program.
November 18, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Thanks to Brian, I had the chance to share my unusual career path (tenure-track → civic tech → academia → tenure-track) with a group of graduate students in USC's political science PhD program.