JW Mason
@jwmason.bsky.social
Associate professor of economics, John Jay College-CUNY, senior fellow at the Groundwork Collaborative. Blog and other writing: jwmason.org. Study economics with me: https://johnjayeconomics.org. Anti-war Keynesian, liberal socialist, Brooklyn dad.
Pinned
JW Mason
@jwmason.bsky.social
· Sep 30
Against Money
A powerful deconstruction of humanity’s most influential invention, from the acclaimed economists J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev. Money is unavoidably fundamental to our daily lives. It lurks behind ...
press.uchicago.edu
Coming this spring. press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Reposted by JW Mason
No trans journalists is ever involved at any level in nyt news coverage about trans ppl; we are purposely excluded. The nyt has not hired or assigned a trans journalist to cover trans news for at least five years. Your publisher and top editors are well aware of that.
January 6, 2026 at 12:38 AM
No trans journalists is ever involved at any level in nyt news coverage about trans ppl; we are purposely excluded. The nyt has not hired or assigned a trans journalist to cover trans news for at least five years. Your publisher and top editors are well aware of that.
If you're looking for the backstory to the US action (attack? raid? invasion?) in Venezuela, you should definitely check out Moe Tkacik's impressively comprehensive account in the Prospect. prospect.org/2025/12/23/n...
The Narco-Terrorist Elite - The American Prospect
Why is Marco Rubio so hell-bent on making Iran-Contra again?
prospect.org
January 5, 2026 at 3:40 AM
If you're looking for the backstory to the US action (attack? raid? invasion?) in Venezuela, you should definitely check out Moe Tkacik's impressively comprehensive account in the Prospect. prospect.org/2025/12/23/n...
Reposted by JW Mason
There is no moral, legal, or political justification for the US to attack Caracas. None.
Don’t entertain the musings or of those who claim otherwise. This is a city of 3.2 million people, and their lives are not fodder for parlor debates.
Don’t entertain the musings or of those who claim otherwise. This is a city of 3.2 million people, and their lives are not fodder for parlor debates.
January 3, 2026 at 7:19 AM
There is no moral, legal, or political justification for the US to attack Caracas. None.
Don’t entertain the musings or of those who claim otherwise. This is a city of 3.2 million people, and their lives are not fodder for parlor debates.
Don’t entertain the musings or of those who claim otherwise. This is a city of 3.2 million people, and their lives are not fodder for parlor debates.
Remember the old Sylvia comic, with "The Woman Who Does Everything More Beautifully Than You"? Zohran is that, for elected officials.
EXCLUSIVE: @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social will be sworn in as mayor on midnight on January 1 inside the old abandoned City Hall subway station, saying that he sees the venue as a symbol for the aims of his upcoming administration.
EXCLUSIVE: Mamdani Will Be Sworn In At Abandoned Original City Hall Subway Station
The mayor-elect will kick off a new era by throwing things back to an older one.
buff.ly
January 1, 2026 at 1:30 AM
Remember the old Sylvia comic, with "The Woman Who Does Everything More Beautifully Than You"? Zohran is that, for elected officials.
Reposted by JW Mason
This is a huge danger, and I have a memory that’s kind of chilling in that context: I remember when I first moved to Uptown during Obama’s first term and got involved in local progressive stuff. The 60s/70s old school left orgs were still pretty prominent and were at a town hall I went to. (1/3)
One bad post-Trump future is that there are no longer free elections. Another, and much more likely, bad future is that elections continue to be held under more or less the same rules as before and Dems win about half of them, but the essential elements of Trumpism become bipartisan consensus.
December 31, 2025 at 2:44 AM
This is a huge danger, and I have a memory that’s kind of chilling in that context: I remember when I first moved to Uptown during Obama’s first term and got involved in local progressive stuff. The 60s/70s old school left orgs were still pretty prominent and were at a town hall I went to. (1/3)
I appreciate this sign. Usually they don’t give you a reason.
December 30, 2025 at 9:47 PM
I appreciate this sign. Usually they don’t give you a reason.
This is how I felt about One Battle After Another. It wanted to be about radical politics, but had no idea what the content of that politics was supposed to be. You can’t simply move some images from the 1960s to the 00s and expect the audience to fill in the rest. defector.com/one-battle-a...
December 30, 2025 at 7:52 PM
This is how I felt about One Battle After Another. It wanted to be about radical politics, but had no idea what the content of that politics was supposed to be. You can’t simply move some images from the 1960s to the 00s and expect the audience to fill in the rest. defector.com/one-battle-a...
teaser for Arjun's and my second book
An industrial corporation is shaped and to some extent organized by the logic of capital accumulation, but also by other principles. The useful forms of human cooperation that take place through the corporation should not be attributed (and were not by Marx) to a unitary system of "capitalism".
December 29, 2025 at 12:23 AM
teaser for Arjun's and my second book
This is very good. It’s written for K-12 schools, but most of it is relevant for colleges too.
I've updated my document that tackles four of the common arguments used to encourage teachers to use AI.
I hope this will be helpful to those educators wanting to push back on AI mania.
I hope this will be helpful to those educators wanting to push back on AI mania.
Resisting School AI Mania Help Sheet
Help Sheet: Resisting AI Mania in Schools K-12 educators are under increasing pressure to use—and have students use—a wide range of AI tools. (The term “AI” is used loosely here, just as it is by man...
docs.google.com
December 28, 2025 at 8:08 PM
This is very good. It’s written for K-12 schools, but most of it is relevant for colleges too.
Reposted by JW Mason
Good point, but the ugly reality is that financial media is a desperate exercise of recycling clichés to make “the price of X changed by Y” interesting.
My belief is that “rewards/punishment” are used, but it’s for company-level securities. “Macro” private market chatter normally involves indices.
My belief is that “rewards/punishment” are used, but it’s for company-level securities. “Macro” private market chatter normally involves indices.
It’s striking how common this sort of moralizing is in news stories about government debt. Is there any other context where a sober business reporter would explain financial market developments in terms of rewards for the deserving and punishment for the unworthy? giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
December 28, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Good point, but the ugly reality is that financial media is a desperate exercise of recycling clichés to make “the price of X changed by Y” interesting.
My belief is that “rewards/punishment” are used, but it’s for company-level securities. “Macro” private market chatter normally involves indices.
My belief is that “rewards/punishment” are used, but it’s for company-level securities. “Macro” private market chatter normally involves indices.
This post deserves to be expanded into an essay.
One thing that gets my goat is to read *leftists* saying that "capitalism" has produced all the great wonders of modern technological advance (alongside the horrors it took to get here). "Capitalism" didn't produce those things; people did, working frankly in a whole variety of social arrangements.
December 28, 2025 at 5:03 PM
This post deserves to be expanded into an essay.
Hey look, @kashmanx.bsky.social is on Bluesky! Follow him for housing, Marxism, economics, and an all round righteous dude.
December 28, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Hey look, @kashmanx.bsky.social is on Bluesky! Follow him for housing, Marxism, economics, and an all round righteous dude.
It’s striking how common this sort of moralizing is in news stories about government debt. Is there any other context where a sober business reporter would explain financial market developments in terms of rewards for the deserving and punishment for the unworthy? giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
December 27, 2025 at 5:41 PM
It’s striking how common this sort of moralizing is in news stories about government debt. Is there any other context where a sober business reporter would explain financial market developments in terms of rewards for the deserving and punishment for the unworthy? giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Reposted by JW Mason
ICE detain father shopping on Christmas Eve—then steal his family's groceries.
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
December 25, 2025 at 7:03 PM
ICE detain father shopping on Christmas Eve—then steal his family's groceries.
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
This seems right - Bari Weiss works for the Ellisons, not for Trump. In general, I think a weakness of a lot of analysis of this political movement is that it treats Trump and MAGA (and their equivalents elsewhere) as principals rather than agents. theintercept.com/2025/12/22/b...
December 24, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This seems right - Bari Weiss works for the Ellisons, not for Trump. In general, I think a weakness of a lot of analysis of this political movement is that it treats Trump and MAGA (and their equivalents elsewhere) as principals rather than agents. theintercept.com/2025/12/22/b...
Reposted by JW Mason
This is a broader point folks need to consider for congestion mitigation.
There’s a ton of people currently on the road who wouldn’t choose to be on the road with the right mix of pricing and transit investments. That’s huge benefit to *drivers* and hopefully also traffic safety.
There’s a ton of people currently on the road who wouldn’t choose to be on the road with the right mix of pricing and transit investments. That’s huge benefit to *drivers* and hopefully also traffic safety.
The point I wish got emphasized more is that the big winners from congestion pricing are *people who urgently need to drive*. Because they are ones that travel times really matter for. I always thought that instead of congestion pricing it should be called "free streets" - free from other cars.
this is incredible stuff. most state DOTs would spend tens of billions on highway expansions to try and see numbers like this (that wouldn’t even pan out anyway thanks to induced demand lol)
December 23, 2025 at 9:02 PM
This is a broader point folks need to consider for congestion mitigation.
There’s a ton of people currently on the road who wouldn’t choose to be on the road with the right mix of pricing and transit investments. That’s huge benefit to *drivers* and hopefully also traffic safety.
There’s a ton of people currently on the road who wouldn’t choose to be on the road with the right mix of pricing and transit investments. That’s huge benefit to *drivers* and hopefully also traffic safety.
Reposted by JW Mason
This is a key point. I wish we didn't have to pander to them so much, but sometimes the best way to sell a policy like congestion pricing or building bike lanes is to explain to drivers what's in it for them.
The point I wish got emphasized more is that the big winners from congestion pricing are *people who urgently need to drive*. Because they are ones that travel times really matter for. I always thought that instead of congestion pricing it should be called "free streets" - free from other cars.
this is incredible stuff. most state DOTs would spend tens of billions on highway expansions to try and see numbers like this (that wouldn’t even pan out anyway thanks to induced demand lol)
December 23, 2025 at 4:19 PM
This is a key point. I wish we didn't have to pander to them so much, but sometimes the best way to sell a policy like congestion pricing or building bike lanes is to explain to drivers what's in it for them.
Reposted by JW Mason
A 7’ ceiling is *really* low. This stuff is not building code overreach, it’s basic safety and habitability. The solution is redevelopment at much higher density. She had no heat and the wires were getting hot to the touch from space heaters! And that quote from the owner – she’s a NIMBY slumlord!
December 23, 2025 at 8:07 AM
A 7’ ceiling is *really* low. This stuff is not building code overreach, it’s basic safety and habitability. The solution is redevelopment at much higher density. She had no heat and the wires were getting hot to the touch from space heaters! And that quote from the owner – she’s a NIMBY slumlord!
Reposted by JW Mason
I feel like there was no clearer signal that (many) rich people are too dumb to understand their own interests than all the zillionaires who love to drive fifteen blocks in manhattan bitching about congestion pricing.
The point I wish got emphasized more is that the big winners from congestion pricing are *people who urgently need to drive*. Because they are ones that travel times really matter for. I always thought that instead of congestion pricing it should be called "free streets" - free from other cars.
this is incredible stuff. most state DOTs would spend tens of billions on highway expansions to try and see numbers like this (that wouldn’t even pan out anyway thanks to induced demand lol)
December 23, 2025 at 3:55 PM
I feel like there was no clearer signal that (many) rich people are too dumb to understand their own interests than all the zillionaires who love to drive fifteen blocks in manhattan bitching about congestion pricing.
The point I wish got emphasized more is that the big winners from congestion pricing are *people who urgently need to drive*. Because they are ones that travel times really matter for. I always thought that instead of congestion pricing it should be called "free streets" - free from other cars.
this is incredible stuff. most state DOTs would spend tens of billions on highway expansions to try and see numbers like this (that wouldn’t even pan out anyway thanks to induced demand lol)
December 23, 2025 at 3:10 PM
The point I wish got emphasized more is that the big winners from congestion pricing are *people who urgently need to drive*. Because they are ones that travel times really matter for. I always thought that instead of congestion pricing it should be called "free streets" - free from other cars.
Super informative article on the state of Mexico under the Sheinbaum administration one year in. newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...
December 22, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Super informative article on the state of Mexico under the Sheinbaum administration one year in. newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...
This gets to the heart of it.
A better framework is to address the broader project of AI to displace interpersonal contact, thought, negotiation; and to normalize this project. This aspect of AI is essential to the economic agenda that it underpins. 2/n
December 22, 2025 at 1:54 AM
This gets to the heart of it.
Reposted by JW Mason
Remarkable how little coverage this is getting. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
Palestine Action hunger strikers are ‘dying’ in prison, UK doctor warns
Hundreds of doctors, dozens of MPs and thousands of everyday Britons call on the justice secretary to intervene.
www.aljazeera.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Remarkable how little coverage this is getting. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
My sister-in-law is a biology PhD with a senior research job at a biotech company. At a family event recently, I asked her if she used AI for work. "Oh, all the time," she said.
"Really? For what kinds of things?"
"Well, being a manager now, I have so much mindless paperwork. AI helps with that."
"Really? For what kinds of things?"
"Well, being a manager now, I have so much mindless paperwork. AI helps with that."
December 21, 2025 at 9:49 PM
My sister-in-law is a biology PhD with a senior research job at a biotech company. At a family event recently, I asked her if she used AI for work. "Oh, all the time," she said.
"Really? For what kinds of things?"
"Well, being a manager now, I have so much mindless paperwork. AI helps with that."
"Really? For what kinds of things?"
"Well, being a manager now, I have so much mindless paperwork. AI helps with that."
Language I now include in every syllabus.
December 20, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Language I now include in every syllabus.