Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
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mwilljr.bsky.social
Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
@mwilljr.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Economics at @barnard-college.bsky.social of @columbiauniversity.bsky.social. Interested in crime & criminal justice through the prism of racial inequality.

Website: https://morganwilliamsjr.com/
Check out our latest @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social piece on the role of states in regulating the proliferation of guns throughout the U.S.

www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/sta...
Vital City | State Gun Laws Matter
In our federalist nation, regulation in 50 capitals makes a huge difference.
www.vitalcitynyc.org
September 11, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
WSJ editorial page is wild these past few days
September 8, 2025 at 10:57 PM
As I told the NYT, the recent deployment of the National Guard to select Democratic cities has been criticized for many incredibly valid reasons—including the fact that they are not a substitute for municipal police.
Some mayors and police chiefs around the U.S. said they would welcome more traditional law enforcement cooperation with federal agents, but see deploying the National Guard as a step too far. “We do not want an occupation, and we also want something that is sustainable.”
Many Cities Say Yes to Federal Police Help, but No to ‘Occupation’
www.nytimes.com
September 8, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Note that while “bias” will get your proposal flagged, “unbiased estimator” still appears to be on the table.
🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.
February 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Added more gun researchers to this starter pack who joined BlueSky. Please share and lmk if you’d like to be added! @daniel-semenza.bsky.social @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social @meganranney.bsky.social @sonalirajan.bsky.social @thetrace.org @giffords.org @everytown.bsky.social

go.bsky.app/G9zEmHs
December 20, 2024 at 3:15 AM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Former BLS commissioner Erica Groshen on how the policy change to Schedule F that Trump & #Project2025 advocate would destroy the credibility of the federal statistical system.

Her comment on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/posts/erica-...
...
October 7, 2024 at 12:13 AM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Virginia Tech professor and poet, Nikki Giovanni, has died at the age of 81.
Well-known Virginia Tech professor dies at 81
Virginia Tech professor and poet, Nikki Giovanni, has died at the age of 81.
www.wdbj7.com
December 10, 2024 at 2:52 AM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Nonetheless, I decided to leave in search of more freedom in terms of both style and content. And that’s all I’m going to say for now. My “so long and thanks for all the fish” column will appear next week. As for future plans, watch this space 2/
December 6, 2024 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
And it’s official. I’m immensely grateful to the world’s greatest news organization for giving me a platform all these years, and greatly appreciate the moving sendoff 1/

www.nytco.com/press/paul-k...
Paul Krugman retires as Times columnist | The New York Times Company
www.nytco.com
December 6, 2024 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Welcome, @marthaolney.bsky.social!! Yes - @riacton.bsky.social has put together two women+ in econ starter packs.
Did anyone create a starter pack of women economists?
December 5, 2024 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
How do firms respond when faced with climate shocks? Tarikua Erda's research examines how firms adjust physical capital investment and entry/exit decisions, providing key evidence to a long-standing puzzle. (Among other interesting projects: www.tarikuaerda.com)
November 29, 2024 at 7:52 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
I’m on the #EconJobMarket! I study labor, climate, entrepreneurship & innovation

www.tarikuaerda.com/jmp

My #EconJMP examines how how manufacturing firms respond to flooding. Do flooded firms build back better? Or do they suffer unrecoverable losses that weaken aggregate productivity?

🧵 1/n
December 4, 2024 at 1:49 PM
ggplot alone will change your life.
December 4, 2024 at 3:12 AM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Ed Glaeser and I wrote about the future of cities for the IMF. Fun topic to think about. www.imf.org/en/Publicati...
The Mysteries of Cities and Economic Growth
It’s impossible to think about economic growth without also thinking about cities’ vital role in connecting the world
www.imf.org
December 4, 2024 at 12:42 AM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
December 3, 2024 at 5:35 AM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Hey #blacksky ‼️ So good to have left the bad place. Someone please share a starter pack!
December 3, 2024 at 5:18 AM
I had an IV joke, but it’s getting pretty LATE.
I had a joke about monopsony, but couldn't really find anyone to buy it.
I have a joke about housing policy but the neighbors won't let me tell it.
December 4, 2024 at 2:16 AM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Regression is a tool for making comparisons

If you don't know / can't easily explain what comparisons you're trying to make, then you don't understand the regression you're running
November 13, 2024 at 7:02 AM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
The Race and Stratification Working Group at NBER will have its annual meeting on Friday, April 4, 2025! Dania Francis, Vicki Bogan, Ellora Derenoncourt and I are organizing the program. Submit your paper before the December 19, 2024 deadline! conference.nber.org/confsubmit/b...
Submission: Race and Stratification Working Group, Page 1 of 2 - MyNBERNBER: National Bureau of Economic Research
conference.nber.org
December 2, 2024 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Economists love using linear regression to estimate treatment effects — it turns out that there are perils to this method, but also amazing perks

Come with me in this 🧵 if you want to learn about our now-published paper "Contamination Bias in Linear Regressions!"

1/ (Twitter rerun!)
The December 2024 issue of the American Economic Review (114, 12) is now available online at aeaweb.org/issues/785.
American Economic Review
Vol. 114 No. 12 December 2024
aeaweb.org
November 30, 2024 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Thanksgiving this year falls on the 28th, and 28 is a perfect number – meaning that it is equal to the sum of its proper divisors (28 = 1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14).

So... I hope you have a truly perfect #Thanksgiving!!
a group of turkeys are standing in a line with one standing out
ALT: a group of turkeys are standing in a line with one standing out
media.tenor.com
November 28, 2024 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Pleased to announce the Fourth Annual Scotland and Northern England Conference in Applied Microeconomics at the Crief Hydro Hotel in Perthshire on 6-8 May 2025!

Our keynote speaker is @ludogazze.bsky.social

More info & submission link at applied-microecon.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/sane-worksho...
November 27, 2024 at 12:37 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
Contamination Bias in Linear Regressions -- out today in the AER!

www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/x4bc1...
November 27, 2024 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Morgan C. Williams, Jr.
This seems wrong to me — at a minimum, using AI will let below-average doctors achieve average-ish levels of performance which would be a huge win even if there are no other benefits.

www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
November 28, 2024 at 2:11 PM