Anthony Obeyesekere
obscary.bsky.social
Anthony Obeyesekere
@obscary.bsky.social
Economist and policy advisor. Trying to be a better effective altruist. Sri Lankan and Australian.
Reposted by Anthony Obeyesekere
“Every project imaginable in HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, nutritional support, has now been terminated.”

Waves of sickness and death are the foreseeable consequence of the inconceivably reckless decision to eviscerate our strategic, lifesaving assistance overseas.

thehill.com/policy/healt...
thehill.com
March 2, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by Anthony Obeyesekere
Really solid WSJ editorial (not just bc I'm quoted) on possible Canada/Mexico tariffs: "The Dumbest Trade War in History" https://buff.ly/4hFOSU8
February 1, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Reposted by Anthony Obeyesekere
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 Anthony Obeyesekere
Big problem. Underrated by most.

If you want a role with an outsized impact, do check out LEEP's openings.
December 16, 2024 at 3:17 PM
Learnt something new today. Another destroyer of worlds to be worried about 😮‍💨
For all the normal people, who want a less technical explainer than those of use who need to read the full 299 page report, Asimov Press has a fantastic explainer: press.asimov.com/articles/mir...
Not sure how worried I should be about mirror bacteria, but looking forward to read the report. Which looks pretty promising when I skim it - I wish people analysed certain other potential risks with this level of thoroughness! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
purl.stanford.edu/cv716pj4036
December 13, 2024 at 2:49 AM
Reposted by Anthony Obeyesekere
It’s widely accepted *that* less expensive housing markets see less homelessness, but this important piece shows *why*: family & friends have more space to spare worksinprogress.co/issue/why-ho...
Why housing shortages cause homelessness - Works in Progress
Why do high-cost cities have more homelessness? It's not just about rents — it’s also about the rooms friends and family can’t afford to share.
worksinprogress.co
December 5, 2024 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Anthony Obeyesekere
December 5, 2024 at 1:21 AM
Reposted by Anthony Obeyesekere
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 Anthony Obeyesekere
If we are talking about this paper, then yes omg what a tour de force
December 1, 2024 at 9:12 PM
Reposted by Anthony Obeyesekere
Sri Lanka tried RFK Jr.'s food plan, and it was catastrophic. Productivity plummeted, causing food shortages, skyrocketing prices, lost exports, and an economic collapse. Farmers faced huge losses, forcing the government to reverse the ban and import costly emergency food.
In Sri Lanka, Organic Farming Went Catastrophically Wrong
A nationwide experiment is abandoned after producing only misery.
foreignpolicy.com
November 15, 2024 at 6:50 AM
Reposted by Anthony Obeyesekere
Newsweek has helpfully put these two graphs together.

Marriage isn’t the sole determinant of fertility, but if they crash, it is an additional friction.

www.newsweek.com/china-news-b...
November 21, 2024 at 8:28 AM