Jonathan A. Parker
@profjaparker.bsky.social
Economist. Evidence-based economics and finance, humor, and frustration with extremism and divisiveness.
http://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/japarker/
to verify that this is me.
http://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/japarker/
to verify that this is me.
Reposted by Jonathan A. Parker
This is such a bizarre talking point; I've thankfully never had to use most of the types of insurance that I have for me and my family
This is a good excuse to share my WSJ letter to the editor explaining that "not filing a claim doesn’t mean you didn’t need insurance" www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
This is a good excuse to share my WSJ letter to the editor explaining that "not filing a claim doesn’t mean you didn’t need insurance" www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
November 10, 2025 at 5:57 PM
This is such a bizarre talking point; I've thankfully never had to use most of the types of insurance that I have for me and my family
This is a good excuse to share my WSJ letter to the editor explaining that "not filing a claim doesn’t mean you didn’t need insurance" www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
This is a good excuse to share my WSJ letter to the editor explaining that "not filing a claim doesn’t mean you didn’t need insurance" www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
Reposted by Jonathan A. Parker
Trump: "Nobody knows what magnets are."
November 10, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Trump: "Nobody knows what magnets are."
The AEA has the GREATEST JOURNALS including the one that people actually READ many times unlike UNAMERICAN ASSOCIATIONS. Our AWESOME latest issue has 100 NOBEL PRIZEWORTHY papers HERE: www.aeaweb.org/issues/826
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Journal of Economic Perspectives
Vol. 39 No. 4 Fall 2025
www.aeaweb.org
November 8, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The AEA has the GREATEST JOURNALS including the one that people actually READ many times unlike UNAMERICAN ASSOCIATIONS. Our AWESOME latest issue has 100 NOBEL PRIZEWORTHY papers HERE: www.aeaweb.org/issues/826
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Are you interested in the economics of "junk fees"? A great JEP summary here:
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
November 7, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Are you interested in the economics of "junk fees"? A great JEP summary here:
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
An automated email arriving from a simpler time
November 7, 2025 at 11:58 AM
An automated email arriving from a simpler time
Boston, you complete me
November 6, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Boston, you complete me
An interesting issue in global capital markets is that a lot of EM sovereign borrowing is (again) happening in loans rather than sovereign bonds, thanks to China. What does this mean?
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
November 6, 2025 at 7:06 PM
An interesting issue in global capital markets is that a lot of EM sovereign borrowing is (again) happening in loans rather than sovereign bonds, thanks to China. What does this mean?
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
Reposted by Jonathan A. Parker
Ben Bernanke, revisiting earlier work, shows how much financial distress of borrowers, not just lenders, significantly depressed credit flows, spending and economic activity in the Great Depression -- and politicians saw normalization of credit flows as top priority. www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
Credit, Debt-Deflation, and the Great Depression Revisited
(Fall 2025) - This article revisits the thesis of Bernanke (1983) that the disruption of private credit markets induced by deflation and falling nominal incomes helps to explain the depth and persiste...
www.aeaweb.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Ben Bernanke, revisiting earlier work, shows how much financial distress of borrowers, not just lenders, significantly depressed credit flows, spending and economic activity in the Great Depression -- and politicians saw normalization of credit flows as top priority. www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
The EU is running a tight race to the bottom with the US for fiscal insolvency. Here is a great summary of the situation, and how much fiscal adjustment is required by country:
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:58 PM
The EU is running a tight race to the bottom with the US for fiscal insolvency. Here is a great summary of the situation, and how much fiscal adjustment is required by country:
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
How bad is the US fiscal situation? Could it be sustainable? Is there anyway out besides a crisis and Great Depression II?
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
November 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
How bad is the US fiscal situation? Could it be sustainable? Is there anyway out besides a crisis and Great Depression II?
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
When economists express concern about US fiscal situation, a common response is "what about Japan?" Here is the answer:
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:51 PM
When economists express concern about US fiscal situation, a common response is "what about Japan?" Here is the answer:
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
No. The real victims here are the people who can hear.
NEW: A federal judge said the decision by Trump WH to end sign language interpretation at briefings by Trump and Leavitt likely violated the Rehabilitation Act and harmed deaf people who communicate in ASL.
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Judge orders White House to restore sign language interpreters at briefings by Trump, Leavitt
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali said the White House’s decision to end ASL interpretation illegally excluded deaf Americans from crucial updates from the government.
www.politico.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:13 AM
No. The real victims here are the people who can hear.
Reposted by Jonathan A. Parker
👀 Scoop: IRS Direct File, the free government-backed program that let you file your taxes for free, is dead.
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
IRS tests free e-filing system that could compete with tax-prep giants
The tax agency has quietly built its own prototype system for filing tax returns digitally and free of charge, according to current and former officials.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:42 PM
👀 Scoop: IRS Direct File, the free government-backed program that let you file your taxes for free, is dead.
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
Still corruptly running political ads on our Treasury department webpage
November 4, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Still corruptly running political ads on our Treasury department webpage
This is corruption. Bessent should be embarrassed to use a U.S. government webpage for political advertising.
I went to the Treasury website to read a recent speech and was greeted with this…the US govt has become an embarrassment
November 2, 2025 at 5:57 PM
This is corruption. Bessent should be embarrassed to use a U.S. government webpage for political advertising.
Happy Halloween, America !
October 31, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Happy Halloween, America !
Solution train LLMs on economists!
There are many better reasons to avoid LLMs, but I think part why I viscerally don't like them is that their obsequious fawning gives me the heebie-jeebies. Creepy as all fuck
I do wonder what will happen after years of heavy AI users receive every statement prefixed with clappy-toddler-encouragement. I find this stuff extremely annoying/inefficient/insincere, but presumably it's being selected strongly in the reinforcement learning from human feedback...
October 31, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Solution train LLMs on economists!
The final Reagan ERP, laying out the case for free trade in Chapter 4:
fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/econom...
fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/econom...
October 28, 2025 at 1:10 AM
The final Reagan ERP, laying out the case for free trade in Chapter 4:
fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/econom...
fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/econom...
This is part of how we used to build things quickly
This Day in Labor History: October 26, 1825. The Erie Canal opened, eight years after construction commenced. This engineering marvel would have enormous impacts on the future of American work, including spurring ever-greater industrialization. It also killed over 1,000 workers building it!
October 27, 2025 at 1:42 AM
This is part of how we used to build things quickly
Reposted by Jonathan A. Parker
According to the Wayback Machine, the Reagan Library's video of his address "on free and fair trade" had just 274 views last December.
It had 232k views at the time of the last snapshot, in July.
Today it's about to cross half a million.
It had 232k views at the time of the last snapshot, in July.
Today it's about to cross half a million.
President Reagan's Radio Address on Free and Fair Trade on April 25, 1987
YouTube video by Reagan Library
www.youtube.com
October 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
According to the Wayback Machine, the Reagan Library's video of his address "on free and fair trade" had just 274 views last December.
It had 232k views at the time of the last snapshot, in July.
Today it's about to cross half a million.
It had 232k views at the time of the last snapshot, in July.
Today it's about to cross half a million.
Reposted by Jonathan A. Parker
Meant to post this sooner. Inflation hit 3% Y/Y. Not as hot as could have been but still warm. Troubling that 40% of the data are now imputed due to staffing shortages prior to shutdown.
kpmg.com/us/en/articl...
kpmg.com/us/en/articl...
Inflation slows upward creep
Service sector inflation proves sticky.
kpmg.com
October 24, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Meant to post this sooner. Inflation hit 3% Y/Y. Not as hot as could have been but still warm. Troubling that 40% of the data are now imputed due to staffing shortages prior to shutdown.
kpmg.com/us/en/articl...
kpmg.com/us/en/articl...
Reposted by Jonathan A. Parker
Picture of the East Wing demolition of the White House taken on my flight out of DCA.
October 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Picture of the East Wing demolition of the White House taken on my flight out of DCA.
Calling social scientists! First sentence & last sentence of this quote are a very confident claim and a very confident forecast. Is there social scientific evidence or is this Supreme BS?
Every now and then I go back and read the Citizens United ruling to see if it is as unhinged as I thought, and every time I do that I see it is actually far more deranged than I remembered.
levernews.com/book
levernews.com/book
October 21, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Calling social scientists! First sentence & last sentence of this quote are a very confident claim and a very confident forecast. Is there social scientific evidence or is this Supreme BS?
Reposted by Jonathan A. Parker
Every now and then I go back and read the Citizens United ruling to see if it is as unhinged as I thought, and every time I do that I see it is actually far more deranged than I remembered.
levernews.com/book
levernews.com/book
October 21, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Every now and then I go back and read the Citizens United ruling to see if it is as unhinged as I thought, and every time I do that I see it is actually far more deranged than I remembered.
levernews.com/book
levernews.com/book
The Trump White House
October 21, 2025 at 12:46 AM
The Trump White House