Seema Jayachandran

@seema.bsky.social

17K followers 1.1K following 430 posts

Economics professor at Princeton. I study environmental conservation, gender equality, and (too many) other topics in developing countries.
seemajayachandran.com

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Seema Jayachandran is an economist who currently works as Professor of Economics at Princeton University. Her research interests include development economics, health economics, and labor economics. .. more

Economics 30%

Environmental science 23%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran

John Gramlich @johngramlich.bsky.social · 20h

Two-thirds of Democrats say their own party makes them feel frustrated. By far the most commonly cited reason is that the party is not pushing back hard enough against Trump. www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

Bar chart showing the most common reasons that Democrats cite for being frustrated with their party. The chart is based on a September 2025 Pew Research Center survey.

Reposted by Tim Bale, Seema Jayachandran

Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 2d

These Tureen tests are getting crazy

A serving set mocked up as a Turing test. Don't ask why.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 9d

أنا اسمي زهران ممدان وعم رشّح حالي لأكون العمدة الجديد في مدينة نيويورك

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 11d

As someone who really wishes that Stephen Miller had less power, I'm really hoping that Time chooses him as its Person of the Year

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Anna O. Law, Norbert Schwarz , and 25 more Anne Applebaum, Anna O. Law, Norbert Schwarz, Brendan Nyhan, Ken Caldeira, Steve Peers, Seema Jayachandran, Jill Marshall, Eric Goldman, Juan Cole, Sanford F. Schram, Trevon D. Logan, Smith, Rebecca Tushnet, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner, Ben Tonra, Scott A. Imberman, David Murakami Wood, Daniel Kuehn, Matthew P. McAllister, Simon Lester, Manisha Sinha, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Stephanie Luce, David Darmofal, Jesse R. Lasky

Geoff Bowser @geoffbowser.bsky.social · 16d

I made an image of all the art posted by US DOL on X since approximately Labor Day

Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Seema Jayachandran , and 3 more Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Seema Jayachandran, Scott A. Imberman, Dan Immergluck, David Darmofal

Amanda Kolson Hurley @amandakhurley.bsky.social · 16d

I can’t believe there are not one but two articles, in major papers, with this dumb framing. It is not NIMBY to express dismay when a big part of the White House is suddenly rubbled

Washington Post editorial:
In defense of the White House ballroom
Donald Trump vs. the NIMBYs

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran, Thomas Fujiwara

Princeton Research Program in Development Economics @princetondevo.bsky.social · 17d

📢 RPDE at Princeton is hiring two Postdoctoral Research Associates for 2026–27. Details below:

👉 One-year term, no teaching load, active research + seminar community.

👉 PhD completion: Sept 2024–Aug 2026.

🔗 Apply via AEA JOE: www.aeaweb.org/joe/listing....

#Postdoc #EconJobMarket #DevEcon

American Economic Association: JOE Listings - August 1, 2025 - January 31, 2026

www.aeaweb.org

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 18d

Having a new insight that is ex post obvious is the best feeling.

Reposted by Kori Schake, Brendan Nyhan, Gavin A. Schmidt , and 8 more Kori Schake, Brendan Nyhan, Gavin A. Schmidt, Scott L. Greer, Mary Feeney, Seema Jayachandran, Rosemary A. Joyce, James Goodwin, Thomas Masterson, Greg Linden, Simon Lester

Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 18d

Total federal spending is up +7% in 2025 over 2024 year-to-date to Oct 20.

The story that the fed govt is tightening its belt is contradicted by its own real-time expenditure data. Admin spectacularly hammering some things but raising spending elsewhere.

Was -7% just after Inauguration Day.

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 19d

Curious to hear opinions on this:

Some papers I am editor for obfuscate the similarity of prior work or defects in the analysis/data. More than downplaying -- shrouding info.

If, once fixed, the paper is above the bar, should one proceed? Or reject to disincentivize obfuscation?

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Will Jennings, Seema Jayachandran , and 1 more Richard S.J. Tol, Will Jennings, Seema Jayachandran, Robert Black

rev. howard arson @theophite.bsky.social · 20d

there is a new scandal as bad or worse than what got trump impeached the first time about every 48 hours

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran, Caroline Krafft

Princeton Research Program in Development Economics @princetondevo.bsky.social · 20d

Check out this summary of research by Princeton faculty Pascaline Dupas and @seema.bsky.social and coauthors on encouraging verbal engagement with infants in Ghana. Showing new moms a 3-minute video was a cost-effective approach to boost engagement.

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 21d

You can have a CO2 tax with lump-sum compensation for poor countries, i.e. use some of that revenue for development aid. It's not that you have to make the poor worse off when you implement a CBAM. That's a choice by policymakers of how they want to design it.

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 21d

I think price mechanisms are useful, so net new subsidies tied to voluntary reductions are good by me. It makes sense to abate some emissions in poor countries but w/ compensation, not by convincing poor people to sacrifice for rich people -- that's kind of what instilling environmentalist views is

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 21d

Do you mean the need to persuade the rich to abate CO2 emissions? Even w/o that, most emissions reductions by the global poor will do them more harm than good. (there are exceptions, e.g., use a more fuel-efficient stove, but then it's not about environmentalism, just giving a cost-saving tip.)

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 21d

Interventions aimed at persuading the global poor to care about climate change and reduce their carbon footprint are unethical.

Zach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 25d

Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 23d

this was my solution too. add, subtract, multiply cycle

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran, Paul Fisher

eddietg51-42.bsky.social @eddietg51-42.bsky.social · 23d

Best sign so far. #NoKingsDay

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Steve Peers, Seema Jayachandran , and 5 more Richard S.J. Tol, Steve Peers, Seema Jayachandran, David R. Miller, Michael Zimmer, Scott A. Imberman, Anne Norton, Andrew Rudalevige

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 23d

This is what the Department of Transportation is tweeting out today.

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 24d

Watergate every day

Helen Kennedy @helenkennedy.bsky.social · 24d

Two more career prosecutors fired for refusing to indict NY AG Letitia James because they could not find probable cause to charge her. 🎁

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/u...

Prosecutor Who Rejected Trump’s Pressure to Charge James Is Fired

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran, Samantha Brennan

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 24d

Trump gutted USAID, stopping critical lifesaving assistance around the world, in order to save money, and is now putting more than that much money into interfering in Argentina's domestic politics by bailing out the ruling party.

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 25d

I so appreciate the colleges that report the median grade for the course on transcripts. I wish that practice was universal.

Seema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 25d

We'll take what we can get

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran

David Evans @daveevansphd.bsky.social · 25d

Daughter preference in Malawi! (I mean, at least if you're matrilineal.) seemajayachandran.com/life_satisfa...

Zach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 25d

Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Elizabeth Saunders, Nancy Kanwisher , and 12 more Ben H. Ansell, Elizabeth Saunders, Nancy Kanwisher, Kelly R. Zamudio, Scott L. Greer, Michael A. Clemens, Seema Jayachandran, Maya Sen, Robert C. Richards, Henry Farrell, Erol Akçay, Floriane Clément, Brian Weatherson, Dana Howard, Sheila R. Foster

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 26d

Brown rejected the compact!

www.brown.edu/sites/defaul...

www.brown.edu

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran

Filipe Campante @filipecampante.bsky.social · 26d

Could not be more on-brand for a democratic backsliding story ending in competitive authoritarianism: courts controlled by the ruling party tilt elections against the opposition.

The Supreme Court Case That Could Hand the House to Republicans www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/u...

The Supreme Court Case That Could Hand the House to Republicans

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