Steve Cicala
@stevecicala.bsky.social
Associate Professor
Tufts University Department of Economics
https://www.stevecicala.com
http://goingelectric.substack.com
Tufts University Department of Economics
https://www.stevecicala.com
http://goingelectric.substack.com
Pinned
Steve Cicala
@stevecicala.bsky.social
· Nov 7
Welcome to the new arrivals. Here's a starter pack of Energy/Environmental economists to get you going:
bsky.app/starter-pack...
bsky.app/starter-pack...
We are going to need that detention capacity when it’s time for accountability.
www.axios.com/2026/02/01/i...
www.axios.com/2026/02/01/i...
Resistance erupts over ICE's warehouse buying spree
DHS has scouted dozens of locations to retrofit into ICE detention centers.
www.axios.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:58 AM
We are going to need that detention capacity when it’s time for accountability.
www.axios.com/2026/02/01/i...
www.axios.com/2026/02/01/i...
Reposted by Steve Cicala
Without question the most consistently impressive people I met at @harvard.edu were the mid-career soldiers at @harvardkennedy.bsky.social
Meanwhile, in the federal government’s war on the World’s Greatest University:
February 7, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Without question the most consistently impressive people I met at @harvard.edu were the mid-career soldiers at @harvardkennedy.bsky.social
Wow, a great gift!
I recently read some work that applies AI tools to classify data from textbooks and thought this is a cool and important area at the intersection of public policy and behavioral science. A field to invest in.
news.uchicago.edu/story/20-mil...
I recently read some work that applies AI tools to classify data from textbooks and thought this is a cool and important area at the intersection of public policy and behavioral science. A field to invest in.
news.uchicago.edu/story/20-mil...
$20 million gift launches lab at Harris School to advance field of algorithmic public policy
Gift from Thomas and Susan Dunn supports creation of the Bike Shop @UChicago, which aims to shape AI development and build scalable solutions to pressing societal problems
news.uchicago.edu
February 6, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Wow, a great gift!
I recently read some work that applies AI tools to classify data from textbooks and thought this is a cool and important area at the intersection of public policy and behavioral science. A field to invest in.
news.uchicago.edu/story/20-mil...
I recently read some work that applies AI tools to classify data from textbooks and thought this is a cool and important area at the intersection of public policy and behavioral science. A field to invest in.
news.uchicago.edu/story/20-mil...
Reposted by Steve Cicala
So nice to see this in print! My paper on green trade policy, deforestation, and palm oil. 🌲🌳
Econometrica Volume 94, Issue 1 (January 2026) is now online
www.econometricsociety.org/publications...
www.econometricsociety.org/publications...
February 6, 2026 at 5:50 PM
So nice to see this in print! My paper on green trade policy, deforestation, and palm oil. 🌲🌳
Penn station should be razed and naming it after Donald Trump will surely accomplish that goal.
So count me in favor.
So count me in favor.
Donald Trump is withholding billions of dollars in New York infrastructure unless he gets Penn Station and Dulles Airport named after him.
This is not only brazenly corrupt. It is sick, twisted and egomaniacal. The time is long overdue for sane Republicans to stand up to Trump.
This is not only brazenly corrupt. It is sick, twisted and egomaniacal. The time is long overdue for sane Republicans to stand up to Trump.
February 6, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Penn station should be razed and naming it after Donald Trump will surely accomplish that goal.
So count me in favor.
So count me in favor.
Reposted by Steve Cicala
This is true. I’ve had a simple renewal application before DHS pending review for like four months.
Good. "But DHS isn't just ICE, it's also..." nope, wrong. DHS no longer serves any useful functions, the whole thing has been reassigned to repression. FEMA isn't even paying out to states. All DHS does is shooting, teargassing, facial recognition, and administrative warrants. Shut it down.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands made by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic” and warned that the Department of Homeland Security will shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House.
February 6, 2026 at 12:05 AM
This is true. I’ve had a simple renewal application before DHS pending review for like four months.
It's so easy to drag on Congress. There are so many demonstrable buffoons. They get so little done.
What person of any talent would want to run for Congress?
Well @seancasten.bsky.social is a serious person, and here he shows the value of basic competence in gov.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNqp...
What person of any talent would want to run for Congress?
Well @seancasten.bsky.social is a serious person, and here he shows the value of basic competence in gov.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNqp...
'Do You Recognize That Quote?': Sean Casten Grills Scott Bessent On Previous Comments On Tariffs
YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News
www.youtube.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:42 PM
It's so easy to drag on Congress. There are so many demonstrable buffoons. They get so little done.
What person of any talent would want to run for Congress?
Well @seancasten.bsky.social is a serious person, and here he shows the value of basic competence in gov.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNqp...
What person of any talent would want to run for Congress?
Well @seancasten.bsky.social is a serious person, and here he shows the value of basic competence in gov.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNqp...
That’s a damn shame.
Will @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social next discourage @schumer.senate.gov from retiring?
Will @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social next discourage @schumer.senate.gov from retiring?
Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor, is expected to endorse Gov. Kathy Hochul for re-election ahead of the Democratic Party’s nominating convention on Friday in Syracuse according to three people briefed on the plans.
Mamdani Will Endorse Hochul for Re-election This Week
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s support could lend a jolt of progressive energy to the governor’s campaign and further cement their once-unlikely partnership.
nyti.ms
February 5, 2026 at 2:06 AM
That’s a damn shame.
Will @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social next discourage @schumer.senate.gov from retiring?
Will @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social next discourage @schumer.senate.gov from retiring?
Reposted by Steve Cicala
This is tremendous. Take the time to watch it.
Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault I had no jurisdiction over this’ maybe he said ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.’”
February 4, 2026 at 1:48 PM
This is tremendous. Take the time to watch it.
Great tip!
If you have an iPhone and menacing people are approaching, click your power button rapidly five times. It will turn off biometrics and require a passcode to unlock your phone.
The federal search warrant for the home of the Washington Post reporter including permission for the FBI to force her face or fingers to unlock the phone. More on my Substack. Join me here: substack.com/@thefrankfig...
February 3, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Great tip!
New turbine orders have 2030 delivery dates, so if you "don't have visibility" for demand in 2030, I've got to wonder what you're really doing.
My guess is this is a press release for an audience of 1.
Dems could help by telegraphing that it's going to be a lot harder to run gas in 2030.
My guess is this is a press release for an audience of 1.
Dems could help by telegraphing that it's going to be a lot harder to run gas in 2030.
Siemens Energy will spend $1 billion to boost U.S. manufacturing for grid and power generation equipment.
That includes restarting gas-turbine manufacturing in North Carolina. The CEO is also cautious about what gas turbine demand looks like in the 2030s.
Free link: www.wsj.com/business/ene...
That includes restarting gas-turbine manufacturing in North Carolina. The CEO is also cautious about what gas turbine demand looks like in the 2030s.
Free link: www.wsj.com/business/ene...
Siemens Energy to Spend $1 Billion to Boost Manufacturing of Electrical-Grid Equipment
Investments include restarting manufacturing of gas turbines, the monster machines needed to supply reliable power for the AI-data-center boom.
www.wsj.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:13 PM
New turbine orders have 2030 delivery dates, so if you "don't have visibility" for demand in 2030, I've got to wonder what you're really doing.
My guess is this is a press release for an audience of 1.
Dems could help by telegraphing that it's going to be a lot harder to run gas in 2030.
My guess is this is a press release for an audience of 1.
Dems could help by telegraphing that it's going to be a lot harder to run gas in 2030.
Reposted by Steve Cicala
Professional athletes are being advised not to leave the hotel or go anywhere without their passports while visiting Minnesota.
This is not a country that can safely host international events like the World Cup.
Boycotting is not even a political question anymore. It is a basic issue of safety.
This is not a country that can safely host international events like the World Cup.
Boycotting is not even a political question anymore. It is a basic issue of safety.
The Montreal Canadiens are playing the Minnesota Wild in Minneapolis tonight. The players have been recommended to stay in/eat at the hotel, take the team bus to the arena, and carry passports.
Perhaps we shouldn't be hosting the World Cup and the Olympics...
Perhaps we shouldn't be hosting the World Cup and the Olympics...
Le voyagement est aussi affecté → www.danslescoulisses.com/ice-le-canad...
February 2, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Professional athletes are being advised not to leave the hotel or go anywhere without their passports while visiting Minnesota.
This is not a country that can safely host international events like the World Cup.
Boycotting is not even a political question anymore. It is a basic issue of safety.
This is not a country that can safely host international events like the World Cup.
Boycotting is not even a political question anymore. It is a basic issue of safety.
Reposted by Steve Cicala
Interacted with Warsh just a bit in 2005-2006 when he was at NEC and I was a lowly staff economist at CEA. How do I put this diplomatically? Let’s just say the careful and informed thinking gap between me and Nobel Prize winner Ben Bernanke (my boss at CEA) felt much smaller.
January 31, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Interacted with Warsh just a bit in 2005-2006 when he was at NEC and I was a lowly staff economist at CEA. How do I put this diplomatically? Let’s just say the careful and informed thinking gap between me and Nobel Prize winner Ben Bernanke (my boss at CEA) felt much smaller.
This is a word salad heavily dressed in lies.
If you want a guess as to what Kevin Warsh -- who throughout the Obama years was a devout hawk -- told the President to win the job of Fed Chair, I think this clip might give you a sense of it. (This is from late October.)
January 31, 2026 at 2:06 PM
This is a word salad heavily dressed in lies.
Reposted by Steve Cicala
"...women receive substantially lower potential ratings despite receiving higher performance ratings... lower potential ratings do not reflect accurate forecasts of future performance: Women subsequently outperform male colleagues..."
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
January 30, 2026 at 4:28 PM
"...women receive substantially lower potential ratings despite receiving higher performance ratings... lower potential ratings do not reflect accurate forecasts of future performance: Women subsequently outperform male colleagues..."
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
Reposted by Steve Cicala
Calling the Gestapo “the Gestapo” is causing the Gestapo to act like the Gestapo.
Homan: "I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March -- if the rhetoric doesn't stop, there is gonna be bloodshed. And there has been. I wish I wasn't right. I don't want to see anybody die."
January 29, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Calling the Gestapo “the Gestapo” is causing the Gestapo to act like the Gestapo.
Reposted by Steve Cicala
This is the crucial part. Republicans knew how to use their minority power. Democrats appear to be frittering it away.
January 29, 2026 at 2:30 PM
This is the crucial part. Republicans knew how to use their minority power. Democrats appear to be frittering it away.
Reposted by Steve Cicala
Reminder that, as of the latest reports, Liam Ramos is still in prison in Texas - now for 5 days.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
January 27, 2026 at 12:30 AM
Reminder that, as of the latest reports, Liam Ramos is still in prison in Texas - now for 5 days.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
Is there anyone more determined to follow the puck where ever it was when polling was conducted than Democratic leadership?
They urged Biden to drop out, yet are completely unable to reflect on the damage they're similarly doing.
Go away, @schumer.senate.gov
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u...
They urged Biden to drop out, yet are completely unable to reflect on the damage they're similarly doing.
Go away, @schumer.senate.gov
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u...
Democrats Embrace a Shutdown Fight They Wanted to Avoid
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Is there anyone more determined to follow the puck where ever it was when polling was conducted than Democratic leadership?
They urged Biden to drop out, yet are completely unable to reflect on the damage they're similarly doing.
Go away, @schumer.senate.gov
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u...
They urged Biden to drop out, yet are completely unable to reflect on the damage they're similarly doing.
Go away, @schumer.senate.gov
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u...
Reposted by Steve Cicala
sorry, but the Founding Fathers' original intent for the 2nd Amendment was always *just* to do school shootings
January 24, 2026 at 10:28 PM
sorry, but the Founding Fathers' original intent for the 2nd Amendment was always *just* to do school shootings
Reposted by Steve Cicala
If the Trump administration is antagonistic to your government (or the race of your citizens) do you think Stephen Miller is going to hesitate for even a second before making a big show of arresting your people for sport on US soil?
It’s not even a boycott, it’s basic caution.
It’s not even a boycott, it’s basic caution.
If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.
January 24, 2026 at 8:48 PM
If the Trump administration is antagonistic to your government (or the race of your citizens) do you think Stephen Miller is going to hesitate for even a second before making a big show of arresting your people for sport on US soil?
It’s not even a boycott, it’s basic caution.
It’s not even a boycott, it’s basic caution.
Reposted by Steve Cicala
Call for a National General Strike until ICE is gone.
I wrote this post a couple of days ago. But ehre we are again.
American institutions will not fix themselves. The American people must step in to save them and rebuild the trust necessary for their functioning.
But first, they need to fight back those fuckers.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-m...
American institutions will not fix themselves. The American people must step in to save them and rebuild the trust necessary for their functioning.
But first, they need to fight back those fuckers.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-m...
What Mark Carney's Davos Speech Reveals About America's Crisis at Home
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stood before the World Economic Forum in Davos and delivered a speech that named what many have been unwilling to say: "We are in the midst of a rupture,...
www.linkedin.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Call for a National General Strike until ICE is gone.