Andrew Liang
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andrewjliang.bsky.social
Andrew Liang
@andrewjliang.bsky.social
53 followers 270 following 14 posts
PoliSci-Data Analytics undergrad @ UCSD, elections, causal inference, pickleball/darts armchair general, and former (Oakland) Athletics fan. he/him.
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andrewjliang.bsky.social
ACS data strong
washingtonpost.com The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 17d
Column: Even if you don’t think the position of the stars influences our lives, you’re probably still curious about whether birthdays of a feather flock together.

Are some Zodiac signs, and birthdays, more widespread?
Column | The most common Zodiac signs (and birthdays)
Are some Zodiac signs, and birthdays, more widespread? And why does it seem like all my colleagues (or neighbors) have the same sign? The Department of Data is on the case.
wapo.st
December 9, 2025 at 5:42 AM
andrewjliang.bsky.social
2025 has sure been one hell of a year for publishing mishaps
feralrobots.bsky.social Feral T. Robot, Oil Swamp Utility Bot #7629 @feralrobots.bsky.social · 29d
Hey @nature.com, have you got an explanation for how the hell THIS happened? & especially why you accepted a paper with such a bizarre piece of genAI slop in it?!
& more to the point, why we should take you seriously at all going forward?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Figure 1 from a paper published in Nature (linked in post). The figure purports to be an infographic depiction of the "Overall working of the framework" for 'explainably' diagnosing autism spectrum disorder. The infographic is plainly nonsense, containing many spelling errors, nonsense words, meaningless images and graphs. Clearly created using generative AI and (crucially) NEVER CHECKED AT ANY STEP OF THE WRITING OR PUBLICATION PROCESS.
November 29, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
johnholbein1.bsky.social
This is terrifying.

"[AI agents] can... infer a researcher's latent hypotheses and produce data that artificially confirms them."

...

"We can no longer trust that survey responses are coming from real people" -@seanjwestwood.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 9:03 PM
andrewjliang.bsky.social
Currently writing up a six_seven() and thick_of_it() function as we speak - stay tuned
hadley.nz Hadley Wickham @hadley.nz · Nov 6
Do you teach #rstats? Do your students complain about how lame and old-fashioned dplyr is? Don't worry: I have the solution for you: github.com/hadley/genzp....

genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
GitHub - hadley/genzplyr: dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap
dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap. Contribute to hadley/genzplyr development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
davidaweinberg.bsky.social
Sad to see yet another lawmaker - Rep. Jared Golden in this instance - citing threats against their loved ones as an impediment to their continued public service.
November 5, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
donmoyn.bsky.social
New, from me: DHS says immigration enforcement employees like ICE are facing unprecedented threats and 1000% increase in assaults. But the data does not add up. Look at the details, and we see state agents using excessive force, and then lying about it.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/whos-threa...
Who's Threatening Who?
The Trump administration says immigration enforcement are being assaulted; the details tell a different story
donmoynihan.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:02 PM
andrewjliang.bsky.social
Explaining the Defying Gravity x God Is transition to one of my professors was not on my bucket list for 2025 but it's happened somehow
October 30, 2025 at 3:30 AM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
python.org
TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
🧵
The official home of the Python Programming Language
www.python.org
October 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
andrew.heiss.phd
Just posted an updated/revised version of this “Statistical Methods in Public Policy Research” chapter, now under review post-R&R 🤞

I'm kinda partial and unbiased here, but I really really like this piece!

HTML/PDF: stats.andrewheiss.com/snoopy-spring/
SocArXiv: doi.org/10.31235/osf...
Statistical Methods in Public Policy Research Chapter for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia on Public Policy This essay provides an overview of statistical methods in public policy, focused primarily on the United States. The essay traces the historical development of quantitative approaches in policy research, from early ad hoc applications through the 19th and early 20th centuries, to the full institutionalization of statistical analysis in federal, state, local, and nonprofit agencies by the late 20th century. It then outlines three core methodological approaches to policy-centered statistical research across social science disciplines: description, explanation, and prediction. In descriptive work, researchers explore what exists and examine any variable of interest to understand their different distributions and relationships. In explanatory work, researchers ask why does it exist and how can it be influenced. The focus of the analysis is on explanatory variables (X) to either (1) accurately estimate their relationship with an outcome variable (Y), or (2) causally attribute the effect of specific explanatory variables on outcomes. In predictive work, researchers ask what will happen next and focus on the outcome variable (Y) and on generating accurate forecasts, classifications, and predictions from new data. For each approach, the essay examines key techniques, their applications in policy contexts, and important methodological considerations. The discussion then considers critical perspectives on quantitative policy analysis framed around issues related to a three-part “data imperative” where governments are driven to count, gather, and learn from data. Each of these imperatives entail substantial issues related to privacy, accountability, democratic participation, and epistemic inequalities—issues at odds with public sector values of transparency and openness. The conclusion identifies some emerging trends in public sector-focused data science, inclusive ethi… Table of contents Introduction 1 Brief History of Statistics in Public Policy 2 Core Methodological Approaches 2.1 Description 2.2 Explanation 2.2.1 Estimation, Inference, and Hypothesis Testing 2.2.2 Causal Attribution and Causal Inference 2.3 Prediction 3 The Pitfalls of Counting, Gathering, and Learning from Public Data 4 Future Directions Further Reading References
September 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
resnikoff.bsky.social
If Newsom goes back on his promise here it may end up being one of the defining moments of his time as governor. Just an unmitigated disaster. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
Massive Bay Area transit cuts likely as Newsom backtracks on $750M loan, lawmakers say
Bay Area lawmakers and transit advocates say Gov. Gavin Newsom’s reneging on a critical $750 million loan will have devastating consequences for BART, Muni and other agencies in the region.
www.sfchronicle.com
September 6, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
sophieehill.bsky.social
"Sweeteners can harm cognitive health equivalent to 1.6 years of ageing, study finds"

Or does it? Let's take a look at this "study"...

www.theguardian.com/food/2025/se...
Sweeteners can harm cognitive health equivalent to 1.6 years of ageing, study finds
Researchers say low- and no-calorie sweeteners appear to affect thinking and memory in middle age
www.theguardian.com
September 5, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
donmoyn.bsky.social
New, from me:
Trump just fired the head of the BLS, accusing her of rigging data.
The reality is that by shooting the messenger reporting on the negative effects of his economic policies, Trump pushed America further into banana republic territory.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trump-shoo...
Trump Shoots the Messenger
Firing the BLS Commissioner moves us into banana republic territory
donmoynihan.substack.com
August 1, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
donmoyn.bsky.social
"Just before the election this woman came out with phenomenal numbers on Biden's economy and right after the election, they announced those numbers were wrong."

This is a lie! The pre-election job numbers were bad! BLS revisions were bad for Biden/Harris!
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trump-shoo...
What’s more, Trump gets the basic fact wrongs. He suggests the BLS “overstated the Jobs Growth…right before the 2024 Presidential election.” But the opposite is true. The large downward revisions to job numbers under Biden —818,000 — happened in August before the 2024 election. The bad economic news would have hurt the Harris campaign. The jobs report before the election was bad for Harris. Here is a headline from the time.
August 4, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Andrew Liang
nytimes.com
Erika McEntarfer led the federal agency that produced key data on jobs and inflation. Then President Trump lashed out over the agency’s most recent jobs report and fired her for releasing monthly data showing weak hiring. He called the data “rigged” without offering any evidence.
Until Trump Fired Her, She Was an Economist With Bipartisan Support
Erika McEntarfer led the agency that produced key data on jobs and inflation. Then July’s report showed a weakening economy, and President Trump accused her of “rigging” the numbers.
nyti.ms
August 3, 2025 at 11:25 PM
andrewjliang.bsky.social
It's been about a week since I presented at my first conference ever @mpsa.bsky.social ! Met some cool people there and I can't wait to go back in the future.

A huge thank you and shoutout to my advisors @jloffredo.bsky.social and Heather Stoll for all their support over the past few months!
April 12, 2025 at 6:17 AM