Erin Kelly
@elkelly.bsky.social
sociologist, MIT Sloan, work, inequalities, future of work but not tech obsessed, gender-work-family, etc
Reposted by Erin Kelly
Most regular folks don't wake up worrying about institutions. They have more immediate concerns.
But once you live through a period when core institutions fail, you start paying attention, and historical memory is rebuilt for a time.
We're going through one of those moments now.
But once you live through a period when core institutions fail, you start paying attention, and historical memory is rebuilt for a time.
We're going through one of those moments now.
August 2, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Most regular folks don't wake up worrying about institutions. They have more immediate concerns.
But once you live through a period when core institutions fail, you start paying attention, and historical memory is rebuilt for a time.
We're going through one of those moments now.
But once you live through a period when core institutions fail, you start paying attention, and historical memory is rebuilt for a time.
We're going through one of those moments now.
Reposted by Erin Kelly
What to make of POTUS's attempt to fire the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)?
Let's run down what knowledgable people are saying...
Let's run down what knowledgable people are saying...
August 1, 2025 at 10:01 PM
What to make of POTUS's attempt to fire the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)?
Let's run down what knowledgable people are saying...
Let's run down what knowledgable people are saying...
Reposted by Erin Kelly
A contender for the most “Show me your budget and I’ll tell you who you are” bills in modern history.
An act of breathtaking moral monstrosity and nearly unprecedented self-sabotage for the country.
An act of breathtaking moral monstrosity and nearly unprecedented self-sabotage for the country.
June 30, 2025 at 1:49 PM
A contender for the most “Show me your budget and I’ll tell you who you are” bills in modern history.
An act of breathtaking moral monstrosity and nearly unprecedented self-sabotage for the country.
An act of breathtaking moral monstrosity and nearly unprecedented self-sabotage for the country.
Glad to be part of this conversation. Thanks @equitablegrowth.bsky.social for pulling us together.
"The crisis of poor job quality has encouraged right-wing populist leaders to pitch divisive rhetoric to struggling workers and their families..."
@elkelly.bsky.social on drivers of poor job quality and concrete policy responses to address them 👇
#EssaySeries
equitablegrowth.org/americas-job...
@elkelly.bsky.social on drivers of poor job quality and concrete policy responses to address them 👇
#EssaySeries
equitablegrowth.org/americas-job...
America’s job-quality crisis and how to revive workers’ pay, dignity, job advancement, and economic well-being
This essay focuses on the drivers of the job-quality crisis and concrete policy responses to address those drivers.
equitablegrowth.org
May 18, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Glad to be part of this conversation. Thanks @equitablegrowth.bsky.social for pulling us together.
Reposted by Erin Kelly
Join us 5/13 at the National Union Building for "The Rise of Populism and Economic Policy."
The event previews a new essay series on how people have experienced economic policy over the decades, plus ideas for the future.
See @awhf.bsky.social share what to expect:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M44L...
The event previews a new essay series on how people have experienced economic policy over the decades, plus ideas for the future.
See @awhf.bsky.social share what to expect:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M44L...
Populism and the U.S. economy
YouTube video by Washington Center for Equitable Growth
www.youtube.com
April 29, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Join us 5/13 at the National Union Building for "The Rise of Populism and Economic Policy."
The event previews a new essay series on how people have experienced economic policy over the decades, plus ideas for the future.
See @awhf.bsky.social share what to expect:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M44L...
The event previews a new essay series on how people have experienced economic policy over the decades, plus ideas for the future.
See @awhf.bsky.social share what to expect:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M44L...
Reposted by Erin Kelly
It's all fun and games until …
"Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London told the BBC #ChatGPT is "burning through energy", and the data centres used to power it consume more electricity in a year than 117 countries."
www.bbc.com/news/article...
"Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London told the BBC #ChatGPT is "burning through energy", and the data centres used to power it consume more electricity in a year than 117 countries."
www.bbc.com/news/article...
ChatGPT action dolls: What are the concerns?
As online users create Barbie-like dolls of themselves, experts urge caution over AI's energy and data use.
www.bbc.com
April 12, 2025 at 7:33 AM
It's all fun and games until …
"Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London told the BBC #ChatGPT is "burning through energy", and the data centres used to power it consume more electricity in a year than 117 countries."
www.bbc.com/news/article...
"Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London told the BBC #ChatGPT is "burning through energy", and the data centres used to power it consume more electricity in a year than 117 countries."
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Erin Kelly
No human being belongs there, and no one should have been sent there. We need to keep repeating those parts, too.
60 Minutes could find no criminal records for 75% of the Venezuelans the U.S. sent to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador. https://cbsn.ws/4clubLP
Trump administration deports gay makeup artist to prison in El Salvador
A gay man with no known criminal record sought asylum in the U.S. He's since become one of 238 Venezuelan migrants deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador by the Trump administration.
cbsn.ws
April 7, 2025 at 1:16 AM
No human being belongs there, and no one should have been sent there. We need to keep repeating those parts, too.
Reposted by Erin Kelly
- Rumeysa Öztürk has never been charged with a crime.
- Mahmoud Khalil has never been charged with a crime.
- Momodou Taal has never been charged with a crime.
- Badar Khan Suri has never been charged with a crime.
- Mahmoud Khalil has never been charged with a crime.
- Momodou Taal has never been charged with a crime.
- Badar Khan Suri has never been charged with a crime.
State Department spox Tammy Bruce just blatantly lies and says that students are getting visas revoked for "illegal activity" (Rumeysa Ozturk was not charged with a crime)
March 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
- Rumeysa Öztürk has never been charged with a crime.
- Mahmoud Khalil has never been charged with a crime.
- Momodou Taal has never been charged with a crime.
- Badar Khan Suri has never been charged with a crime.
- Mahmoud Khalil has never been charged with a crime.
- Momodou Taal has never been charged with a crime.
- Badar Khan Suri has never been charged with a crime.
Reposted by Erin Kelly
It’s worth stating this simply: For literally anyone in the US Govt from 1945 to 2025, Signalgate would require an instant resignation—and a criminal investigation. It would be a matter of personal *honor* to resign. The fact Mike Waltz & Pete Hegseth are choosing to fight it out is a terrible omen.
March 26, 2025 at 2:11 AM
It’s worth stating this simply: For literally anyone in the US Govt from 1945 to 2025, Signalgate would require an instant resignation—and a criminal investigation. It would be a matter of personal *honor* to resign. The fact Mike Waltz & Pete Hegseth are choosing to fight it out is a terrible omen.
Reposted by Erin Kelly
By accepting Trump’s anti-Black premise and regurgitating the narrative that equates anything Black as DEI, the NY Times has become part of the propaganda machine
February 22, 2025 at 7:10 PM
By accepting Trump’s anti-Black premise and regurgitating the narrative that equates anything Black as DEI, the NY Times has become part of the propaganda machine
Reposted by Erin Kelly
Here are some facts about "facilities and administrative" (F&A) costs, what we in the business call "indirects" and what Musk is calling "overhead" as he tries to convince Americans with being ok with cutting billions on dollars from medical and public health research at universities & hospitals
1/
1/
February 9, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Here are some facts about "facilities and administrative" (F&A) costs, what we in the business call "indirects" and what Musk is calling "overhead" as he tries to convince Americans with being ok with cutting billions on dollars from medical and public health research at universities & hospitals
1/
1/
Reposted by Erin Kelly
DOGE plans to slash about as much ($4B) from NIH, and hence from universities and medical centers, as the government gave SpaceX ($3.8B) last year.
It's not about the money and government "waste."
It's never been about the money or government "waste."
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
It's not about the money and government "waste."
It's never been about the money or government "waste."
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
Elon Musk wants to cut government spending. Tesla and SpaceX benefit from it
Over the last 16 years, Musk's business deals with the government total nearly $20 billion, according to federal contracting data.
www.usatoday.com
February 8, 2025 at 1:08 PM
DOGE plans to slash about as much ($4B) from NIH, and hence from universities and medical centers, as the government gave SpaceX ($3.8B) last year.
It's not about the money and government "waste."
It's never been about the money or government "waste."
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
It's not about the money and government "waste."
It's never been about the money or government "waste."
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
Reposted by Erin Kelly
As someone who has studied autocratization elsewhere, I can tell you that you need to keep your eyes on THIS. Changes to the partisan balance of bodies overseeing elections or changes to the electoral system is key to how wannabe autocrats become actual autocrats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/u...
Federal Election Commission Chair Says Trump Has Moved to Fire Her
Ellen L. Weintraub, who has served as a commissioner for the nation’s top elections watchdog since 2002, said she did not recognize a letter from President Trump relieving her from her post as legally...
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2025 at 7:28 AM
As someone who has studied autocratization elsewhere, I can tell you that you need to keep your eyes on THIS. Changes to the partisan balance of bodies overseeing elections or changes to the electoral system is key to how wannabe autocrats become actual autocrats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/u...
Reposted by Erin Kelly
There are critics of DEI who point to its historic use as a way to capture the rhetoric of social justice movements and mitigate the transformative potential of anti discrimination law, and then there are critics of DEI who think race and sex discrimination is good.
do i roll my eyes at a lot of DEI stuff? yeah, i wrote a whole essay about why i thought it was bullshit back in 2020. but trump et al aren’t saying, “corporate DEI policies mainly exist to protect corporate interests from discrimination lawsuits.” they’re saying “get the blacks out”
February 6, 2025 at 2:58 PM
There are critics of DEI who point to its historic use as a way to capture the rhetoric of social justice movements and mitigate the transformative potential of anti discrimination law, and then there are critics of DEI who think race and sex discrimination is good.
Reposted by Erin Kelly
I want to spell out the basic reason it’s so dangerous for Elon to have control of the U.S. payments system. It may seem like a technical matter, but the dynamics are simple. 1/x
Elon Musk’s Team Now Has Access to Treasury’s Payments System
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave Mr. Musk’s representatives at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency a powerful tool to monitor and potentially limit government spending.
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2025 at 1:57 PM
I want to spell out the basic reason it’s so dangerous for Elon to have control of the U.S. payments system. It may seem like a technical matter, but the dynamics are simple. 1/x
Reposted by Erin Kelly
EPA has 8,500 employees in total. Cutting 1,100 probationary employees would be a massive blow.
If all probationary employees are going to be fired (and given what Musk is saying, this sounds more likely) it will kill federal recruiting
www.cbsnews.com/news/epa-emp...
If all probationary employees are going to be fired (and given what Musk is saying, this sounds more likely) it will kill federal recruiting
www.cbsnews.com/news/epa-emp...
More than 1,100 EPA employees warned of immediate termination
"It's bad. I've been with the agency for over 33 years and I've never seen anything like this," said Marie Owens-Powell, president of the union that represents more than 8,500 EPA employees.
www.cbsnews.com
February 2, 2025 at 12:15 AM
EPA has 8,500 employees in total. Cutting 1,100 probationary employees would be a massive blow.
If all probationary employees are going to be fired (and given what Musk is saying, this sounds more likely) it will kill federal recruiting
www.cbsnews.com/news/epa-emp...
If all probationary employees are going to be fired (and given what Musk is saying, this sounds more likely) it will kill federal recruiting
www.cbsnews.com/news/epa-emp...
Reposted by Erin Kelly
This morning, we learned that President Trump fired Board Member Gwynne Wilcox, whose Senate-confirmed term runs until 2028.
This move must be called out for what it is—a frontal assault on the NLRB, its employees, workers, and the very idea of an independent civil service. 🚨
This move must be called out for what it is—a frontal assault on the NLRB, its employees, workers, and the very idea of an independent civil service. 🚨
January 28, 2025 at 5:03 PM
This morning, we learned that President Trump fired Board Member Gwynne Wilcox, whose Senate-confirmed term runs until 2028.
This move must be called out for what it is—a frontal assault on the NLRB, its employees, workers, and the very idea of an independent civil service. 🚨
This move must be called out for what it is—a frontal assault on the NLRB, its employees, workers, and the very idea of an independent civil service. 🚨
Reposted by Erin Kelly
🚨 Applications are still open for the rest of the week 🚨
(full review begins Monday, Jan 20)
(full review begins Monday, Jan 20)
Sociologists working on inequality:
Still time to apply for this 3yr+ postdoc position in beautiful Munich (no German required)
EN: job-portal.lmu.de/jobposting/5...
DE: job-portal.lmu.de/jobposting/f...
Applications are 01/15, but let me know if you need another 1-2 days to put in your materials
Still time to apply for this 3yr+ postdoc position in beautiful Munich (no German required)
EN: job-portal.lmu.de/jobposting/5...
DE: job-portal.lmu.de/jobposting/f...
Applications are 01/15, but let me know if you need another 1-2 days to put in your materials
January 15, 2025 at 1:03 PM
🚨 Applications are still open for the rest of the week 🚨
(full review begins Monday, Jan 20)
(full review begins Monday, Jan 20)
Fascinating. I had no idea.
How many incarcerated firefighters are fighting the LA wildfires? What type of work are they doing? And how do they feel about it?
I teamed up with @themarshallproject.org to answer all these questions we've been seeing online: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/01/11/l...
I teamed up with @themarshallproject.org to answer all these questions we've been seeing online: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/01/11/l...
The Dangerous Yet Desirable Work of Being an Incarcerated Firefighter in California
More than 900 prison firefighters were responding to the crisis in Los Angeles — but their pay is low and the ethics of their choice are complicated.
www.themarshallproject.org
January 11, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Fascinating. I had no idea.
Our update went deeper on how to implement work redesign strategies and on strategies particularly useful for older workers (but likely valuable to all). Excited to have the updated Toolkit out!
Looking for ways to foster workplace well-being in 2025? We've updated the "Work Design for Health" employer toolkit, created by researchers from @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social & @harvardpopcenter.bsky.social.
Learn more: tinyurl.com/9z9x5dkf
Updated “Work Design for Health” Toolkit Launched | MIT Sloan
An updated and expanded version of the “Work Design for Health” employer toolkit—developed by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the MIT Sloan School of Management—has ...
tinyurl.com
January 7, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Our update went deeper on how to implement work redesign strategies and on strategies particularly useful for older workers (but likely valuable to all). Excited to have the updated Toolkit out!
Reposted by Erin Kelly
@mitiwer.bsky.social is delighted to offer a warm welcome home to Richard M. Locke, newly announced as the incoming Dean of @mitsloan.bsky.social: news.mit.edu/2025/richard...
Richard Locke PhD ’89 named dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management
Richard Locke, a prominent scholar and academic administrator with a wide range of leadership experience, has been named the new dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management.
news.mit.edu
January 6, 2025 at 9:45 PM
@mitiwer.bsky.social is delighted to offer a warm welcome home to Richard M. Locke, newly announced as the incoming Dean of @mitsloan.bsky.social: news.mit.edu/2025/richard...
Reposted by Erin Kelly
How can policy confront minimum wage non-compliance? Using the case of the US and the UK, @annastansbury.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social @mitiwer.bsky.social argues that improved enforcement alone is insufficient & expected penalties must increase substantially.
doi.org/10.1177/0019...
doi.org/10.1177/0019...
November 26, 2024 at 12:26 AM
How can policy confront minimum wage non-compliance? Using the case of the US and the UK, @annastansbury.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social @mitiwer.bsky.social argues that improved enforcement alone is insufficient & expected penalties must increase substantially.
doi.org/10.1177/0019...
doi.org/10.1177/0019...
Fascinating write up on community coalitions bargaining and building for the common good.
March 3, 2024 at 8:54 PM
Fascinating write up on community coalitions bargaining and building for the common good.
Reposted by Erin Kelly
"...city of Minneapolis had about 250,000 minimum wage workers and three labor standards investigators. The United Nations International Labor Organization recommends cities have one investigator for every 10,000 workers."
www.startribune.com/wage-theft-i...
www.startribune.com/wage-theft-i...
Wage theft in Twin Cities costs low-wage workers $86M a year, study finds
Rutgers University analyzed five years of data from the metro area to come to its conclusions.
www.startribune.com
November 27, 2023 at 10:16 PM
"...city of Minneapolis had about 250,000 minimum wage workers and three labor standards investigators. The United Nations International Labor Organization recommends cities have one investigator for every 10,000 workers."
www.startribune.com/wage-theft-i...
www.startribune.com/wage-theft-i...