Giles
@gdeejay.bsky.social
Applied economist working in international development policy
🇹🇴🇸🇧🇻🇺🇫🇯🇦🇺🇲🇲 (etc),
Mostly memes.
Sometimes post about #publicpolicy, research, data science, #PFM and #Rstats
Economist | Independent Consultant
All views my own
🇹🇴🇸🇧🇻🇺🇫🇯🇦🇺🇲🇲 (etc),
Mostly memes.
Sometimes post about #publicpolicy, research, data science, #PFM and #Rstats
Economist | Independent Consultant
All views my own
Pinned
Giles
@gdeejay.bsky.social
· 13d
an_intro_to_r_for_policy_analysis
policyanalysislab.com
Dear #rstats,
Please find attached the alpha version of my book "An Introduction to R for Policy Analysis":
policyanalysislab.com/shared/r-for...
Unfortunately, the draft has been released too late to be considered for a Nobel prize, but I look forward to being nominated in 2026.
...
Please find attached the alpha version of my book "An Introduction to R for Policy Analysis":
policyanalysislab.com/shared/r-for...
Unfortunately, the draft has been released too late to be considered for a Nobel prize, but I look forward to being nominated in 2026.
...
I'm now looking at the IMF's latest Article IV for the Solomon Island's and it's gratifying to see:
1.) I'm not missing anything regarding the missing data; and
2.) I'm not the only one confused by how the Central Bank is presenting GFS stats.
This is very nerdy, but their Article IV report is 👌🏼
1.) I'm not missing anything regarding the missing data; and
2.) I'm not the only one confused by how the Central Bank is presenting GFS stats.
This is very nerdy, but their Article IV report is 👌🏼
I'm currently doing some work to figure out how the Solomon Island's Central Bank budget statistics align with those published by the Ministry of Finance.
Referred back to an IMF report and they directly addressed this by saying they don't like up and it's not clear why.
😬
Glad I saw this now.
Referred back to an IMF report and they directly addressed this by saying they don't like up and it's not clear why.
😬
Glad I saw this now.
November 11, 2025 at 12:33 AM
I'm now looking at the IMF's latest Article IV for the Solomon Island's and it's gratifying to see:
1.) I'm not missing anything regarding the missing data; and
2.) I'm not the only one confused by how the Central Bank is presenting GFS stats.
This is very nerdy, but their Article IV report is 👌🏼
1.) I'm not missing anything regarding the missing data; and
2.) I'm not the only one confused by how the Central Bank is presenting GFS stats.
This is very nerdy, but their Article IV report is 👌🏼
I did the Young Endeavor when I was younger.
You spend two weeks learning how to sail a tall ship from Navy instructors and it's incredible.
I'd love to do something like this again. It was so much fun.
👌🏼
You spend two weeks learning how to sail a tall ship from Navy instructors and it's incredible.
I'd love to do something like this again. It was so much fun.
👌🏼
November 10, 2025 at 11:34 PM
I did the Young Endeavor when I was younger.
You spend two weeks learning how to sail a tall ship from Navy instructors and it's incredible.
I'd love to do something like this again. It was so much fun.
👌🏼
You spend two weeks learning how to sail a tall ship from Navy instructors and it's incredible.
I'd love to do something like this again. It was so much fun.
👌🏼
My gym shorts don't have pockets and it stands as the greatest injustice the world has ever seen.
November 10, 2025 at 2:42 AM
My gym shorts don't have pockets and it stands as the greatest injustice the world has ever seen.
Yeah, this is a good one.
I'll often use it to track down existing frameworks so I'm not reinventing the wheel.
I'll often use it to track down existing frameworks so I'm not reinventing the wheel.
One of my favorite LLM use cases is literally just asking it what the closest preexisting concept to a thought is.
"I have this idea, has anyone had this idea before and what's it called?"
It used to be REALLY DIFFICULT to reliably answer questions like that and I feel like we'll forget it was.
"I have this idea, has anyone had this idea before and what's it called?"
It used to be REALLY DIFFICULT to reliably answer questions like that and I feel like we'll forget it was.
November 10, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Yeah, this is a good one.
I'll often use it to track down existing frameworks so I'm not reinventing the wheel.
I'll often use it to track down existing frameworks so I'm not reinventing the wheel.
I'm currently doing some work to figure out how the Solomon Island's Central Bank budget statistics align with those published by the Ministry of Finance.
Referred back to an IMF report and they directly addressed this by saying they don't like up and it's not clear why.
😬
Glad I saw this now.
Referred back to an IMF report and they directly addressed this by saying they don't like up and it's not clear why.
😬
Glad I saw this now.
November 9, 2025 at 11:10 PM
I'm currently doing some work to figure out how the Solomon Island's Central Bank budget statistics align with those published by the Ministry of Finance.
Referred back to an IMF report and they directly addressed this by saying they don't like up and it's not clear why.
😬
Glad I saw this now.
Referred back to an IMF report and they directly addressed this by saying they don't like up and it's not clear why.
😬
Glad I saw this now.
I'm still reading this btw.
It's obviously slower going than Wodehouse, but I'm really enjoying it so far.
👌🏼
It's obviously slower going than Wodehouse, but I'm really enjoying it so far.
👌🏼
Okay, I finished Catcher in the Rye and am two chapters into Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky.
November 8, 2025 at 7:05 AM
I'm still reading this btw.
It's obviously slower going than Wodehouse, but I'm really enjoying it so far.
👌🏼
It's obviously slower going than Wodehouse, but I'm really enjoying it so far.
👌🏼
"Literally"?
I think you mean 'figuratively'.
I think you mean 'figuratively'.
November 8, 2025 at 6:17 AM
"Literally"?
I think you mean 'figuratively'.
I think you mean 'figuratively'.
I once posted something about retirement planning that went viral.
What struck a chord was that many people suggested planning to retire at 50, rather than 65, as they had been fired by their employer around this age and found it hard to re-enter the workforce.
...
What struck a chord was that many people suggested planning to retire at 50, rather than 65, as they had been fired by their employer around this age and found it hard to re-enter the workforce.
...
November 8, 2025 at 5:51 AM
I once posted something about retirement planning that went viral.
What struck a chord was that many people suggested planning to retire at 50, rather than 65, as they had been fired by their employer around this age and found it hard to re-enter the workforce.
...
What struck a chord was that many people suggested planning to retire at 50, rather than 65, as they had been fired by their employer around this age and found it hard to re-enter the workforce.
...
Hey #rstats,
Are there any good tricks for deciding on sensible dimensions for a plot when saving it?
Or does everyone just tweak the dimensions in ggsave() until it looks right?
Are there any good tricks for deciding on sensible dimensions for a plot when saving it?
Or does everyone just tweak the dimensions in ggsave() until it looks right?
November 8, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Hey #rstats,
Are there any good tricks for deciding on sensible dimensions for a plot when saving it?
Or does everyone just tweak the dimensions in ggsave() until it looks right?
Are there any good tricks for deciding on sensible dimensions for a plot when saving it?
Or does everyone just tweak the dimensions in ggsave() until it looks right?
I've made great progress with this project and am now creating a custom #rstats theme to suit the client's brand.
I've been meaning to make my own ggplot2 theme for a while, so this will be good practice.
👨🏼🎨
I've been meaning to make my own ggplot2 theme for a while, so this will be good practice.
👨🏼🎨
Why yes, I would like to work on some interesting analysis with an impossible deadline.
🧐
🧐
November 7, 2025 at 11:44 PM
I've made great progress with this project and am now creating a custom #rstats theme to suit the client's brand.
I've been meaning to make my own ggplot2 theme for a while, so this will be good practice.
👨🏼🎨
I've been meaning to make my own ggplot2 theme for a while, so this will be good practice.
👨🏼🎨
Love this.
Getting nervous for the talk I'm about to give at a workshop about "using AI to drive impact" which features slides such as these.
November 7, 2025 at 5:39 AM
Love this.
Reposted by Giles
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.
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 6, 2025 at 11:25 PM
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.
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
QTing this again as I live in a low-density area where development restrictions have been loosened.
Plans for new housing developments are already springing up which is resulting in NIMBY protests from homeowners.
...
Plans for new housing developments are already springing up which is resulting in NIMBY protests from homeowners.
...
Housing in Australia is both too scarce and too expensive. Yet our major cities are among the least dense of their size in the world. Our latest Grattan report show how we can reform our urban planning rules to allow for more homes and better cities. 🧵
More homes, better cities: Letting more people live where they want
Three-storey townhouses and apartments should be permitted on all residential land in all capital cities as part of a concerted policy assault on Australia’s housing crisis.
grattan.edu.au
November 6, 2025 at 9:29 PM
QTing this again as I live in a low-density area where development restrictions have been loosened.
Plans for new housing developments are already springing up which is resulting in NIMBY protests from homeowners.
...
Plans for new housing developments are already springing up which is resulting in NIMBY protests from homeowners.
...
Zing!
if anybody ever starts telling you about a famous psychology experiment and you don't want to talk to them just say "oh is that the one that was faked?" you'll probably get a hit
Ok, just wow. If the content of this article is right, this is depressing. We're slowly reaching the point where ~100% of what I was taught in Social Psych was either innocently wrong or plainly frauded
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
November 6, 2025 at 5:15 AM
Zing!
I'm kind of loving seeing Gen Z (or more accurately people younger than me) getting angry about the state of Australian public policy.
There are influencers that are covering boring (but important) topics like taxation and they seem to have a sizable following.
👌🏼
There are influencers that are covering boring (but important) topics like taxation and they seem to have a sizable following.
👌🏼
November 6, 2025 at 4:32 AM
I'm kind of loving seeing Gen Z (or more accurately people younger than me) getting angry about the state of Australian public policy.
There are influencers that are covering boring (but important) topics like taxation and they seem to have a sizable following.
👌🏼
There are influencers that are covering boring (but important) topics like taxation and they seem to have a sizable following.
👌🏼
I did my first lunchclub call in 12+ months.
Lots of fun meeting random people and hearing what they're passionate about, but the job market sounds like a disaster ATM.
Lots of fun meeting random people and hearing what they're passionate about, but the job market sounds like a disaster ATM.
November 6, 2025 at 2:14 AM
I did my first lunchclub call in 12+ months.
Lots of fun meeting random people and hearing what they're passionate about, but the job market sounds like a disaster ATM.
Lots of fun meeting random people and hearing what they're passionate about, but the job market sounds like a disaster ATM.
Reposted by Giles
I've somehow made it into the top 10 most popular blogs on @leaflet.pub. You can, of course, help me rise even higher by heading here and clicking that big "Subscribe with Bluesky" button: www.aaronrosspowell.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:10 PM
I've somehow made it into the top 10 most popular blogs on @leaflet.pub. You can, of course, help me rise even higher by heading here and clicking that big "Subscribe with Bluesky" button: www.aaronrosspowell.com
Sharing this #rstats blog on parsing JSON data again as:
1.) It's great;
2.) I'm working with JSON data again and have yet to master parsing it; and
3.) JSON is the worst, which is definitely not a skill issue related to 2.
1.) It's great;
2.) I'm working with JSON data again and have yet to master parsing it; and
3.) JSON is the worst, which is definitely not a skill issue related to 2.
The MockUp - Easily parsing JSON in R with jsonlite and purrr
It's turtles all the way down...
themockup.blog
November 5, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Sharing this #rstats blog on parsing JSON data again as:
1.) It's great;
2.) I'm working with JSON data again and have yet to master parsing it; and
3.) JSON is the worst, which is definitely not a skill issue related to 2.
1.) It's great;
2.) I'm working with JSON data again and have yet to master parsing it; and
3.) JSON is the worst, which is definitely not a skill issue related to 2.
November 5, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Hey #Bluesky,.
Can anyone recommend somebody to help me tweak the text on my new consulting website?
I've written everything myself, but I'd love to refine the text so it's tighter (and avoids being too 'salesy').
www.gilesd-j.com
Can anyone recommend somebody to help me tweak the text on my new consulting website?
I've written everything myself, but I'd love to refine the text so it's tighter (and avoids being too 'salesy').
www.gilesd-j.com
homepage - Giles
Data-driven Solutions for Complex Policy Problems Data analytics, economic analysis and public policy advisory services that combine analytical rigor with […]
www.gilesd-j.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Hey #Bluesky,.
Can anyone recommend somebody to help me tweak the text on my new consulting website?
I've written everything myself, but I'd love to refine the text so it's tighter (and avoids being too 'salesy').
www.gilesd-j.com
Can anyone recommend somebody to help me tweak the text on my new consulting website?
I've written everything myself, but I'd love to refine the text so it's tighter (and avoids being too 'salesy').
www.gilesd-j.com
What a beautiful little game!
November 5, 2025 at 12:40 AM
What a beautiful little game!
Hey #rstats,
Does anyone have recommendations for outputting graphs in a format that a designer with a strong preference for excel can tweak?
I can tweak the theme and colors to fit their brand, but is there a good format to use so they can be edited outside of R?
Does anyone have recommendations for outputting graphs in a format that a designer with a strong preference for excel can tweak?
I can tweak the theme and colors to fit their brand, but is there a good format to use so they can be edited outside of R?
November 4, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Hey #rstats,
Does anyone have recommendations for outputting graphs in a format that a designer with a strong preference for excel can tweak?
I can tweak the theme and colors to fit their brand, but is there a good format to use so they can be edited outside of R?
Does anyone have recommendations for outputting graphs in a format that a designer with a strong preference for excel can tweak?
I can tweak the theme and colors to fit their brand, but is there a good format to use so they can be edited outside of R?
Good news @antoinevernet.com!
Somebody archived classic MS Clipart for all your presentation needs!
archive.org/download/MS_...
Somebody archived classic MS Clipart for all your presentation needs!
archive.org/download/MS_...
November 4, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Good news @antoinevernet.com!
Somebody archived classic MS Clipart for all your presentation needs!
archive.org/download/MS_...
Somebody archived classic MS Clipart for all your presentation needs!
archive.org/download/MS_...
I've gotten a few new connections/follows from VIS, Smashing Conf, and various talks recently (hello!! ❤️), so I thought I'd share my most-popular blog post (by a large margin):
"Stop saying that AI is just a tool and it only matters how it is used."
"Stop saying that AI is just a tool and it only matters how it is used."
Stop saying that AI is just a tool and it only matters how it is used
I’m tired of this phrase and this simple way of thinking about tools. This blog post is a wandering train of thought on the topic of what tools are and why it matters to be even slightly more mature i...
www.frank.computer
November 4, 2025 at 10:33 AM