Laura Morris
@lhmorris.bsky.social
usually posting about global development, current events, evidence in policy, health economics, and misc nerd stuff. (she/her) https://scholar.harvard.edu/lauramorris
Pinned
Laura Morris
@lhmorris.bsky.social
· Nov 22
Will get a paper copy eventually, but this was nice to see in a very cold week (albeit not Boston-cold)
Reposted by Laura Morris
the median voter model is a great example of a theoretical structure that is so powerful in people's thoughts that they actually forget it is just one model of political behaviour among many possible models. they think it's instead some kind of universal, unassailable truth about reality itself.
Fascinating how often political commentary in the UK still refers to the median voter. In a multi-dimensional space with salience endogenous to positions, it‘s unclear to me who that should be. In a multi-party system, winning the median voter is of course not necessarily a vote-maximizing strategy.
November 17, 2025 at 9:34 AM
the median voter model is a great example of a theoretical structure that is so powerful in people's thoughts that they actually forget it is just one model of political behaviour among many possible models. they think it's instead some kind of universal, unassailable truth about reality itself.
Reposted by Laura Morris
Tip on being human for faculty men:
Things never to mention to any student, unless directly asked: their clothing, their bodies, their romantic lives. Ever. (Even new hair and outfits, obvious pregnancies, engagement rings, etc.) They will bring it up if they want your opinion. It's not that hard.
Things never to mention to any student, unless directly asked: their clothing, their bodies, their romantic lives. Ever. (Even new hair and outfits, obvious pregnancies, engagement rings, etc.) They will bring it up if they want your opinion. It's not that hard.
Yeah as a woman who has fended off comments from men and women about my outfits throughout my career no matter what I wore I’m here to second your comment. If you look too nice in something they’ll tell you you look too sexy to be serious but if you dress as I did at one point in overly large
November 16, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Tip on being human for faculty men:
Things never to mention to any student, unless directly asked: their clothing, their bodies, their romantic lives. Ever. (Even new hair and outfits, obvious pregnancies, engagement rings, etc.) They will bring it up if they want your opinion. It's not that hard.
Things never to mention to any student, unless directly asked: their clothing, their bodies, their romantic lives. Ever. (Even new hair and outfits, obvious pregnancies, engagement rings, etc.) They will bring it up if they want your opinion. It's not that hard.
Reposted by Laura Morris
I feel horrible for Keyu Jin. She's an incredibly accomplished woman and now her name is going to be tied to this because Larry Summers, a creepy disgusting man, liked talking about her in racist and misogynistic language with the world's most famous pedophile.
November 17, 2025 at 3:05 AM
I feel horrible for Keyu Jin. She's an incredibly accomplished woman and now her name is going to be tied to this because Larry Summers, a creepy disgusting man, liked talking about her in racist and misogynistic language with the world's most famous pedophile.
Reposted by Laura Morris
I once listed on my annual activities report the time I spent on things like
strategizing with a fellow junior prof about how to avoid her harasser at a conference while still getting to network,
etc
just to make a point
strategizing with a fellow junior prof about how to avoid her harasser at a conference while still getting to network,
etc
just to make a point
Imagine the things we could do with our time if we didn’t have to do this bsky.app/profile/chan...
I did my job. And then I did a job that never should have been my responsibility afterwards, sending emails and having meetings about how this was allowed to happen in the first place. Other women scholars had to spend their time explaining to Aspen leadership why this was not ok.
November 16, 2025 at 7:54 PM
I once listed on my annual activities report the time I spent on things like
strategizing with a fellow junior prof about how to avoid her harasser at a conference while still getting to network,
etc
just to make a point
strategizing with a fellow junior prof about how to avoid her harasser at a conference while still getting to network,
etc
just to make a point
Reposted by Laura Morris
My takeaway from every new Epstein revelation is that some powerful people victimized many powerless young women, many more knew, some actively enabled it--and we're still being told that MeToo and accountability for sexual violence have gone too far
November 12, 2025 at 5:05 PM
My takeaway from every new Epstein revelation is that some powerful people victimized many powerless young women, many more knew, some actively enabled it--and we're still being told that MeToo and accountability for sexual violence have gone too far
Reposted by Laura Morris
it was always the most “open secret” shit imaginable and no one did a fucking thing about it. people don’t give a fuck about sexual abuse unless it convenient rhetoric to weaponize against communities at high risk for sexual abuse—trans women in particular
As all this disgusting Epstein shit starts surfacing more and more, I hope we don't lose sight of the fact that apparently every major media outlet knew everything and instead spent their time money and energy attacking the trans community.
November 13, 2025 at 9:01 AM
it was always the most “open secret” shit imaginable and no one did a fucking thing about it. people don’t give a fuck about sexual abuse unless it convenient rhetoric to weaponize against communities at high risk for sexual abuse—trans women in particular
Reposted by Laura Morris
Dear grad students: please stop second-guessing whether your email sounds good, this is what the richest people on earth are sending each other.
you can stop sweating over whether to sign off with "sincerely" or "best".
you can stop sweating over whether to sign off with "sincerely" or "best".
genuinely very few things more satisfying than reading the kinds of emails rich and famous people send each other
November 13, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Dear grad students: please stop second-guessing whether your email sounds good, this is what the richest people on earth are sending each other.
you can stop sweating over whether to sign off with "sincerely" or "best".
you can stop sweating over whether to sign off with "sincerely" or "best".
Reposted by Laura Morris
I am shooting my shot.
I love writing op-eds.
@teenvogue.com was my main outlet, but if there are any others (especially independently ran) that are looking for a contributing writer on race, gender, and the economy, I'd love to work with you.
Signed,
A Black woman who writes for the public
I love writing op-eds.
@teenvogue.com was my main outlet, but if there are any others (especially independently ran) that are looking for a contributing writer on race, gender, and the economy, I'd love to work with you.
Signed,
A Black woman who writes for the public
November 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
I am shooting my shot.
I love writing op-eds.
@teenvogue.com was my main outlet, but if there are any others (especially independently ran) that are looking for a contributing writer on race, gender, and the economy, I'd love to work with you.
Signed,
A Black woman who writes for the public
I love writing op-eds.
@teenvogue.com was my main outlet, but if there are any others (especially independently ran) that are looking for a contributing writer on race, gender, and the economy, I'd love to work with you.
Signed,
A Black woman who writes for the public
Reposted by Laura Morris
Here's my thread of this year's new scholars in Economics of Education and Education Policy.
These PhD students and postdocs are on the job market, so take a look (and spread the word to others who might benefit from exposure).
And now onto the scholars... 👇
These PhD students and postdocs are on the job market, so take a look (and spread the word to others who might benefit from exposure).
And now onto the scholars... 👇
November 12, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Here's my thread of this year's new scholars in Economics of Education and Education Policy.
These PhD students and postdocs are on the job market, so take a look (and spread the word to others who might benefit from exposure).
And now onto the scholars... 👇
These PhD students and postdocs are on the job market, so take a look (and spread the word to others who might benefit from exposure).
And now onto the scholars... 👇
Reposted by Laura Morris
remembering that one economist who straight up put do_fraud() in his stata replication file.
One of the craziest things that has become apparent to me as I’ve gotten older is people are just putting “hello yes would you like to do crimes? Here is my plan to do crimes, let us join together to do the crimes at this specific time and place” in emails
November 12, 2025 at 10:22 PM
remembering that one economist who straight up put do_fraud() in his stata replication file.
Reposted by Laura Morris
In shock news, it turns out that Brexit punched the UK economy in the face, much in the way that official forecasts in 2016 said it would punch the UK economy in the face, that were dismissed as nonsense by lying rightwing shills at the time.
Headline from a serious and long working paper on the economic impact of Brexit. Possible that this has been feeding into OBR and HMT discussions?
November 10, 2025 at 9:40 AM
In shock news, it turns out that Brexit punched the UK economy in the face, much in the way that official forecasts in 2016 said it would punch the UK economy in the face, that were dismissed as nonsense by lying rightwing shills at the time.
Reposted by Laura Morris
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Reposted by Laura Morris
It's irritating that they describe the effects of his racism as limited to causing controversy within science and reputational consequences for himself rather than giving an immeasurable boost, false veneer of legitimacy, and idiot-friendly prestige to modern scientific racism and eugenics.
James D. Watson died on Thursday in East Northport, N.Y., on Long Island. He was 97.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Who Helped Discover the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:42 PM
It's irritating that they describe the effects of his racism as limited to causing controversy within science and reputational consequences for himself rather than giving an immeasurable boost, false veneer of legitimacy, and idiot-friendly prestige to modern scientific racism and eugenics.
Reposted by Laura Morris
18. In the 1980s, policymakers dismissed small, independent retailers as unimportant. The lesson of food deserts is that these small businesses are, in fact, pivotal — a keystone species. When they thrive, it changes the whole ecosystem for the better. Please read and share the piece!
The Mystery of Food Deserts
They didn’t materialize around the country for no reason. Something happened.
www.theatlantic.com
December 1, 2024 at 2:06 PM
18. In the 1980s, policymakers dismissed small, independent retailers as unimportant. The lesson of food deserts is that these small businesses are, in fact, pivotal — a keystone species. When they thrive, it changes the whole ecosystem for the better. Please read and share the piece!
Reposted by Laura Morris
1. The conventional explanation for food deserts—that these places are too poor or too rural to generate enough spending on groceries, or too Black to overcome racist corporate redlining — fail to grapple with a key fact: food deserts didn’t used to exist. My new piece in The Atlantic.
The Mystery of Food Deserts
They didn’t materialize around the country for no reason. Something happened.
www.theatlantic.com
December 1, 2024 at 2:06 PM
1. The conventional explanation for food deserts—that these places are too poor or too rural to generate enough spending on groceries, or too Black to overcome racist corporate redlining — fail to grapple with a key fact: food deserts didn’t used to exist. My new piece in The Atlantic.
Reposted by Laura Morris
Here’s something really graphic for Halloween:
October 31, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Here’s something really graphic for Halloween:
Reposted by Laura Morris
My MA thesis was nearly submitted under the title “not nearly as shit as it could have been v3”.
October 30, 2025 at 8:57 AM
My MA thesis was nearly submitted under the title “not nearly as shit as it could have been v3”.
Reposted by Laura Morris
Was similarly delighted to mark a first year research report on Turnitin with the filename "can't"
Mood, as the kids would say.
Mood, as the kids would say.
Genuinely delighted to download a PhD thesis from a university repository where the author has neglected to remove the words "BITCH THIS IS YOUR THESIS" from the filename.
October 30, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Was similarly delighted to mark a first year research report on Turnitin with the filename "can't"
Mood, as the kids would say.
Mood, as the kids would say.
Reposted by Laura Morris
Whatever strategy you’re about to suggest, we’ve thought about it. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
ChatGPT Harm Reduction for Writing Assignments
ChatGPT Harm Reduction for Writing Assignments Because this document has escaped containment, a couple points of explanation. I wrote this for myself and a few colleagues as we work out how to handle...
docs.google.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Whatever strategy you’re about to suggest, we’ve thought about it. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by Laura Morris
An LLM-produced essay is tangible proof that a student doesn’t care, and yet responding to it properly requires hour upon hour of careful work. It’s asymmetrical and overwhelming.
October 28, 2025 at 12:57 PM
An LLM-produced essay is tangible proof that a student doesn’t care, and yet responding to it properly requires hour upon hour of careful work. It’s asymmetrical and overwhelming.
Reposted by Laura Morris
It's useful to recognise that, just 3 years ago, the UK government made it a specific CRIMINAL OFFENCE to procure a live person to complete university coursework for a student, but that government, and all major institutions, are now saying the use of a machine to complete such work is inevitable.
October 28, 2025 at 2:19 PM
It's useful to recognise that, just 3 years ago, the UK government made it a specific CRIMINAL OFFENCE to procure a live person to complete university coursework for a student, but that government, and all major institutions, are now saying the use of a machine to complete such work is inevitable.
From the mailing lists: I see the *last* bubble is going so well they can afford to pay people with specialist skills www.linkedin.com/comm/jobs/vi...
October 28, 2025 at 9:00 AM
From the mailing lists: I see the *last* bubble is going so well they can afford to pay people with specialist skills www.linkedin.com/comm/jobs/vi...
Reposted by Laura Morris
That means they were in their late 20s when I was being lectured for suggesting the Tea Party had anything to do with racism.
Can I just point out that the “Young Republicans” who have had their vile racist and misogynist chat group leaked are not “young” - they are 18-40 year olds! As a 44 year old, I can attest to the fact 40 is not young! These ADULTS are revolting - MAGAesque.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat
Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.
www.politico.com
October 15, 2025 at 10:11 AM
That means they were in their late 20s when I was being lectured for suggesting the Tea Party had anything to do with racism.
Reposted by Laura Morris
1)You may remember the articles criticizing liberal students for their hesitancy to make friends with conservative students—alleging that they were less open-minded than their conservative counterparts.
October 15, 2025 at 8:53 AM
1)You may remember the articles criticizing liberal students for their hesitancy to make friends with conservative students—alleging that they were less open-minded than their conservative counterparts.
Reposted by Laura Morris
It is laughable to think that you can neuter the far right with minor tweaks like this.
How many Conservative or Reform supporters even know that immigrants have to pass a language test? They object to immigration on emotional grounds, not because they have dry objections to eligibility criteria.
How many Conservative or Reform supporters even know that immigrants have to pass a language test? They object to immigration on emotional grounds, not because they have dry objections to eligibility criteria.
October 15, 2025 at 7:20 AM
It is laughable to think that you can neuter the far right with minor tweaks like this.
How many Conservative or Reform supporters even know that immigrants have to pass a language test? They object to immigration on emotional grounds, not because they have dry objections to eligibility criteria.
How many Conservative or Reform supporters even know that immigrants have to pass a language test? They object to immigration on emotional grounds, not because they have dry objections to eligibility criteria.