Martha Fiehn
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marthaf.bsky.social
Martha Fiehn
@marthaf.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1.9K following 370 posts
PhD student at UCSD Econ. Tax, Labor, and Law. From Berlin and California.

Previously: Harvard, Yale, UC Berkeley, SciencesPo
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
apeichl.bsky.social
Aufstiegschancen in Deutschland nehmen ab

Deutschland galt lange als Land, in dem fast jeder den sozialen Aufstieg schaffen konnte. Eine aktuelle Studie des Münchner ifo Instituts zeigt nun, dass das immer schwieriger wird.

www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/v...
ifo-Studie: Aufstiegschancen in Deutschland nehmen ab
Deutschland galt lange als Land, in dem fast jeder den sozialen Aufstieg schaffen konnte. Eine aktuelle Studie des Münchner ifo-Instituts zeigt nun, dass das immer schwieriger wird.
www.tagesschau.de
November 21, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
tderyugina.bsky.social
The letter is ready, thanks to all those who helped out! Starting to gather signature now, please consider signing (link at top of letter) & spread the word.

docs.google.com/document/d/1...
August 27, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
biblioracle.bsky.social
This is where Columbia, Brown, Penn have gotten us. If this isn't stopped, it's just one institution after another paying tributes to the crown. Either it stops or we're done for and the "we" isn't just higher ed, it's everybody.
August 8, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
danximenes.bsky.social
Image showing the arms of a man holding a gun and making a "give me" gesture on the right side and the hand of a man with hands raised in a conciliatory motion The captions reads: "Getting robbed? Just say no. You robber legally cannot take any of your possession without your consent."
July 10, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
mcopelov.bsky.social
We should've made a bigger national crisis of someone breaking into Nancy Pelosi's home & trying to kill her husband. But then, we should've made a bigger national crisis about hundreds of someones breaking into the Capitol & trying to steal an election. But then, we should've done lots of things.
June 14, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
weatherwest.bsky.social
For some perspective, the federal government funds *over half* of all scientific research and development conducted by the @uofcalifornia.bsky.social -- and UC is collectively responsible, in turn, for over 8% of all academic research conducted in the United States.
Factsheet (from April 2025) detailing various statistics regarding the partnership between the University of California and the federal government.
June 6, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
nytpitchbot.bsky.social
The Republican Party has fully embraced fascism and destroyed American democracy. But some Democrats still say Latinx. I have never felt more politically homeless.
June 7, 2025 at 1:09 AM
marthaf.bsky.social
tag yourself, i'm dark red
davidho.bsky.social David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · Mar 30
This is cool. The Guardian recreated a searchable climate future risk tool (wildfire, extreme heat, drought, hurricane, and coastal flood) for the US that was developed by FEMA but deleted by the Trump administration’s ‘climate’ purge.
Trump’s ‘climate’ purge deleted a new extreme weather risk tool. We recreated it
The Guardian has recreated a searchable climate future risk tool developed by Fema but then deleted
www.theguardian.com
May 27, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
pengzell.bsky.social
Redistribution or govt spending don’t make equality, unionization does
May 15, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
lutzfernandez.bsky.social
Older kids used calculators to show us how to spell HELL.

But AI, which can be used by extremists to create radicalizing propaganda, by fascists to control citizens, and by bullies to harass and abuse is a *tool just like it.*
lutzfernandez.bsky.social Anne Lutz Fernandez @lutzfernandez.bsky.social · May 8
Then the piece throws in the "AI is just a tool like calculators" argument even though its just spent a lot of time showing how dangerous it can be.
Panetta said AI will increase phishing and online threats unless the US begins digital and AI education from the moment kids use devices. Just as word processors became standard in schools, AI tools will soon be essential in education and work.
May 8, 2025 at 10:42 AM
marthaf.bsky.social
The whole building shook right in the middle of micro theory! It’s probably a sign that I should pay more attention to mechanism design
April 14, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
robertltsai.bsky.social
Nearly a 1,000 student visas invoked by Sec. of State Rubio and counting.
April 12, 2025 at 9:52 PM
marthaf.bsky.social
They’re coming for the students; they’re coming for the faculty.
April 5, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
beijingpalmer.bsky.social
worth noting that all of this language is *obvious* lies repeated over and over again on every grant cancellation to avoid any of the many legal requirements, and I hope judges have the sense to treat it as such.
returnstosender.bsky.social Sasha Senderovich 🌻 @returnstosender.bsky.social · Apr 3
My @nehgov.bsky.social grant “In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Short Fiction by Jewish Writers from the Soviet Union” was canceled by “DOGE.” The project doesn’t support "the furtherance of the President's agenda.” Jews surviving genocide: out of step w/ the agenda of using Jews to destroy higher ed.
Et voilà: our NEH grant with Harriet Murav for “In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Short Fiction by Jewish Writers from the Soviet Union” has been terminated. This project does not, the letter notes, support “the furtherance of the President’s agenda.” I guess work on Jews surviving genocide is out of step with the agenda of this presidential administration whose only use for Jews is the weaponization of Jewish safety to destroy higher education.
April 4, 2025 at 1:45 AM
marthaf.bsky.social
Fiat lux! 💙🐻💛

Let’s hope the legacy of the Free Speech Movement stays strong and admin doesn’t cave.
aaronsojourner.org Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · Mar 17
Leadership from UC Berkeley.

"...we see recent actions going beyond those purposes in ways that threaten core values: academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, & freedom of expression.... we will be steadfast and unrelenting in our efforts to defend those core values."
Like many of you, we are gravely concerned about recent Federal government actions in regard to higher education. While we recognize that the government plays an important role in addressing discrimination and ensuring good stewardship of public resources, we see recent actions going beyond those purposes in ways that threaten core values: academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, and freedom of expression. We do not know what demands the Federal government may make of Berkeley, but do know that we will be steadfast and unrelenting in our efforts to defend those core values. A Berkeley without academic freedom, without freedom of inquiry, without freedom of expression is simply not Berkeley. We recognize that some of you may find our statement too timid or too bold or deficient in some other way. That’s okay—a key to Berkeley’s excellence is our diversity of opinion and perspective. Robust debate is essential to scholarly advance. The purpose of a university is not to present us with ideas with which we are comfortable. To borrow from Clark Kerr, it is to make us safe for ideas. We don’t know what will happen. In part because we don’t know what may be demanded of us and in part because we won’t be the only decision makers. But what we do know is that we will stand up for Berkeley’s values and defend them to the very best of our ability. For 157 years, through the education it provides and the research it produces, Berkeley has produced immense economic and societal benefit to its students, California, the nation, and the world; this societal jewel needs to be preserved and defended, and we will toil tirelessly to see that it is. Fiat Lux. Rich Lyons Chancellor Ben Hermalin Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
March 17, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
dinapomeranz.bsky.social
Universal access to free pre-Kindergarten child care raises parents' income - not only during the childcare years, but also in the years after.

Cc @kathrinbertschy.bsky.social
volts.wtf David Roberts @volts.wtf · Mar 16
Putting kids in a free pre-K program "raises parents’ average earnings by $5,461 per year, or 21.7 percent, during the one- or two-year period when the child is of pre-kindergarten age. ... Parents’ earnings remain higher for at least the next six years."
Universal Pre-K Access and Parental Earnings
www.nber.org
March 17, 2025 at 12:14 AM
marthaf.bsky.social
My garden’s first strawberry harvests 🥰
March 16, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
klab.bsky.social
UMASS IS RESCINDING ALL GRAD POSITIONS FOR THIS YEAR
March 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
joeallenjoe.bsky.social
In fiscal year 2024, the report found, NIH awarded more than $36.9 billion to researchers, supporting more than 408,000 jobs and generating over $94.5 billion in new economic activity nationwide.

news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
NIH funding delivers exponential economic returns — Harvard Gazette
Report finds all 50 states reap gains in patient health, job creation, research resources, business development.
news.harvard.edu
March 12, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
kenwhite.bsky.social
This is a grave and sobering admission: they are not pursuing the “WELL ACTUALLY he broke the law during protests,” they are bragging that they are deporting people for protected speech.
newseye.bsky.social News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · Mar 11
NEW: White House says the arrest and deportation of student activist & legal US resident, Mahmoud Khalil, is a blueprint for more.

The final line here is chilling. The White House specifically says Khalil was not breaking the law.

No evidence, no due process, no crime. He was just disappeared.
Indeed, a White House official told The Free Press that the basis for targeting Khalil is being used as a blueprint for investigations against other students. Khalil is a "threat to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States," said the official, noting that this calculation was the driving force behind the arrest. "The allegation here is not that he was breaking the law," said the official.
March 11, 2025 at 5:34 PM
marthaf.bsky.social
Why is the NPS braver than all Congresspeople combined?
altnps.bsky.social Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · Mar 6
We are working on launching an ALT DOGE website. It will soon feature a team page listing all of Elon’s staffers, our own wall of receipts (tracking the money he’s taking from America), and a section to help Americans keep tabs on the false claims on Doge’s website—which now exceed 52%.
March 6, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
vinnyarmentano.bsky.social
How did such a large share of the world’s population escape extreme poverty? Paul Niehaus, Tom Vogl and I were curious and are excited to share with you what we've found.

vincentarmentano.com/research/hpf...
vincentarmentano.com
February 20, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
joeyalison.bsky.social
February 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
darinself.com
The Senator wants to protect the universities in her state from the leopards, but she needs to consider that if you destroy the universities in other "Blue" states, it will have a downstream effect because research is deeply interconnected

UA-Birmingham can't succeed if you nuke the UCs & SUNYs
citizencohn.bsky.social Citizen Cohn / Jonathan Cohn @citizencohn.bsky.social · Feb 9
Impact of NIH cut starting to sink in

Here's Sen. Katie Britt urging "a smart, targeted approach" in order to protect important research at UA-Birmingham, a top NIH recipient

Also, as article notes, the state's largest employer

www.al.com/news/2025/02...
Katie Britt vows to work with RFK Jr. after NIH funding cuts cause concern in Alabama
UAB and UAH are among Alabama institutions that could be affected by cuts.
www.al.com
February 9, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Reposted by Martha Fiehn
itaisher.bsky.social
If you’ve ever complained about free speech on college campuses but aren’t upset about this, you’re not serious.

Can’t even do mainstream economics while avoiding this list.
darbysaxbe.bsky.social Darby Saxbe @darbysaxbe.bsky.social · Feb 4
🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.
list of banned keywords
February 4, 2025 at 2:27 AM