Paul Kelleher
@paulkelleher.net
Moral and political philosophy, climate economics, bioethics
Author of *The Social Cost of Carbon* (OUP 2025) | Faculty @UWMadison, posting in personal capacity
Likes: Boston Celtics ☘️, bouldering, ebikes, funding public ed.
paulkelleher.net
Author of *The Social Cost of Carbon* (OUP 2025) | Faculty @UWMadison, posting in personal capacity
Likes: Boston Celtics ☘️, bouldering, ebikes, funding public ed.
paulkelleher.net
Pinned
I don’t spam y’all much anymore about my book but a photographer at a department event snapped this handsome pic so send tweet
If you are an environmental econ or philosophy grad student who would like to read my book but can’t buy or otherwise access it, just email me!
(I miss George.)
November 11, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Pre-ACA, ~45% of the price of individual insurance plans went to marketing, administration, and profits. (The ACA required that to be reduced to 20%.)
Trump: "I want the money to go into an account for people where they buy their own health insurance. It's so good. The insurance will be better. It'll cost less. Everybody is gonna be happy. They're gonna feel like entrepreneurs. They're actually able to go out & negotiate their own insurance"
November 11, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Pre-ACA, ~45% of the price of individual insurance plans went to marketing, administration, and profits. (The ACA required that to be reduced to 20%.)
“We find no evidence of consumers learning to price shop after two years in high-deductible coverage.”
“[S]pending reductions are entirely due to outright reductions in quantity.”
“[S]pending reductions are entirely due to outright reductions in quantity.”
As the ~discourse~ seems to bend interminably towards Republicans trying to figure out how they can (further) HDHP-ify ACA coverage, it's worth revisiting what is probably our best (most rigorous) study on the effect of deductibles in health insurance.
academic.oup.com/qje/article-...
academic.oup.com/qje/article-...
November 10, 2025 at 9:58 PM
“We find no evidence of consumers learning to price shop after two years in high-deductible coverage.”
“[S]pending reductions are entirely due to outright reductions in quantity.”
“[S]pending reductions are entirely due to outright reductions in quantity.”
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
Tell me you don’t understand risk pools without telling me you don’t understand risk pools
November 10, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Tell me you don’t understand risk pools without telling me you don’t understand risk pools
“We will finally get the 12 nail-biting minutes of CSPAN that the median voter will remember for as long as she lives.”
November 10, 2025 at 3:48 AM
“We will finally get the 12 nail-biting minutes of CSPAN that the median voter will remember for as long as she lives.”
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
EB White once explained how to end a sentence in 5 prepositions.
A father heads upstairs to read to his kid before bed, and the kid says:
A father heads upstairs to read to his kid before bed, and the kid says:
![[Sign in the Mamdani style:]
WHY DID YOU BRING THIS BOOK THAT I DON'T WANT TO BE READ TO OUT OF UP
FOR](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:c7vqw26ejxgheeuju7luuydk/bafkreicoc5o5edttv3d3as4mc7o2litmyszmhsjnypkz7ifjmlhcdq3b4u@jpeg)
November 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM
EB White once explained how to end a sentence in 5 prepositions.
A father heads upstairs to read to his kid before bed, and the kid says:
A father heads upstairs to read to his kid before bed, and the kid says:
EB White once explained how to end a sentence in 5 prepositions.
A father heads upstairs to read to his kid before bed, and the kid says:
A father heads upstairs to read to his kid before bed, and the kid says:
November 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM
EB White once explained how to end a sentence in 5 prepositions.
A father heads upstairs to read to his kid before bed, and the kid says:
A father heads upstairs to read to his kid before bed, and the kid says:
If only I’d taken a class in college on how to prompt AI better
![[prompt] at a soccer tourney today we'll have 3 games (so 6 halves) and 9 players who want to play goalie. What's a fair way to divvy up the goalie time?
[LLM’s answer] With 6 halves and 9 players who want to play goalie, you can't divide it perfectly evenly, but here's a fair approach:
Most equitable solution: Have 3 players play goalie for 1 half each, and 6 players not play goalie at all.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:c7vqw26ejxgheeuju7luuydk/bafkreiadi4htqq3f3tth7jufqq52kujjepytm7zd57qsm6p3kabpvalddy@jpeg)
November 8, 2025 at 8:07 PM
If only I’d taken a class in college on how to prompt AI better
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
"EU, China Said to Join Brazil-Led Carbon Market Coalition"
So, so thrilled to see this come together! Huge congrats to Cristina Reis (MofF, Brazil) and her team for getting it done and lining up so many of the important countries.
Why is this important? A 🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
So, so thrilled to see this come together! Huge congrats to Cristina Reis (MofF, Brazil) and her team for getting it done and lining up so many of the important countries.
Why is this important? A 🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
EU, China Said to Join Brazil-Led Carbon Market Coalition
The European Union and China agreed to join Brazil in a coalition aimed at improving collaboration on carbon markets — one of the main innovations the South American nation is bringing to the COP30 cl...
www.bloomberg.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:20 PM
"EU, China Said to Join Brazil-Led Carbon Market Coalition"
So, so thrilled to see this come together! Huge congrats to Cristina Reis (MofF, Brazil) and her team for getting it done and lining up so many of the important countries.
Why is this important? A 🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
So, so thrilled to see this come together! Huge congrats to Cristina Reis (MofF, Brazil) and her team for getting it done and lining up so many of the important countries.
Why is this important? A 🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
Some context from @stevevladeck.bsky.social on what KBJ is doing www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-w...
190. SNAP WTF?
A very quick explainer on why Justice Jackson issued an "administrative stay" in the SNAP case late on Friday night, and on what's likely to happen next
www.stevevladeck.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Some context from @stevevladeck.bsky.social on what KBJ is doing www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-w...
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
here's something cool: the son of the letter carrier on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood (McFeely) is a real letter carrier for the USPS and he's our letter carrier and he's awesome
November 8, 2025 at 3:39 AM
here's something cool: the son of the letter carrier on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood (McFeely) is a real letter carrier for the USPS and he's our letter carrier and he's awesome
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
Did you know that Du Bois wrote a 158p manuscript on marginalist economics just at the beginning of the marginalist revolution in econ (1891)? I did not! www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
Retrospectives: W. E. B. Du Bois, Harvard Economics, and Marginalist Wage Theory
(Fall 2025) - W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) is best known as a sociologist, historian, and civil rights leader, but he is also increasingly appreciated as an economist. Du Bois's work in economics was ...
www.aeaweb.org
November 6, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Did you know that Du Bois wrote a 158p manuscript on marginalist economics just at the beginning of the marginalist revolution in econ (1891)? I did not! www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
The one time each year I fly for work is next Wed (flying home Sunday). I guess there's a strong chance I'll have to/want to cancel?
November 6, 2025 at 4:07 PM
The one time each year I fly for work is next Wed (flying home Sunday). I guess there's a strong chance I'll have to/want to cancel?
Apparently President AOC can unilaterally impose a carbon tax day 1.
Fascinating to see the Trump administration argue that the use of state power to extract money from citizens is not taxation if the purpose is to disincentivize some behavior that the government dislikes, rather than to raise revenue. That is not what Republicans used to claim to believe.
November 6, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Apparently President AOC can unilaterally impose a carbon tax day 1.
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
Right.
Affordability and … tariffs. And canceling SNAP. And letting healthcare premiums go through the roof. And canceling renewable energy projects.
Right.
Affordability and … tariffs. And canceling SNAP. And letting healthcare premiums go through the roof. And canceling renewable energy projects.
Right.
Top Trump political adviser says president will focus on affordability going forward
Democrats had resounding election wins by pressing on the economy.
www.politico.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Right.
Affordability and … tariffs. And canceling SNAP. And letting healthcare premiums go through the roof. And canceling renewable energy projects.
Right.
Affordability and … tariffs. And canceling SNAP. And letting healthcare premiums go through the roof. And canceling renewable energy projects.
Right.
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
How high is $19 in 2028 in Portland ME? It will likely be around 65% of the median wage in MSA (calculations below). This is squarely within the experience of cities that have enacted citywide minimums, as Attila Lindner and I found in our review of 22 major cities min-to-median ratio was 63%. 🧵
Voters in Maine’s largest city on Tuesday approved Question A, a referendum that would raise the city’s minimum wage to $19 an hour by 2028.
November 5, 2025 at 5:53 PM
How high is $19 in 2028 in Portland ME? It will likely be around 65% of the median wage in MSA (calculations below). This is squarely within the experience of cities that have enacted citywide minimums, as Attila Lindner and I found in our review of 22 major cities min-to-median ratio was 63%. 🧵
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
Keep thinking about this: Maine passed gun legislation that was opposed by both the dem governor and the police in the middle of hunting season.
If gun laws can pass here, they can pass anywhere.
If gun laws can pass here, they can pass anywhere.
November 5, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Keep thinking about this: Maine passed gun legislation that was opposed by both the dem governor and the police in the middle of hunting season.
If gun laws can pass here, they can pass anywhere.
If gun laws can pass here, they can pass anywhere.
Now I really can't wait for the midterms, where apparently "This is how we'll eliminate your access to health care" will be the new "But the Mexican Caravan!!1!!!1!"/"THEYRE EATING TEH CATS".
November 5, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Now I really can't wait for the midterms, where apparently "This is how we'll eliminate your access to health care" will be the new "But the Mexican Caravan!!1!!!1!"/"THEYRE EATING TEH CATS".
Have there been any good meaningful engagements with Bill Gates's recent climate memo? Grateful for pointers.
November 4, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Have there been any good meaningful engagements with Bill Gates's recent climate memo? Grateful for pointers.
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
🗣️"I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so...scared"
One of the greatest moments in TV history, IMO.
One of the greatest moments in TV history, IMO.
November 4, 2025 at 3:16 AM
🗣️"I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so...scared"
One of the greatest moments in TV history, IMO.
One of the greatest moments in TV history, IMO.
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
I am trying and struggling to remember a previous time when multiple state officials publicly rebuked a CMS administrator for spreading misinformation
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
November 3, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I am trying and struggling to remember a previous time when multiple state officials publicly rebuked a CMS administrator for spreading misinformation
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
The military activity in the Caribbean hits a bit different in this context.
November 3, 2025 at 2:20 PM
The military activity in the Caribbean hits a bit different in this context.
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
This is quite a story: the US employed every strongarm tactic available, including personal threats against delegates and their families, to derail an agreement on reducing shipping emissions that was almost finalized. on.ft.com/47lq3dZ
November 3, 2025 at 2:11 PM
This is quite a story: the US employed every strongarm tactic available, including personal threats against delegates and their families, to derail an agreement on reducing shipping emissions that was almost finalized. on.ft.com/47lq3dZ
Reposted by Paul Kelleher
celtics social media team waits all year for this one
November 3, 2025 at 2:14 AM
celtics social media team waits all year for this one