Peter Dorman
@pdorman.bsky.social
I'm a political economist and writer on economics, politics, climate change, statistics, and lots more. I've written four books, stacks of articles and reports, blogs and am working on book #5. Watch out for really bad puns.
Beach reading, literally.
October 16, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Beach reading, literally.
OK, but how can you defend yourself against an email?
October 13, 2025 at 4:46 PM
OK, but how can you defend yourself against an email?
Greetings from Portland, where ICE is locked in combat with Animal Antifa.
October 12, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Greetings from Portland, where ICE is locked in combat with Animal Antifa.
E. J. Antoni, taking the L out of the BLS.
September 9, 2025 at 5:13 AM
E. J. Antoni, taking the L out of the BLS.
Literary flourish time. Below is a paragraph from a book I'm working on. Does it sound right?
August 27, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Literary flourish time. Below is a paragraph from a book I'm working on. Does it sound right?
This, which comes from Gary Marcus' Substack, is too good to not share. Grok, of course, is Elon Musk's "genius" AI.
June 28, 2025 at 9:46 PM
This, which comes from Gary Marcus' Substack, is too good to not share. Grok, of course, is Elon Musk's "genius" AI.
This is from Chessbase today. A very cool problem. Once you see it, it's obvious but no less cool for that. A nice example of domination.
June 24, 2025 at 4:49 AM
This is from Chessbase today. A very cool problem. Once you see it, it's obvious but no less cool for that. A nice example of domination.
Reposted from Adam Tooze. This increased reliance on imputation is huge. If BLS isn't identifying imputations and providing their formulas, outside researchers are in the dark. In my own role as researcher, I've agonized over imputation and prioritized transparency. Big teaching topic too.
June 21, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Reposted from Adam Tooze. This increased reliance on imputation is huge. If BLS isn't identifying imputations and providing their formulas, outside researchers are in the dark. In my own role as researcher, I've agonized over imputation and prioritized transparency. Big teaching topic too.
Here's our sign, proudly hoisted at the PDX No Kings.
June 15, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Here's our sign, proudly hoisted at the PDX No Kings.
Not a conspiracist, but just wondering.....
May 21, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Not a conspiracist, but just wondering.....
Part of a sign held up in PDX today:
April 6, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Part of a sign held up in PDX today:
Any Portlanders out there? This is a great offer from one of my favorite pizza places, Dove Vivi: 10% for climate activism. All in addition to wonderful cornmeal crusts and interesting toppings. (Try the Blue Thyme.)
March 31, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Any Portlanders out there? This is a great offer from one of my favorite pizza places, Dove Vivi: 10% for climate activism. All in addition to wonderful cornmeal crusts and interesting toppings. (Try the Blue Thyme.)
Here's our border collie mix, Oscar, with a friend's dog, Buddy, at the confluence of the Columbia and Sandy rivers the other day. Don't let a sudden surprise get in the way of fun.
March 16, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Here's our border collie mix, Oscar, with a friend's dog, Buddy, at the confluence of the Columbia and Sandy rivers the other day. Don't let a sudden surprise get in the way of fun.
Now read this insightful post drawn from the comment thread. This is spot on, to which I would add that it is also a problem with AI (AFAIK) that it doesn't have routines for determining which of its own mistakes to prioritize avoiding. That reflexivity thing.
March 15, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Now read this insightful post drawn from the comment thread. This is spot on, to which I would add that it is also a problem with AI (AFAIK) that it doesn't have routines for determining which of its own mistakes to prioritize avoiding. That reflexivity thing.
Trump really is stupid. The NY Times article on the cabinet meeting where Musk got an earful has some beaut's. Let's start with
March 7, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Trump really is stupid. The NY Times article on the cabinet meeting where Musk got an earful has some beaut's. Let's start with
The combination of Loper Bright and radical downsizing of permit-granting agencies like the EPA and the FDA is going to produce a golden age of litigation. Not only won't the courts defer to agencies (Chevron), they'll defer against them due to visible lack of due process.
February 26, 2025 at 11:32 PM
The combination of Loper Bright and radical downsizing of permit-granting agencies like the EPA and the FDA is going to produce a golden age of litigation. Not only won't the courts defer to agencies (Chevron), they'll defer against them due to visible lack of due process.
From the Financial Times (with hat tip to Adam Tooze)....
Of course, the US expects a return on its investment.
Of course, the US expects a return on its investment.
February 21, 2025 at 6:49 AM
From the Financial Times (with hat tip to Adam Tooze)....
Of course, the US expects a return on its investment.
Of course, the US expects a return on its investment.
From the conclusion:
February 20, 2025 at 8:01 PM
From the conclusion:
Why is Vance so obnoxious? Well, with Trump you get the sense of someone who's overwhelmed by his pathologies and can't control them. With Vance, it's like he delights in them -- finetunes them to be as destructive as possible.
static01.nyt.com/images/2025/...
static01.nyt.com/images/2025/...
February 15, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Why is Vance so obnoxious? Well, with Trump you get the sense of someone who's overwhelmed by his pathologies and can't control them. With Vance, it's like he delights in them -- finetunes them to be as destructive as possible.
static01.nyt.com/images/2025/...
static01.nyt.com/images/2025/...
A guy who publicly made racist remarks would have a negative effect on the nonwhite members of his team, right? Or is that not his kind of team?
February 7, 2025 at 10:48 PM
A guy who publicly made racist remarks would have a negative effect on the nonwhite members of his team, right? Or is that not his kind of team?
I posted a new Substack with a very simple explanation of what Musk is up to in the bowels of the Treasury building. Nothing new for those following the story, but it might be useful for anyone who wants a short summary.
February 5, 2025 at 6:25 AM
I posted a new Substack with a very simple explanation of what Musk is up to in the bowels of the Treasury building. Nothing new for those following the story, but it might be useful for anyone who wants a short summary.
The standard language contrasts Hamas' hostages to Israel's prisoners. But aren't many of the prisoners in Israeli cells actually hostages? Not convicted of any meaningful crime but held for the purpose of a later exchange? What proportion of prisoners are in that situation?
February 2, 2025 at 7:48 PM
The standard language contrasts Hamas' hostages to Israel's prisoners. But aren't many of the prisoners in Israeli cells actually hostages? Not convicted of any meaningful crime but held for the purpose of a later exchange? What proportion of prisoners are in that situation?
New Substack: The Great Musk Treasury Raid. The beginning:
February 2, 2025 at 12:17 AM
New Substack: The Great Musk Treasury Raid. The beginning: