@shtirlets.bsky.social
Reposted
December 23, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Reposted
My pet peeve about using GDP as a measure of national economic power. I suggest an adjustment that may get closer to reality. www.piie.com/blogs/realti...
China vs. the US: Which GDP is bigger?
Has China yet surpassed the United States in aggregate economic power? Perhaps not. Although China’s GDP, at market prices and exchange rates, is still much lower than that of the United States, the o...
www.piie.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:21 PM
My pet peeve about using GDP as a measure of national economic power. I suggest an adjustment that may get closer to reality. www.piie.com/blogs/realti...
Reposted
Wow! If you are a resident in Austin and want to park in front of your house, the cost is $60/ year. If you are a developer and want to use that space for some sort of improvement project, the cost exponentially more.
And if we have to close a budget gap, guess which rate is going up first?
And if we have to close a budget gap, guess which rate is going up first?
It would cost ~$4k/year in fees for a right of way permit in a 100sqft unmetered parking space. That's the price a RPP should cost.
www.austintexas.gov/sites/defaul...
www.austintexas.gov/sites/defaul...
December 16, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Wow! If you are a resident in Austin and want to park in front of your house, the cost is $60/ year. If you are a developer and want to use that space for some sort of improvement project, the cost exponentially more.
And if we have to close a budget gap, guess which rate is going up first?
And if we have to close a budget gap, guess which rate is going up first?
Reposted
Today I have an op-ed at the LA Times covering the same topic as these substack posts.
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
December 15, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Today I have an op-ed at the LA Times covering the same topic as these substack posts.
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Reposted
You may have noticed: American politicians are really old.
You may not know that American politicians are exceptionally old compared to other democracies.
Congratulations, USA: we are the world's most advanced gerontocracy. American exceptionalism, indeed.
open.substack.com/pub/leedrutm...
You may not know that American politicians are exceptionally old compared to other democracies.
Congratulations, USA: we are the world's most advanced gerontocracy. American exceptionalism, indeed.
open.substack.com/pub/leedrutm...
September 3, 2025 at 8:03 PM
You may have noticed: American politicians are really old.
You may not know that American politicians are exceptionally old compared to other democracies.
Congratulations, USA: we are the world's most advanced gerontocracy. American exceptionalism, indeed.
open.substack.com/pub/leedrutm...
You may not know that American politicians are exceptionally old compared to other democracies.
Congratulations, USA: we are the world's most advanced gerontocracy. American exceptionalism, indeed.
open.substack.com/pub/leedrutm...
Reposted
New study confirms dramatic drop in air pollution in Paris between 2012 and 2022:
• 40% drop in NO2 (smog)
• 28% drop in PM2.5 (particulates)
Modernization of the car fleet played the biggest role in decline—but the city's 34% drop in car traffic was instrumental.
www.airparif.fr/actualite/20...
• 40% drop in NO2 (smog)
• 28% drop in PM2.5 (particulates)
Modernization of the car fleet played the biggest role in decline—but the city's 34% drop in car traffic was instrumental.
www.airparif.fr/actualite/20...
August 28, 2025 at 12:30 PM
New study confirms dramatic drop in air pollution in Paris between 2012 and 2022:
• 40% drop in NO2 (smog)
• 28% drop in PM2.5 (particulates)
Modernization of the car fleet played the biggest role in decline—but the city's 34% drop in car traffic was instrumental.
www.airparif.fr/actualite/20...
• 40% drop in NO2 (smog)
• 28% drop in PM2.5 (particulates)
Modernization of the car fleet played the biggest role in decline—but the city's 34% drop in car traffic was instrumental.
www.airparif.fr/actualite/20...
Reposted
Why is the rent so damn high in LA? Simple economics: the demand for housing is extremely high and our housing supply is extremely low.
August 26, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Why is the rent so damn high in LA? Simple economics: the demand for housing is extremely high and our housing supply is extremely low.
Reposted
On the left: Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old DOGE staffer and college dropout.
On the right: Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar.
This is the story of how DOGE targeted Halimi on social media.
Then the Taliban took his family. 🧵
On the right: Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar.
This is the story of how DOGE targeted Halimi on social media.
Then the Taliban took his family. 🧵
August 22, 2025 at 11:41 AM
On the left: Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old DOGE staffer and college dropout.
On the right: Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar.
This is the story of how DOGE targeted Halimi on social media.
Then the Taliban took his family. 🧵
On the right: Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar.
This is the story of how DOGE targeted Halimi on social media.
Then the Taliban took his family. 🧵
Reposted
“The United Nations has historically resettled more refugees in Houston than any other U.S. city. If we were a country, we’d rank fourth in the world for refugees resettlement. That’s because we’re good at it.”
Thank you, Laura Loomer, for showing Houston at our best | Editorial
www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/edit...
www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/edit...
Thank you, Laura Loomer, for showing Houston at our best | Editorial
Palestinian children wounded in Gaza came to Houston for care. Loomer tried to vilify them. Our city showed the world what real welcome looks like.
www.houstonchronicle.com
August 22, 2025 at 12:52 PM
“The United Nations has historically resettled more refugees in Houston than any other U.S. city. If we were a country, we’d rank fourth in the world for refugees resettlement. That’s because we’re good at it.”
Reposted
Important piece from Andreas Georgiou on what happens when a country undermines the independence of its economic statistics. He should know: He was criminally prosecuted in Greece for reporting accurate deficit figures.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/o... #EconSky
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/o... #EconSky
Opinion | I’ve Seen What Happens When a Country Messes With Data. America, Beware.
www.nytimes.com
August 19, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Important piece from Andreas Georgiou on what happens when a country undermines the independence of its economic statistics. He should know: He was criminally prosecuted in Greece for reporting accurate deficit figures.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/o... #EconSky
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/o... #EconSky
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How valuable are family connections? New working paper finds that working for a parent’s employer increases initial earnings by 24%, primarily by providing access to higher-paying firms.
matthewstaiger.github.io/matthewstaig...
matthewstaiger.github.io/matthewstaig...
August 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM
How valuable are family connections? New working paper finds that working for a parent’s employer increases initial earnings by 24%, primarily by providing access to higher-paying firms.
matthewstaiger.github.io/matthewstaig...
matthewstaiger.github.io/matthewstaig...
Reposted
Paul Krugman: "trade policy is mostly about income distribution"
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-econom...
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-econom...
The Economics of Smoot Hawley 2.0, Part II
This trade war is really a class war
paulkrugman.substack.com
August 11, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Paul Krugman: "trade policy is mostly about income distribution"
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-econom...
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-econom...
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When people are unaware of the true cause of shortage conditions, they tend to have a bias toward blaming sources of demand they have prejudice against (immigrants, lenders, corporations, foreigners, wealthy newcomers, etc.)
Never-ending threads of bigotry prancing itself around as sophistication.
Never-ending threads of bigotry prancing itself around as sophistication.
August 11, 2025 at 2:00 AM
When people are unaware of the true cause of shortage conditions, they tend to have a bias toward blaming sources of demand they have prejudice against (immigrants, lenders, corporations, foreigners, wealthy newcomers, etc.)
Never-ending threads of bigotry prancing itself around as sophistication.
Never-ending threads of bigotry prancing itself around as sophistication.
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really feels like housing affordability is one of the most important political issues of our time, affecting nearly every aspect of our lives, and everyday our mainstream political discourse is about whether sour cream is woke or not
August 9, 2025 at 6:15 AM
really feels like housing affordability is one of the most important political issues of our time, affecting nearly every aspect of our lives, and everyday our mainstream political discourse is about whether sour cream is woke or not
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Redistributive inheritance taxes increase the brutal efficiency of capitalism by disrupting traditional property patterns, that’s why neoliberals should support them and socialists should be skeptical send tweet
Letting your kid inherit the bodega is how it worked before capitalism.
The new and different part of capitalism is to divide the legal ownership into millions of limited liability shares, and to sell the shares.
The new and different part of capitalism is to divide the legal ownership into millions of limited liability shares, and to sell the shares.
August 8, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Redistributive inheritance taxes increase the brutal efficiency of capitalism by disrupting traditional property patterns, that’s why neoliberals should support them and socialists should be skeptical send tweet
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Yes, traffic cameras work, but it's a myth that people hate them!
Survey after survey shows that most people support automatic enforcement (and often want more of it).
This is a false controversy, fed by a minority of disgruntled drivers & journalists seeking narratives with conflict.
Survey after survey shows that most people support automatic enforcement (and often want more of it).
This is a false controversy, fed by a minority of disgruntled drivers & journalists seeking narratives with conflict.
It’s Easy to Hate Traffic Cameras. But They Do Save Lives.
They raise issues of fairness, and critics claim they’re only about revenue. More speed and red-light cameras, however, would prevent a lot of deaths and injuries.
www.governing.com
August 4, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Yes, traffic cameras work, but it's a myth that people hate them!
Survey after survey shows that most people support automatic enforcement (and often want more of it).
This is a false controversy, fed by a minority of disgruntled drivers & journalists seeking narratives with conflict.
Survey after survey shows that most people support automatic enforcement (and often want more of it).
This is a false controversy, fed by a minority of disgruntled drivers & journalists seeking narratives with conflict.
Reposted
Earlier this year, a 17-year-old high school student named Hannah Cairo solved a 40-year-old mystery about how waves behave, surprising and exciting mathematicians. @kevinhartnett.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah...
At 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery | Quanta Magazine
After finding the homeschooling life confining, the teen petitioned her way into a graduate class at Berkeley, where she ended up disproving a 40-year-old conjecture.
www.quantamagazine.org
August 1, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Earlier this year, a 17-year-old high school student named Hannah Cairo solved a 40-year-old mystery about how waves behave, surprising and exciting mathematicians. @kevinhartnett.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah...
Reposted
"This is considered impolite to point out in many mainstream venues, but to be a Republican in good standing today, you have to believe, or at least go along with, an insane amount of lies."
Firing the BLS Director for reporting monthly jobs data institutionalizes that lying, imposing it on others.
Firing the BLS Director for reporting monthly jobs data institutionalizes that lying, imposing it on others.
To Live Inside a Lie
Firing the top labor statistics official for doing the normal monthly jobs report is only the last attempt to force everyone else to abandon reality too
www.arcdigital.media
August 3, 2025 at 2:40 PM
"This is considered impolite to point out in many mainstream venues, but to be a Republican in good standing today, you have to believe, or at least go along with, an insane amount of lies."
Firing the BLS Director for reporting monthly jobs data institutionalizes that lying, imposing it on others.
Firing the BLS Director for reporting monthly jobs data institutionalizes that lying, imposing it on others.
Reposted
Why do the jobs numbers get revised?
our markets and policymakers want data NOW but employer data dribbles in over months
1st estimate is based on the 75% of employers who respond promptly
Updates occur as more data rolls in: 95% response rate by final revision 1/N
www.bls.gov/opub/btn/vol...
our markets and policymakers want data NOW but employer data dribbles in over months
1st estimate is based on the 75% of employers who respond promptly
Updates occur as more data rolls in: 95% response rate by final revision 1/N
www.bls.gov/opub/btn/vol...
August 2, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Why do the jobs numbers get revised?
our markets and policymakers want data NOW but employer data dribbles in over months
1st estimate is based on the 75% of employers who respond promptly
Updates occur as more data rolls in: 95% response rate by final revision 1/N
www.bls.gov/opub/btn/vol...
our markets and policymakers want data NOW but employer data dribbles in over months
1st estimate is based on the 75% of employers who respond promptly
Updates occur as more data rolls in: 95% response rate by final revision 1/N
www.bls.gov/opub/btn/vol...
Reposted
When four homes replace a SFH, each new home is about the same price as the original, and at 5 units or more, the new homes tend to be more affordable. But the critical comparison is to the 1-for-1 replacement — a mansionization, in other words.
July 30, 2025 at 2:55 PM
When four homes replace a SFH, each new home is about the same price as the original, and at 5 units or more, the new homes tend to be more affordable. But the critical comparison is to the 1-for-1 replacement — a mansionization, in other words.
Reposted
I have a new piece up (first with @niskanencenter.bsky.social!)
The federal government spends billions of dollars on transit each year. What can the feds do to get more on the dollar? Two things:
- Create an Army Corp for transit projects
- Incentivize legalizing housing near transit
The federal government spends billions of dollars on transit each year. What can the feds do to get more on the dollar? Two things:
- Create an Army Corp for transit projects
- Incentivize legalizing housing near transit
Making federal transit dollars work: Two reforms for better value - Niskanen Center
American transit investments regularly underdeliver compared to the potential of the infrastructure built and the amount of money invested.
www.niskanencenter.org
July 29, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I have a new piece up (first with @niskanencenter.bsky.social!)
The federal government spends billions of dollars on transit each year. What can the feds do to get more on the dollar? Two things:
- Create an Army Corp for transit projects
- Incentivize legalizing housing near transit
The federal government spends billions of dollars on transit each year. What can the feds do to get more on the dollar? Two things:
- Create an Army Corp for transit projects
- Incentivize legalizing housing near transit
Reposted
Suppose you flip a coin. If it comes up heads, I give you £20. If it comes up tails, you give me £10.
Would you take this bet?
What if the stake was £200,000 vs £100,000?
New post on how much uncertainty is too much uncertainty:
Would you take this bet?
What if the stake was £200,000 vs £100,000?
New post on how much uncertainty is too much uncertainty:
How much uncertainty is too much uncertainty?
And does it matter where it comes from?
kucharski.substack.com
July 23, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Suppose you flip a coin. If it comes up heads, I give you £20. If it comes up tails, you give me £10.
Would you take this bet?
What if the stake was £200,000 vs £100,000?
New post on how much uncertainty is too much uncertainty:
Would you take this bet?
What if the stake was £200,000 vs £100,000?
New post on how much uncertainty is too much uncertainty:
Reposted
Meet the Californian who pushed Texas lawmakers to help fix the state’s housing crisis www.texastribune.org/2025/07/23/t... via @texastribune.org
Meet the Californian who pushed Texas lawmakers to help fix the state’s housing crisis
A bipartisan coalition, organized by Nicole Nosek, played a role in getting the Legislature to pass laws tackling the state’s housing affordability woes.
www.texastribune.org
July 23, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Meet the Californian who pushed Texas lawmakers to help fix the state’s housing crisis www.texastribune.org/2025/07/23/t... via @texastribune.org
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if your thesis is that we should rearrange society to provide you a better selection of mates, and you are not already living in a place with a favorable ratio of (gender you are) to (gender you are attracted to who are attracted to you), i frankly doubt your commitment
July 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
if your thesis is that we should rearrange society to provide you a better selection of mates, and you are not already living in a place with a favorable ratio of (gender you are) to (gender you are attracted to who are attracted to you), i frankly doubt your commitment