Steve Berry

Wow. This is the paper I have been waiting for. Mobile apps are brain rot, with meaningfully bad economic consequences for those who overuse them.

Next week, I'm teaching another round of my online Mixtape course on BLP-style demand estimation!

The sessions are hands-on and last time we had a ton of great questions. Sign up here: www.mixtapesessions.io/session/dema...

Every city that has driverless cars before driverless metros needs to hang its head in shame.

Z-CAFÉ will soon open a new postdoctoral position. We’re looking for scholars passionate about family, health, demography, policy, and aging, broadly defined, who also bring strong statistical and computational skills.

The Economics Department and Tobin Center for Economic Policy are hiring several Pre-Doctoral Fellows starting in Summer 2026.

Come join our vibrant program! Learn more and apply here: tobin.yale.edu/programs/pre...

The other day a student asked me about the prevalence of insider trading in prediction markets. I now have an answer.

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.

In my life I've seen treatments for AIDs developed, vaccines for Ebola and malaria, and now this. Medical science is one is the areas that still consistently seems to make these miraculous advances and I'm genuinely grateful to everyone involved.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Absolute respect for the staff at the stats agencies who keep the innovation going, despite the challenges. These new data will be helpful. Do not take this for granted.

Photo from NH Independent

Map from city

NH Indy reporting on rendering of new buildings

#NHV is implementing strong road diets with cycletracks along Whitney and State, 16 years after a huge citywide push by residents and city councilmen (now mayor and state rep), making room for 450 new homes

www.newhavenindependent.org/article/whit...

www.newhavenindependent.org/article/stat...

The vibes at YIMBYtown were amazing. More than any other conference I’m familiar with, most people at YT are doing meaningful work on the ground and attend because they want to become more effective. Pragmatic, optimistic and energetic—just what we need right now. Let’s build more homes, y’all!

ND Gov. Kelly Armstrong at @yimbytown.bsky.social : on any policy change, 20% of people will be cranky & loud against, 80% are supportive but busy living their lives & don’t speak up. Ignore the 20%. Turn off your social media. Find a compelling emotional hook to engage the silent 80%.

The Corrupt Incentives Behind Grade Inflation “We give them all A’s, and they give us all fives.”

“American colleges, especially the most selective ones, are confronting the dual problems of rampant grade inflation and declining rigor,” @rosehorowitch.bsky.social writes. “Teacher evaluations are a big part of how higher education got to this point.”

SB-79 HAS PASSED THE SENATE AND IS ON ITS WAY TO THE GOVERNOR’S DESK

This is not true. Blackstone owns 0.06% of the single family homes in America. There is no market where they own more than 1% of the homes.

Nobody has a monopoly on housing. 2/3 of American households own their homes and rental housing is a VERY diversified and competitive industry.

Postdoc, Postgrad, and Research Intern Vacancies Browse Postoc and Research Intern vacancies at UW–Madison.

Dan Sacks and I are looking for a postdoc to work on Medicaid evaluation projects at UW-IRP. See posting: hr.wisc.edu/postdoc-and-... . Email your resume and cover letter to Tim Connor at tim.connor@wisc.edu.
For any questions regarding the position, please contact Dan Sacks at dan.sacks@wisc.edu

With Induction Stoves, Chefs Discover a Foolproof Path to Perfection From Michelin kitchens to home wok burners, induction delivers consistency that gas can’t match.

Induction stoves are quieter, cooler, and produce less toxic pollution than gas. On the other hand, they also cook better, as a growing number of professional chefs recognize.

‘It’s like when you see the tsunami coming in’: Agricultural economists are sounding the alarm about produce prices doubling Consumers “don’t have a clue what’s going on,”  said Raymond Robertson, a labor economist.

Seems bad

The Department of Economics Welcomes New Faculty for Fall 2025

As we kick off the fall semester, join us in welcoming our new faculty members to Yale!

Learn more about their backgrounds and research: economics.yale.edu/news/250828/...

Here’s the link to comment on the rule. Please do comment. They can make a difference in litigation. www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

My very first concert was Ray Charles on the New Haven Green.

Vietnam to make switch to ethanol-blended fuel in move to boost U.S. imports Vietnam is planning to switch completely to ethanol-blended gasoline from next year, opening up the possibility for the Southeast Asian country to import more ethanol and corn from the United States.

This move to import more U.S. corn ethanol will increase GHG emissions, rather than decreasing them.

Congratulations Rudi!

I now too have a "professional announcement." I have known it for quite some time now, but only from today on this is really, legally official: I am now Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor campus), @umich.edu

“It’s people who will get cancer in 10, 20 or 30 years who will really pay the price for these cuts”

Are the mRNA vaccines incredible? YES!

Are the mRNA vaccines perfect? No.

Have the mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives? YES!

Can we make the mRNA vaccines even better? YES!

Can we use mRNA vaccine technology to prevent and treat many other diseases? YES!

Fund mRNA research!

if you would please consult this graph by @alfredtwu.com

Truly great news as NYC moves forward with this subway extension.

But the cost remains mind-boggling. We're talking $1.97 b for 1.6 mi of new tunnel, space for 125th St station, & upgrades to 0.5 mi of existing tunnel.

In Paris, a €2.5 b contract awarded last year will build 10.6 mi of new tunnel.

NEW Cowles Foundation Discussion Paper: "Selective Turnout, Voting Policy, and Partisan Bias: Evidence from Multi-Level Data"

By Steven Berry, Christian Cox, and Philip Haile: cowles.yale.edu/research/cfd...

Leah Boustan on debunking immigration myths with data New EGC affiliate Leah Boustan analyzes US historical data to evaluate contemporary narratives around immigration.

Debunking #immigration myths with data egc.yale.edu/research/lea... @yaleeconomics.bsky.social #econsky