Pierce O’Reilly

We joined the PCT Tax & Development Conference in Tokyo!
Our Research Fellow Amina Ebrahim highlighted how microdata + Secure Data Labs help countries move from data scarcity to evidence‑driven tax reform
Her message: when countries own data and capacity, real policy change happens
go.unu.edu/1Q7ly

Great to see extensive NYT & FT coverage of our paper on the fossil-fuel profit bonanza during the previous war-induced oil & gas price spike. Links in Gregor’s thread. 👇

#MakingTaxDataWork

Throughout the past weeks, we’ve shared the journey of African secure research data labs — expanding access to administrative tax data, strengthening institutions, and supporting more informed tax policy.

Explore the full story and watch the documentary 👉 go.unu.edu/U3Izl

China’s latest energy data offers a signal worth paying attention to. In 2025, emissions from energy and industry fell by 0.3%, modest, but notable, even as total energy consumption rose by 3.5%.

The key driver? A continued surge in solar power capacity.

Unprecedented increase in ice melt in Greenland due to climate change A study published in Nature Communications shows that water resulting from ice melting has increased six-fold in recent decades.

"Since 1990, the area affected by extreme melting episodes has increased at a rate of 2.8 million km² per decade. And the production of water from ice melt has increased six-fold"

#Greenland 🇬🇱
#ClimateEmergency

a graph of texas monthly solar generation

Solar power also continues to skyrocket in Texas, with solar generation up 34% compared to last year.

Over the last twelve months, solar has made up 10.7% of Texas' electricity, a record high!

This is absolutely unbelievable work. I was blown away when I saw a sneak preview. Sam, Chris M, Peter and Chris C deserve all the love they’re getting in the comments.

#MakingTaxDataWork

Word is spreading on the policy impact of tax administration data labs — and other countries are taking note. Inspired by these experiences, Honduras saw that secure, collaborative use of administrative data is possible, and launched its own data lab in November 2025 🙌

This is the most incredible footage of blue whales I’ve ever seen

Report: Staff at Dilley raiding cells to confiscate kids' letters and drawings detailing conditions inside

ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.

www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...

Text on a slide discussing the impact of tax design on taxpayer behavior and how tax data uncovers hidden behavioral responses.

Graphic discussing taxpayer income reporting. Highlights discrepancies between reported income and actual work effort post-tax threshold changes.

Text graphic discussing the analysis of Zambian taxpayer behavior following changes in income tax rates and thresholds.

#MakingTaxDataWork in Zambia!

How do taxpayers respond when income taxes rise?

Using payroll tax data from the Zambia Revenue Authority data lab, new evidence shows that higher taxes mainly change how income is reported, not how much people work.

👉 go.unu.edu/AUtBa

About time we called it the price-wage spiral.

Difference in time use between working parents of small children vs working non parents. Areas above zero are activities parents do more of; areas below are what they give up. Compiled by analyzing the Census Bureau’s American Time Use Survey. Analysis and chart by Aziz Sunderji, https://homeeconomics.substack.com/p/where-do-parents-find-the-time

Where do parents find the time to parent? Less sleep, work and screens.

Amazing chart feat. in @alphaville.ft.com Further Reading.

homeeconomics.substack.com/p/where-do-p...

Pretty much the most important thing happening in the world right now.
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chi...

#MakingTaxDataWork in Uganda!

🗂️ Administrative tax data from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) shed light on Uganda’s 2012–2013 income tax reform — higher taxes for the top 1%, relief for low- and middle-income earners.

Read here 👉 go.unu.edu/uK1bf

Grazalema, Spain, received over 2,000 mm (78 inches) of rain in just the last 20 days.

Over a year’s worth of rain — and it’s only early February. This is hydrologically absurd.

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained.

We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

Their refusal to share data and code notwithstanding, we roughly reproduce Voortman & de Vos.

They underpower their analysis and misread a statistical procedure.

Correcting that, we find that sea level rise DID accelerate.

essopenarchive.org/doi/full/10....

Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.

Peter Mandelson is telling the truth on one thing: the idea he was bought for a $4k “bursary” or a $75k gift is ridiculous

The real incentive was a post-government payday - one so big he *rejected* a $3–5m-a-year offer

And Epstein enabled that payday

Here’s the evidence. 🧵

Why do digital taxes struggle to raise revenue in Africa? 🤔 Despite over $1 trillion in mobile money transactions, backlash is common. Our blog reveals how digital taxes can raise meaningful revenue—if citizens see clear and local benefits.

Read more: go.unu.edu/7uhhC

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲?

New UNU-WIDER research in @itaxjournal.bsky.social uses firm-level audit data to examine tax compliance and tax gaps in Zambia.

Read more 👉 go.unu.edu/pZOmc

Europe's power now has wind & solar as biggest component in “major tipping point” for EU

Coal-burning fell to a new historic low, although gas gen up slightly cos hydro suffered in dry year

Solar & wind “becoming the backbone” of Europe’s power system say CREA

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

New 100 MWh industrial battery uses bricks to store heat, supplies steam Rondo Energy and Covestro have begun building a 100 MWh industrial heat battery to produce clean steam using surplus renewable electricity.

A positive step for industrial decarbonisation:

Rondo Energy and Covestro are building a 100 MWh heat battery in Germany, showing how surplus renewable electricity can be turned into clean industrial heat.

interestingengineering.com/energy/rondo...

graph showing the top 10% now account for about 48% of consumer spending. the bottom 80% collectively account for about 37%

The top 10% now account for nearly half of all consumer spending.

Recently published in @itaxjournal.bsky.social "Safely opening Pandora’s box: a guide for researchers working with leaked data" by Annette Alstadsæter, Matthew Collin ( @mattcollin.bsky.social ) & Andreas Økland (@andokl.bsky.social)

Available at: rdcu.be/eZfQl

Image of Richard Baldwin holding a microphone.

@wederdim.bsky.social writes a special column as VoxEU's founding Editor-in-Chief @baldwinre.bsky.social steps down. CEPR's President highlights Richard's vision, his energy, and his service to the economics profession and to the public.
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
#EconSky

depressing

The Oceans Just Keep Getting Hotter For the eighth year in a row, the world’s oceans absorbed a record-breaking amount of heat in 2025. It was equivalent to the energy it would take to boil 2 billion Olympic swimming pools.

For the eighth year in a row, the world’s oceans absorbed a record-breaking amount of heat in 2025. It was equivalent to the energy it would take to boil 2 billion Olympic swimming pools. www.wired.com/story/the-oc...

Don’t be fooled — everything has changed for the global economy Damage caused by US tariffs has so far been muted but that won’t last

Important. www.ft.com/content/9c82...