Melissa Knox

Our latest study @jamahealthforum.com shows the harms of work requirements for safety net programs. Women who were subject to harsher requirements and who received less cash assistance from TANF were less likely to breastfeed. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @donmoyn.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu 1/

lol, good luck with that!

The only way that Jay Bhattacharya can say that banned words lists are made up is to lie about them.

Mushtaq Khan: How Bangladesh surmounted market failures to become a leading garment exporter

📣 New economist in action video: Mushtaq Khan: How Bangladesh surmounted market failures to become a leading garment exporter. Thanks the @uolondon.bsky.social & the Convocation Trust.
youtu.be/Lo5Gz9EnKl8?...

Excess Deaths Attributable to the Los Angeles Wildfires From January 5 to February 1, 2025

An estimated 440 excess deaths were attributed to the January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles County, underscoring indirect health effects and the need for improved mortality tracking.

ja.ma/4oFM3af #MedSky

Bumping for attention and to mention that we know this is kind of short notice, so please send an abstract if that’s what you have!

If I see you person, you’ll probably be hearing one of these soon! (Unless you see me first, I guess.)

a dj wearing a mickey mouse mask is playing music in front of a screen that says " keep calm party hard " Alt: a dj wearing a mickey mouse mask is playing music in front of a screen. His dead eyes are a perfect reflection of the hopelessness I feel when smelling the dead mouse stench that continues to permeate my house.

4. “The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (of Horror)” Dead mouse + 2 week vacation = 🤢 and one dead dishwasher.

a man in a police uniform is sitting in a chair and saying now you 've done it Alt: A man in a police uniform (Captain Holy from Brooklyn 99) is sitting in a chair and saying, “Now you 've done it. You’ve made me turn my chair.” He doesn’t look happy about this fact.

3. “Don’t make me turn this plane around.” Yeah, we made them turn the plane around. Oops. (Picture represents flight attendant attitude quite well, honestly.)

a man with blue paint on his face is screaming with the words freedoooom !!! below him Alt: Mel Gibson with blue paint on his face is screaming with the words freedoooom !!! This is a scene from the movie Braveheart. Our tour bus driver told the entire story of William Wallace’s death to my 11-year-old in grim detail. But we still thought he was amazing.

2. “Freedom!” Braw Scotsman tour bus driver interrupts his Scottish history lesson to rip the windshield off an overturned caravan.

a man in a suit is holding a book while talking to a woman Alt: Archer is in the ISIS office holding a box of donuts. Lana Kane walks past and knocks them onto the floor. Archer says, “Do you want ants? Because that’s how you get ants.” He probably also screamed, “Lana!” in this scene. No word on whether the ants in question were Pharaoh ants.

Currently workshopping what will definitely be four life-long dinner party stories from my recent trip to Ireland and Scotland:

1. “You want ants? Because that’s how you get ants.”
Did you know that there are ants that actually multiply by creating new queens when you try to kill them? I didn’t.

And please share! Thanks!!

Past programs and more info here: melissaknox.net/pnwld.html

Reach out to me here or over email if you have any questions!

Hey, #econsky! We are currently accepting submissions for the 8th Annual Pacific Northwest Labor Day Workshop
Friday, September 19, 2025 in Seattle, WA

Please email your submission to pnwldorganize@gmail.com by Sunday, August 17. Graduate students encouraged to apply! #EconConf

August 1, 2025 AMERICAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION Committee on Economic Statistics and Committee on Government Relations Statement from the American Economic Association on the Dismissal of the BLS Commissioner Leaders of the American Economic Association express their grave concern over the dismissal of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) earlier today. The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions. Undermining the independence or credibility of these agencies threatens the integrity of the information that markets, institutions, and the public rely on every day. Measuring the vast and dynamic U.S. economy in real time is inherently challenging. It is standard practice for statistical estimates to be revised as more complete and higher-quality data become available. These revisions reflect the commitment of statistical agencies to accuracy, transparency, and methodological rigor-not failure or bias. The BLS has long had a well-deserved reputation for professional excellence and nonpartisan integrity. Safeguarding this tradition is vital for the continued health of the U.S. economy and public trust in our institutions. We call upon elected officials to respect and preserve the independence of the nation's statistical infrastructure. Lawrence Katz President, American Economic Association Katharine Abraham President-Elect, American Economic Association Karen Dynan Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Economic Statistics Kenneth Troske Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Government Relations

Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing

As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements

This is a big deal

1. Give trans people rights.
2. Protect those rights.
3. Live your own life.

New working paper from me & some colleagues on East Africa's maize markets from c. 1900 to today, based on a major data collection effort to fill in the long-run history of food prices in one of the world's poorest regions: www.aehnetwork.org/working-pape...

the path to solving hunger, disease and poverty is subscribing to my substack and writing me lots of nice comments about how great I am

A quick update re NIH and NSF terminated grant tracking:

Grant Watch has a new name!

We're now called **Grant Witness**

You can find us at grant-witness.us

Please update your bookmarks and spread the word! 🙏

(And no, this wasn't our preference, but trademarks are a thing. 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️)

Someone *please* remind me this exists in September? Thx.

Rolling back Mexico's big conditional cash transfer program resulted in "reduced enrollment and raised employment in high-school-aged boys by 12 and 8 percentage points". tomvogl.github.io/marquez_park... Tom Vogl at #ABCDE2025

Thank you!

Same in the US! Took my husband to get an MMR at our local Safeway with no issues (unlike the Covid booster, which was another story entirely).

Not the point of this fascinating article, but it remains darkly ironic to me that the Humanities have fallen backwards into being the safe financial bet of degrees

YouTube video by Vinny Marchi Hostile Government Take Over (EDM Remix) @AGiftFromTodd

Reached the point where I gotta put this on repeat and dance out some feelings

www.youtube.com/shorts/sLn8G...

Solar becomes top source of electricity in California

www.pv-magazine.com/2025/07/10/s...

Yum, jacket potatoes… As for the second, I live in Seattle, so that sounds pretty familiar! Glad we don’t have to break our usual no umbrella policy.

Hey #Econsky, traveling to Ireland and Scotland (mostly Edinburgh) in a few weeks. Aside from Adam Smith’s statue, what other Econ-y/public health landmarks should I visit? (Husband is a philosopher, so we have Hume and the like mostly covered.)

5 Oval shaped pins with gold outlines with an oval cutout in the middle with a yellow slideable star: Spoons: Lavender background Hunger Scale: Red background Migraine Scale: Blue background Speaking vs Non Speaking: Green background The first one has SHE, THEY, HE on top. At the bottom there's HER, THEM, HIM. White background.

Galaxy, Strawberry and Bat Knee Braces

Galaxy and Moon Bunny Compression Gloves

Fairy and Bat Convertible Bags

Happy Disability Pride Month! It costs 0$ to Repost a Black disabled queer small business! It could lead to my next sale.

I sell pins, knee braces, compression gloves, artist gloves, binders, wrist braces, compression socks, cute bags & more!

Store details below!

The full ruling explaining why NIH grant cuts are illegal came out today.

It's just as blistering as the judge's oral remarks. And it uncovers fresh details in DOGE's role orchestrating the cuts — and on the cuts at Columbia.

Here are my top highlights from the 103-page ruling. 🧵