Evan Starr

The totally groundless firing of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, my successor as Commissioner of Labor Statistics at BLS, sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau. For a full statement opposing this move, read:

Trump’s first BLS Commissioner, Bill Beach, calls today’s firing groundless and dangerous.
www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

What to make of POTUS's attempt to fire the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)?

Let's run down what knowledgable people are saying...

With government statistics, it's pretty simple. If you liked the February, March, and April numbers, then you have to accept all the next ones, too. They are produced in the exact same way, it's what the computer spits out, based on the inputs provided. You do not get to cherry pick your stats.

5/ 📅July 23
⏰2pm: "Are Hospital Acquisitions of Physician Practices Anticompetitive?" ft #EGgrantee(s) Zack Cooper @stuartcraig.bsky.social @proffionasm.bsky.social
📅July 24
⏰9am: "Clause and Effect: Theory & Field Experimental Evidence on Noncompete Clauses" ft Bo Cowgill & @evanpstarr.bsky.social

🤣 Thanks Mike!

It was great to see you @laurakgee.bsky.social! Thank you for reaching out and letting me jump on your schedule :)

Rest in peace, Ed Leamer

🚀 Exciting Opportunity! 🚀
#AI keeps me up at night. What will happen to work & workers? 🤔
I'm partnering with Schmidt Sciences to offer up to $200,000 in funding for early-career researchers! 💡
🗓️ Apply by March 31 2025
🙏 spread the word!
🔗 Learn more & apply schmidtsciences.org/ai-at-work
#EconSky

Updated restrictive covenant “low-wage” threshold/criteria chart Restrictive covenant wage thresholds and criteria exist in 11 states and D.C. Our updated chart for 2025 is now available.

Yes! Thanks for sharing my brief @aaronsojourner.org @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social About a dozen states have noncompetes bans since 2008 ranging from a complete ban to low wage, high wage, and high tech (see faircompetitionlaw.com/2025/02/13/u...).

Big news in labor #antitrust! The US Department of Justice antitrust division & the FTC release new guidelines on business practices affecting workers, like no-poach deals, non-competes, and info sharing—some of which may violate antitrust laws. www.justice.gov/atr/media/13... 🧵

Me too!

There is a widespread notion that men are more ambitious than women.

But this new paper finds no significant gender differences in goal setting or goal pursuit suggesting that gender disparities in educational or professional contexts stem from other factors.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

We just had baby #3 a few months and this just happened to me a few weeks ago! It was both sad (how could I forget a song I sang so many times) and amazing (I forgot!)

Congratulations Paul! A clear and important piece that I hope continues to reach many more ears and eyes.

When I started to supervise master theses, students had somehow heard of the PROCESS macro. Even some colleagues were working with it. When I looked into it, I couldn't believe what I saw. Then @dingdingpeng.the100.ci approached me to write a paper about its shortcomings. Now it reached 200 cites! 📈

"This paper identifies an important bias — termed dynamic bias — in fixed effects panel estimators that arises when dynamic feedback [past outcomes influencing current outcomes] is ignored in the estimating equation." klosins.github.io/Klosin_JMP.pdf #econsky

At some point, years from now, you will start singing it and forget the words...and that will be a great day

Some of the most important lottery anomalies from the behavioral risk literature (e.g., probability weighting and loss aversion) actually have nothing to do with risk.

They also arise in perfectly deterministic settings.

Lead article in the latest AER issue:
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...

Do firms have an incentive to comply with the federal minimum wage?

Based on current penalties and enforcement, the answer for most firms is *no*.

My paper now out in ILRR - also featuring newly FOIA-ed case level data on DOL min wage enforcement outcomes

Great news @annastansbury.bsky.social! Congratulations on a cool paper.

Just spent 48 hours in DC bouncing between academic conferences and the think tank world.

I learned a ton in both settings but came away depressed at how little the two worlds understand each other's value.

Economics BlueSky feed Post with: #econsky (emojis no longer work)

Lots of new econ lovers here & lots of new resources. A🧵.

The #EconSky feed built by @paulgp.com is the central place for econ discussion here.

Displays posts with that tag. Click here, Pin it. Shows up as a tab on far right of ur Home screen ribbon

8 more resources...
bsky.app/profile/paul...

Well Deserved Jon! Congratulations!

I'm sure she was Soo appreciative!

Seventeenth Annual Microeconomics Conference The Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Economics and the Tobin Center for Economic Policy at Yale University will host the 17th Annual FTC Microeconomics Conference on November 14 and 15, 2024 in

Meanqhile, the FTC is holding its seventeenth annual conference, with presentations by @evanpstarr.bsky.social, Pinar Yildirim and Zach Cooper.

Programme here:
www.ftc.gov/news-events/...

3/5

This place is glowing up quickly!

If you're new, welcome!

If you love econ, the blog below can help you get plugged into the community here.

If you read this a while ago & haven't checked it out lately, maybe do.

I'm adding resources & people are changing their starter packs all the time.

📢 New publication alert! “The Year in Review: Economics at the #Antitrust Division 2023–2024” with @susanathey.bsky.social, Alex Gross, and Jennifer Shanefelter. Labor market competition is protected by the 2023 Merger Guidelines. doi.org/10.1007/s111... #EconSky

Welcome, new #EconSky joiners!

I have updated my starter pack - now with over 120 IO, org econ, innovation and firm dynamics researchers. If you think I have forgotten someone, please let me know.

go.bsky.app/Rchu8QX

This made me lol Aaron!

FTC Announces Rule Banning Noncompetes Today, the Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule to promote competition by banning noncompetes nationwide, protecting the fundamen

Happy @evanpstarr.bsky.social Day to all who celebrate! May the job offers be ever in your favor.
www.ftc.gov/news-events/...