Treb Allen

Excited to see the new Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics (Volume 6), edited jointly with Dave Donaldson come out: www.sciencedirect.com/handbook/han.... Fantastic set of chapters on recent advances and pointing the way to exciting further research @treballen.bsky.social @siepr.bsky.social

Using regulatory pressure and threats to silence critics is straight out of the authoritarian playbook

The military takeover of Washington is not a “distraction” from Epstein. It’s a military takeover of Washington, which is an even bigger deal, and those of us who kill brain cells reporting on this stuff knows it’s been an explicit goal since before the election.

Erika McEntarfer, fired as BLS head by Trump

…got her PhD in 2002

…has 47 publications

…which have 1327 citations

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/Kevin Hassett had long ago discredited himself as a scholar by parroting claims about the economy he knew to be false. Even so, parroting the lie about rigged statistics, is a new low. The academy should ostracize him the same way a fabricator of research should be ostracized.

Columbia is currently on step 1 of failing the Lando test. Ask the law firms about steps 2-4.

Opinion | Columbia’s Administrators Are Fooling Themselves

"this deal is unlikely to end the attacks. The federal government, and this administration, is simply too powerful and too arbitrary to be credibly bargained with."

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/o...

3 days with an amazing line-up of instructors and poster sessions by junior researchers at the end of each day are over!

It's been great hosting 3rd Summer School in International Economics by @jintlecon.bsky.social.

Thanks to @rationalitycrc.bsky.social for supporting this event!

Call for Papers for NBER Economics of Transportation in the 21st Century Virtual Conference, October 24, 2024, organized with Ed Glaeser and Jim Poterba: stephenredding.github.io/Call_for_Pap.... Submission Deadline Weds Sept 3, 11.59 ET. @nber.org @siepr.bsky.social @treballen.bsky.social

There's no declaration of war, and no AUMF that covers this. Entering this war is wrong on the merits; we had a perfectly peaceful way to address Iran's nuclear program. It's also unlawful. A democratic republic should not be able to enter a war of choice on one man's say-so.

📢 Join us for the next Kiel-CEPR research seminar: @treballen.bsky.social (Dartmouth) will present his research on the economic structure of US slavery on the eve of the Civil War, which quantifies the welfare gains from emancipation. Register here 👉 ifw-kiel.de/institute/ev...
@cepr.org

America cannot long remain free, nor first among nations, if it becomes the kind of place where universities are dismantled because they don't align politically with the current head of the government.

The Globalization Cluster at Dartmouth is hiring a pre-doctoral fellow for a two year position starting this summer or fall. International candidates welcome. Take courses. Great placement record. Friendly group! Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/167442 @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social

Call for papers for NBER-Sloan conference on Transport Networks and the Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity: www.princeton.edu/~reddings/Ca... Deadline: June 30, 2025. Organized with Myrto Kalouptsidi. @nber.org @treballen.bsky.social @jintlecon.bsky.social @indorgsociety.bsky.social

"I'm going to govern in econometrics" is a winning campaign slogan for the ages.

Graphic of Washington Post poll from April 18-22, 2025, showing "Majorities of Americans oppose various Trump proposals" highlighting two lines in particular: "Increasing the Federal Government's role in how private universities operate" - 28 percent support, 70 percent oppose "Reducing federal funding for medical research" - 21 percent support, 77 percent oppose

University leaders need to understand: they are holding INCREDIBLY good cards.

It is so rare in today's polarized era to have the support of 70+ percent of the public against the Trump admiministration on anything. Universities have that—AND winning legal arguments.

1/n From the archive: is Econ graduate education at risk of training "savants idiots", 1990 edition

Fears that econ graduate training has become too technicized has led, once again, to educational debates, so the AEA launched a huuuuuge survey of grad education, under the leadership of Ann Krueger

This is archetypally impeachable. Trump’s innovation is to just announce it publicly, so it gets framed as a controversial political choice instead of what it is: a crime against the Constitution.

Straight out of the authoritarian playbook and incredibly dangerous

As you assess the DEAL we're striking with Korea, remember: We ALREADY have an active free trade agreement with Korea that provides tariff free trade in nearly everything.

Expect this new agreement to... Provide for tariff free trade in nearly everything.

Just like 6 weeks ago.

30 years after arriving in the US, I just resigned from Northwestern and we sold our house.

We are an American family, I became a citizen in 2014, and until recently did not expect to ever leave. But now, this no longer feels like the right place to raise a family and pursue a research career.

We can't let the blatant, explicit weaponization of the executive branch against political opponents become normalized. We can't. Down that road leads death.

Steve Kerr: "I believe in academic freedom. I think it's crucial for all of our institutions to be able to handle their own business the way they want to. And they should not be shaken down and told what to teach, what to say, by our government. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

He’s threatening media companies who are critical of him.

He’s talking about sending Americans to foreign prisons.

He’s signing executive orders to investigate former staff members who spoke out against him.

He’s defying the Supreme Court.

Don’t you see what’s happening here?

Happening right in front of us

It's important for people to understand that we're on a trajectory that eventually leads to political prisoners (first non-citizens, then citizens) being sent to these camps.

If the U.S. government is going to take the position that, once removed from the United States, folks can’t be brought back, then it sure seems to me that federal courts should be reflexively and categorically barring *all* removals until they’re 100 percent certain that the removals are lawful.

I had been doubtful that we were going to have a "this is the crisis moment" with Trump, as opposed to "everything about this is a destructive catastrophe."

But the Abrego Garcia case is the crisis moment.

1/

We’re in a full-blown crisis. The Supreme Court couched its language but was fairly clear that the Administration had to at least engage in a good faith effort to bring this guy back. These people are openly decrying the court and admitting they have taken no steps to try to do so.