Guillaume Blanc

Home Office immigration and nationality fees: 9 April 2025

Migrants have been paying 7 to 10 times the actual processing costs of visas for years, and many have been forced into destitution by extortionate fees. Now this government has increased them again. Migrants are not a magic money tree for politicians to keep exploiting.
www.gov.uk/government/p...

Ugh…

French scientist denied US entry after phone messages critical of Trump found France’s research minister said the scientist was traveling to Houston for a conference when his phone was searched

The policy of enforcing political beliefs upon all foreign visitors is radically anti-American.

It will sever us from international research networks and hobble our capacity to innovate—bedrock of American prosperity.

Americans reject authoritarian rule.

🚨 Call for applications - Research Assistant 🚨

Valeria Rueda @valerueda.bsky.social and I are recruiting someone to work on projects on "Violence and narratives in Colombia"

Looking for students interested in pol econ/dev, with a good knowledge of Colombian history

Deadline: April 15

a fortune cookie reads "knowledge is power." the words "france is bacon" are written beneath

*nods knowingly*

Very excited about the first installment of the Berkeley Econ History Mini Conference — first edition being on econ history x political economy. Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Migration served as an escape valve during the Age of Mass Migration, allowing surplus labor from high-fertility European regions to seek better opportunities in the New World, from Guillaume Blanc and Romain Wacziarg https://www.nber.org/papers/w33542

Abstract: This paper investigates the enduring overrepresentation of aristocratic families in elite higher education. It analyses 269,917 graduates from ten leading French grandes écoles between 1911 and 2015, using surname-based indicators of nobility and a linkage to birth records. Despite a decline over time, descendants of aristocrats remain nine times more likely to gain admission than the rest of the population, even two centuries after the French Revolution. While historically most concentrated at Sciences Po Paris, their presence has converged across institutions, though business schools now exhibit the highest overrepresentation. The analysis also reveals a gender gap, with noble men benefiting more from this educational advantage. These findings highlight the persistence of historical hierarchies beyond the end of legal privileges, as noble families convert symbolic capital into academic credentials, ensuring continued access to elite status

De l'avantage d'être de noble lignage pour intégrer une (très) grande école en France (1891-1995)

Encore un travail incroyable de @stephanebenveniste.com !

stephanebenveniste.com/wp-content/u...

Malthusian Migrations Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

My new paper with @guillaumeblanc.bsky.social is out as an NBER Working Paper. Demographic pressures have had lasting effects on the spread of diasporas. Malthusian migrations contributed to sustained improvements in living standards in Europe in the 19th century. www.nber.org/papers/w33542

🚨 Migration as escape valve from Malthus 🚨

1) high fertility or late fertility transition -> spread of diasporas
2) Age of Mass Migration -> transition to modern growth

www.nber.org/papers/w33542

@nber.org @romainwacziarg.bsky.social

Thanks!

I read this paper this morning on NBER working papers series and it blew my mind. Very impressive work.

New historical migration paper alert 👇👇👇

I will be presenting this paper next Monday at the Paris School of Economics! @pse.bsky.social

🚨 Migration as escape valve from Malthus 🚨

1) high fertility or late fertility transition -> spread of diasporas
2) Age of Mass Migration -> transition to modern growth

www.nber.org/papers/w33542

@nber.org @romainwacziarg.bsky.social

Which is not fun!

Fun would be asking ChatGPT Deep research.

These Club Retro illustrations of Colombia look at lot like Guatemala City. www.instagram.com/p/DG0qFhXMJJ...

Screenshot of OpenHistoricalMap

TIL about the existence of OpenHistoricalMap, an open collaborative project where people can contribute features to a world map over history (currently from 1825 onwards).

📢 We're Hiring! 📢 I'm looking for a PhD student to join me @sdueconhist.bsky.social to work on research in health care, education, and medical innovation in the US.

👉Fully funded by @carlsbergfondet.dk
👉Deadline: 7 April

Come be part of an exciting research environment—apply now! ✨ bit.ly/4i3KsHq

🚨 Announcement - Hajnal Lecture 2025 🚨

"The Origins of Constitutional Government"
by @markkoyama.bsky.social

May 7, 2025 from 4 to 5:30 pm
Arthur Lewis Lab, University of Manchester

And no need to register to come to the lecture!

For the physical award, @nationaltrust.bsky.social generously provided fabric made at the Quarry Bank Mill, one of the best preserved textile factories of the Industrial Revolution, near Manchester!

🚨 Announcement - Hajnal Lecture 2025 🚨

"The Origins of Constitutional Government"
by @markkoyama.bsky.social

May 7, 2025 from 4 to 5:30 pm
Arthur Lewis Lab, University of Manchester

And no need to register to come to the lecture!

That’s not American. American is setting the thermostat to 30 degrees (celsius) in winter, and 5 degrees in summer.

294-page working paper anyone? www.iza.org/publications...

War Mobilization and Economic Development: World War II and Structural Transformation in India Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

New Paper!
Can temporary war mobilization reshape an economy in the long run? 📜

In a paper with @aneeshap.bsky.social, we study how World War II economic mobilization transformed India. Link: www.nber.org/papers/w33246

Migration as an escape valve from Malthusian dynamics after the discovery of the New World! #MarginalRevolution

- Societies with high fertility or late transition: larger diasporas!

- Opening of valve (steamship) contributed to transition to modern growth!

👉 www.guillaumeblanc.com/files/theme/...

Migration as an escape valve from Malthusian dynamics after the discovery of the New World! #MarginalRevolution

- Societies with high fertility or late transition: larger diasporas!

- Opening of valve (steamship) contributed to transition to modern growth!

👉 www.guillaumeblanc.com/files/theme/...

What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of life? What would you remember as bringing satisfaction, meaning, and purpose to your life? These are the modest questions that David Lagakos, Stelios Michalopoulos and I try to answer by "interviewing" over 1,400 Americans.

Though, since this change took place, past AER P&P's have been listed as AER's (even on the AER website)!