P.-Guillaume Méon

On Causality A History of How Economics Learned to Think About Cause and Effect

Nice essay by Carlos Chavez on the history and development of causal inference
carloschavezp29.substack.com/p/on-causality

We rarely think of economics as scandalous, but maybe we should. Sam Bowles, in conversation with @durlauf.bsky.social & Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, argues that a core assumption in the field impedes moral reasoning about wealth redistribution. Watch "Why Economic Inequalities Endure"→ bit.ly/3Yj4F3B

📢now forthcoming in ECMA!

The Class Gap in Career Progression: Evidence from US Academia

Class is rarely a focus of research or DEI in elite US occupations.

Evidence suggests it should be: we find a large class gap in at least one occupation - tenure-track academia...🧵

A line chart showing public social spending as share of GDP for a selection of OECD countries from 2000 to 2024. Social spending includes, among others, the following areas: health, old age, incapacity-related benefits, family, active labor market, programmes, unemployment, and housing. The data source is the OECD (2025), OECD (1985), and Lindert (2004). The chart is licensed CC BY to Our World in Data.

📊 Data update: Explore updated data on social spending by governments—

How much are different countries spending on social programs like housing, unemployment, benefits for the sick and elderly, and more?

One-Minute Earthquake, Years of Patience: Evidence from Mexico on the Effect of Earthquake Exposure on Time Preference Using a survey of nearly 20,000 Mexican residents matched with various earthquakes, we observe evidence that people affected by an earthquake report a lower discount rate, implying a greater level ...

Our paper with Robin Rampaer and David Raymaekers, on how earthquakes and time preference, is out in the Journal of Development Studies.
It illustrates the externalities of research & teaching, as it began with Robin's Ma dissertation at @ulbruxelles.bsky.social.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Deadline for SIOE submission in one day! January 15. Come to Fontainebleau to hear about Inst and Orgs in one of the foremost historical (Fontainebleau castle) and sports (world-class bouldering) sites in Europe! www.sioe.org/conference/2...

@PhoebeIshak deserves a shoutout.
Working with her is stimulating, productive, and fun.

Everything you need to know about a PhD in economics A set of answers to many of the most common questions about economics PhDs, including: What is an economics PhD? Should I do an economics PhD? And how should I prepare and apply to a PhD programme?

What is an economics PhD? Should I do an economics PhD? And how should I prepare and apply to a PhD programme?

Assistant Professor of Economics Abdoulaye Ndiaye outlines everything you need to know about a PhD in economics. https://voxdev.org/topic/everything-you-need-know-about-phd-economics

The Elgar Encyclopedia of Public Choice is now out.
I'm honoured to have been invited to contribute three entries on:
- elections and social norms, with @mgiani.bsky.social;
- the grease the wheels hypothesis of corruption;
- democracy and institutional quality.

📢 Postdoc opportunity at @uni-goettingen.de's Ibero! Seeking an economist to research development, trade, Latin America etc. 3-year position starting between April and October 2026. Apply by Jan 17: obp.uni-goettingen.de/en-us/OBF/In... #AcademicJobs #EconTwitter #LatinAmerica Details👇

An image with 6 charts showing the world as 100 people over the last two centuries. The charts cover poverty, basic education, literacy, democracy, vaccination, and child mortality. As one example, 79 out of 100 people globally were living in extreme poverty in 1820. By 2018, that had decreased to 9 people. Data sources: Poverty: Michailis Moatsos (2021). - Education: Wittgenstein Center (2023), World Bank (2023), van Zanden, J. et al. (2014). - Literacy: van Zanden, J. et al. (2014) and UNESCO. - Democracy: regime classification by Skaaning et al. - Vaccination: WHO - Child mortality: up to 1960 own calculations based on Gapminder; UN-IGME thereafter. - Credit: OurWorldInData.org, licensed under CC-BY-SA, author Max Roser.

The world as 100 people over the last two centuries

There is still time to take our survey! And THANK YOU to everyone who did so already!

Very cool online tool that let's you see how your life might have turned out if you had been born in a different place on the planet.

The biggest lottery in life is the "lottery of birthplace":

True and Non-trivial Ideas from Economics There is a well-known anecdote suggesting that, aside from comparative advantage in trade, virtually all ideas in the social sciences are either false or trivial.

The anecdote about "true and non-trivial" ideas from social sciences leaves the impression that ideas other than comparative advantage are either trivial or untrue. Behold more basic ideas (from economics) that are true and non-trivial. #EconSky

mytwocentsandcounting.substack.com/p/true-and-n...

👍I'll save those arguments for next time someone suggests that economics is trivial.
Shouldn't we also add the Keynesian fiscal multiplier to the list?
For a long time, the idea that trying to restore a balanced budget during a recession could be counterproductive and harmful was counterintuitive.

It has become received wisdom in Brussels and Washington that there is a new “euro-sclerosis”: that the EU economy is lagging the US

This view is wrong

A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵

Spending Limits, Public Funding, and Election Outcomes Abstract. This paper investigates the effects of campaign finance rules on electoral outcomes. In French local elections, candidates competing in districts

Forthcoming article "Spending Limits, Public Funding, and Election Outcomes" by Nikolaj Broberg @vinpons.bsky.social and Clemence Tricaud
@eeanews.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1093/jeea...

Michel Crucifix, Anthony Cleve, Marc Demeuse, Jan Dhaene, Marilaure Grégoire, @dimitrileemans.bsky.social, Daniël Linders, Steven Vanduffel, et Michèle Vanmaele.

Opinion | L’Arizona: zone aride pour les universités Les réformes gouvernementales nuiront à la qualité de l’enseignement et de la recherche universitaires avec, à terme, des conséquences néfastes pour la prospérité du pays.

Les universités ne sont pas un coût mais un investissement. L'Echo publie une carte blanche rédigée par des académiques flamands et francophones dont j'ai le plaisir de faire partie.
www.lecho.be/opinions/gen...

SIOE 2026 at INSEAD Fontainebleau! 13-15 July. Call: www.sioe.org/conference/2...

"It's now or never": 1 week left before the submission deadline to the EPCS conference in Madrid! epcsmadrid2026.es

The Penn World Table is a real public good for anyone interested in development and macroeconomics. (and so is @ourworldindata.org, by the way).👍

A stacked area chart showing the total population (split by World Bank region) living in extreme poverty, defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day. Shown from 1990 to 2025, with World Bank projections from 2026–2040. The data is adjusted for inflation and cost of living differences. Rapid progress against extreme poverty in recent decades has slowed and is projected to end. In 1990, 2.3 billion people lived in extreme poverty. Since then, the number of extremely poor people has declined by 1.5 billion people. The number of people in extreme poverty is projected to decline, from 831 million people in 2025 to 793 million people in 2030. After 2030, the number of extremely poor people is expected to increase. The data source is Lakner et al (2024), updated using the World Bank PIP (2025). The chart is licensded CC BY to Our World in Data.

In the last decades, the world has made fantastic progress against extreme poverty. In 1990, 2.3 billion people lived in extreme poverty. Since then, the number of extremely poor people has declined by 1.5 *billion* people. 🧵

I am hiring a 2-year post-doc, starting Sep 1 2026
econjobmarket.org/positions/12...
If you are interested in culture, gender and masculinity, please apply and join me in Sydney!

Si ce graphique du #ClimateInequality Report du ‪@wid.world vous interpelle, joignez-vous à nous le 26 octobre pour la prochaine édition du management.
C'est gratuit et ouvert à toutes et à tous mais vous devez penser à vous inscrire.👇 @ulbrecherche.bsky.social
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/billets-mi...

The growth incidence curve: The upward sloping curve implies that the relative (percentage) gains were greater for the rich than the poor, chart @brankomilan.bsky.social

Publication bias is greater at the top five journals: "56% of statistically significant results [in leading econ journals] were selected to be statistically significant. Selection bias is greater at top5 journals, where 66% of significant results were selected to be significant."

Only 4 weeks to go before the submission deadline to the EPCS conference in Madrid! www.epcsmadrid2026.es

Climate inequality report 2025 | Climate Change: A Capital Challenge - Why Climate Policy Must Tackle Ownership - WID - World Inequality Database This new report reveals how wealth drive the climate crisis, and proposes new policy options to address it.

🚨NEW REPORT: The Climate Inequality Report 2025 reveals how wealth inequality and the climate crisis drive each other.

What's new in the report? — A thread🧵

Download the report▶️ wid.world/news-article...
#cop30 #climatejustice #inequality

Equality and Development: A Comparative & Historical Perspective 1800-2025 - WID - World Inequality Database Equality and Development: A Comparative & Historical Perspective 1800-2025 This paper combines income and wealth inequality series from the World Inequality Database (WID) and new global series on hou...

Does #equality promote #inclusion and #productivity, or hinder #growth❓

🔴Our new study revisits this long-running debate — finding a strong positive link between equality and development over the long run.

Read more▶️ wid.world/news-article...