Matthias Doepke

„The decline was most pronounced among first-year graduate students. Illinois Urbana-Champaign has seen a 22% drop and Buffalo, 58%.“

Informative article 👇🏼 about 🇺🇸 int‘l students.

🇪🇺 has much freer speech now - so, welcome - it but should be said that silly admission restrictions exist here, too.

I am really grateful to Cemfi for organizing this workshop and in particular to all the organizers, participants, and attendants. It was a high quality scientific event, full of warmth and fun. It was wonderful to get together with so many good friends

I've been working on a new tool, Refine, to make scholars more productive. If you're interested in being among the very first to try the beta, please read on.

Refine leverages the best current AI models to draw your attention to potential errors and clarity issues in research paper drafts.

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Alexander Monge-Naranjo has been researching the role of credit constraints in shaping educational attainment. He sits down with @durlauf.bsky.social to discuss how credit access matters for recent cohorts, whereas family resources were more determinative for earlier groups.
Listen → bit.ly/4nOXPxK

I think the key problem here is a continuing assumption, in traditional media, that when the White House speaks on a major topic, this is a big news story.

That model can't cope with a president with no regard for truth, who's in constant broadcast mode, & who veers around from one day to another.

My book, a labor of love, with 15 years of my own research and the stories of countless women, is out today!! I document why women's time has gotten so squeezed, and then provide actionable, evidence-based strategies on what we can do about it! So many people on here did the research in the book! 🙏

Will the $100,000 Visa Fee Help U.S. Workers? Economists Aren’t So Sure Changes to the H-1B system could benefit some U.S. workers. But economists say losing foreign talent could weaken the overall job market—and shift production overseas.

The astronomical new Skill Penalty on US work visas will hobble a core driver of productivity growth in the US economy.

“H-1B visas cause innovation, they cause entrepreneurship, they cause more R&D investment,” I told the @wsj.com

Very nice and balanced piece by @jdlahart.bsky.social —>

If the UK does not take this good advice, maybe Canada will? Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver are great places for tech hubs - lets compete for them by enabling skilled migration and students.

The 100K H-1B fee is the biggest opportunity for the UK yet to revive economic growth and business dynamism.

Now let’s drop those visa fees and NHS surcharges right away to send a clear signal and reap the benefits!

This is a massive, history making abuse of your power. It will define your legacy and one day you will come to regret punishing free speech and trying to destroy democracy.

"The countries where comedians can't mock the leader on late night TV are not really ones you want to live in." - Chris Hayes

This Northwestern professor fled the US under Trump. He hasn’t looked back. Trump’s reelection was the tipping point. In April, Matthias Doepke sold his house and permanently moved his family to England to teach at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Trump’s reelection was the tipping point. In April, Matthias Doepke sold his house and permanently moved his family to England to teach at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The August 2025 issue of the Journal of the European Economic Association is now published (academic.oup.com/jeea/issue/2...). It consists of 10 fantastic papers from a wide range of fields of economics. @jeeanews.bsky.social

Photo of DOGE staffer Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old white man in a blue pullover, carrying a black backpack.

Photo of 53-year-old Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi. He is sitting, wearing white pants and shirt with a brown vest.

On the left: Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old DOGE staffer and college dropout.

On the right: Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar.

This is the story of how DOGE targeted Halimi on social media.

Then the Taliban took his family. 🧵

One of the best features of European cities: parks & public spaces with coffee and basic concessions available inside them. It is *insane* that the US makes this illegal.

Regardless of politics, economists should make clear: we do not condone reckless attacks on our statistical agencies, including by our fellow economists.

The staff at these agencies work painstakingly to collect the data our democracy and economy depend on.

RFK Jr. pulls $500 million in funding for vaccine development The Department of Health and Human Services plans to cancel contracts and pull funding for some vaccines being developed to fight respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business,” said Mike Osterholm, an Univ. of Minnesota expert on infectious disease

mRNA vaccines “certainly saved millions of lives,” said Dr. Paul Offit—a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Germany will be an attractive alternative host country, and will benefit from it -- after a few institutional changes.

Curious to see what Länder and what universities will be the first to report increases in non-EU enrolements.

What Kids Told Us About How to Get Them Off Their Phones Children who were raised on screens need more freedom out in the real world.

"Go outside” has been quietly replaced with “Go online". ... Kids being raised on screens long for real freedom.”

Very much agree with this piece. HT @pascallth.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Very thoughtful thread. My short summary: for now we can continue trust the numbers from BLS. This because agency employees have the integrity to let the public know about potential interference. We might not be able to protect the process, but we will know when it is compromised.

Those direct, short term costs are just the beginning of much more massive and long term damage.

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

Statt die regelbasierte Welthandelsordnung zu verteidigen, schlägt die EU in einen Deal ein, von dem unsicher ist, wie lange er hält, der von den Launen eines Populisten und nicht vom Recht regiert wird und der mit den Regeln der Welthandelsorganisation kaum vereinbar ist. 2/2

Trump’s EPA eliminates research and development office and begins layoffs Administration’s move to cut thousands of agency jobs will be devastating for US public health, union warns

“The Trump administration is firing hardworking scientists while employing political appointees whose job it is to lie incessantly to Congress and to the American people,” she said. “The obliteration of ORD will have generational impacts on Americans’ health and safety.”

E.P.A. Says It Will Eliminate Its Scientific Research Arm

In the US and elsewhere: research inside gov‘t agencies is a perfect complement for outside research, and it thus serves the taxpayer well.

Gift article: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/c...

Is there a source one can read?

The US President has legal authority to set tariffs exclusively in emergencies threatening our national security.

What is the grave national security threat from “small countries where we don’t have much trade”?

Nothing but a lawless rampage. Those charged with oversight abandon their duty.

Parenting choices, shaped by economic incentives, contribute to social stratification and inequality in society, from Francesco Agostinelli, @mdoepke.bsky.social, Giuseppe Sorrenti, and Fabrizio Zilibotti https://www.nber.org/papers/w33963

A Classic Childhood Pastime Is Fading Kids on bikes once filled the streets. Not anymore.

Half as many kids are riding bikes as in the 90s. Of them, only 5% ride "frequently."

When I talk about the phone-based childhood, I don't just mean smartphones and social media. We also need to reverse the overprotection of kids in the real world. www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

A 17-year-old teen refutes a mathematical conjecture proposed 40 years ago Hannah Cairo has solved the so-called Mizohata-Takeuchi conjecture, a problem in harmonic analysis closely linked to other central results in the field. This fall, she will begin her doctoral studies ...

This summer she begins her doctoral studies...
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