1) This is a response (long but worth it 😃) to Noah Smith’s, @Noahpinion (a dishonest, lying, disingenuous asshole: see below), dismissal of validity, importance of divergence between growth of a typical worker’s hourly compensation and productivity: ...noahpinion.blog/p/tariffs-an 2) In fact, this divergence is real, and due to rising income/wage inequality driven by policy choices made on behalf of the rich and corporations. Smith’s critiques are both inappropriate and beside the point. I’m happy to debate disagreements about data and interpretations.

1) The debates about student relief echo an ongoing debate about how targeted government programs should be. I agree with @arindube

https://twitter.com/arindube/status/1562563986499174402

2) Centrist/liberal economists argue that government should only focus on those at the bottom, perhaps as much as bottom 30%. They have not focused much on helping the broad middle class and, in fact, have silently been hostile to their needs

(1/n) I think there’s some confusion on this whole question of economists being left. I approach this as someone who was trained in two grad schools, one featuring Marxists (American U) and the other dominated by socially liberal, neoclassical economists (U of WI). This gave me a (2/n) unique perspective. FWIW, I found both educations lacking. Mark Twain said, ‘don’t let your schooling get in the way of your education’, & I didn’t. I don’t accept that voting Democratic is ‘left’. Many economists do so, in my view, based on social issues not economics.

Thread on paper explaining Wage Suppression (with @joshbivens_DC at @EconomicPolicy) that was profiled in NYTimes article by @noamscheiber:
nyti.ms/3fjHfnZ Here's the paper:
epi.org/unequalpower/p…

Thread (1/14) on new paper explaining pvt sector union decline w/ @LaneWindham and Lynn Rhinehart. Retweet don't just like! @EconomicPolicy @GeorgetownKILWP
epi.org/unequalpower/p… (2/14)Bottom line, weaknesses in labor law (such as basically no penalties), exploited by employers (legally and illegally) that crushed ability to obtain a union, starting over 1970s,in 1980s & to this day! It wasn't lack of worker interest or simply automation/globalization

Thread (1/8): New analysis (@EconomicPolicy) with @joriskywalker of top 1% wage growth:
epi.org/blog/wages-for… (2/8) Bottom line: In every period since 1979, wages for the bottom 90% were continuously redistributed upwards to the top 10% and frequently to the very highest 1.0% and 0.1%.

1) You are so right @econjared. Of course, the State of Working America biannual series, back to 1988, you co-authored (starting 1992) with me, @jschmittwdc, @HBoushey, @hshierholz, @eliselgould, @joshbivens_DC profiled the centrality of generating robust wage growth.

https://twitter.com/econjared/status/1333076970301759488

2) In 2014: The Raising America’s Pay project exposes the root of rising income inequality, slow living-standards growth, and other key economic challenges: the near stagnation of hourly wage growth for the vast majority.
epi.org/publication/ra…

1) Released new report on CEO compensation. up 17.6% in 2017 to roughly $19.0 million. CEO-to-worker compensation ration now at 312-to-1. See graph

epi.org/publication/ce… 2) CEO compensation up 1070% since 1978. Yes, read that again. Far greater growth than stock market (up about 637% (S&P) or the 308% growth of earnings of top 0.1% (top 1 thousandth). This is not result of a simple 'market for talent'