Associate Professor of Economics at @UCSanDiego. Research Associate @nberpubs. Co-Editor @JHealthEcon and @JPubEcon. All views expressed are my own.
Jul 29 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Some bizarre editorializing on economic systems from the @nytimes coverage of the Venezuelan election.
"If the election decision holds and Mr. Maduro remains in power, he will carry Chavismo, the country’s socialist-inspired movement, into its third decade in Venezuela. Founded by former President Hugo Chávez, Mr. Maduro’s mentor, the movement initially promised to lift millions out of poverty.
For a time it did. But in recent years, the socialist model has given way to brutal capitalism, economists say, with a small state-connected minority controlling much of the nation’s wealth."
1/5
nytimes.com/2024/07/28/wor…
Which "economists say" this is left unclear, but we're given a link to an earlier @nytimes article about how "Venezuela relaxed economic controls and left wealthier residents with access to dollars flush."
Earlier, I summarized the results from my latest paper with @michaelrstrain, in which we conclude a 4-year project to estimate minimum wage employment effects using a pre-analysis plan:
The thread to follow has more on the pre-analysis plan itself.
1/20
A key element of this project is its use of a pre-analysis plan, which is rare in economics research outside of experiments. Using a pre-analysis plan reduces the scope for data mining, which can be particularly valuable for research on contentious topics.
2/20
Sep 20, 2021 • 16 tweets • 5 min read
Over the last 4 years, @michaelrstrain and I have tracked the effects of the last decade’s minimum wage changes using a pre-analysis plan. This thread describes the final results of our project. The associated paper is out this week through @nberpubs: nber.org/papers/w29264
1/15
Over the last decade, states’ minimum wage rates have diverged considerably. (E.g., Several states passed $15 minimum wages laws while many stayed at the $7.25 federal minimum). It’s an unusually fertile setting for learning about the effects of large minimum wage increases.
2/15
Aug 30, 2021 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
For analysis of failed counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan (why they have failed and with what implications), please see my latest at the link below, which is out today through @IrregWarfare:
mwi.usma.edu/an-unforced-er…
1/10
The piece walks through key reasons why counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan have failed, coupled with a discussion of what the future might hold for opium production in Afghanistan given reports that the Taliban will reinstitute an opium ban: wsj.com/articles/talib…
2/10
Aug 15, 2021 • 19 tweets • 5 min read
An underrated mistake in US policy in Afghanistan was its long-running effort to suppress the cultivation of opium poppy and, in turn, the production of heroin and other opiates.
A thread. 1/19
The US effort to suppress opium production in Afghanistan is an issue in which I’ve long taken an interest. It was the topic of my undergraduate thesis, which was later published in the Journal of Law and Economics. It also generated a follow-on project. 2/19
Feb 6, 2021 • 20 tweets • 9 min read
A thread...
on my new paper in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, which discusses a rich set of economic margins along which firms might respond to minimum wage increases.
Is it "That radical reforms, as suggested by... [some] ... presidential candidates, are undesirable and unneeded? That [those] who endorse single payer are way overreaching? Or that these health economists are... major wusses?"
2/n
Jan 2, 2020 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Thread with San Diego pro-tips for the visiting economists of #assa2020.
The conference hotels are located in our central business district, which has perks but is by no means representative of the city. If you've perused Yelp and Google Maps but are at a loss, consider...
1/n
Since you're coming to San Diego you might expect to have some tacos. Try... 1) Best fish taco: Oscar's Mexican Seafood (smoked fish recommended) 2) All around tacos: The Taco Stand 3) Over-priced delicious tacos: Puesto 4) Under-priced delicious tacos: Tijuana
