New article in JPART on administrative burdens. We examine how collaborating with citizens can help break down such burdens. The paper speaks to debates in public administration on policy design and citizen–state interactions. @jpart1991.bsky.social

So much of classic political science research is woefully underpowered. I'm glad we're slowly coming to our senses.

This piece is based on a recent WP by @drelizabethbell.bsky.social and me in which we asses the Fraud-Access Tradeoff in social welfare programs—> drive.google.com/file/d/1TnVH...

New, at Can We Still Govern: The Trump admin is using "fraud" to justify shutting down access to programs in multiple states. @sebjilke.bsky.social & Elizabeth Bell offer evidence that the public tolerates some fraud in order to protect access to programs. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/what-does-...

Don't talk about it much on here, but I co-direct a research lab, and here is an update of what we are up to. cc @sebjilke.bsky.social @pamherd.bsky.social @giannella.bsky.social @jbarofsky.bsky.social @jaeyeonkim.bsky.social bettergovernmentlab.org/so/c6PeDbgsR...

🚨 Course PhD students interested in Behavioral Science, Public Policy & Public Administration 🚨 This November (10–12), I will be teaching a PhD course on Behavioral Science & Public Policy at Utrecht University. 📚 3 ECTS | 📍 Utrecht University | 🗓 Nov 10–12

First single-authored paper finally published in @bppjournal.bsky.social! 🎉 With 3 experiments, I tested whether perceiving corruption leads to corrupt intentions & dishonest behaviors among 1,356 pub employees. I found: NO overall causal relationship. Paper➡️ lnkd.in/eJyCyVrC Find out more! 👇

Better Government Lab received support from Arnold Ventures to study social programs that improve economic mobility through investments in state capacity. Grateful for @mccourtschool.bsky.social & @umfordschool.bsky.social who make this work possible. mccourt.georgetown.edu/news/bgl-arn...

If you are preparing your bachelor statistics course and would like to add optional material for students to better understand statistics on a conceptual level (see topics in the screenshot) my free textbook provides a state of the art overview. lakens.github.io/statistical_...

Better Government Lab received support from Arnold Ventures to study social programs that improve economic mobility through investments in state capacity. Grateful for @mccourtschool.bsky.social & @umfordschool.bsky.social who make this work possible. mccourt.georgetown.edu/news/bgl-arn...

Come work with us at The Better Government Lab! Looking for a postdoc/ABD to join a team studying how to reduce administrative burdens in public services, particular focus on the role of tech tools. Evaluation skills valued. Starting ASAP. @sebjilke.bsky.social www.bettergovernmentlab.org

1/ 📚 Today we're sharing something we've been working on since 2019: an oral history of how the U.S. Digital Service came to be. Nearly 50 conversations with the people who were there from 2009-2015, telling their stories in their own words. 🧵

I have been editor for many Registered Reports and many traditional articles, and it is truly amazing how null results suddenly appear all over the place in Registered Reports. Almost as if there is some problem with our traditional approach. Someone should look into that.

Y’know there’s really nothing more Econ than reproducing something that happened in polisci a decade ago and claiming it as original.

It's not just health policies that matter to mortality. See this paper (w @pamherd.bsky.social @sebjilke.bsky.social @traceesaunders.bsky.social) that shows that enrollment in Supplemental Security Income reduces mortality rates. osf.io/download/67e...

New in @jpam-dc.bsky.social: required interviews are an administrative checkpoint that reduces SNAP participation. Communicating flexible interview policies increases take-up. W @jaeyeonkim.bsky.social @sebjilke.bsky.social @pamherd.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Hey folks, I'm chairing this committee, and we have not yet received any applications. This is a great opportunity for junior scholars!! Deadline is April 1, so get your applications in!!!

Rankings are used throughout the public sector to present performance information. What is the effect on information processing? New paper in @pmreview.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... with Lisa Hohensinn @profgeorgebert.bsky.social ebert.bsky.social @jurgenwillems.bsky.social

Starting soon: the next in our series of webinars covering the ongoing changes in the federal government. Today, we'll be joined by experts to discuss the future of access to federal data. Follow along here for live updates and register for free: tinyurl.com/4uysc4f8

🚨 Only 2️⃣ Days Left to Vote! Don't Miss Your Chance! 🗳

🚨 Only 3️⃣ Days Left to Vote! Don't Miss Your Chance! 🗳

🚨 Only 9️⃣ Days Left to Vote! Don't Miss Your Chance! 🗳

Sum: underwhelming & complex "...financial incentives had no direct impact" And had "a small negative social spillover effect was identified" (individuals living in same household < likely to get vaccinated). Financial Incentives for COVID Vaccination jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

💸 Paying people to #vaccinate sounds smart... but it didn’t work. 🚫 No effect on vaccination rates. 🏠 Worse: people at the same address (who didn’t get paid) were less likely to get boosted. ⚠️ Incentives can backfire. #BehavioralScience jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @sebjilke.bsky.social

Financial incentives fail to motivate prosocial behavior, exhibit #13,982: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

New RCT w Ternovski (lead), Keppeler & Vogel. Contrary to prior work, we find $ incentives have 0 effect on COVID vax, but can have negative spillover for folks living at same address (not receiving $), possibly due to temporary larger demand at public vax events jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

This is an essential pack to follow. go.bsky.app/44RAXUc

🎊 PMRA 2025 Award Nominations Are Now Open! 🎊 ➡️ Best Dissertation Award ➡️ H. George Frederickson Award ➡️ Meier Travel Inclusion Award 🌐 More information: www.pmranet.org/awards

The Better Government Lab - a joint research center at @McCourtSchool & @fordschool - has a fresh website. www.bettergovernmentlab.org You can now follow us on LinkedIn --> www.linkedin.com/company/bett... @pamherd.bsky.social @donmoyn.bsky.social @jbarofsky.bsky.social @giannella.bsky.social

The Better Government Lab - a joint research center at @McCourtSchool & @fordschool - has a fresh website. www.bettergovernmentlab.org You can now follow us on LinkedIn --> www.linkedin.com/company/bett... @pamherd.bsky.social @donmoyn.bsky.social @jbarofsky.bsky.social @giannella.bsky.social

📰 PMRA Weekly | January 24, 2025 🟢 Includes: 🔷 PMRA Announcements 🔸 Sponsorship Opportunities for PMRC 2025 in Seoul 🔸 Management Matters | Latest Issue | Fall 2024 Edition 🔷 Job Opportunities 🔷 Member Announcements 🌐 Link: www.pmranet.org/assets/Secre...

New randomized, controlled trial by the World Bank of students using GPT-4 as a tutor in Nigeria. Six weeks of after-school AI tutoring = 2 years of typical learning gains, outperforming 80% of other educational interventions. And it helped all students, especially girls who were initially behind.

🚨 Only 3 Days Left! 🚨 PMRA is looking for passionate leaders to join our Board of Directors! 🌟 This is your chance to help shape the future of public management research. 🗓️ Deadline: January 15, 2025 👉 Apply now and make an impact: www.pmranet.org/index.php?op...

Terrible news. While I never met him personally, I agree 💯! To me, ‘The Art of the State’ is one of the most influential books. Made me pursue a PhD in PA (next to Pollitt & Bouckaert‘s Pub Mgt Reform). RIP!

📢 Your New PMRA Website is Here We’re thrilled to introduce the brand-new website for the Public Management Research Association (PMRA)! It’s designed to make connecting, collaborating, and staying informed easier than ever. Website: www.pmranet.org

📢 Join the PMRA Board of Directors: Bring Your Expertise to the Table PMRA seeks 8–10 exceptional candidates for five Board positions (June 2025–June 2029). Help shape the future of public management research and advance PMRA’s mission. More information: www.pmranet.org/index.php?op...

Agreed 💯 (need to update myself…) and super helpful if you are on the job market or tenure-track. Can’t count the times I wanna learn abt an ECR and they have no (updated) CV/website.

Interested in adding questions to the 2026 General Social Survey? You can propose to have items added (at no cost to you!). Read this thread for tips about how to write a strong proposal. 1/ gss.norc.org/content/dam/...

Happy 25th Anniversary to those who remember...

Professional update: I will join The University of North Carolina -- Chapel Hill as an assistant professor of public policy starting January 2026. I am excited about working with amazing people at my home department and the School of Data Science and Society.

We still have a relatively poor understanding of the relationship between evidence and policy. Program evaluation in particular is often motivated by a desire to make policy better. But how effective is program evaluation itself?Michelle Rao's JMP tackles this question. www.michellerao.com/research

What are interesting starter packs you’ve come across? Trying to increase interesting content in my timeline and any suggestions are v much appreciated… 🥸🥸

Our faculty meetings suggest the opposite…

When people ask me why I don't care about my h-index, citations, etc., I point out that racism means that's a losing game. Cause this ain't just in economics. www.nber.org/papers/w33150

🚨 New paper in @bppjournal.bsky.social 🚨 We show that positive stereotypes about public sector workers can improve the bureaucratic process. Most people bash bureaucrats, saying they are ‘lazy’ and even 'evil.' Maybe we should start approaching civil servants positively. 🧐 shorturl.at/hqdeB

Field Experiments have matured from academic curiosity to bona fide contributor to knowledge in the past few decades. Yet, the political economy of their deployment in government remains ill-understood. We provide insights in a new working paper, available here: ideas.repec.org/p/feb/natura...

In a new article out in @pnas.org w @michaelsvarer.bsky.social @albecknielsen.bsky.social Michael Rosholm. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/..., we explore the long-term unemployment and mental health effects of active labor market programs.

This starter pack of Public Admin scholars has two spots left (148/150). Nominate yourself - first come, first serve!

One of these pieces is in AEJ: Economic Policy and the other is under review. Other authors on these pieces are @jaeyeonkim.bsky.social @pamherd.bsky.social @sebjilke.bsky.social & colleagues I don't think are on bluesky! www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=... georgetown.app.box.com/s/xujm53kcc1...

New, from @giannella.bsky.social & I: It is very likely that the Trump administration will add administrative burdens to safety net programs. What can state and local govts do? We talk about one simple innovation to increase SNAP take-up. open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...