What is the impact of studying STEM vs. Humanities? We consider this in Romanian high schools, where otherwise identical kids can be assigned to STEM-focused or Humanities-focused curricula. Our key finding is that kids are malleable to what they study. This happens on 4 fronts:

Check out our new NBER working paper on the link between ethnic self-identification in official records and education - and what this implies for official statistics, policy, and stereotype formation.

In Moldova, a pro-EU and pro-NATO party has taken an outright majority of the seats in parliament, allowing them to consolidate their control over the country. Russia's sustained campaign to influence the elections was a failure. www.lemonde.fr/internationa...

My work (direct.mit.edu/rest/article...) on competitive high school admissions in Romania and their effects on student outcomes features in this new article in Palladium magazine. 👇 www.palladiummag.com/2025/08/29/w...

First presentation as a PhD student: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IicV...

Below are some comments on the LPC platform released yesterday. If the CPC releases a platform in the next few days, I'll try to find the time for some comments on it. bsky.app/profile/kevi...

Here's an open letter you can sign opposing the administration's harmful tariff policy. anti-tariff.org

❗️Our next workshop will be on April 25th, 6 pm CEST on Dealing with Duplicate Data in R by @astroeringrand.bsky.social! Register or sponsor a student by donating to support Ukraine! Details: bit.ly/3wBeY4S Please share! #AcademicSky #EconSky #RStats #dataviz

Lund University (Sweden) has opened 3 doctoral student positions in historical demography-economic history - Inequalities in health and survival /jobID:810603 - Demographic Inequality /jobID:809395 - Colonial maternal health legacies /jobID:808817 Applications are invited! 📉📈🗃🛟 #history #demography

The kicker is the subject line

In this piece, I endorse Tufts Fletcher School faculty's proposal that universities challenge Trump's speech-based deportations of non-citizen students in court, and explain why this strategy is much better than letting targeted students fend for themselves: reason.com/volokh/2025/...

That Louisiana ICE Detention Center could now form a pretty credible US university, given all of the scholars that have been sent there.

Dozens of US lawmakers condemn 'disturbing' arrest of Tufts student with pro-Palestine views - https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/dozens-us-lawmakers-condemn-disturbing-arrest-tufts-student-pro-palestine-views

Saturday April 5 11 am Boston Common track-mg.mobilize.us/CL0/https:%2...

A very old Soviet joke, from an especially dark time: Foxes are fleeing the USSR in droves. Q: Why are you running away? Fox: The Soviets passed a new law that they’re going to arrest all camels. Q: But you’re foxes! Fox: Yeah, why don’t *you* try proving to the NKVD that you’re not a camel.

Open call for applications, The Review of Economics and Statistics Fellowship for NBER Summer Institute. Submit applications by 11:59pm EDT on May 1, 2025. More information: www.nber.org/calls-papers...

Mississippi State Univ. is hiring a tenure-track Econ Assistant Prof w/ August start! Open field; pref. for applied micro & teaching PhD Micro I & II (Micro II this fall). Apply: MSU site & www.aeaweb.org/joe/listing.php?JOE_ID=2025-01_111475768 Please repost—it's an off-cycle search. Thanks!

Imagine “the chief executives of America’s top universities and richest corporations […] issued a public statement that spoke clearly and loudly about the dangers of undermining the rule of law, academic freedom, and scientific research” @drodrik.bsky.social www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/w...

🚨Working Paper Alert!🚨 How did compulsory schooling (CS) shape educational outcomes across generations in the US? 👩‍🎓➡️🧑‍🎓Titus Galama, @kthom.bsky.social and I exploit the staggered roll-out of CS laws across states on a panel of full-count census data (1920 - 1940). 🧵 #education #econ #economics

Trump is at war with the rule of law and free expression. Business and academia are the big losers. They owe it to themselves as well as society at large to speak up. My latest.

This is horrible to post, but I may as well post it. We are essentially shutting down research operations in my group, which is focused on treatments for pediatric brain cancer. I’m a well funded investigator, and there’s no choice. Science can’t function without the stability of NIH

If you're a professor, you have a LOT of power. Not to freak you out, but authoritarian regimes' favorite first move is to shut down the intellectuals in one way or another. Which means you're a threat to them. Use your power. Speak out. Go on TV. Give interviews. Be loud!

"Harvard must stand up, speak out, and lead a public defense of our freedom to speak and study freely." www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Pass it on. #StandWithUkraine

Sunday is the deadline for submissions to our 🚀 3rd CESifo/ifo Junior Workshop on the Economics of Education 🥳 12-13 May 2025, Munich Keynotes: Alexander Willén and @alexeble.bsky.social 🎇 Submit now! 👇

Last chance! #ASSA2025 to fill out the survey! See you all in an hour at the tutorial on reproducibility DAY 1!

Are you on the job market and have very few interview requests (<5, say)? Now is the time to email your advisor and ask for help!

🚨 BREAKING: Romania’s top constitutional court has annulled the country’s presidential election, after security services warned the vote had been distorted by a mass Russian influence campaign to favor a far-right candidate.

Chicago Fed is hiring in our micro group! The ad is not yet on JOE but see this link. 3+ years of experience. Don't need rec letters but do need to list 3 references: rb.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FRS/jo...

📢📢📢 🌇🌇🌇 🚌🚌🚌 I am hiring a predoctoral fellow to work on projects in urban transportation, spatial and development, using a mix of quantitative and experimental tools. Please share and/or apply! academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/13401

🎯JOB ALERT!🎯 I am looking for a RA to work with me and my team on several projects. You should be interested in poverty in developed economies, labour, gender or meta-analysis.

📢 We are hiring 📢 ifo is looking to fill 5 positions, incl. one 6-year Postdoc 👩‍🎓 to join our team at the ifo Center for the Economics of Education! 👉https://econjobmarket.org/positions/11131 Deadline: 24 Nov 2024 Please spread the word! #EconSky

A post on the other website reminded me of one of my all-time favorite maps. Historical borders of Austria-Hungary (broken up in 1918) and present-day elections across 5 different countries: