For decades, economists gave short shrift to the idea of monopsony — a power employers can have to suppress wages. Now a wave of research suggests it’s everywhere, and a new book by @arindube.bsky.social argues it’s key to understanding today’s inequality. www.npr.org/sections/pla...

Relative importance: putting the Employment Cost Index (ECI) into perspective www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/202... #BLSdata

Cherry Blossom Festival

After Claudia Goldin became the first woman to win a solo Nobel in economics, she got hundreds of invitations. She accepted three. One was advising WNBA players on a labor deal. She helped players land the biggest % raise in US sports history. www.wsj.com/economy/wnba...

The US is now building more data centers than office buildings for the first time Spending on data centers hit a record high of nearly $47B/yr in data released today, up 31% over the last year, as office construction keeps falling Also, I'm aware this graph looks like Kentucky

Did you know that Arnold Ventures has a standing RFP for causal research proposals related to crime and the criminal justice system? Send us your ideas! We aim to get you an answer fast (within 3 months).

Noting: While storms may be most widespread late afternoon and evening Monday, a few severe storms -- capable of producing tornadoes -- could develop between midmorning and midafternoon. Some areas could see more than one round of storms. You need to be weather-aware all day.

Projected job openings in occupations typically requiring a bachelor’s degree, 2024–34 #BLSData www.bls.gov/opub/ted/202...

I'm excited that my paper on Air Quality and Suicide has found a great home at the Journal of Health Economics! Pollution affects mood. We show that on days of high air pollution, there are more suicide attempts and deaths by suicide in the US. www.nber.org/papers/w30626

International Women’s Day

Celebrate 'International Women's Day' by listening to our podcasts on these inspirational female economists: Elinor Ostrom Joan Robinson Millicent Fawcett Esther Duflo Edith Penrose Jayati Ghosh #EconSky podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/e...

Exploring the complexities of nonstandard employment: the 2022–23 California Work and Health Survey www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/202... #BLSdata

Women in the labor force, 2024: occupation employment profiles of women and men by age www.bls.gov/opub/reports... #BLSdata

Productivity increases 2.8% in Q4 2025; unit labor costs also increase 2.8% (annual rates) www.bls.gov/news.release... #Productivity #BLSdata

Is manufacturing productivity recovering? Evidence from the past and present www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/202... #BLSdata

It’s Read Across America Day! #BLSData #ReadAcrossAmericaDay www.bls.gov/opub/ted/202...

The US now spends basically as much on data center construction as on office construction

Call for Papers for 2027 SGE@ASSA Sessions. SGE will sponsor 7 sessions at the 2027 ASSA Annual Meeting on January 3–5, 2027 in Washington DC. The submission deadline is Friday, May 1, 2026. www.sge-econ.org/2026/02/18/c...

Looking for a way to get more involved with the Society of Government Economists? Nominations for the board of directors are being accepted through March 3rd. It’s a great group! www.sge-econ.org/about/electi...

It's nice to have a standing desk at work. I'm trying to spend more of my day standing now.

27.1 percent of people with a work-limiting difficulty participated in the labor force in July 2024 www.bls.gov/opub/ted/202... #BLSdata

One week left to write that abstract for the annual SGE conference.

My manuscript "The Economics of Noncompete Clauses" is now out in the Journal of Economic Perspectives. Few topics have garnered more debate and policy attention over the last few years. This article brings us up to speed on the debate and the current answers. pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...

New Census Working Paper: "Life-Cycle Effects of Women's Education on their Careers and Children" by Na'ama Shenhav and Danielle H. Sandler www.census.gov/library/work...

New post: What is the impact of AI on productivity? I review all of the studies and data that I can find and try to provide a synthesis. A disagreement emerges: micro studies find positive benefits but these benefits are yet to show up in the macro data. aleximas.substack.com/p/what-is-th... 🧵

🆕 Free online course on private enterprise, productivity & economic growth by STEG & PEDL (@cepr.org) Through 14 lectures, you can learn from leading researchers on one of the central questions of economic development, how to increase productivity. Register here: cepr-org.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

The annual call for @nber.org nominations has been released, so if you're a researcher hoping to become affiliated, reach out to existing affiliates to get nominated. If you're an existing affiliate, advocate for talented researchers, particularly those with networks not already full of NBER folks.

Come join us this spring 🌸🌸🌸 in DC on April 17th for the Society of Government Economists Annual Conference. All are welcome.

I am co-organizing sessions for the 2026 Southern Economics Association Annual conference in Houston in November. Looking for Maternal & Infant Health, Fertility & Family formation, and other Health and Labor topics. Fill out the form by March 14th. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Remarks by Janet L. Yellen on receiving the inaugural Janet L. Yellen Award for Excellence in Public Service from CSWEP www.brookings.edu/articles/rem...

I remember @mlheggeness.bsky.social telling me about the idea for this book at an AEA meeting three (?) years ago. Excited to dig in (and not *only* for the Taylor references).

The AEA has posted eight "Recent Developments" lectures exploring highly topical issues in economics, presented by the best scholars in the field: www.aeaweb.org/conference/w... Well worth a watch!

For accessibility please include alt text in posts with images. There's even a setting that reminds you. So tired of the inaccessible posts especially with so much going on. Is there a hashtag to get this out there? And please stop using passive voice. #Accessibility #DisabilitySky

The Jan. 2026 issue of the @jpolecon.bsky.social should be of great interest to anyone interested in the well being of young people. www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/jpe/2026...

#ASSA2026 That’s a wrap! See you all in DC next year.

#econsky - new books to read in 2026 by Misty Heggeness and Nancy Folbre

#ASSA2026 Joseph Bommarito talking about the Care Board Dashboard - www.thecareboard.org check it out! @mlheggeness.bsky.social ‘s brain child

#ASSA2026 Donna Ginther accepting the Carolyn Shaw Bell Award

#ASSA2026 Janet Yellen accepting the Janet L. Yellen Award for Excellence in Public Service @aeacswep.bsky.social luncheon

#ASSA2026 picked up a work of art by @mlheggeness.bsky.social

#ASSA2026 It’s time for the SGE Sessions in the convention center 303-A. You’ve got to be on time! 8 am sharp.

#Econsky: I'm presenting new research at #ASSA2026 in a @sgeecon.bsky.social session this Monday at 8 AM titled "Does remote work slow growth and promotions?" Please join us!

Excited about the upcoming SGE sessions #ASSA2026. @victoria-vernon.bsky.social will be presenting on #remotework using #ATUS time diaries on Sunday 8 a.m. I will presenting Monday 8 a.m. on wage growth and promotions for hybrid/remote workers. Sessions are in the convention center room 303-A.

"Our findings challenge the belief that school boards are unimportant, showing that who serves on the board and what they prioritize can have far-reaching consequences for students." www.nber.org/papers/w3459...

Long COVID

A new RAND study finds that many community college students drop out very early—after they register for classes but before enrollment is finalized. This early attrition isn't related to motivation or academics. Rather, students are frustrated by administrative obstacles.

Come join us in Washington, DC next spring for the Society of Government Economists Annual Conference #Econsky