#QJE Feb 2026, #9, “Republican Support and Economic Hardship: The Enduring Effects of the Opioid Epidemic,” by Arteaga (@caroartc.bsky.social) and Barone (@vickybarone.bsky.social): doi.org/10.1093/qje/...

Incredible social science & data use here. The immediate story is about how the opioid epidemic (pushed by pharma in high cancer areas), resulted in major opioid death & economic hardship which - through various media/political channels - resulted in a sustained rise in support for the Republicans

This is a very cool paper with a clever identification strategy to test the causal impact of the opioid epidemic on various political outcomes. A key point that’s not in the abstract —causal mechanism is voters agreed with GOP tough on crime rhetoric and policy.

Entirely consistent with what we have experienced, but it still confounds me that people needing and receiving MORE public support increased their votes for Republicans. The people/party that, for the last 45 years++, has wanted to take that support away

Incredibly proud of this 🤩🥹! So much work and determination behind this publication. What a journey this was! Honored to have done it with you @vickybarone.bsky.social 🚀❤️

The president of Harvard could literally belittle and harass women pursuing degrees in economics, and most economists will still argue that gender bias doesn't explain why there are so few women pursuing degrees in economics!

A great honor to be part of the XI Workshop for Young Economists organized by the Lima School of Economics and @UDEP. 📅 Save the date: August 10–11, 2026 🗓️ Deadline: March 13 🇵🇪 See you in Lima!

This happened 😱 !! Extremely honored to become an #NBER Faculty Research Fellow @nberpubs ! Thanks to those who nominated to the #EconomicsofHealth Program !!! Very happy to be appointed alongside many great colleagues and friends www.nber.org/news/nber-ap...

In honor of long COVID awareness day, I wanted to speak about what my experience is like, 25 months in. I am much better but still only leave the house a couple times a week. 1/

Benjamin Wallace-Wells writes about the fentanyl crisis and the Democrats’ failure to respond to it. The Party was “a little too ready to dismiss the hubbub over opioids as partisan hysteria, and a little too slow to notice that people were actually troubled.”

Worth reading. No idea how much weight to give the thesis that Dems lost these regions because Republicans gave the fentanyl crisis much more political and media attention, along with purported trade and border-focused solutions.

Perhaps the single most disturbing post-election statistic/correlation I have read this month.

The enduring legacy of the opioid epidemic has important lessons for partisan politics that are often overlooked @newyorker.com thanks for the conversation & for featuring our work

Same cruelty, violence and dehumanization, only the victim changes. Ecuador now endures the tragedy of cocaine trafficking @economist.com econ.st/3V72oav

Post a picture you took (no description) to bring some zen to the timeline

Asking for your help #EconSky !! I’m interested in your favorite paper using an IV strategy with data available for PhD 2nd year class on methods. Thank you :)