New in @pnas.org! Light-touch government outreach boosted take-up of the Child Tax Credit & stimulus payments among very low-income families—while higher-touch strategies added little. By: @elizabethlinos.bsky.social, J. Lasky-Fink, V. Dorie, @jrothst.bsky.social 🔗 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

This was never about performance

This morning 9 former CDC Directors, whose tenures date back to 1977, published this warning in the NYT: RFK Jr is a danger to public health. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

CDC employees standing up and walking out in light of the mass shootings, firings, and *waves hands in the air* everything else. #USAnotRFK Lets gooooo

The people of government doing what needs to be done to serve the nation.

We'll be sending out our annual report soon so sign up now!

A really important and clear summary of where we are.

This one will be in the history books.

🚨 ICYMI: The People Lab is growing — and we’re hiring! We’ve got two exciting opportunities: 🔹 Research Associate Fellow (rolling review) 🔹 Senior Project Manager (first review Sept 2, 2025) Learn more + apply here 👉 peoplelab.hks.harvard.edu/careers/

Looking at images of all the happy crowds doing the #ZcavengerHunt and 7yo says "oh cool which protest is this from?"

If you’re on the academic job market this year, it’s a great time to submit proposals for external funding based on your JMP or other ongoing work. Make this your back-up plan! See thread below.

🎤What Does Efficiency Really Mean? Catch up on our recent IIPP #RethinkingTheState Forum panel with Josh Entsminger in conversation with @mazzucatom.bsky.social, Yamini Aiyar, @choprausa.bsky.social, @elizabethlinos.bsky.social, & @damonsilvers.bsky.social. 📷 Watch the recording: buff.ly/6yYfDii

A terrorist targeted federal workers last week. There wasn’t much reporting on it. But I’m not finished thinking about it! 🧵 An anti-vaxxer fired more than 500 gunshots into CDC Atlanta, shattering 150 “blast-proof” windows on 6 buildings. Employees were pinned down in terror.

My team at the Crowd Counting Consortium (@djpressman.bsky.social, Soha Hammam, & Chris Shay) has finalized our participation estimates for No Kings Day on 6/14. Here are five key takeaways🧵:

Yup.

Our latest study @jamahealthforum.com shows the harms of work requirements for safety net programs. Women who were subject to harsher requirements and who received less cash assistance from TANF were less likely to breastfeed. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @donmoyn.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu 1/

So who is writing the piece on datasets as democracy?

We're getting hundreds and hundreds of applications for this RA fellows position so if you're planning on applying, applying before August 14th is a great idea. Also, you got this! Take the leap and apply!

May you all have at least one person on your team that is very very punny.

This feels like the essence of my public management class. The likelihood that the people of government haven't thought of your brilliant idea is very very small. Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard work.

Trump is panicking because the economic numbers are giving a recession vibe. From the Chief Economist at Moody's.

And let's remember the millions of citizens of these countries who are still facing the economic and social consequences of these decisions. This affects all of us. For decades.

We're so excited that you're excited about this position! We can't respond to the many many emails we're getting so here is a FAQ -> peoplelab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/u...

We're hiring! Please share with your networks! Note: our research associates have a few years of experience - we're most excited about truly excellent scholars who are also known for being kind.

Did you hear?? Paging all my public servant friends! www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/u...

Not all heroes wear capes — some move hundreds of books a day. Rain or shine, summer or snow, DC Public Library’s Distribution Team always delivers. 💅🏽 They keep the shelves stocked, the holds moving, and the library flowing.

Ending programs like PMF means fewer skilled young professionals in government just when we need them most. Read @elizabethlinos.bsky.social‬'s interview with @harvardkennedy.bsky.social on how fellowships build a stronger public sector workforce: www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...

Live Aid was 40 years ago today.

This site is gold: mamdanitimes.com

Man I forgot how lovely it is to see joy in politics

My heart is breaking for families in Texas right now. It's tough to even know what to do.

What an amazing public good!

Exciting news! @elizabethlinos.bsky.social is presenting our latest working paper, "Interventions to Bolster Benefits Take-Up: Assessing Framing, Targeting, and Intensity," at the @pmra-1991.bsky.social conference in Seoul this week. Co-authors: Lasky-Fink, Dorie, and @jrothst.bsky.social. #PMRC

It was great to be a part of this incredible panel! I feel optimistic that a clear proposal for a counter-narrative can exist.

BREAKING: A federal judge reversed National Institutes of Health's terminations of hundreds of critical research grants that were canceled because of their alleged connection to disfavored topics, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender identity. This is a major win for public health.

Still smiling, still researching! @thepeoplelab.bsky.social doing its thing.

My 1st grader wrote to @dangutmanbooks.bsky.social a few days ago. They weren't sure if he would respond "because he's a celebrity and probably too busy writing." Today Dan Gutman responded. I wish you could've seen the utter joy + screaming + celebration on the playground. Thank you Mr. Gutman.

Cool cool cool.

If only there was an academic discipline that could provide advice on public administration reform

Highly highly predictable

This @washingtonpost.com headline, framing, and reporting is maddening. This is not a push to cut waste...it is a push to drastically cut health care, food assistance and housing assistance to pay for tax cuts. The reporting is ahistorical and misleading. It's stunning. 🧵

An incentive to keep fighting if I ever saw one!

Social, Behavioral, & Economic Sciences is getting hit with a 67.6% cut, worse than other programs within NSF. Funding for archaeologists comes from the division for Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, which is facing a 77.3% cut. It appears every post doc program has been 100% cut.

Yes. The harm of DOGE doesn't magically disappear if he leaves the building. It may take generations to fix the damage done in four months.

So public health scientists cant do their job at universities, but they also can't do their job in government.

DOGE is like if 90% of Americans were strapped to the Starship and we all shrugged and said "this isn't a failure, it's just the cost of innovation and progress!"

Policymaking by any other means @donmoyn.bsky.social @pamherd.bsky.social

Just mulling over how policy making targeted at low-income people (and countries) often involves experts saying whats best Whereas policy making for the rich often has the potential beneficiaries in the room saying what they think is best for them Trust is given selectively

Course evals are in. "I love Prof. Linos's draconian insistence on thinking through implementation." 😍 #ifeelseen