Best of #econtwitter - Week of March 14, 2021
Welcome readers old and new to this week’s edition of Best of Econtwitter. Thanks to those sharing suggestions, over email or on Twitter @just_economics.
Paper summary threads
![Twitter avatar for @angrist_noam](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/angrist_noam.jpg)
📣Excited to share our paper is now *published* in @nature "Measuring human capital using global learning data" w/ Djankov @PennyG_Yale @hpatrinos
nature.com/articles/s4158…
We present learning data in 164 countries from 2000-2017 + explore key Qs in the human capital literature👇
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,h_314,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9961871c-d27e-4275-9f10-a45768901211_685x242.png)
![Twitter avatar for @arpitrage](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/arpitrage.jpg)
🎉 Paper with @SVNieuwerburgh now forthcoming at JF.
We develop a new methodology for asset pricing on unlisted assets, and find private equity has less alpha than you may think.
code: github.com/arpitrage/Divi…
substack: arpitrage.substack.com/p/valuing-priv…
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwNmS57WYAM8VAw.png)
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwNnIweWUAkDaTA.png)
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwNm7mhWUAAW6gv.png)
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwNnIw_XEAETwXN.png)
![Twitter avatar for @mdoepke](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/mdoepke.jpg)
And now for something different:
A paper on how to think about the optimal size of world population from the perspective of souls who go through multiple incarnations.
Sounds crazy, you say? Hear me out.
(thread)
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwSc19aXIAMYPRy.png)
![Twitter avatar for @natewilmers](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/natewilmers.jpg)
After 5 years of work, @AeppliClem and I finally have a working paper on our inequality project, using restricted-use BLS data. Originally, we wanted to see whether it's really occupation or really workplace that explains rising inequality. Turns out, it's neither. (1/10)
![Twitter avatar for @fqroldan](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/fqroldan.jpg)
🚨🚨NEW PAPER ALERT🚨🚨
Why do countries finance themselves by issuing debt without indexation? Joint work with @francisco_roch fresh out of the oven.
IMF Working Paper: imf.org/en/Publication…
Ungated: fqroldan.github.io/resources/SCI_…
![Twitter avatar for @francisco_roch](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_40/francisco_roch.jpg)
Francisco Roch @francisco_roch
![Twitter avatar for @SNageebAli](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/SNageebAli.jpg)
Many of us are struck by polarization + distrust today. Lots of great angles to this being studied in econ + poli sci.
Chloe, Lucas, Max, & I ask a basic question:
Do people know to trust others when prefs are aligned + not to do so when they are not?
![Twitter avatar for @BrianCAlbrecht](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/BrianCAlbrecht.jpg)
Excited to post a working paper with @omareconomics and @PeterBoettke on the Hayek Hypothesis (a favorite topic of mine!)
We show how recent theoretical work and field experiments shed new light on the hypothesis, often (but not always) supporting Hayek
briancalbrecht.com/Al-Ubaydli_Boe…
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwNUpRCXIAYa03D.jpg)
![Twitter avatar for @MichaelEddy](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/MichaelEddy.jpg)
. @m_sendhil @supKaur @suannaoh @FrankSchilbach finds more evidence that poverty hurts job performance. Large effects (6% productivity ↗️!) just from paying wage more regularly in Odisha, India. #pacdev @BeckerFriedman repec.bfi.uchicago.edu/RePEc/pdfs/BFI…
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwTF6dzXAAAep0z.png)
![Twitter avatar for @annastansbury](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/annastansbury.jpg)
ATTN faculty: How you perceive your relationship with your PhD advisees is often *not* how they perceive it.
![Graph showing share of econ PhD students who answered "How honest can you be with advisors about difficulties with research progress", vs faculty who answered "How honest do you think your students would be with you if they faced difficulties with research progress"? Share of students answering "Not honest at all" is nearly 40%, share of faculty answering "Not honest at all" is 1%.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwQH0d-VcAE3D7n.png)
![Twitter avatar for @AEAjournals](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_40/AEAjournals.jpg)
AEA Journals @AEAjournals
![Twitter avatar for @laurent_bouton](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/laurent_bouton.jpg)
NEW: paper w/ @MicaelCastanhe1 & @GGenicot (bit.ly/3chEDp2) accepted at JEEA. Quite timely for the debate about reforming the Electoral College. Ttime for a thread! 👉
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,h_314,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9c45e9a5-641f-42c0-8474-896807fba7dc_1200x630.png)
![Twitter avatar for @MichRubens](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/MichRubens.jpg)
I examine how consolidation in the Chinese tobacco industry affected cigarette price markups, input price markdowns, and TFP. This setting is interesting bc consolidation was the result of a policy that forced firms to exit based on size, which creates a natural experiment. 2/8
More: barriers to female entrepreneurship in India, US voting rights, more US voting rights, micromobility
Public goods
![Twitter avatar for @AllbriteAllday](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/AllbriteAllday.jpg)
💻 Just updated the "Resources" page on my website! 💻
Need some toy data and/or R code examples? I gotchu.
thelittledataset.com/data_code/
Also included: links to online resources on finding data, data visualization, using R, and some random econ topics too
#EconTwitter #Rstats
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwDhFZWUYAALUmW.png)
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEwDhFvLWgAooUJ3.png)
![Twitter avatar for @Simon_Mongey](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/Simon_Mongey.jpg)
Fwiw, I put slides of my honors undergraduate macroeconomics class online here: simonmongey.com/teaching--note…. Similar level as @KurlatPablo's book, with pre-reqs in calculus and algebra and two courses in micro. Syllabus and key ideas below:
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FEv_w3FtXAAQTKbF.jpg)
![Twitter avatar for @RashadAhmed334](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/RashadAhmed334.jpg)
Hi #EconTwitter particularly macro-finance & int'l macro folks: Data for the global flight-to-safety (FTS) index series is now available on my website - daily and monthly frequency indices, 2000-2019: sites.google.com/view/rashad-ah…. 1/n
Interesting discussions
![Twitter avatar for @m_clem](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/m_clem.jpg)
A thread of remarkable research on the economics of international migration that I've discovered recently.
I'll add to this regularly in the days ahead, in no particular order. I'm summarizing frontier findings, not presenting unquestionable truths.
Pour a ☕ and join me—>
![Twitter avatar for @rdahis](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/rdahis.jpg)
My two cents on the academic job market after going through it. 🧵
Usual caveats apply: my own personal experience, and it may be suffering from recency bias. Lots of people have written about it so I'll try not to be repetitive. #EconTwitter
![Twitter avatar for @ShengwuLi](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/ShengwuLi.jpg)
@harry_toulouse @ash_craig This article convinced me that we should welcome PhD admits who are mean-preserving spreads of the usual file. Even in top programs, having all the ‘technical’ credentials is far from a sufficient condition for graduates to produce research.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,h_314,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb21ece3e-9600-40e1-a9e3-4e7982de4a0d_625x625.png)
^paper is based on data from graduates up through 2000 — needs an update, given the rise of coauthoring
![Twitter avatar for @arindube](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/arindube.jpg)
I think it's really unfortunate that applied researchers feel paralyzed to use difference-in-differences method. It's by far the most useful tool in the applied toolkit.
And recent methodological developments do not change that fact.
1/
![Twitter avatar for @lindsbullinger](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_40/lindsbullinger.jpg)
Lindsey Bullinger @lindsbullinger