Welcome readers old and new to this week’s edition of Best of Econtwitter. Please submit suggestions — very much including your own work! — over email or on Twitter @just_economics.
This is part one of three.
Paper summaries
![Twitter avatar for @salonium](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/salonium.jpg)
Important update to 'the worm wars'...
This major new study, which is a 23-year follow up of an RCT, finds that deworming reduced mortality in under-5s in Kenya by 24% (!) 🪱
editorialexpress.com/cgi-bin/confer…
![Study title: Intergenerational Child Mortality Impacts of
Deworming: Experimental Evidence from Two Decades
of the Kenya Life Panel Survey
Abstract: We assess the impacts of a randomized Kenyan school-based deworming intervention on the mortality of recipients’ children using a 23-year longitudinal data set of original participants (N = 6,523) and their children (N = 14,172). The under-5 mortality rate reduced by 24% (18 deaths per 1000 live births) for children of treatment group individuals. We find that a combination of improvements in living standards, increased urban residence, higher schooling attainment, delayed fertility, and greater use of health care in the parent generation contributed to the reduction. This study provides further evidence that age-specific health investments are essential for development.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.substack.com%2Fmedia%2FFhC1Lm_XkAEMGSq.png)
^haven’t followed this lit closely but:
![Twitter avatar for @undo_hubris](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/undo_hubris.jpg)
@salonium The original Busia RCT and its follow-ups have consistently shown large positive effects. Since the controversy is that other RCTs have failed to find them, I don't think another positive follow-up to the same study shifts the needle much in the worm wars.
![Twitter avatar for @heidilwilliams_](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/heidilwilliams_.jpg)
. @mayadurvasula Scott Hemphill @PatentScholar Bhaven Sampat and I have a new working paper aimed at deciphering the complicated patchwork of patents and regulatory exclusivities needed to understand many aspects of biomedical innovation: nber.org/papers/w30628.
![](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%2F1e6bf484-6b31-48d0-afc7-45390318a1a3_1200x630.jpeg)
![Twitter avatar for @daniel_p_gross](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/daniel_p_gross.jpg)
🚨🚨🚨
Updated WP: "America, Jump-started: World War II R&D and the Takeoff of the U.S. Innovation System"
The impacts of one of the largest public R&D investments in U.S. history on the direction & organization of innovation. Joint w/ Bhaven Sampat.
nber.org/papers/w27375
![](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%2F0ec0c6bf-f014-495a-88bc-203279d79c24_1200x630.jpeg)
![Twitter avatar for @Bledi_Taska](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/Bledi_Taska.jpg)
Many emerging technologies hold the potential for a wide-reaching and transformative effect on the economy. However, we currently do not have a robust and data-driven method to identify and separate those truly transformative technologies.
🧵and a new 📜
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
![Twitter avatar for @albrgr](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/albrgr.jpg)
More evidence of big long run effects from increasing childhood vaccination, from Burkina Faso in this case: editorialexpress.com/cgi-bin/confer…
![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%2FFg94B4lVQAA1F01.jpg)
![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%2FFg94B4jUUAACias.jpg)
![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%2FFg94B4kVQAAbn9R.jpg)
![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%2FFg94B4hVEAAapVO.jpg)
![Twitter avatar for @khoslasaksham](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/khoslasaksham.jpg)
Politically connected firms in India were more likely to access short-term credit (especially bank loans) during demonetization and delay payments to suppliers and creditors. They weathered the crisis better than their peers, with 8-10% higher income, sales, costs over 3 years.
![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%2FFhcfH8xUAAAzJri.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%2FFhcgKDdVUAAKoJU.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%2FFhcgM0SVEAELO8_.jpg)
Interesting discussions
![Twitter avatar for @simonhhess](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/simonhhess.jpg)
I teach intro metrics this year @univienna. Inspired by @robertostling, I created some animations in @rmarkdown that I think are helpful for visualizing concepts from the course. Happy to share the code.
1: The sampling distribution (of OLS)
![Image](https://substackcdn.com/video/upload/e_loop,vs_40/as3keqnfohsu5ige9tkd.gif)
![Twitter avatar for @BrianCAlbrecht](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/BrianCAlbrecht.jpg)
"What Austrian economics should I read? Not history of thought or philosophy but actual ECONOMICS about the world."
That's what a professor of mine asked me recently.
Here are my suggestions 🧵
![Twitter avatar for @lugaricano](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/lugaricano.jpg)
We should all be doing all we can to make @Twitter thrive (@elonmusk or no Musk)- it is a stunning information source.
If you experience Twitter as a swamp, you only have youself to blame. You choose who you follow, block and mute.
A thread in praise of Twitter.
(1/7)
^tweet is written kind of too bluntly, but: choose your information diet extremely carefully!