This is exactly right. Selection based on ideology and on accomplishments only through college (vs through law school) will give the conservative judges many weak clerks. Opposite of a meritocracy.

Econometrica is pleased to announce the 2026 Frisch Medal for the best applied paper, awarded to Adrien Bilal, Niklas Engbom, Simon Mongey, and Giovanni L. Violante for “Firm and Worker Dynamics in a Frictional Labor Market.”
www.econometricsociety.org/society/news...

Delighted to see Ran Abramitzky with a new Guggenheim fellowship. Years of terrific work on the economic history of migration pay off! ranabr.people.stanford.edu

Remembrance of Chris Sims prepared by Lars Peter Hansen. Terrific sections on main scholarly contributions and a concluding personal experience reflection. www.econometricsociety.org/uploads/Obit...

Congratulations to newly appointed AER Board Members (starting in Jan ‘27): Robert Clark, Klaus Desmet, Joshua Goodman (@joshua-goodman.com), Melanie Morten, Luigi Paciello, Wing Suen, and Thomas Wollmann. @aeajournals.bsky.social #EconSky

One of my favorite awards because Hugo Sonnenschein had such a huge influence on me. He'd have been proud to see the award named for him go to Aloisio Araujo.

Aloisio Araujo recognized for service to the Econometric Society and to the development of Economics in Latin America with the Sonnenschein prize. Congratulations. urldefense.com/v3/__http://

Understanding the risks to economic statistics | Brookings The Economic Indicators Initiative presents four papers framing the issues faced by the Federal Statistical System.

Brookings is partnering with Urban, AEI, Niskanen, Upjohn Institute to launch the Economic Indicators Initiative (EII), a collaborative effort with the mission of highlighting risks to the federal statistical system and strengthening the production of economic statistics

The 2026 AEJ Best Paper Awards Have Been Announced Learn more about the articles chosen as the 2026 AEJ Best Papers.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 AEJ Best Paper Awards! Check out the winning papers. www.aeaweb.org/news/2026-ae...

Congratulations to Ludwig Straub @ludwigstraub.bsky.social of @harvard.edu, winner of the 2026 John Bates Clark Medal! www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/ho...

Congratulations to newly elected Distinguished Fellows Donald Andrews, N. Gregory Mankiw, Robert A. Margo, and Marjorie McElroy. aeaweb.org/about-aea/ho...

Congratulations, Adrien!

So on the same day that BLS reported the lowest household survey response rate on record, the White House is proposing further budget cuts. Pretty much every economist that I've talked to says that we should be investing more money in the statistical system right now, not less.

Setting aside whether I am convinced by these arguments, this was a very useful exercise and I thank you for undertaking it. Bad responses to your question are no more than entertainment, these are instructive.

Did a series of videos with Markus Brunnermeier on Claude Code (more to come)

Video 1: Getting Started with CC

open.substack.com/pub/paulgp/p...

Here's @paulgp.com with excellent public goods again! We should really have an AEA public goods award

Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize-winning author who expanded nonfiction’s reach, dies at 80 - The Boston Globe Mr. Kidder’s best-selling books, such as “Among Schoolchildren” and “The Soul of a New Machine,” expanded the range and popularity of narrative nonfiction.

I just learned that Tracy Kidder has died. He changed nonfiction writing. "The Soul of a New Machine" taught me a lot about computer design organization. "House" about builder/owner relations. "Rough Sleepers" about human goodness. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/25/m...

One pleasure of following an area of research for a long time is getting to see how its academic literature becomes both deeper and broader.
#econsky #academicsky
marketdesigner.blogspot.com/2026/03/kidn...

The hidden backbone: The data behind the economy How do we know what’s really happening in the economy? And can we trust the data? Erika McEntarfer, who served as a chief of U.S. economic data until President Trump fired her amid a weak jobs report,...

@nealemahoney.bsky.social interviews fired BLS Commish @erikamcentarfer.bsky.social in the SIEPR series. Excellent on role of data in policy. siepr.stanford.edu/av/Econ-To-G... Others in the ECON to go series also interesting.

Yeah, Stan Ulam got the idea while bedridden and playing solitaire. He and other nuclear physicists were in super secret labs so they needed a code name. Somebody-von Neumann?- suggested the casino.

Trump Told Inner Circle Some Mass Deportation Policies Went Too Far The president is convinced that voters don’t like the term “mass deportation,” and has directed advisers to adopt a new approach on one of his central campaign promises.

The people of Minneapolis and St. Paul won a Profile in Courage award yesterday. Bigger prize today.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

“When I grew up I did become a scientist, a social scientist. I’m an economist, which allows me to study how we humans coordinate and cooperate and compete with each other, in ways that have made us, on average, live longer and healthier lives.”
#econsky
marketdesigner.blogspot.com/2026/03/ps-2...

Thinking today of Dolores Huerta and of all the women who have been forced to choose between suffering in silence and risking the success of the broader missions they have worked to support.

medium.com/@dolores_hue...

Congratulations. Important work.

I did this at Yale 35 years ago with Bresnahan-Reiss entry papr. Slides were in lost luggage. No one even noticed until we got to the estimates table and I only knew first 1 or 2 significant digits.

Would not recommend this experience.

March 18, 2026 Today, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta issued the following statement:

96-year old Dolores Huerta made a gutting confession today. She deserves to be heard in her own words.

Even the most righteous movements find ways to make space for misogyny. medium.com/@dolores_hue...

Wow. The expostulation "Holy Mary" really comes to mind. Also "Hell on wheels" for you secular folks.

Terrific baseball game tonight.

Christopher Sims, Economist Who Taught the Data to Speak, Dies at 83 The Nobel laureate’s work transformed how central banks understand cause and effect in the economy.

What a loss. I understand Chris Sims was also a great mentor.

www.wsj.com/economy/cent...

Please spread the word #EconSky