SIEPR

🗳️The entire country is watching to see if California voters will soon approve a proposed one-time, 5% tax on the state's wealthiest residents. Want to know what the fuss is all about? Tune into this fiery SIEPR Economic Summit debate, linked in 🧵 below. #Prop40 #BillionaireTax

youtube.comSIEPR Economic Summit 2026 | California Wealth TaxYouTube video by Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)

Catch the full debate: www.youtube.com/watch?v=H54P...

📣 Starting 9:00am PT today (October 23): A SIEPR Policy Forum focused on Africa's growth potential, featuring a stellar lineup of academics, business leaders, and policymakers. Agenda link ⤵️. Watch the livestream: stanford.zoom.us/j/9917860825...

See the agenda: siepr.stanford.edu/events/polic...

📣 HAPPENING SOON! Please join us tomorrow, October 23, for a series of conversations about Africa and the opportunities for economic growth within the world's second-most populous continent. Go here to register to come in person or to watch the livestream: siepr.stanford.edu/events/polic...

🥳 Big news: We just learned that Our Econ To Go podcast has won Gold at the Signal Awards in the Education category. That's three awards from Season 1 alone! 🎙️Catch up on episodes before Season 2 drops in November: siepr.stanford.edu/news/podcast...

🚼 For too many American families, finding affordable childcare is a serious problem. With policymakers across the country looking for solutions, SIEPR developed the Stanford Childcare Model, which estimates the effects of 8 different policies. Give the tool a try: siepr.stanford.edu/policymodels

With AI data centers a hot political issue, new evidence points to an overlooked benefit: Data centers are driving job gains across US manufacturing, write SIEPR Policy Fellow Josh Zoffer & Ben Sampson, @stanforduniversity.bsky.social PhD in economics, in new SIEPR Policy Brief: tinyurl.com/3v2jsy88

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For context, job growth at US suppliers of data center components is up 13% since 2019. In contrast, U.S. manufacturing jobs overall have declined 1% over the same period.

The authors identify steps that policymakers could take, for economic and national security reasons, to boost US manufacturing of data center components. Any measures, they say, should be balanced against the centers' impacts on local employment, energy prices, resource use, and noise.

Zoffer & Sampson estimate, conservatively, that the data center buildout is adding at least 304,000 new jobs at US suppliers making critical equipment like transformers and networking systems. Job gains will likely be much higher given projected investments in data center construction through 2030.

🤢 Get ready to pay even more for healthcare. SIEPR Director @nealemahoney.bsky.social and Abigail Sanchez, a SIEPR predoctoral fellow, break down the increases in insurance costs and make the case that policymakers have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to step in and help ease the pain. Read ⤵️

time.comThe Great Healthcare Cost Hike Is Here"Here’s how the looming healthcare hike will impact insurance costs, wherever you get your coverage," write Neale Mahoney and Abigail Sanchez.

time.com/article/2026...

hoover.orgNobel Prize in Economic Sciences won by Stanford Economist and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Robert E. Hall

🙌 Congrats from the SIEPR community! SIEPR Director @nealemahoney.bsky.social: "Economists worldwide know Bob for his groundbreaking research. His Stanford colleagues & students also know him for the wit and wisdom he regularly dispenses in seminars and meetings. Congratulations, Bob." #NobelPrize

Hoover Institution@hooverinstitution.bsky.social

Robert E. Hall, Senior Fellow at Hoover Institution, and Stanford professor of economics, is the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Hall was recognized for his contributions to the "microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilization, alongside Michael Woodford.

🎬 A great watch: Find out why Econ To Go became an award-winning podcast in its very first season! 👏 Full Season 1 episodes here (Season 2 lands in November!): siepr.stanford.edu/news/podcast...

🩸 This conversation matters: With healthcare costs rising fast, we just co-hosted a forum in Washington, D.C. on the reforms urgently needed, featuring Sen. Andy Kim, Senator @wyden.senate.gov, + top experts with bold ideas on addressing the affordability crisis. News story in 🧵 ⤵️

tinyurl.comFrom broken ankles to Alzheimer’s: “It doesn't have to be this hard”SIEPR, in partnership with the Kitchen Table Project, convened a group of healthcare policy heavyweights and two senators to discuss what’s next in policy at a recent healthcare forum in Washington, D...

tinyurl.com/59wyyf22

🙌 🧵 We're excited to share that Econ To Go is a finalist for a 2026 Signal Award for best education podcast! Now we need your help by casting your vote for us before polling closes Thursday, Oct. 15! vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

(2/3) We’re also proud to announce that Econ To Go just won Gold and Silver at the 21st Annual w3 Awards in the categories of Educational & Instructional and Video Podcast Series ‼️

(3/3) Stay tuned for Season 2 of Econ To Go, coming this fall! In the meantime, discover Season 1 or re-watch your favorite episodes: siepr.stanford.edu/news/podcast...

Ahead of Friday's #jobsreport, we recommend this fascinating conversation between ex-BLS commissioner @erikamcentarfer.bsky.social & Apurv Jain of @macroxstudio.bsky.social on the risks facing U.S. government data collection + a behind-the-scenes look at jobs day at the BLS. Full interview link ⤵️

tinyurl.comMeasurement First: US Econ Data Today & What Comes Next | Dr. Erika McEntarferGo behind the scenes before market-moving numbers like the jobs report (NFP) hit the wire With declining response rates and political interference, should we still trust the numbers? Can we replace government data entirely with private data? In this episode of Measurement First, I sit down with Dr. Erika McEntarfer, former Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Distinguished Policy Fellow at Stanford’s SIEPR. We discuss what happens on jobs-release morning, why government economic data still matters, private alternatives, declining response rates, political independence, and the consequences of eroding trust in official statistics We also look ahead and ask: What should America’s statistical system look like in 2040? Host: Apurv Jain, Founder & CEO, MacroX ### Chapters 0:00 Introduction 0:13 Jobs-Release Morning 5:55 Why Government Data Matters 13:40 One of Economics’ Greatest Achievements 17:25 Trust in Government Statistics 21:30 Declining Response Rates and Funding 30:00 Designing the U.S. Statistical System for 2040 41:40 Can Private Data Replace It? 48:36 Closing Thoughts

Check out their complete conversation: tinyurl.com/42yzu9ke

California's childcare conundrum: @calmatters.org highlights a SIEPR analysis measuring the high costs of the state's broken market for childcare + the far-reaching economic benefits of raising subsidies, coauthored by SIEPR Policy Fellow @chloergibbs.bsky.social. Links ⤵️ #EarlyChildhoodEducation

siepr.stanford.eduHow to fix California's child care crunchA new SIEPR policy brief unpacks the economic cost of California’s broken child care market and sheds light on the public investment needed for a universal child care program.

More on the Policy Brief, "The economics of the market for early childhood care and education in California": tinyurl.com/2jw9nj9w

calmatters.orgChildcare in California is expensive. What’s the state doing about it?Other states and cities have universal childcare, but the efforts have stalled in California.

CalMatters article | ✍️ Carolyn Jones: tinyurl.com/yjhap8ae

atlantafed.orgHow Are Firms Using Their Tariff Refunds?Examining recent survey data, a <cite>Policy Hub: Macroblog</cite> post looks at firms' plans for tariff refunds.

Following the 💰💰💰: Most companies say they are pocketing tariff refunds rather than passing them on to consumers after the Supreme Court invalidated Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, finds a new @atlantafed.org survey by SIEPR's @nickbloom.bsky.social & Steven Davis: tinyurl.com/mr246bxk

📣 We’re looking forward to tomorrow's Teaching Personal Finance Conference, organized by SIEPR's Annamaria Lusardi and her team at the Stanford Initiative for Financial Decision-Making! Free livestream to the 9/25 event: ifdm.stanford.edu/events/TPFC/...

Lusardi recently joined our Econ To Go podcast to discuss how to manage money and why it matters. In the clip below, she talks with host @nealemahoney.bsky.social about the 7 concepts everyone should know to make smart financial decisions.

tinyurl.comEcon To Go | Financial Literacy: Get ahead or fall behindWhy do people with similar incomes and education levels end up with vastly different financial outcomes? In this episode, wrapping up season 1 of Econ To Go, Neale Mahoney sits down with Stanford economist Annamaria Lusardi to explore what people actually understand about money, and why financial literacy has become an essential skill in today’s increasingly complex economy. A pioneer in the field, Lusardi explains how gaps in financial knowledge shape everything from day-to-day decisions to long-term wealth and how early exposure, education and regulation make a difference. Along the way, we explore several key themes, including: (01:27) Why financial literacy is a must-have in today’s economy (04:09) Education vs. regulation: who is responsible for protecting consumers (08:45) Why personal finance is deeply personal (12:04) A 7-step financial health checkup (21:13) Where consumers are most at risk Today’s guest, Annamaria Lusardi, is a leading expert on financial literacy. She is the Director of the Initiative for Financial Decision-Making at Stanford and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). Her work — in both the academic and global policy arena — focuses on how financial education can improve economic outcomes. Econ To Go brings Stanford economics into your everyday life — served with a side of coffee. Hosted by economist and Director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), Neale Mahoney, the show takes you on a walk across campus with leading thinkers as they unpack the ideas shaping our economy, public policy, and daily lives. Smart, curious, and conversational — it’s Stanford economics, to go. Econ To Go series page: https://siepr.stanford.edu/news/podcast-econ-to-go The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research is a nonpartisan research center that brings together scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders to solve pressing economic challenges and inform better public policy.

Lusardi has plenty more insights to share. Check out her full Econ To Go episode: tinyurl.com/4yu2rbws

21 Sept

📣 Migrants from countries where female employment is low due to cultural norms create significant fiscal costs that official government models underestimate, finds Usama Polani, SIEPR research scholar, in a new study of select European countries. Paper + gift link to @financialtimes.com writeup ⤵️

siepr.stanford.edu/publications...

21 Sept

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21 Sept

giftarticle.ft.comUnpacking the real fiscal costs of immigrationLow taxes on low earners mean the same immigrants cost the UK more than they would elsewhere

"Try though he might," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent "doesn't have the tools" to push down #bondyields given above-target inflation, $40 trillion in U.S. debt + heavy competition for bond investors to help fund AI growth, SIEPR Director @nealemahoney.bsky.social tells @cnnipr.bsky.social.

🧵Could #stablecoins shore up the U.S. dollar and bring down interest rates? For insights, @bloomberg.com turns to SIEPR's Amit Seru, an expert on financial innovation. Gift link👇 | Plus, Seru weighs in on stablecoins on our Econ To Go podcast.

youtube.comEcon To Go | Private money, public trust: The stablecoin battleYouTube video by Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)

Full Econ To Go episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnc2...

tinyurl.comCrypto Fans Say Stablecoins Are Good for the Dollar. The Truth Is More ComplicatedThe Genius Act may boost demand for Treasuries. It could also cause problems in that critical market.

Gift link to Bloomberg Businessweek article: tinyurl.com/4h6953hm

10 Sept

The wild ride for bonds, why it matters, and what policymakers can (and can't) do to calm investors. SIEPR's Darrell Duffie talks👇 with Bloomberg's @weisenthal.bsky.social and @tracyalloway.bsky.social: "Even the mighty US Treasury is not as powerful as bond markets when it comes to setting yields."

omny.fmWhat's Behind the Big Surge in US Government Bond Yields - Odd LotsGlobal bond yields are at their highest level since 2008, with the 30-year US Treasury touching 5% just before Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a surprise increase of his department's bond b...

10 Sept

omny.fm/shows/odd-lo...

9 Sept

The Economist reports that AI's job creation is far outstripping its destruction, and reaches the same conclusion as @nealemahoney.bsky.social, @erikamcentarfer.bsky.social & Karsen Wahal in a new SIEPR Policy Brief: Fears of an imminent AI jobpocalypse are overblown: tinyurl.com/y5nbusyx

9 Sept

Some takeaways from their analysis: ➡️ Job postings for software developers are growing faster than for other occupations. ➡️ Companies adopting AI are mostly experimenting. ➡️ AI is helping workers complete certain tasks faster, but it's not having a noticeable effect on overall productivity.

8 Sept

🙌 We are grateful to have hosted members of the Congressional Budget Office at SIEPR for the second consecutive year. Three days of invigorating discussions exemplify our mission of bridging rigorous research and public policy. Catch more examples here: tinyurl.com/4jea8suz

4 Sept

We're living longer AND healthier. New study from Liran Einav, SIEPR senior fellow, and @mit.edu's Amy Finkelstein explores the economic implications and finds that rising life expectancy is affecting #Medicare spending far less than #SocialSecurity. Forbes coverage + paper 👇

tinyurl.comDo Older Adults Need More Care As Life Expectancy Increases? Maybe NotEven as seniors are living longer, their overall health in old age appears to be improving and they are living relatively healthy lives for longer,

4 Sept

(2/3) Summary by @howardgleckman.bsky.social of @taxpolicycenter.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/ucj4n2f7

nber.orgElderly Health and Longevity in the US: Evidence and ImplicationsFounded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

4 Sept

(3/3) The research: www.nber.org/papers/w35346

2 Sept

New trend in tech job titles: "Forward-deployed engineer," "forward-deployed project manager," etc. The @nytimes.com explains why this is happening, and turns to SIEPR's @nickbloom.bsky.social for insights into what he calls the "Top Gun: Silicon Valley" generation. Gift link ⤵️