Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark G. Sheppard

@markgsheppard.com

640 followers 220 following 420 posts

Inequality/Mobility. Researcher @NBER.org. 3rd Year Econ PhD, The Graduate Center. 2nd Lt., U.S. National Guard. Former Congressional Staff.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · Feb 13

🚨 NEW INTERACTIVE RECESSION TOOL 🚨
The #SahmRule is the best tools we have to indicate a recession. I extend the logic laid out by
@claudia-sahm.bsky.social, building off work by
@pmichaillat.bsky.social and Saez, to create an interactive tool. #EconSky

markgsheppard.github.io/SahmRule/int...

2 14

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

Minneapolis Fed @minneapolisfed.bsky.social · 22h

What are the major trends determining the course of overall #inflation? @jeffhorwich.bsky.social looks at durable goods, market-based services, and housing and utilities next to their recent historical performance. The results show why this is a challenging moment for policymakers. #EconSky

8 12

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 13h

When you remember that Ella Fitzgerald was once arrested for singing to a mixed crowd, exactly how operable commercial exclusion was under #JimCrow becomes clear—how all of life was partitioned by race/place, and how even togetherness itself was criminalized.

The #GreenBookProject is incredible.

Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 1d

Through segregation, violence, redlining, and sundown towns, Black families traveled. How did they know where to go? What places were safe? What places were welcoming? Search the data on this important part of American history: greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject #CommunityMap
#EconSky

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 2d

The Friends of BLS steering committee is sponsoring a member webinar noon to 1pm ET Thurs, Oct 23.

We aim to build nonpartisan support for a strong BLS & need your perspectives & energy.

Former Commissioners @ericagroshen.bsky.social, William Beach, & @erikamcentarfer.bsky.social will...
#EconSky

2 36 56

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

Institute for New Economic Thinking, Oxford @inetoxford.bsky.social · 7d

FOUR new positions available at INET Oxford!

@zparolin.bsky.social is hiring:

🠺 1x FT Post-Doctoral Researcher in Inequality, Social Policy, and Social Mobility
🠺 3x PT Rsearchers in Inequality, Social Policy, and Social Mobility

Find out more and apply HERE ➵ https://www.inet.ox.ac.uk/vacancies

7 9

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 1d

There’s a few really boring but unavoidably true things about politics that a lot of partisan people constantly try to ignore, most importantly:
1. You have to convince a lot of people who probably currently disagree with you to think differently about a topic and ultimately agree with your solution

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

Mattathias Schwartz @schwartzesque.bsky.social · 4d

NEW: We talked to 65 federal judges about the Supreme Court’s use of the emergency docket during Trump’s 2nd term, how it impacts morale in the lower courts, and its effect on the public’s view of the judiciary.

They had a lot to say.

Free gift link … www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

Federal Judges, Warning of ‘Judicial Crisis,’ Fault Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders

www.nytimes.com

1 9 14

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 2d

Registration for the Autumn 2025 Inequality Workshop is now open → forms.gle/bbnp8ZgfBxE7...
We'll see you there!

1 2

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

Erica Groshen @ericagroshen.bsky.social · 1d

Www.BLS.gov
Mission Statement
The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making.

(About 2,000 dedicated data nerds working on >20 statistical programs.)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics.

Www.BLS.gov

2 9

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 1d

One of the excesses with echo chambers like #EconSky / #EconTwitter is really smart people end up in this hot take one-ups-manship —especially as it relates to topical politics— where they try to have the most counterintuitive view on everything, but they often overlook really obvious things.

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

The Sadie Collective @sadiecollective.bsky.social · 3d

October 12th is World Economist Day!

From guiding policy to studying the forces behind growth, economists help us make sense of complex systems and improve lives.

Today we ask you to donate to The Sadie Collective to empower the next generation of economists: tinyurl.com/sadie-wed

#EconSky

9 16

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 1d

I hate to be like the boring sober person at the party saying the obvious thing, but I actually think “losing every election” is not a viable strategy for preventing authoritarianism.

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 1d

I don’t know if the problem of the left is that they’re *too* focused on winning.

By my count, I feel like we’re down by like 100, the game is rigged, half the team is fighting the other team, and there’s some issues (like climate) where we’re already deep into the fourth quarter.

1 4

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 2d

Conservative activists spent decades building/funding a network of organizations, supporting a back bench of judges, gerrymandering, monopolizing local media, electing moderates in blue districts, to overturn over a half-century of jurisprudence.

Progressives need to be serious.

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 2d

There’s so much motivated reasoning

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 2d

Right. The concern is that she will succeed.

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 2d

In 2018 and 2025, Trump blamed Democrats for the #GovernmentShutdown —both times under unified GOP control. #EconSky

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

tejparikh.ft.com @tejparikh.ft.com · 3d

Check out the latest edition of my @financialtimes.com newsletter. (1/2)

Welcome to Schrödinger’s economy, where the US looks both resilient and fragile, Trump’s policy agenda appears at once disruptive and oddly inconsequential, and markets feel euphoric yet uneasy: on.ft.com/4n0nO4a

1 6 34

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

The Upshot @upshot.nytimes.com · 3d

Black Unemployment Is Surging Again. This Time Is Different.

Via @lydiadepillis.bsky.social and NYT Business:

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/b...

3 4

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 3d

No new jobs data during the #GovernmentShutdown but Google Search Results shows "Unemployment Benefits" at a post-pandemic peak.
#EconSky

1 3

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 4d

I mean... sure. But you probably shouldn't compare anything to covid.

That would be like "If we include the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, the plague isn't so bad"

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 4d

Even without jobs data, Google Search Results for "Unemployment Benefits" being at a post-Covid high is probably —and I hate to use such labor econ/technical jargon here, but it's probably— "not good."

#EconSky

3 33 110

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 5d

"The Green Book Project is a place to share the rich historical journey of Black Americans finding dignity during the Jim Crow era."

Absolutely beautiful collection of words!

Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 5d

Understanding how Black Americans got to where they are today, requires understanding Black history. The Green Book Project is a place to share the rich historical journey of Black Americans finding dignity during the Jim Crow era:

greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject
#CommunityMap #EconSky

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

Alex Barron @alexrbarron.bsky.social · 6d

Regardless of your views on green hydrogen, I think we can all agree Bloomberg needs to learn to pick the same axis scale in both side of this figure. #badcharts #econsky 🔌💡

Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 6d

Another one bites the dust.

🎁⛓️ www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

1 3 22

Reposted by Mark G. Sheppard

Ben Casselman @bencasselman.bsky.social · 5d

Full story now online: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/b... #EconSky #NumbersDay

3 11 26

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 5d

But still no labor market data?