Our new paper has an explanation for both slowing TFP growth and increasing R&D that is consistent with the Fort et al interpretation that the links between a firm’s R&D and *other* firms’ productivity has weakened.

Soumaya Keynes@soumayakeynes.ft.com · last mo.

Are ideas getting harder to find? Almost a decade ago, a banger of a study said YES. Over decades the US economy had been ploughing resources into R&D, with only slowing TFP growth to show for it. BUT newer evidence suggests more grounds for optimism 🧵 My latest column: as.ft.com/r/ee54d3c9-c...

ICYMI, our new paper on inventor positioning in the space of ideas and what it might mean for growth. Thread here bsky.app/profile/jeff...

NBER@nber.org · 2w ago

Analysis of 11 million US patents shows inventions have spread out in idea space since 1836, helping explain weaker spillovers and lower research productivity, from Ina Ganguli, Jeffrey Lin, Vitaly Meursault, and Nicholas F. Reynolds www.nber.org/papers/w35499

“Two teams can find nearly the same fact. The paper with the higher general-interest ceiling may not have a dramatically more credible estimate. It may instead ask the estimate to do more.”

Jason Fletcher@jasonmfletcher.bsky.social · last wk.

How to Write a Top 5 Paper: A Case Study open.substack.com/pub/jasonmfl...

Analysis of 11 million US patents shows inventions have spread out in idea space since 1836, helping explain weaker spillovers and lower research productivity, from Ina Ganguli, Jeffrey Lin, Vitaly Meursault, and Nicholas F. Reynolds www.nber.org/papers/w35499

Collisions in idea space!

Jeffrey Lin@jeffrlin.bsky.social · 2w ago

Here's the video of my presentation of this paper at the NBER SI: www.youtube.com/live/405kSya...

Here's the video of my presentation of this paper at the NBER SI: www.youtube.com/live/405kSya...

Macroeconomics and Productivity, NBER Summer Institute

YouTube video by NBER

youtube.com

Jeffrey Lin@jeffrlin.bsky.social · last mo.

On February 14, 1876, Bell & Gray each filed for a telephone patent. Such collisions were once routine — up to 1 in 20 patents triggered an "patent interference." Over the next 150 years, that rate fell by more than 98%. In a new paper, we explain why — and what it might cost.

My paper on DC’s long recovery from the 1968 riots, joint work with Leah Brooks and Jonathan Rose, is now live at @restatjournal.bsky.social.

I’m presenting this paper Tuesday 1:40pm at the NBER SI and live on YouTube. Tune in! www.nber.org/conferences/...

SI 2026 Macroeconomics and Productivity

nber.org

Jeffrey Lin@jeffrlin.bsky.social · last mo.

On February 14, 1876, Bell & Gray each filed for a telephone patent. Such collisions were once routine — up to 1 in 20 patents triggered an "patent interference." Over the next 150 years, that rate fell by more than 98%. In a new paper, we explain why — and what it might cost.

I’m presenting this paper Tuesday 1:40pm at the NBER SI and live on YouTube. Tune in! www.nber.org/conferences/...

SI 2026 Macroeconomics and Productivity

nber.org

Jeffrey Lin@jeffrlin.bsky.social · last mo.

On February 14, 1876, Bell & Gray each filed for a telephone patent. Such collisions were once routine — up to 1 in 20 patents triggered an "patent interference." Over the next 150 years, that rate fell by more than 98%. In a new paper, we explain why — and what it might cost.

New in RSUE: The costs of access: Freeway disamenities across US cities, by Jeffrey Brinkman, Jeffrey Lin. #econsky #urbanecon

We’re back with a new season of interviews with leading scholars and thinkers. Listen and let us know what you think!

Greg Shill@gregshill.com · 3w ago

🚨 new Densely Speaking!🚨 Prof. Arianna Salazar-Miranda (Yale urban planning /data science) joins us to talk about her tech-enabled analysis of footage of urban social spaces over 30 years. @jeffrlin.bsky.social Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1ciA... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

We’re back with a new season of interviews with leading scholars and thinkers. Listen and let us know what you think!

Greg Shill@gregshill.com · 3w ago

🚨 new Densely Speaking!🚨 Prof. Arianna Salazar-Miranda (Yale urban planning /data science) joins us to talk about her tech-enabled analysis of footage of urban social spaces over 30 years. @jeffrlin.bsky.social Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1ciA... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

🚨 new Densely Speaking!🚨 Prof. Arianna Salazar-Miranda (Yale urban planning /data science) joins us to talk about her tech-enabled analysis of footage of urban social spaces over 30 years. @jeffrlin.bsky.social Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1ciA... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

S5E1 - Exploring the Social Life of Urban Spaces Through AI (Arianna Salazar-Miranda)

Densely Speaking · Episode

open.spotify.com

🎙️🎙️🎙️ Coming tomorrow! The first interview in the latest season of "Densely Speaking: Conversations about Cities, Economics & Law." Subscribe here or wherever you get your pods: Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d... Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1u2DOty... @jeffrlin.bsky.social

Densely Speaking

Education Podcast · Densely Speaking: Conversations About Cities, Economics & Law

podcasts.apple.com

Greg Shill@gregshill.com · 4w ago

🚨 New ~Densely Speaking~ season starts next week!!! 🚨 Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts for interviews about new work on cities, economics & law, hosted by @jeffrlin.bsky.social and me. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d... (Bonus pic of my dog because he’s a good boy.)

🚨 New ~Densely Speaking~ season starts next week!!! 🚨 Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts for interviews about new work on cities, economics & law, hosted by @jeffrlin.bsky.social and me. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d... (Bonus pic of my dog because he’s a good boy.)

The plaza outside RTM turned out nicely, especially with the lighting improvements. They *should* make it permanent!

Joe Wadsworth@joe-in-philly.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Glad to see this is finally becoming reality, now make it permanent! Reading Terminal Market opening outdoor plaza – NBC10 Philadelphia share.google/ssCqgkGVNTp7...

PHOTOS: Deep Tunnel has never reached its limit. After weekend's heavy rains, it’s almost full. Here's what that means.

On February 14, 1876, Bell & Gray each filed for a telephone patent. Such collisions were once routine — up to 1 in 20 patents triggered an "patent interference." Over the next 150 years, that rate fell by more than 98%. In a new paper, we explain why — and what it might cost.

Obsessed with this chart from NOTUS's @andrewvandam.bsky.social www.notus.org/analysis/map...

And let's not forget the third one ;-) www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJDN...

Antonio Meucci invented the telephone and he got robbed! Everybody knows that!

YouTube video by adreon

youtube.com

On February 14, 1876, Bell & Gray each filed for a telephone patent. Such collisions were once routine — up to 1 in 20 patents triggered an "patent interference." Over the next 150 years, that rate fell by more than 98%. In a new paper, we explain why — and what it might cost.

New in JUE: Old but gold: Historical pathways and path dependence, by Diogo Baerlocher, Guilherme Lambais, Eustáquio Reis, Diego Firmino Costa da Silva, Henrique Veras. #econsky #urbanecon

A very nice write-up on why data users should be concerned about the new Commerce Dept. policy, which likely means a lot of granular, local-level data used for economic development is about to disappear. agglomerations.eig.org/p/a-new-thre...

A New Threat to Economic Data

A Commerce Department policy risks damaging the public’s understanding of the economy.

agglomerations.eig.org

@alextaylorecon.bsky.social and I have a new paper. Using embeddings of ~800k book titles in Europe 1450-1650, we find higher market access made a city's print output more topically broad and mainstream. Also, useful-knowledge content predicts city growth. www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/iez0u...

From former U.S. Census Chief Scientist John Abowd on LinkedIn, what Census data products are affected by Commerce's new policy? A devastating set of answers including all ACS Public Use Micro Samples www.linkedin.com/posts/john-a...

I’m afraid she’s right. All LEHD data use some form of noise infusion in order to release detailed data. What on earth does the admin have against noise infusion? It’s useful if you want to avoid suppressions, which the new rules also ask for

B Jarosz@datageekb.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Farewell differential privacy. If you use LEHD-LODES data, new rules about what tools can('t) be used for privacy protection are going to completely upend your work... Noise infusion is no longer allowed. "Coarsening" & suppression are all that's left. This will not end well for home/work data.

New in RSUE: Paths that led to gold: Historical roads, trade, and persistence, by Alexandre Portugal, Bruno Barsanetti. #econsky #urbanecon

Learning that Jane Jacobs moved to Toronto and converted a rooming house into a 6 bedroom mansion is something I've never really been able to process.

New in JUE: Old but gold: Historical pathways and path dependence, by Diogo Baerlocher, Guilherme Lambais, Eustáquio Reis, Diego Firmino Costa da Silva, Henrique Veras. #econsky #urbanecon

“a 1% increase in the tax rate reduces suburb-to-city commuting by 6.39%” and, the authors estimate, “[r]eplacing the wage tax with a non-distortionary land value tax would bring 26,000 jobs from the suburbs into Philadelphia. Such gains triple when we allow for productivity agglomeration forces.”

IPUMS@ipums.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Last but certainly not least -- the IPUMS Excellence in Research Published Award goes to René Livas for "Local Taxes and Suburbanization: Evidence from Philadelphia’s Wage Tax" (papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....).