Mark G. Sheppard
@markgsheppard.com
Inequality/Mobility/Design. Econ PhD Candidate, The Graduate Center. Researcher @NBER.org. 2nd Lt., U.S. National Guard. Former Congressional Staff.
Data shows ~15% of young adults, mostly women, consider using OnlyFans as an additional source of income. Economists need to do a much better job of holistically assessing the economy.
MoneyLion Survey Finds Summer Financial Pressure Hits Gen Z The Hardest
More than half of Americans say they need more money this summer than last year, with Gen Z more than twice as likely as boomers to say the gap is significant NEW YORK, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/...
newsroom.gendigital.com
I’m currently away on a two-week deployment with the National Guard, very little cell reception, but I was able to get the latest from the Modified @claudia-sahm.bsky.social rule from the #JobsReport.
Weak #jobsreport all around -Nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 (mostly driven by state and local losses) -The unemployment rate ticked down for the "wrong" reasons as labor force participation and employment-to-population ratio softened -Nominal wage growth decelerated to 3.2% over the year #EconSky
Employers cut jobs in July, and job growth was revised down for May and June. Net result is that the pop in hiring that we saw earlier this year now seems to have largely evaporated. We've now averaged just +20,000 jobs/month over the past three months. #NumbersDay
Ben Casselman@bencasselman.bsky.social · 3d agoU.S. employers CUT 23,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1 percent. Data: www.bls.gov/news.release... Full coverage: www.nytimes.com/live/2026/08... #NumbersDay
You're paying $2,358 in federal taxes for Trump's mass deportations. @epi.org 's new calculator shows what your community could have instead www.epi.org/deportation-...
We're excited to launch our inaugural Opportunity Fellows cohort.
A 100% tax on all IRA income (capital gains or ordinary income) above $10mm (or some similar amount, indexed to inflation) balance with contributions also capped at that amount is trivially easy to write into law.
Aaron Sojourner@aaronsojourner.org · last wk."The bill would effectively cap IRAs and 401(k)s at $10 million, a sum far beyond the basic retirement needs of most Americans." Could lower taxes on working Americans or afford more public services. www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
To add to this point Professor Logan is making about how media narratives follow elite concern. I’d like to add: indexing forces this inflection point, and what the data shows is that the wealthy have done worse, not that the poor have done better.
Trevon Logan@trevondlogan.bsky.social · last wk.When high income earners experience anything other than economic tailwinds we never hear the end of it in the media. Never.
What national service has taught me about economic policy advocacy.
The Economic Policy Front
What The Military and an Unconventional Life has Taught me About the Importance of Tactics and Strategy in Policy Advocacy
goodeconomics.substack.com
It's not every day your FIRST academic publication lands a @forbes.com FEATURE! Absolutely WILD. 🤯 Thank you to Dr. Gassam Asare for interviewing @emmarackstraw.bsky.social and I about our new study where we show why Black supervisors matter in the workplace and beyond. #blacksky #econsky #news
A New Harvard Study Makes A Powerful Case For Black Supervisors
New research reveals that when a Black supervisor is watching, it can shift workplace bias and change how Black workers are seen at work.
forbes.com
I was recently listening to a podcast by @brianbeutler.bsky.social and @mattyglesias.bsky.social, about how healthcare is the defining issue of intra-left division, but when you look at all of the polling data, the connecting thread is that Americans have a very broad demand for material policy.
Mark G. Sheppard@markgsheppard.com · 2w agoHundreds of polls show material policy does very well. On divisive social policy, there is an opening to pivot, for instance trans-sports polls poorly, but trans-protections in employment and housing polls well. goodeconomics.substack.com/p/the-second-best-agenda #EconSky
Looking ahead to an uncertain political map, there are still many policy openings for policy makers looking to make a first-down on issues that they care about. #EconSky
The Second-Best Agenda
What Three Hundred Polls Reveal About Which Policy Fights to Pick, Which to Trade, and Which to Decline
goodeconomics.substack.com
Hundreds of polls show material policy does very well. On divisive social policy, there is an opening to pivot, for instance trans-sports polls poorly, but trans-protections in employment and housing polls well. goodeconomics.substack.com/p/the-second-best-agenda #EconSky
Most political debate, even amongst the public, orbit around very large, divisive and complex problems, but there are a lot of easy to solve policy issues. #EconSky
Solving The Dumbest Problems
At a Time of Political Gridlock with Increasingly Few Issues Having Bipartisan Support, it is Worth Taking Stock of What is Possible
goodeconomics.substack.com
When I ran BLS, I was asked constantly about the impact of AI on jobs. It's still one of the most common questions I get. So we put together a policy brief - for policymakers, journalists, and anyone trying to sort through what is happening with AI and jobs: siepr.stanford.edu/publications...
What is really happening to jobs? Separating AI hype from reality
Other
siepr.stanford.edu
The @stone-lis.bsky.social WP series added linked papers; together, a comprehensive portrait of inequality trends: #128: Wealth Inequality Trends Around the World. #131: Is Income Inequality on the Rise Everywhere? Both also posted at @lisdata.bsky.social stonecenter.gc.cuny.edu/research-dat...
Policy priorities and voter trust have shifted during the second Trump administration, there's a real opportunity for progressives to make the pitch for economic policies, if they can prioritize the messaging with what voters care about. goodeconomics.substack.com/p/the-median...
The Median Consumer Theorem
Tracking How Voter Trust and Issue Priorities Have Shifted Across Policy Areas During the Trump Era, and What the Movement Means Heading Into 2026 and 2028
goodeconomics.substack.com
My friend Corey Williams shared this and I had to pass it on.
“They’re the cleanest dirty shirt we have.” @goolsbee.bsky.social with a solid defense of forecasting at the Fed. youtu.be/HM9AO0t0zrQ?si… It’s a good convo.
The Fed, Inflation and Our Uncertain Economy | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
YouTube video by The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
youtu.be
📢 Call for Submissions: III/LIS Comparative Inequality Conference If you're doing research on economic inequality, the call for submissions for the third III/LIS Comparative Inequality Conference is now open. The conference will take place in London in February 2027. Submit by Sept 15th 2026
Check out this comprehensive analysis of inequality trends by Alvaredo, Bourguignon, Ferreira, Lakner, and Lustig. That's a serious quantity of #inequality expertise! @stone-lis.bsky.social @lisdata.bsky.social 👇👇👇
Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality@stone-lis.bsky.social · 4w ago"Is Income Inequality on the Rise Everywhere?" Reviewing evidence from 138 countries, this new WP argues that two facts coexist: income inequality remains unacceptably high in many countries, yet from 2000 to 2020 inequality was more often declining or stable than increasing. bit.ly/3T4weOQ
Progressive politics should focus on immediate problems and material policy.
The Progressive Politics of Material Policy
The Diverse Communities Progressives aim to Represent Generally Prioritize Real Investment, Not Token Representation, Symbolic Recognition or Divisive Aesthetic Issues
goodeconomics.substack.com
Work stuff! A shiny new episode of @epi.org's podcast is live, this time featuring @chloeneast.bsky.social, @aaronsojourner.org, and Erica Williams discussing "The Cost of DHS Attacks on Immigrants." Available wherever fine podcasts are downloaded. Also here: www.epi.org/podcast/
The State of Working America Podcast
The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, ge...
epi.org
The currency in which traded goods are invoiced has a first-order implication for the short-run impact of tariffs on the economy, from Stéphane Auray, Michael B. Devereux, and Aurélien Eyquem www.nber.org/papers/w35398
New from the GC Wealth Project! Introducing a novel global database on the historical evolution of EIG taxes for more than 170 countries and all U.S. states (from 2006). Working paper by Twisha Asher, Luca Giangregorio, @morellisal.bsky.social, @schechtlm.eurosky.social & Francesca Subioli.
