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Robert Metcalfe

@rmetcalfe.bsky.social

12K followers 570 following 210 posts

Economist, Prof at Columbia University. Chief Economist: Centre for Net Zero (Octopus Energy Group). Co-editor: Journal of Public Economics. 1st gen, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 https://www.rmetcalfe.net/

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Robert "Bob" Melancton Metcalfe is an American engineer and entrepreneur who contributed to the development of the internet in the 1970s. He co-invented Ethernet, co-founded 3Com, and formulated Metcalfe's law, which describes the effect of a telecommunications network. Metcalfe has also made several predictions which failed to come to pass, including forecasting the demise of the internet during the 1990s. .. more

Economics 32%

Engineering 17%

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Reposted by Paul Lehmann, Robert Metcalfe

Jaap Burger @jaapburger.eu · 6d

This recent working paper by @rmetcalfe.bsky.social e.a. for @centrefornetzero.bsky.social shows how effective automated EV smart charging is:

"42% reduction in household electricity demand during peak hours, with 100% of this demand shifted to low-cost, low-emission off-peak periods."

Figure shows electricity consumption throughout the day for a baseline and with an EV tariff. During the off-peak period in the middle of the night, consumption is much higher with the EV tariff, while during the peak in the early evening it is much lower.

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Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Robert Metcalfe, Stuart Shapiro

John Collins @logicallyjc.bsky.social · 16d

I remember it like it was yesterday.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 16d

Trump's UN speech was his most embarrassing showing since the "DON'T TAKE TYLENOL" one

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Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · 22d

Very happy to release this working paper today showing the value of AI in helping shape energy demand.

Centre for Net Zero @centrefornetzero.bsky.social · 22d

🚗 Can AI make EV charging cheaper and greener?

CNZ ran the world’s largest AI-managed EV charging trial with 13,000 UK households. Check out the results 👇

Summary & working paper 🔗 www.centrefornetzero.org/papers/ai-in...

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe

The Review of Economic Studies (REStud) @reveconstudies.bsky.social · 22d

"New study finds salary benchmarking cuts pay gaps by 25%. Pay dispersion partly arises from firms’ uncertainty about market rates, with key implications for pay transparency policy."

New paper from Perez-Truglia, Li & Cullen

www.restud.com/whats-my-emp...:

#econsky
#REStud

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham

Centre for Net Zero @centrefornetzero.bsky.social · 22d

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe

Journal of Public Economics @jpube.bsky.social · Sep 9

Just published in @jpube.bsky.social:

"Frictions in recovering unclaimed property: Evidence from a large-scale natural field experiment"

By Alejandro Zentner & Justin Holz

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#econsky #publiceconomics

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe

Centre for Net Zero @centrefornetzero.bsky.social · Sep 1

⚡ Britain's high electricity costs aren't a net zero problem — they're a legacy of outdated markets designed for fossil fuels

🖊️ CNZ’s Chief Economist @rmetcalfe.bsky.social wrote to @economist.com about the root causes of high UK energy prices

👇 Check out this week’s print edition or see link in 🧵

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe

Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · Aug 26

This doesn't even make sense for like 30 reasons, there's no reason to put already-existing public data on the blockchain when it already exists and is publicly accessible, it's pretty blatantly just gonna be an attempt to pump some coin

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Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Robert Metcalfe, Clark Gray

Journal of Public Economics @jpube.bsky.social · Aug 25

Just published in @jpube.bsky.social:

"Climate and migration in the United States"

By @patrickbaylis.bsky.social, Prashant Bharadwaj, Jamie T. Mullins, & Nick Obradovich

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#econsky #publiceconomics

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe, Valerie Mueller

Journal of Public Economics @jpube.bsky.social · Aug 20

Just published in @jpube.bsky.social:

"Women leaders improve environmental outcomes: Evidence from crop fires in India"

By Maulik Jagnani & Meera Mahadevan

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#econsky #publiceconomics

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Reposted by Caroline Krafft, Jesse Rothstein, Robert Metcalfe , and 10 more Caroline Krafft, Jesse Rothstein, Robert Metcalfe, Joshua Goodman, Valerie Mueller, Miles Corak, Kathleen J. Mullen, Lauren Hersch Nicholas, Dominique Meurs, Scott A. Imberman, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Martin Kreidl, Simon Wiederhold

Sandy Black @econsandy.bsky.social · Aug 19

Society of Labor Economists (SoLE) Annual Conference will be May 1-2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. Submission portal is now open! Deadline for submissions is October 31--don't forget to submit! It will be a great conference! (organized by me and @jrothst.bsky.social)

mailchi.mp/sole-jole/so...

SOLE 2026 Submissions Open

mailchi.mp

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Reposted by James M. Bullock, Robert Metcalfe, Barrett

Saloni @scientificdiscovery.dev · Aug 17

TIL the original paper describing CRISPR, by Francisco Mojica, was rejected by 4 journals and took 2 years to be published

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Juan Cole, Robert Metcalfe , and 1 more Brendan Nyhan, Juan Cole, Robert Metcalfe, Francesco Nicoli

Paul Krugman @pkrugman.bsky.social · Aug 16

Important to realize that crime will be the next front in the war on data 2/

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe

John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 13

Especially appreciate Liverpool fans signing up!

Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Aug 11

Any econs want to join our #econsky Fantasy Premier League season?

Someone has to beat the two-time champion @proflivingston.bsky.social

Signup here: fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto...

League Code: vl9rhl

@hhsievertsen.bsky.social @danielepaserman.bsky.social @johnlist.bsky.social

Fantasy Premier League, Official Fantasy Football Game of the Premier League

Official Fantasy Premier League 2025/26. Free to play fantasy football game, set up your fantasy football team at the Official Premier League site.

fantasy.premierleague.com

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe

Journal of Public Economics @jpube.bsky.social · Aug 13

Just published in @jpube.bsky.social:

"Intergenerational mobility in socio-emotional skills"

By Orazio P. Attanasio, @paulaaureo.bsky.social, & Alessandro Toppeta

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#econsky #publiceconomics
@ucleconomics.bsky.social @uclpolicylab.bsky.social
‬@sofi.su.se

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Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Aug 12

I thought you did really well one season, no?

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Reposted by Aaron Sojourner

Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Aug 12

For those of you that are tempted prizes, this is what you could win #econfpl #econsky

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Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Egypt , and 5 more Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Egypt, Robert Metcalfe, Michael Kevane, Robert Wolfe, Erica L. Groshen, Glen O’Hara

Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · Aug 11

Donald Trump named EJ Antoni, chief economist of the conservative Heritage Foundation, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Trump Names Heritage’s EJ Antoni to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

President Donald Trump named EJ Antoni, chief economist of the conservative Heritage Foundation, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing the former head of the agency earlier this month.

bloom.bg

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Jason Furman @jasonfurman.bsky.social · Aug 11

I don’t think I have ever publicly criticized any Presidential nominee before.

But E.J. Antoni is completely unqualified to be BLS Commissioner. He is an extreme partisan and does not have any relevant expertise.

He would be a break from decades of nonpartisan technocrats.

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Reposted by John A. List

Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Aug 11

Fantasy Premier League, Official Fantasy Football Game of the Premier League

Official Fantasy Premier League 2025/26. Free to play fantasy football game, set up your fantasy football team at the Official Premier League site.

fantasy.premierleague.com

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Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Aug 10

www.yesnomo.com

NOMO: No Missing Out - Scroll Less, Do More

Join challenges to scroll less. Unlock rewards to do more.

www.yesnomo.com

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Robert Metcalfe, Paul Nightingale

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · Aug 8

Once again, another excellent article from Fraser Nelson - who, as Editor of the Spectator, did more than anyone else in the UK media class to normalise the far-right conspiracist catastrophism he now so rightly decries.

archive.ph/AFWfc#select...

iolent, lawless, broken Britain? The facts tell a different story
The populist narrative of a migrant-driven crimewave is catnip on social media and oil to the wheels of Reform. But it is so far from the truth that we’re in danger of losing sight of the country we live in

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Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Caroline Krafft, Robert Metcalfe

Journal of Public Economics @jpube.bsky.social · Aug 6

Just published in @jpube.bsky.social:

"The impact of economic opportunity on criminal behavior: Evidence from the fracking boom"

By @brittanystreet.bsky.social

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#econsky #publiceconomics

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Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Jul 30

Takeaway:

Different welfare measures tell different stories—and lead to different policy conclusions depending on temperature.

The findings might sound intuitive, but they challenge some widely held views that heat pumps and heat flexibility become less useful in cold snaps.

Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Jul 30

3️⃣ Consumers save more on their bills in warmer periods (resource cost per tonne of CO₂ becomes negative), but subsidies have larger welfare impacts when it's colder (larger MVPF), as heat pumps displace more carbon-intensive heating sources.

Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Jul 30

3 key insights:

1️⃣ The Coefficient of Performance (COP) averages around 3.5, but drops below 2 during the coldest winter weeks.

2️⃣ This temperature gradient is steeper than predicted by engineering models—read the paper to explore all the reasons why.

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Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Jul 30

How well do heat pumps perform in homes under different temperatures—& what does that mean for households and the grid?

Our updated paper @centrefornetzero.bsky.social reveals that heat pump efficiency varies sharply with outdoor temperature.

www.centrefornetzero.org/news/what-ha...

Impact of switching to heat pumps and smart tariff on demand

Our team highlight some recent revisions we've made to our heat pump working paper, which investigates impacts on energy demand using customer data, at scale.

www.centrefornetzero.org

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe, Georg Weizsäcker

Alex Teytelboym @t8el.bsky.social · Jul 29

The @nytimes.com says: "The Bull Market for Economists Is Over." www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/b....

But Oxford Econ Dept & Nuffield College continue to offer their prestigious 3-year postdoc in economics! 👏 🎯

Deadline 🚨 30 September 🚨 to get offer by Xmas 🎄: economics.web.ox.ac.uk/nuffield-pos...

Nuffield Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

Deadline: Tuesday, 30 September 2025

economics.web.ox.ac.uk

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Reposted by Robert Metcalfe

Centre for Net Zero @centrefornetzero.bsky.social · Jul 29

🤔 What happens when homes switch to heat pumps?

🌡️ Check out NEW updates to our HP paper - ft additional temperature analysis: www.centrefornetzero.org/news/what-ha...

🔗 Working paper: www.centrefornetzero.org/papers/decar...

@rmetcalfe.bsky.social @lbernard.bsky.social @the-scheining.bsky.social

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Reposted by Jacob Montgomery, Robert Metcalfe

Wojtek Kopczuk @wwwojtekk.bsky.social · Jun 13

Anybody else is experiencing a rapid increase in submissions in the last few months? Are we just that popular or is it AI that making people produce more output?

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