banner
LightNews
mclem.org
Michael Clemens
@mclem.org
20K followers 3K following 3K posts

Professor of economics at George Mason University, fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics, IZA, CReAM/UCL, CEPR, CGD. Associate Editor JEP. USAID 2021–2024. Personal views exclusively. Web: http://mclem.org ORCID: 0000-0003-1354-0965 .. more

Videos

Michael Andrew Clemens is an American economist who studies international migration and global economic development.

Source: Wikipedia
Economics 40%
Sociology 24%
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · Feb 21
Migration does not have to be what it is now

Innovation can change what migration *is*—more orderly, skilled, integrated, & tangibly beneficial to everyone affected

In 2012 I proposed one way: Global Skill Partnerships

The World Bank just released a major GSP roadmap—> hdl.handle.net/10986/42780
3 28 130

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 3h
Americans reject authoritarian rule.
histoftech.bsky.social
NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 8h
The Virginia Senate just told UVA it’s not getting state funding if it accepts the compact since UVA exists to serve Virginia, its residents, & their interests—not be a tool of the federal govt. Scoop from our student newspaper, who’ve been doing vital reporting www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...
6 41

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Michael A. Clemens, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 16 more

histoftech.bsky.social
NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 8h
The Virginia Senate just told UVA it’s not getting state funding if it accepts the compact since UVA exists to serve Virginia, its residents, & their interests—not be a tool of the federal govt. Scoop from our student newspaper, who’ve been doing vital reporting www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...
33 750 2.7K

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 10h
Conservative and Liberal Americans reject military rule.

We do not want it. It will poison the constitutional democracy we cherish.
1 16

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 10h
Look how quickly the “justification” for deploying military troops to US cities mutated.

Just weeks ago it was, Crime!

Now it’s: hypothetical imagined crimes by Americans peacefully demonstrating in an act of constitutionally sacred dissent.
atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15h
Sen. Roger Marshall: "October 18 is when the protest gets here. This will be a Soros paid-for protest for his professional protesters. The agitators show up. We'll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully it will be peaceful. I doubt it."
1 13 50

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 13h
Thank you, @mit.edu, for saying NO to lawless seizure by the White House.

If the American people want to reform policy that regulates universities, that's reasonable and there are constitutional mechanisms for that via legislation.

Arbitrary extortion is not how the United States government works.
MIT President Says ‘We Cannot Support’ Trump’s Compact
The institution’s president, Sally Kornbluth, wrote: The proposal “is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.”
www.chronicle.com
1 5 48

Reposted by Scott A. Imberman

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 14h
Dissent and protest in the United States are unconditionally protected by our Constitution.

The new reflex to deploy military force on US soil, against Americans, is an extremely dangerous perversion of our troops.

Antisemitic lies about protesters' motives in expressing dissent are disgusting.
atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15h
Sen. Roger Marshall: "October 18 is when the protest gets here. This will be a Soros paid-for protest for his professional protesters. The agitators show up. We'll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully it will be peaceful. I doubt it."
15 50

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens, David Rothschild , and 8 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15h
Sen. Roger Marshall: "October 18 is when the protest gets here. This will be a Soros paid-for protest for his professional protesters. The agitators show up. We'll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully it will be peaceful. I doubt it."
940 300 1.3K

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 18h
“In September, scientists at Stanford reported they had used A.I. to design a virus for the first time.”
Opinion | The A.I. Prompt That Could End the World
www.nytimes.com
25 67

Reposted by Dani Rodrik, Stephen M. Walt, Cas Mudde , and 50 more

florianscheuer.bsky.social
Florian Scheuer @florianscheuer.bsky.social · 20h
I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.

🧵 1/7
23 190 940

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
I appreciate the many Conservative Republicans with the spine to speak basic truths at this crucial moment.
mcbridetd.bsky.social
Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 1d
Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago - The New York Times www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...
Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago
www.nytimes.com
3 21

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens

mcbridetd.bsky.social
Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 1d
Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago - The New York Times www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...
Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago
www.nytimes.com
1 2 13

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
The US Administration has effectively terminated America’s refugee program.
nfapresearch.bsky.social
National Foundation for American Policy @nfapresearch.bsky.social · 1d
A remarkable story: Omar Yaghi, born a refugee in Jordan, came to America as a teen to attend community college and later earned a Ph.D. and the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry. Immigrants have won 40% of the U.S. Nobel Prizes in science since 2000. @mclem.org
www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...
Half Of The 2025 U.S. Nobel Prize Winners In Science Are Immigrants
Three of the six U.S. winners in the 2025 Nobel Prize science categories immigrated to the United States, one of them as a teenager.
www.forbes.com
15 34

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Joshua Goodman

nfapresearch.bsky.social
National Foundation for American Policy @nfapresearch.bsky.social · 1d
A remarkable story: Omar Yaghi, born a refugee in Jordan, came to America as a teen to attend community college and later earned a Ph.D. and the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry. Immigrants have won 40% of the U.S. Nobel Prizes in science since 2000. @mclem.org
www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...
Half Of The 2025 U.S. Nobel Prize Winners In Science Are Immigrants
Three of the six U.S. winners in the 2025 Nobel Prize science categories immigrated to the United States, one of them as a teenager.
www.forbes.com
1 13 27

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens

dataforprogress.org
Data for Progress @dataforprogress.org · 1d
NEW with @refugeeadvocacylab.bsky.social and @refugeesinternational.org:

Voters support the U.S. having a refugee resettlement program that helps bring people seeking safety to the United States.

This includes 79% of Democrats, 68% of Independents, and 59% of Republicans.
Bar chart of polling data from Data For Progress. Title: Likely Voters Across Party Lines Believe the U.S. Should Have a Refugee Program. Description: A refugee is a person who is forced to leave their country in order to escape war, violence, or persecution due to factors such as their race, religion, or political opinion. Do you believe the government should have a refugee program that helps bring some people seeking refuge to safety in the United States? Key: a = The government should have a refugee program b = Don’t know c = The government should not have a refugee program Results: All likely voters — a: 69%, b: 9%, c: 22% Democrat — a: 79%, b: 7%, c: 14% Independent / Third party — a: 68%, b: 10%, c: 22% Republican — a: 59%, b: 11%, c: 30% Yes, I know someone who is a refugee — a: 84%, b: 1%, c: 14% No, I do not know someone who is a refugee — a: 69%, b: 8%, c: 23% Survey conducted September 26–28, 2025 among 1,231 U.S. likely voters.
1 10 22

Reposted by Meredith Broussard, Lisa W. Fazio, James Q. Wilson , and 38 more

carlzimmer.com
Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 2d
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
140 1.8K 4.6K

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
America needs leadership right now.

It needs wise leaders to resolve conflicts in a way that everyone can accept, through hard work and innovation.

It does not need more maximalist coercion at gunpoint. It does not need sneering at checks+balances as “terrorism”.

It needs leadership immediately.
2 14

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
Thank you. I think it is crucial for every last American to let their public servants—at all levels—know exactly how we feel about their choices at this historic moment.

The Senators and Representatives and governors who are approving these actions can all be reached here:
Find and contact elected officials | USAGov
Use USAGov’s Contact Your Elected Officials tool to get contact information for your members of Congress, the president, and state and local officials.
www.usa.gov
1 1

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
A person with a soul would reflect on that.

At a minimum, if they did not trust the estimates, they would conservatively halt the obliteration of those efforts until the facts were clarified.

Alternatively, they could floor the accelerator and plug their ears to the sound of death.
5 32

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
Suppose those estimates were somehow exaggerated by a factor of ten (though there is no reason to suppose that).

That would still be one million needless, horrible deaths caused by the Administration's one reckless act, cumulatively over the next four years.
1 5 26

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
Those estimates match up well with the separate, independent estimates of @charlesjkenny.bsky.social and @justsand.bsky.social at @cgdev.org

They estimate closer to three million per year —>
How Many Lives Does US Foreign Aid Save?
We present some estimates for lives saved by US assistance worldwide, with illustrative estimates by recipient country. Our core estimates are for deaths prevented from HIV/AIDS, vaccine-preventable i...
www.cgdev.org
1 10 24

Reposted by Valerie Mueller

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
That impact analysis has been done, by leading independent experts.

Here it is, open-access in the @thelancet.com —>
doi.org/10.1016/S014...

"The complete defunding of USAID would cause an estimated 2,450,000 all-age deaths annually."

Two. And a half. Million. Deaths. Each year.
1 21 36

Reposted by David R. Miller, Nathan P. Kalmoe

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
Former USAID official here.

The current Administration has done zero impact analysis to estimate the effects of its obliteration of USAID on deaths around the world.

It just keeps saying "no one has died" as a mesmeric incantation.

The facts, below. 🧵
nathankalmoe.bsky.social
Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 2d
apnews.com/article/myan...
Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.
apnews.com
1 120 230

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, David R. Miller, Colin Woodard

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 2d
The Constitutional crisis you've been waiting for is here.

The right moment to speak up—that moment of clarity you've been waiting for—that's here too.
govpritzker.illinois.gov
Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2d
I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?
Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.
130 360

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, James Q. Wilson, Patrick A. Jansen , and 25 more

govpritzker.illinois.gov
Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2d
I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?
Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.
1K 7.6K 26K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Norbert Schwarz, Nancy Kanwisher , and 15 more

laurahelmuth.bsky.social
Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 2d
Six of the nine Nobel Prize winners this year work in the U.S.
Three of the six were born outside the U.S., which is the pattern most years. No country has benefited more from welcoming immigrants from around the world.
www.nobelprize.org
The official website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org
The Nobel Prize rewards science, humanism and peace efforts. This is one of the central concepts in the will of Alfred Nobel, and it also permeates the outreach activities that have been developed for...
www.nobelprize.org
27 450 1.2K

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens

nathankalmoe.bsky.social
Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 2d
apnews.com/article/myan...
Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.
apnews.com
4 36 51

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Jan W. Mueller, Michael A. Clemens , and 3 more

en.afp.com
AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 3d
"It is going to be disastrous if this continues"

Nobel Prize physics laureate John Clarke says Trump cuts will 'cripple' US scientific research

u.afp.com/SmAy
7 220 450

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 3d
Military troops from Texas are poised to enter and forcibly occupy the state of Illinois, on orders from the US President.

We will not get the slightest bit accustomed to this wildly illegal extremism.

Conservative and Liberal Americans reject military rule. We are accelerating toward a cliff.
Live Updates: National Guard Troops Assemble in Chicago Area as Trump Officials Make Visits
www.nytimes.com
9 33

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens

nfapresearch.bsky.social
National Foundation for American Policy @nfapresearch.bsky.social · 3d
The Trump admin is not close to done restricting high-skilled immigration. New rules to make it harder for employers to use H-1B visas and sponsor employment-based immigrants are coming within months. @mclem.org @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social @justinwolfers.bsky.social‬
www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...
The Next Trump Immigration Rule Aiming To Restrict H-1B Visas
The Trump administration plans to publish a new H-1B rule expected to introduce new restrictions on how employers may use the visa.
www.forbes.com
3 5

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 3d
I greatly appreciate the many American Conservatives who have the honor and integrity to speak basic truths at this crucial moment.
thebulwark.com
The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 3d
Grassley: “Using the power of government to go after people that are political people, you don't like. We're pointing this all out because we can't have this repeated in the United States. We want an end to it right now.”
4 12