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Reposted by Frances Woolley

Richard McElreath 🐈‍⬛ @rmcelreath.bsky.social · 8d

This covers some important sources of bias that arise from naive control strategies. Of value even if you don't care about the life-satisfaction ~ age association.

Tamkinat Rauf @tsrauf.bsky.social · 9d

Life satisfaction mostly declines with age. Previous findings (esp. the famous U-shaped age-SWB trajectory) were artifacts of misspecified models. doi.org/10.1093/esr/...

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 1d

Yes!!!! For example life satisfaction bump associated with marriage declines with age (caregiving for older spouse etc). If you assume constant marriage premium you think "why are single olds so much more satisfied than we expect? It must because satisfaction increases with age." Nope.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 1d

But anecdata suggests many older folks have a "I don't want to be in debt" attitude. It's mostly those who figure "I can take this almost free money and get a better return elsewhere" who take advantage of deferment.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 1d

I did some quick calculations with the the 2021 Census PUMF, and figured that at least half of BC's homeowning households meet the age criteria for property tax deferment (population aging+delayed homebuying). Not exactly a precisely targeted program!

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 1d

Illustrates a more general point about policy in an aging society: when 1/5 or 1/4 of the population is 65+, need to focus resources on those who need them the most. And that's not folks with a paid off mortgage and a decent income.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 1d

Great to chat to Dan Fumano @vancouversun.bsky.social about BC's property tax deferment program.

My take: "the B.C. model, where significant interest rate subsidies are accessed by those with above-average home values, does not seem to be an effective use of government funds.”

How B.C.'s property tax system delivers big benefits to multimillionaires, and why some say it needs to change

B.C.'s property tax system is uniquely generous for wealthy homeowners. Some people think that should change. Find out more.

vancouversun.com

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 7d

So sorry to hear that. At least they have your name on file now.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 7d

So glad you agreed to do this! I gave them your name and told them you were a rock star - and that you would give a more nuanced view of the issue than I could.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 8d

The best way to lobby for retaining door-to-door mail delivery? Ask: where will the community mailboxes go? Rally the NIMFYS (not in my front yard)

Putting a mailbox on this corner would decrease property values by tens of thousands of dollars.

Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 13d

Another article that misses the point: Canadians don't want to risk being detained at the border or having their phone searched or getting held in ice custody.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 15d

Need #EconSky help pls! Need US data on lawyer's wages, or top 1%, 2% or top 10% wages that goes back to the 1960s. Have FRED's 9th decile earnings data fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LEU02... but it only goes back to 2000, and I'm looking more at the very top of the distribution. Indiv not hshd.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 16d

because of country based green card quotas, increasingly hard for Indians and Philippinos to move out of h1b pool. As more and more people are stuck waiting for a green card, H1b pool becomes increasingly Asian, and if you hold certain ideas... share.google/aai8ETQClgPX...

share.google

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 17d

Who else would have the courage to propose building a tunnel under the 401?

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 17d

Though born outside North America, educated in Canada, move to US is not uncommon www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28...

Recent trends in immigration from Canada to the United States

The flow of migrants across international borders is a critical factor shaping national economies, innovation capacity, and societal development in the 21st century. For neighbouring countries with de...

www150.statcan.gc.ca

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 17d

Though I was surprised how much the % of Cdn H1B holders has shrunk, % of Indian H1B holders has grown in recent years. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/....

What we know about the U.S. H-1B visa program

Nearly 400,000 H-1B applications were approved in fiscal year 2024, most of which were applications to renew employment.

www.pewresearch.org

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 17d

Even disorganized we'll likely benefit. US doesn't have a U of T or Waterloo. Their top schools produce tiny numbers of tech grads. Easy for firms to expand Cdn, shrink US operations.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 17d

Those look so good!

Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 19d

It's an interesting analogy in that male lions are basically indolent bullies, waiting for women to bring home the antelope then eating the choice bits themselves

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 19d

These days most of his writing is anonymous posts on car repair subreddits!

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 20d

Update your reading lists, my Good Chart Checklist has a new home: worthwhileblog.ca/2021/11/07/g...

Good Chart Checklist

Note: this was prepared for my ECON 3403 students, and is a list of all of the mistakes I commonly see in student charts. Please add your suggestions for things to add to this list in the comments …

worthwhileblog.ca

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 20d

Worthwhile Canadian Initiative was founded by Stephen Gordon. Nick Rowe got involved when Steve reposted Nick's advice on How to Present a Paper (or Act as a Discussant). (Nick found the post, started reading the blog, and the rest is history).
Like a lot of Nick's posts, it has aged well:

How to present a paper (or act as a discussant)

Good advice from Carleton University’s Nick Rowe:Every time I go to the [Canadian Economics Association] meetings I get disappointed at how poorly many of the papers are presented. At t…

worthwhileblog.ca

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Reposted by Frances Woolley

Jen🇺🇸🏴‍☠️ @jen.sheshed.rocks · 20d

Always Time For Kindness..

Enjoy 💕

#SheShed

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 21d

I know! You can never unsee it.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 21d

We've managed to import all of the pictures into Wordpress too, including the infamous drawing from the "why indifference curves are so hard to understand" blog post #EconSky

worthwhileblog.ca/2012/09/12/w...

Why indifference curves are so hard to understand

Look at these curves. I see boobs like this all the time Every year, come exam time, students make mistakes that reveal a fundamental lack of understanding of indifference curves. They write…

worthwhileblog.ca

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 21d

What happens when technology replaces people? Nick Rowe has some thoughts. A prescient post from the WCI vaults #EconSky

Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 21d

Over the next few days I'll be posting some of my favourite blogs. Nick Rowe's Of Horses and Men has aged pretty well: worthwhileblog.ca/2010/02/11/o...

Of horses and men

As a teenager I read Kurt Vonnegut's novel Player Piano. It's stuck in my economist's mind ever since. It describes life in the near-future when technology and machines have destroye…

worthwhileblog.ca

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