Jack Calland
@jackcalland.bsky.social
Our goal lies far in the distance, clearly visible. DPhil in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government & Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Working on employment & social protection. 🇿🇦 🇬🇧
Reposted by Jack Calland
And then there’s the story about Alex Karp’s not-at-all-weird interview (for lack of a better word) with Oswald Mosley’s grandson for a senior position at Palantir.
December 13, 2025 at 1:41 AM
And then there’s the story about Alex Karp’s not-at-all-weird interview (for lack of a better word) with Oswald Mosley’s grandson for a senior position at Palantir.
Reposted by Jack Calland
Excited to post the latest version of my JMP: The female labor supply constraints of spousal jealousy bit.ly/4nn9apn
I use two field experiments to study the role of spousal jealousy in constraining married women’s employment. More below 👇:
I use two field experiments to study the role of spousal jealousy in constraining married women’s employment. More below 👇:
December 3, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Excited to post the latest version of my JMP: The female labor supply constraints of spousal jealousy bit.ly/4nn9apn
I use two field experiments to study the role of spousal jealousy in constraining married women’s employment. More below 👇:
I use two field experiments to study the role of spousal jealousy in constraining married women’s employment. More below 👇:
Excellent critique of the new inflation target by @adamaboobaker.bsky.social. There is simply no historical precedent for low inflation delivering growth.
www.businessday.co.za/opinion/2025...
www.businessday.co.za/opinion/2025...
ADAM ABOOBAKER: Lower inflation target — corporate influence or economic strategy?
The reasoning behind this recent policy shift is hard to follow and warrants reversal
www.businessday.co.za
November 21, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Excellent critique of the new inflation target by @adamaboobaker.bsky.social. There is simply no historical precedent for low inflation delivering growth.
www.businessday.co.za/opinion/2025...
www.businessday.co.za/opinion/2025...
Surely the only time Fanon has been cited in an econ top 5? (Akerlof & Kranton, 2000, QJE)
November 19, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Surely the only time Fanon has been cited in an econ top 5? (Akerlof & Kranton, 2000, QJE)
Larry Summers' downfall is a long time coming. Don't forget that in 1991, he supported dumping toxic waste on Africa's poorest countries – "under-populated countries in Africa are vastly underpolluted". I hope I never see that ghoul's name or ugly face ever again.
November 18, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Larry Summers' downfall is a long time coming. Don't forget that in 1991, he supported dumping toxic waste on Africa's poorest countries – "under-populated countries in Africa are vastly underpolluted". I hope I never see that ghoul's name or ugly face ever again.
Reposted by Jack Calland
In today's job market post, Sneha Nimmagadda shows in India that mothers misperceive how stunted their kids are, because so many other kids around are also stunted. Correcting this perception changes beliefs and feeding practices, increasing weight for age blogs.worldbank.org/en/impacteva...
When every child is stunted, no child Is? How local norms distort perceptions of growth: Guest post by Sneha Nimmagadda
blogs.worldbank.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:29 PM
In today's job market post, Sneha Nimmagadda shows in India that mothers misperceive how stunted their kids are, because so many other kids around are also stunted. Correcting this perception changes beliefs and feeding practices, increasing weight for age blogs.worldbank.org/en/impacteva...
Reposted by Jack Calland
Yes, absolutely there is an impartiality crisis at the BBC. But it's not the one the billionaire media insists it is. novaramedia.com/2025/06/16/b...
BBC Gives Israeli Deaths 33 Times More Coverage, New Study Reveals | Novara Media
An analysis of over 35,000 broadcast segments and articles found that the BBC referenced the 7 October attacks in at least 40% of its coverage - but only 0.5% of articles referenced Israel’s decades o...
novaramedia.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Yes, absolutely there is an impartiality crisis at the BBC. But it's not the one the billionaire media insists it is. novaramedia.com/2025/06/16/b...
You've made up a guy to get mad at. No one likes paying tax, so it's reasonable to ask for tax to be fair. Council tax is regressive and wealth is taxed far less than work. The left would be much happier with broad income tax increases if the system is fairer overall.
Tax policy on the British left is pure "anti-bedtime left". Bizarre idea that you can have a big social democratic welfare state without everyone contributing properly www.economist.com/britain/2025...
November 6, 2025 at 12:38 PM
You've made up a guy to get mad at. No one likes paying tax, so it's reasonable to ask for tax to be fair. Council tax is regressive and wealth is taxed far less than work. The left would be much happier with broad income tax increases if the system is fairer overall.
Tooze on China’s “spectacular achievement of development” – going from power poverty to dirty-power rich and now to clean-power rich in under 30 years. adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...
Chartbook 414: Slouching towards (Red-Green) utopia. Voicing the muted politics of China's renewable energy revolution.
It can’t be said too often.
adamtooze.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Tooze on China’s “spectacular achievement of development” – going from power poverty to dirty-power rich and now to clean-power rich in under 30 years. adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...
Looks like a great project. I'd love to see something similar but aimed at crime and safety in South Africa – how tackling poverty and inequality can make us all safer from crime.
While the US & Europe ramp up military spending, millions live in poverty.
Today, we launch Transition Security Project, investigating how militarisation makes us poorer and less safe amid climate crisis — and what genuine security could look like. 🧵
transitionsecurity.org
Today, we launch Transition Security Project, investigating how militarisation makes us poorer and less safe amid climate crisis — and what genuine security could look like. 🧵
transitionsecurity.org
Transition Security Project
transitionsecurity.org
October 16, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Looks like a great project. I'd love to see something similar but aimed at crime and safety in South Africa – how tackling poverty and inequality can make us all safer from crime.
Reposted by Jack Calland
There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
October 15, 2025 at 12:35 PM
There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
It's been a great pleasure working with Ntuthuko for most of my time at J-PAL. A truly kind, smart, and diligent person –– and a brilliant footballer! All the best mate. ❤️
Saying goodbye to my colleague today, @jackcalland.bsky.social. An incredible human being and teammate — I’ll forever be grateful. He’s the kind of senior dev everyone hopes to work with.
All the best with your PhD, mate ❤️ !
All the best with your PhD, mate ❤️ !
July 21, 2025 at 10:33 AM
It's been a great pleasure working with Ntuthuko for most of my time at J-PAL. A truly kind, smart, and diligent person –– and a brilliant footballer! All the best mate. ❤️
Colleagues, I know it's cold in Joburg, but do we really need the AC at 30°?
July 2, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Colleagues, I know it's cold in Joburg, but do we really need the AC at 30°?
Neat summary of global incomes relative to the US since 1980 in this blog by Robert Wade: blogs.lse.ac.uk/internationa...
May 21, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Neat summary of global incomes relative to the US since 1980 in this blog by Robert Wade: blogs.lse.ac.uk/internationa...
A cap on interest rates for business loans increased the provision of credit to firms in Bangladesh:
voxdev.org/topic/macroe...
voxdev.org/topic/macroe...
How interest rate caps increased the provision of credit to firms in Bangladesh
A cap on corporate loan interest rates in Bangladesh led to an increase in lending–without rationing credit to riskier borrowers–indicating banks have substantial upfront market power. What are the im...
voxdev.org
May 14, 2025 at 8:24 PM
A cap on interest rates for business loans increased the provision of credit to firms in Bangladesh:
voxdev.org/topic/macroe...
voxdev.org/topic/macroe...
The irony really is lost on these guys huh
January 30, 2025 at 8:17 AM
The irony really is lost on these guys huh
Reposted by Jack Calland
Why (almost) everything I learnt on social media about the Buffelsfontein mine tragedy (including that the starving miners were not fully human) turned out to be wrong tinyurl.com/29urrdjv
January 21, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Why (almost) everything I learnt on social media about the Buffelsfontein mine tragedy (including that the starving miners were not fully human) turned out to be wrong tinyurl.com/29urrdjv
Reposted by Jack Calland
Fascinating paper by Claudia Goldin on drivers of low fertility in advanced economies.
Countries where economic progress outstrips social progress (in particular, gender equality in household division of labour) see the most rapid falls in fertility..
www.nber.org/papers/w33311
Countries where economic progress outstrips social progress (in particular, gender equality in household division of labour) see the most rapid falls in fertility..
www.nber.org/papers/w33311
January 6, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Fascinating paper by Claudia Goldin on drivers of low fertility in advanced economies.
Countries where economic progress outstrips social progress (in particular, gender equality in household division of labour) see the most rapid falls in fertility..
www.nber.org/papers/w33311
Countries where economic progress outstrips social progress (in particular, gender equality in household division of labour) see the most rapid falls in fertility..
www.nber.org/papers/w33311
Reposted by Jack Calland
This is clever: The fact that rainfall is a plausible instrumental variable for many different causal stories, means that it is not a good instrumental variable for any of them. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
January 2, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This is clever: The fact that rainfall is a plausible instrumental variable for many different causal stories, means that it is not a good instrumental variable for any of them. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Jack Calland
A great way to end the year 🎉
My paper, co-authored w/ Haroon Bhorat, on the labour market effects of SA’s🇿🇦 SRD grant is now published in World Development.
We began this work back in 2020. So happy it found a good home!
Full (OA) paper here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#EconSky
My paper, co-authored w/ Haroon Bhorat, on the labour market effects of SA’s🇿🇦 SRD grant is now published in World Development.
We began this work back in 2020. So happy it found a good home!
Full (OA) paper here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#EconSky
December 29, 2024 at 8:01 AM
A great way to end the year 🎉
My paper, co-authored w/ Haroon Bhorat, on the labour market effects of SA’s🇿🇦 SRD grant is now published in World Development.
We began this work back in 2020. So happy it found a good home!
Full (OA) paper here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#EconSky
My paper, co-authored w/ Haroon Bhorat, on the labour market effects of SA’s🇿🇦 SRD grant is now published in World Development.
We began this work back in 2020. So happy it found a good home!
Full (OA) paper here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#EconSky
Christmas lunch Gantt is locked and loaded
December 24, 2024 at 9:43 PM
Christmas lunch Gantt is locked and loaded
Ads in the Gmail inbox is a devastating development
December 18, 2024 at 8:31 AM
Ads in the Gmail inbox is a devastating development
Not to be dramatic, but doing the GRE has been one of the most agonising experiences of my career
December 17, 2024 at 11:19 AM
Not to be dramatic, but doing the GRE has been one of the most agonising experiences of my career
Reposted by Jack Calland
CSAE's Kate Orkin and Brynde Kreft et al. discuss adapting South Africa’s SRD grant for poverty and unemployment reduction in @africa.theconversation.com 👇
📚Read the SA-TIED working paper: sa-tied.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
theconversation.com/south-africa...
📚Read the SA-TIED working paper: sa-tied.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
theconversation.com/south-africa...
South Africa’s poverty relief grant should be increased rather than paid to be more people – economists explain why
South Africa’s social relief grant has enabled recipients to search for work or start small businesses.
theconversation.com
December 10, 2024 at 1:21 PM
CSAE's Kate Orkin and Brynde Kreft et al. discuss adapting South Africa’s SRD grant for poverty and unemployment reduction in @africa.theconversation.com 👇
📚Read the SA-TIED working paper: sa-tied.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
theconversation.com/south-africa...
📚Read the SA-TIED working paper: sa-tied.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
theconversation.com/south-africa...
Made me think of how we experience qualitynesia in public services
This CD player was my birthday present in 1997 along with the incomparable Fresh Hits 1997. I found it recently and COULD NOT BELIEVE how rich the sound was, after years of streaming Spotify on my phone. My column today is about this phenomenon, which I’m calling “qualitynesia” on.ft.com/3ZlwHf5
December 4, 2024 at 6:56 AM
Made me think of how we experience qualitynesia in public services