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Amanda Kass

@akass.bsky.social
1.6K followers 200 following 382 posts

Research Director, Good Jobs First deep in the public finance weeds, grammar + typo offender, stata frenemy. opinions are my own. She/her Personal site: amandakass.blog

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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Was reminded how humbling academic publishing can be. coauthors and I submitted what is one of my favorite articles to a journal we thought was a strong fit only to get a near immediate desk reject. on to the next journal!
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Amy Hanauer @amyhanauer.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Get paid to tax the rich. ITEP is hiring a Senior Researcher for our state team. itep.org/hiring-senio...
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Just saw a Malort delivery truck in Connecticut. I remember when you couldn’t get it outside of Chicago. Has anyone written about the national expansion of Malort?
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Happy Sunday! Good the good news that an article on state pensions that @240front.bsky.social, Ken Kriz, and I have been working on for YEARS was accepted for publication! The reviews and revisions led to a much stronger final paper
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Amy Hanauer @amyhanauer.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
The uber rich got enormous tax cuts. We got cyclosporiasis.
theguardian.com
Trump’s deep public health cuts hinder response to record US cyclosporiasis outbreak
Experts say layoffs, reduced disease surveillance and Medicaid cuts have made the foodborne parasite more difficult to track and contain
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Always read what the brilliant @philiprocco.bsky.social has to say
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
New bog from me: goodjobsfirst.org/ida-tax-abat...
goodjobsfirst.org
IDA Tax Breaks Fall Hardest on New York School Districts Serving More Black, Latino, and Native American Students, New Research Finds - Good Jobs First
New research: New York public schools serving larger numbers of Black, Latino, and Native American students pay more in corporate tax breaks.
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Good Jobs First @goodjobsfirst.org · 25/06/2026
The EEOC has historically enforced discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race and gender. But under the Trump Administration, it has shifted to a focus on enforcing anti-DEI practices and "anti-Christian bias." goodjobsfirst.org/a-new-era-at...
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Good Jobs First @goodjobsfirst.org · 17/06/2026
And stop by @goodjobsfirst.org's table to learn more about all our databases and work, including education and data centers. Say hi to @arlenemartinez.bsky.social, and meet our new Executive Director Allan Freyer! goodjobsfirst.org/dr-allan-fre...
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Arlene Martínez @arlenemartinez.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Excited to be joined at #IRE26 by a cracker jack group of reporters sharing tips on covering the growing corporate influence. Learn how to dig into behavior and relationships, even when you're on deadline. Join us Thurs, June 18 at 2:30 p.m.! And don't forget to stop by the @goodjobsfirst.org table!
Concentrated power: Covering the growing corporate influence session image for Thursday, June 18 at 2:30 p.m. at #IRE26
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Thank you DC for the relatively humidity free day and overall beautiful weather
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
New report from my fantastic colleague @kasia-t.bsky.social on the soaring cost of data center subsidies.
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Good Jobs First @goodjobsfirst.org · 01/06/2026
At least for now, the owners of the Chicago Bears and other wealthy owners/developers have been blocked from getting the massive taxpayer subsidies they tried to score. chicago.suntimes.com/bears-stadiu...
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
It is eye popping how wildly inaccurate estimates for data center tax breaks have been. Ohio thought its program would cost less than $150million, but it’s actually over $1billion
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Good Jobs First @goodjobsfirst.org · 14/05/2026
It's bad enough the wealthy owners of the Chicago Bears want taxpayers to help fund their stadium, but the proposed mechanism to do that would give just about every other huge project massive, decades-long tax breaks. Our latest, with @itep.org, for Crains: www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/comm...
chicagobusiness.com
Opinion: The Bears bill is bad by design. Here’s how.
State Senate leaders are debating whether to use taxpayer dollars to subsidize a new Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights, but this bill has much broader impacts.
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
turning my attention to the Bears/megadevelopment proposed legislation… lot of thoughts on this one
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Excited to be back in Chicago for this year’s ICUA @uaanews.bsky.social I‘m on panels Wednesday and Thursday, and my collaborator @akheilsingla.bsky.social is presenting Friday.
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Good Jobs First @goodjobsfirst.org · 14/04/2026
🚨NEW ANALYSIS🚨 14 states and scores of localities fail to disclose how much revenue they lose to data center tax breaks. Yet such losses are known to be soaring in states that do disclose, with three states already losing $1 billion or more per year. 🧵 goodjobsfirst.org/data-center-...
I cannot think of an industry less in need of tax incentives. AI is so problematic for so many reasons. Why would we also allow it to defund our public schools, health care, and safety? - quote by Good Jobs First Executive Director Greg LeRoy
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Good Jobs First @goodjobsfirst.org · 03/03/2026
🚨NEW ANALYSIS 🚨 Public money for immigration enforcement is flowing to a small number of corporations with long regulatory rap sheets. Read our new report about the $4 billion per year private ICE contractor business: goodjobsfirst.org/ice-contract...
Oversight on Thin ICE
Inside the Companies Enforcing Federal Immigration Policy
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
another day, another blizzard 🌨️
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Good Jobs First @goodjobsfirst.org · 18/02/2026
Lincoln, Nebraska is taking an unusual approach with Tax Increment Financing: it's using the program to boost its affordable housing stock. Landlords get $15,000 per unit, and in exchange must accept vouchers & keep rents below HUD limits for 20 years. goodjobsfirst.org/lincolns-exe...
goodjobsfirst.org
Lincoln’s Exemplary TIF: Weatherizing Rentals Without Pricing Tenants Out  - Good Jobs First
In Lincoln, Nebraska the city is using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to help landlords improve rental housing to keep those units affordable.
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Last month I joined @goodjobsfirst.org as its research director. And while I’m still very much in learning mode, I had the chance to write a blog on how Lincoln is using TIF to help landlords weatherize and rehab buildings while keeping rents affordable goodjobsfirst.org/lincolns-exe...
goodjobsfirst.org
Lincoln’s Exemplary TIF: Weatherizing Rentals Without Pricing Tenants Out  - Good Jobs First
In Lincoln, Nebraska the city is using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to help landlords improve rental housing to keep those units affordable.
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Gotta say, big perk of living on the east coast is Amtrak for travel. So much better than flying
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Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
It has been a bracing moment for American federalism, with both unprecedented efforts to extend executive control over state and local govts, novel forms of subnational resistance. Where is federalism going? Paul Nolette and I have edited a new issue of Publius on that question. Short thread:
Table of Contents for Publius: The Journal of Federalism 56 (1, 2026): The Future of Federalism in the United States

Articles
Introduction: The Future of Federalism in the United States Paul Nolette and Philip Rocco

Can Federalism Protect Subnational Liberal Democracy from Central
Authoritarianism?
James A. Gardner

Tools of Subnational Democratic Subversion: A Taxonomy and Research Agenda
Andrea Louise Campbell and Andrew Karch

Money Is Not Enough: The Temporary Impact of Pandemic-Era Aid on American Fiscal Federalism
Amanda Kass

Federalism and the Future of US Minimum Wage Policy
Shanna Rose

Climate Federalism at a Crossroads: From Compensatory to Coercive and Mitigation to Adaptation
Scott Moore

Who Benefits From Federalism Claims in Federal Court?
Lisa L. Miller

US Federalism and the Political Economy of Territorial Status: Evidence from Puerto Rico
Mariely Lopez-Santana

Federalism and Polarization: How Can Research Be More Relevant?
Carol S. Weissert

Is the Picket Fence Still Standing? Tracing Administrative Federalism in the States Matthew J. Uttermark

From Variables to Mechanisms in Federalism Research
Scott L. Greer
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Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Turning to intergovernmental finance, @akass.bsky.social weighs in on how pandemic-era aid reshaped the local fiscal landscape. While ARPA represented a significant intervention, she argues, it did not represent a paradigm shift in American fiscal federalism. academic.oup.com/publius/arti...
academic.oup.com
Money Is Not Enough: The Temporary Impact of Pandemic-Era Aid on American Fiscal Federalism
Abstract. As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US federal government sent an unprecedented amount of flexible aid to local governments. Wh
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
the journal Publius is out with a special issue on American federalism, just in time for your winter break reading. very excited to see my article out in print! academic.oup.com/publius/issu...
academic.oup.com
Volume 56 Issue 1 | Publius: The Journal of Federalism | Oxford Academic
The official journal of CSF Associates Inc. Publishes research relating to federalism, providing coverage of the latest developments, trends, and empirical and theoretical work on federalism and inter...
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Do I have book recommendations for municipal finance? Yes, of course! But what kind of book are you looking for? History, textbook, muni market basics?
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sonic & frankie knuckles @tsimbl.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Cc @akass.bsky.social maybe?
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Jared Rutecki @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Mayor Brandon Johnson called for more than $617M in new taxes on the wealthiest Chicagoans and largest firms in order to blunt cuts imposed by the Trump administration while avoiding drastic cuts in city services and thousands of layoffs. news.wttw.com/2025/10/16/m...
news.wttw.com
Mayor Brandon Johnson Calls for $617M in New Taxes to Close Budget Gap, Avoid Layoffs
“The line to draw here is that we either are going to protect working people in Chicago from Trump’s cuts, or we are going to open up the floodgates and allow these individuals to be hurt and harmed f...
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
I really wonder what is going to happen. Some places are all in, some are hard no. Within a department it can vary from instructor to instructor. Then there’s the entire state government of PA that all in on AI (see the Governor’s EO www.pa.gov/content/dam/...)
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
was just forced to update to Windows11. Initial impression is I'm not a fan, but at least I don't think a bunch of AI is integrated
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Desiree Fields @desireefields.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Along with Will Payne and Jovan Lewis, I'm organizing an AAG session on the economic geography of scams for the 2026 conference in San Francisco. Please share widely! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
AAG 2026 CFP: Putting the ‘Con’ in Economic Geography
AAG 2026 CFP: Schemes, Scams, and Flim-flam: Putting the ‘Con’ in Economic Geography Will B. Payne, Rutgers University Desiree Fields, University of California, Berkeley Jovan Scott Lewis, University ...
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Thank you Chicago for greeting me with this horrible weather and losing my ventra card. It's good to be back
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
going down a rabbit hole of looking at property tax videos on tik tok....are any public finance or public admin scholars on the platform?
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
I have been working on an article about pandemic federal aid and fiscal federalism since July 2024 and I just the final version. This paper was gone on a real journey, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Fingers crossed it's in print soon
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
I'm very excited that I was accepted to the NASPAA NEXT cohort! Also means I'll be headed to the NASPAA conference in Flagstaff. First time attending this conference so looking forward to it!
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
putting together the syllabus for my research methods class. As part of the readings I'll have students read academic articles that involve qualitative research. So friends, who has a recent publication I should assign?
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Urban Affairs Association is now accepting submissions for the 2026 conference in Chicago….and here I was pretending it’s still the start of summer
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whet moser @whetmoser.com · 14/08/2025
what baltimore's doing is what a lot of people who actually care about this stuff have been saying should happen (a lot of overlapping things)
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Was listening to the radio this morning and the discourse on Trump’s policy bill is frustrating. Cutting Medicaid is framed as generating “savings”. Sure, it will reduce on-budget government spending, but there are real off-budget costs
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Grades are in so officially a wrap on Spring Quarter 2025!
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Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
My heart breaks for trans kids, who do not deserve this obsessive animus that adults are directing at them.
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
This really needs to be recognized for what it is: cutting services for vulnerable, lower income households to give tax cuts to the wealthy
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
CVI work in Chicago expanded because of federal aid from the American Rescue Plan Act. That money was never a long term solution to pay for this important work, but with Chicago’s budget hole and federal policy turn away from CVI, cuts are coming
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
what is even happening….been offline most of the day and it, uh, seems like some news has happened
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
That is a wrap for my Spring Quarter classes (well still grading to do). Both classes ended on a high note with wonderful in-class presentations!
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Between the latest generativeAI higher education article and news that house republicans didn’t know what was in the destructive domestic bill and now regret voting for it I’m feeling extremely deflated this morning
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Amanda Kass @akass.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Anyone have a link to a map that shows all the overlapping local governments in Chicagoland region? @cbgoodman.co maybe you have an example?
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