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Frances Woolley

@frwoolley.bsky.social
2.7K followers 1.4K following 239 posts

Economics prof, policy nerd, dog walker.

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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 4h
OTOH there's Saul Newman's Ig Nobel Prize winning research on ultra longevity being mosty due to lousy record keeping (jheor.org/post/2682-ig...)
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
thanks!
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
links for more info?
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Ana-Maria Dimand @anadimand.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The School of Public Affairs at American University is seeking applications for a full-time Research Associate to support the work of the Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center. To begin in December 2026 or as soon as possible.  www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?... #PAJobMarket
higheredjobs.com
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Honoured to be included...
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
interesting take on the trade war; not sure if I 100% agree with Justin Wolfers' conclusions.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This is what always infuriates me about economic freedom indices like the one put out by the Heritage Foundation. For women there is no economic freedom without contraception.
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Alex Usher @alexusherhesa.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Here is my letter to the MacDonald Laurier Institute on the subject of their appalling research. Use as you will. I recommend sending something of your own, though. And if you know anyone associated with MLI - and Board directors, say - send it to them, too.
docs.google.com
Alex Usher email to Brian Lee Crowley
(text of an email sent to Brian Lee Crowley of the MacDonald Laurier Institute on September 2, 2026) Dear Brian, I am writing to you and your board with respect to the publication “The equity excelle...
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
xkcd hammers the point home: xkcd.com/3290/
xkcd.com
Trade
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
In unrelated news, the number of Canadian tourists visiting the US continues to fall.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
100% agree! Also, even if you can get 90% of the way to your destination on a ravine/hydro corrider (and great if you can!) you still have to navigate the last 10%. Nothing worse (and more deadly) than cycling infrastructure that ends at the busiest, most dangerous part of the route!
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Research results that will not surprise anyone who has ever taught university students.
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Shelly Lundberg @shellyjlundberg.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
As a long-time member of the demography community, I'm hoping that some non-economists will be interested in my new book as well.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
So so sorry to hear this terrible news. Thinking of you.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Catching up on old Planet Money episodes - excited to hear my U Ottawa colleague Abel Brodeur talking about replication games www.npr.org/2026/02/27/n...
npr.org
Don't hate the replicator, hate the game : Planet Money
The world of science has been stuck in an existential crisis over whether we actually know the things we thought we knew. Re-running an old study today doesn't always yield the same result. Same with ...
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Tom Slee 🇨🇦 @tomslee.net · 20/07/2026
Here's a side of the CAN/USA economic performance story I haven't seen before, from Paul Beaudry and David Green. "[O]ver 20 years of economic data show U.S.’s higher productivity has not produced better earnings for most" Gift link: www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/034a874...
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Fair enough. Don't get me wrong - I have family who cycle in the Somerville area daily and am very very happy to learn that they're safe doing so!
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Agreed. Vancouver BC is a case in point - there is no way the City of Vancouver would have remained (relatively) free of major highways if the Greater Vancouver Area had been one big metro.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
My bad. Broadway then. The greater point is that this kind of policy is politically possible because Somerville can make its own decisions, and isn't beholden to the car-centric suburbs. I wish that was true other places, unfortunately it isn't, at least not where I live.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
The point is you need specific political conditions to get this kind of policy through. It wouldn't be possible to implement this policy if Somerville was part of a larger conurbation that included car-centric suburbs.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
I'd love to see drivers inconvenienced, but unfortunately I live in an "amalgamated city". The car-centric areas have more votes on city council than the walkable/cyclable areas. Somerville probably couldn't have done what it did if Cambridge/Somerville/Arlington/Lexington etc was one megacity.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Somerville residents are probably happy to inconvenience commuters driving from the burbs to Boston/Cambridge along Mass Ave. Plus it has unique demographics being home to Tufts and bike-commuting distance to Harvard and MIT. How generalizable is their success?
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Ron Kneebone @ronkneebone.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Policy approaches to prevent homelessness requires a measure of what income leaves one at greatest risk. Colleague Rita Wilkins and I are pleased that our HICO measure is being used in a proposal for a new Housing Benefit. caeh.ca/transforming...
caeh.ca
Transforming the Canada Housing Benefit to Prevent Homelessness
The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness is proposing a transformed Canada Housing Benefit that could reduce homelessness by more than 60%.
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Tammy Schirle 🇨🇦 @tammyschirle.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
The June 2026 Issue of Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de politiques is now available, with free access. utppublishing.com/toc/cpp/52/2
utppublishing.com
Contents | Canadian Public Policy 52, 2
June / juin 2026
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Actually throughout history taxing wealth has often been easier than taxing income. Think window taxes, which were approximately a tax on wealth. Property taxes. In retrospect income taxes may seem like a blip made possible by wide spread salaried employment.
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Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I'm not sure there's any fighting tech that makes people's lives easier, at least in the short run, regardless of whether it makes lives better. Academic life starting to have an abacus feel.
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AEA Data Editor @aeadata.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
I am firming up spring and summer conference planning, and if you are too, here are a few where I will be leading or contributing to training on reproducibility (for journals and for your own research) 🧵
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Gift link (I hope) to @stillots1.bsky.social's moving First Person story in @theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/915a4b6...
theglobeandmail.com
I am still physically fit, but metastatic breast cancer took away my ability to plan ahead
Patients are living longer with MBC but don’t tell them they look ‘great’ in spite of the disease
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
That's what I need. I started doing weights last year but got a sore elbow and had to stop; need better technique!
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Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Thanks to @theglobeandmail.com for giving me a little space to talk about a moment in my life. I hope maybe it'll be useful to (possibly give a laugh to?)others with metastatic cancer? share.google/8dRbC0go2heN...
share.google
I am still physically fit, but metastatic breast cancer took away my ability to plan ahead
Patients are living longer with MBC but don’t tell them they look ‘great’ in spite of the disease
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Thank you for sharing this - knowing this makes me especially treasure everything you are able to write and post! And you're inspiring me to start weightlifting!
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The hidden cost isn’t just money. It’s time. If comparing three apps takes forever, you're doing work before you even order dinner.⁣ ⁣ newsletter.platypuseconomics.com/p/…
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
CRDCN is looking for a project manager/grant writer crdcn.ca/project-coor... Interesting work, great colleagues @crdcn.bsky.social
crdcn.ca
Project Coordinator (II) - Project Manager (SSCAN) & Grants Writer (Job ID 76196) - Canadian Research Data Centre Network
Term/ Start Date: 24-month contract  Position Type: Hybrid  Salary: $41.99 – $59.09 (hourly) Duties:   This position combines project management for the SSCAN Data Space project with leadership in res...
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
I'm a big fan of Freedom mobile - they have very good Canada/US/Mexico packages plus the best prices for international roaming (if you don't want to bother with the hassle of esims).
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Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Tax reform is a ravenous consumer of political capital. Finance minister Champagne promises boldness. I would have said stealthy technical changes would work better. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/330b5b5...
"I know what the issues are. I'm a man of action," he said. Instead, he said he wants to hear specific proposals. "I think that by listening, engaging, we are able to find the right solution to improve the tax code in the country," he said, adding that proposals related to growing small businesses or attracting more investment are welcome.
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Stephanie Carvin @stephaniecarvin.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
I did an interview with CTV News about my new book with @amaramarasingam.bsky.social on far-right extremism in Canada. www.ctvnews.ca/canada/artic...
ctvnews.ca
‘It’s Canada. It’s Canadians’: New book examines rise of far-right extremism
A new book examining far-right extremism in Canada argues the movement has evolved dramatically in the past decade, shifting from small, organized groups to a broader network fuelled by social media, ...
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
It may depend at what point the data is collected. International students very often come to study business, don't make the grade cut off, and then go into economics. But based on my knowledge of several universities, econ has disproportionate int. student numbers.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
All over now (Valentinos and Rolling Stones). Piece of my heart (Erma Franklin/Janis Joplin). Many Little Richard covers e.g. here www.whosampled.com/Little-Richa...
whosampled.com
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Hound Dog (Big Mama Thornton and Elvis Presley). House of the Rising Sun has been covered by lots of black and white artists.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
This isn't a story about what wealthy men in tech want. It's a story about what the wealthy men in tech who struggle to find wives want. And it's pretty clear why they're struggling.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Way to go @gillianpetit.bsky.social!
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Bennett School of Public Policy, University of Cambridge @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk · 01/06/2026
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge is hiring a Research Assistant in Public Policy! Work with @michaelkenny.bsky.social on projects for the new Bennett School of Public Policy including UK devolution, regional place-based policy, & inter-governmental relations. Apply by 18/06/26: bit.ly/4uL5bWQ
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Chris Neill 🐧 @chrisneill.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Front runners so far look to be Leviathan Wakes and Too Like the Lightning. If you're thinking of joining us, there is still time to get your vote in!
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
And shingles vaccine protects against dementia med.stanford.edu/news/all-new... (weird but seems a fairly robust finding)
med.stanford.edu
For those living with dementia, new study suggests shingles vaccine could slow the disease
A new analysis of a vaccination program in Wales found that the shingles vaccine not only appeared to lower new dementia diagnoses by 20%, it also helped those who already have the disease.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
A hundred years from now, your great grandchildren may use your Census records to find out how you lived. Here's an old blog post about using the Census to find out more about my own family's history: worthwhileblog.ca/2010/08/05/g...
worthwhileblog.ca
Geneology and the census
Historical censuses from around the world are available on-line at sites like or  A few hours spent looking up old family records made history come alive for me.
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Tammy Schirle 🇨🇦 @tammyschirle.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
The short and long form have purpose, please take the time to do it. Can read this from @lindsaytedds.bsky.social too deadfortaxreasons.wordpress.com/2026/05/05/l...
deadfortaxreasons.wordpress.com
Long Form, Long Memory
The 2026 Census Has Landed. Fill It Out — and If You Got the Long Form, Wear It Like a Badge. The envelope showed up this week. Beige. Bilingual. Statistics Canada return address, PO Box 99995. Ins…
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Tim Bousquet @timbousquet.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Privatization doesn't work without the private profits. The most extreme example is the privatization of Chicago's parking meters, but the result is universal. Privatizing airports means higher parking prices, airport fees on tickets, rents for vendors, and therefore high drink & food prices.
thedeepdive.ca
Chicago Parking Meters Are Making UAE The Big Bucks | the deep dive
A new audit has found that the city of Chicago is losing millions of dollars each year on its 75-year lease of its parking meters — all while the meters owners, Chicago Parking Meters LLC (CPM), are r...
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Easy for Canadians to be smug about this, but our Catholic hospitals (St Joseph's, St Michael's, other Unity Health) aren't great in this department either.
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
The state of Ontario's ONroute network gives you a pretty good idea of how "cutting costs" is likely to work out... www.thestar.com/gift-redeem?...
thestar.com
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Frances Woolley @frwoolley.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Also: home ownership rates for 85+ have increased over time as current olds are wealthier.
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