jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Interesting! www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Affordability Is a Winning Message for Democrats. But There’s an Even Better One.If Democrats can embrace what affordability is really about, they might do even more than win elections. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 29/09/2026This is good. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/19/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Trump Has Finally Lost the PlotIt is now apparent that many Americans — probably enough Americans — are determined to live within the truth rather than the lie. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Department of Homeland Security claims thousands of brain cells in Pres. Trump's skull. Expert review finds none. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...nytimes.comFrom 16,000 to 185 to Zero: Trump’s Claims of Illegal Voting in Nevada Fizzle.It was the Trump administration’s latest stumble in its effort to find proof of widespread noncitizen voting, despite decades of evidence that it is extremely rare. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Oh Christ... The Four Midterm Races That Matter Most www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...nytimes.comOpinion | The Four Midterm Races That Matter MostFour swing states will soon elect the official who will run the 2028 presidential election. The candidates are alarming. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 24/09/2026These Tech Utopians Want to Build a City for the Post-A.I. World. It's 'a place with “awesome yoga” and “great DJs” where “your friend who’s, like, a painter is going and they’re doing, like, a show there.”' So amazing. Where do I sign up? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/w...nytimes.comTech-Utopian Movement Praxis Says It Has Found a Home in UruguayAfter a sprawling world tour, Praxis, a New York-based, crypto-backed “digital nation,” has signed a deal to build a physical city in Uruguay. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 24/09/2026A Hispanic shift toward Democrats on anything like this scale could remake the electoral map — threatening longtime Republican incumbents, new Republican gerrymanders and the party’s crown jewel, Texas — and represent a final unraveling of his winning 2024 coalition. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/u...nytimes.comHispanic Voters, Abandoning Trump, Are Transforming the Midterm MapTexas and even Florida are the places to watch in November if a polling pattern holds. 000
Reposted by jpfaguet.bsky.socialSohini Kar @karsohini.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Job Alert! My department LSE International Development is hiring two Assistant Professors - one in Quantitative Social Science and one in Humanitarianism. Closing Date is 1 December. Quantitative Social Science lnkd.in/dXfjmaVK Humanitarianism lnkd.in/dPm5iGzplnkd.inLinkedInThis link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn 021
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 09/09/2026This is good: Trump’s empire of debt - www.ft.com/content/cd81... via @FTft.comTrump’s empire of debtThis century the US has embarked on wars of choice and borrowed more to pay for them. That might not end well 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 07/09/2026www.ft.com/content/3edf...ft.comRepublicans fear Trump has turned toxic on the campaign trailSome party candidates worry the president’s low popularity and inflammatory rhetoric will cost them November’s election 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/09/2026This is interesting. US manufacturing is growing in non-tariff sectors: AI, aircraft, and defence, and would be growing faster without tariffs. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...giftarticle.ft.comUS manufacturing is booming — but it’s no thanks to Trump’s tariffsThis is not the nostalgic, protectionism-fuelled return that the president promised 020
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 30/08/2026This is good: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/23/o...nytimes.comOpinion | The Barbie Backlash‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Barbie’ show a zeitgeist shift that goes beyond Hollywood: The hero’s narrative is corroding our political and public life. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Go @mark-carney.bsky.social ! Finally, a leader to stand up for his country. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/w...nytimes.comCarney Stands Up to Trump in U.S.-Canada Trade WarCanada’s prime minister walked away from what he thought was a bad trade deal with the United States. Many Canadians are behind him, but it will be costly. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Go @mark-carney.bsky.social ! Finally a leader unafraid to stand up for his country! 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 18/08/2026This is a good piece: The difficult truth about Jason Arday - www.ft.com/content/5f92... via @FTft.comThe difficult truth about Jason ArdayFrom the beginning, investigations were accompanied by a cloud of excessive references to his race 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Voted for Trump, got misery. Years of Trump Support Came Undone in 15 Minutes in an Airport. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/16/u...nytimes.comYears of Trump Support Came Undone in 15 Minutes in an Airport.The case represents a new front in President Trump’s mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history. 001
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 16/07/2026The fish rotting from the head. NYTimes www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/t...nytimes.comWhite House Teleprompter Operator Bet on Trump Speeches, Kalshi SaysA technical assistant to President Trump won around $100,000, according to the prediction market, which flagged the activity to the federal government. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Hey Don, can you petition FIFA to switch to golf rules so US goes through instead of Belgium? That FIFA rule let's them do anything they want. 100
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 19/06/2026“We *are* remaking the region,” Chuck Freilich, a former Israeli defense official. Iran came out stronger and is now the regional hegemon. They stood up to the U.S. They have missiles. We'll talk about nuclear later. This is Iran defeating U.S. & Israel. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/w...nytimes.comIsrael, Stunned by Trump’s Iran Deal, Sees It as a ‘Catastrophic Capitulation’ 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 19/06/2026Have a leadership contest! But a civil one focused on policy. 2 smart Labour guys who care about the country. Burnham will win and so will Labour. A win, not a stitch-up. And good policy ideas might also emerge. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...theguardian.comMakerfield byelection: Burnham’s decisive win sharpens threat to Starmer’s leadership – UK politics liveBurnham hails a ‘turning point’ for the country after a resounding victory over Reform UK and Restore that may force prime minister Keir Starmer to step aside 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 18/06/2026Serious contender for Most Stupid Trump Policy, a competitive category: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/c...nytimes.comTrump Administration to Pay $765 Million to Cancel 4 More Wind Projects 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 15/06/2026First Putin failed, then Trump failed. Both made their countries look foolish and weak. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/w...nytimes.comDeadlocked Wars: How Major Powers Misread the Regions They Attacked 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 13/06/2026“Clearly our economy is designed to create a handful of billionaires and a trillionaire,” Ms Boushey said. “It is no longer about creating opportunity and stability for the majority.” www.nytimes.com/2026/06/13/b...nytimes.comWages Are Falling. Wealth Is Surging. No Wonder Americans Are Unhappy. 000
Reposted by jpfaguet.bsky.socialLSE Department of International Development @lseid.bsky.social · 12/06/2026On Tuesday, Prof @jpfaguet.bsky.social delivered a keynote to Bolivian policymakers on the proposed Agenda 50/50—an ambitious reform to devolve 50% of the national budget to subnational governments. 👉Find out more: www.lse.ac.uk/internationa...lse.ac.ukProfessor Jean-Paul Faguet contributes to Bolivia’s Agenda 50/50 discussionsProfessor Jean-Paul Faguet delivered a keynote address to a high-level group of Bolivian policymakers and technical experts as part of national discussions on the government’s proposed “Agenda 50/50”. 011
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 13/06/2026Interesting: How Britain could afford to pay for war - www.ft.com/content/5de5... via @FTft.comHow Britain could afford to pay for warKeynes’s 1940 financing plan contains lessons for the current government 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 08/06/2026Sensible, as always: A ‘big bang’ reversal of Brexit is both unrealistic and unnecessary - www.ft.com/content/1d69... via @FTft.comA ‘big bang’ reversal of Brexit is both unrealistic and unnecessaryGoing back would create some big new problems but Switzerland provides an alternative model 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/06/2026Forget Thucydides. It's the Nero trap. Trump’s empire of debt - www.ft.com/content/cd81... via @FTft.comTrump’s empire of debtThis century the US has embarked on wars of choice and borrowed more to pay for them. That might not end well 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 27/05/2026This is excellent! Really insightful. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/w...nytimes.comActually, Democracy Dies in H.R. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 25/05/2026Very good! www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/o...nytimes.comOpinion | A Cattle Ranch Is Doing What the Ivy League Can’t 010
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 21/05/2026The USA has become a kleptocracy. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/u...nytimes.comTrump’s Government Moves to Spare an Unhappy Taxpayer Named Trump 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 20/05/2026This is good. Artfully selects the more important facts and arranges them in a revealing way. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/w...nytimes.comHow Iran Gained Leverage in the War 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 19/05/2026This is beautiful. We are a trivial species. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/b...nytimes.comBook on Truth in the Age of A.I. Contains Quotes Made Up by A.I. 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 12/05/2026“At this turning point in history,” the authors wrote, “what we hear is the heavy and haunting toll of an empire’s evening bell.” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/b...nytimes.comChina Increasingly Views Trump’s America as an Empire in Decline 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Here's the EJ paper: academic.oup.com/ej/advance-a... and here's an ungated version in case... researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/12...academic.oup.comEncomienda, The Colonial State and Long-Run Development in ColombiaAbstract. The Spanish encomienda, a colonial forced-labour institution that lasted three centuries, killed many indigenous people and caused others to flee 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Bottom line: Local institutions mobilized investments that spurred economic & human development. Resource mobilization is key. Development doesn't happen without resources. But don't do it this way! Democratic institutions can do better. Thank you Fabio Sánchez & @voxdev.bsky.social! 100
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026...and provide basic public goods like public order, property rights, and potable water. Colonialism destroyed native institutions along with the vast majority of native people. So places without encomienda lacked local governments for many years -- sometimes centuries. 110
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026It was brutal, violent and nasty. But places that had it in 1560 are better off today across 20 measures of economic, human and institutional development. Why? Because the conquerors invested at least some of their surplus in building local institutions to defend their rights... 110
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Why would Spaniards take such risks? For gold and the encomienda, which allowed conquerors to live luxuriously while natives worked their fields and mines. Encomienda was the basis of the colonial economy and structured colonial society. 100
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026173 soldiers arrived sick and starving. Yet they defeated a much larger Muisca army, who had never seen horses, steel weapons, or firearms. The Spanish took food and succour from them, killed their leader, Tisquesusa, and declared the founding of Bogotá. 100
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026It didn't work. Took them 11 months to fight, raft, and climb their way through 1,000 km of jungle and mountains to Bogotá. 627 men died of hunger, disease, drowning, and ambushes; jaguars & alligators pulled them off their rafts and hammocks and ate them. 100
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026First, the Spanish colony in Colombia was on the verge of extinction. Colonists were sick, gold was running out, and the Great Death was decimating natives. So 800 Spaniards set out to *walk* to Cusco, Peru, where Pizarro had found unbelievable amounts of gold. 100
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026The story of the Spanish in 1500s South America is extreme. Would have to be to spawn something as twisted as the encomienda, which enslaved & oppressed millions, but also led to better economic, human and institutional development outcomes. How? Our @voxdev.bsky.social piece explains: 111
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Note also @saralowes.bsky.social & @eduardomontero.bsky.social use a similar, focused approach with good identification and find the opposite: colonial extraction in Congo led to much worse outcomes today. How do we put this all together? Thanks @voxdev.bsky.social for inviting us to try! 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 06/05/2026I love the institutions & development literature. Been teaching it to my LSE students since AJR's original colonial origins paper. But what do we make of Dell and Olken's Java findings? How do we integrate the macro with the micro? This article is our attempt. 112
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 30/04/2026UK voters dislike all party leaders. No one has + net approval. Brits vote for who's least odious? From @data.ft.com 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 29/04/2026Really expensive, but fabulous results so far so totally worth it! www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/u...nytimes.comPentagon Puts Iran War Cost at $25 Billion as Hegseth Berates Skeptics 000
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 26/04/2026www.nytimes.com/video/us/pol...nytimes.comVideo: How the War in Iran Is Draining the U.S. of Critical WeaponsThe United States has blown through weapons as the cost of the war in Iran has hit nearly $1 billion a day. Our national security correspondent Eric Schmitt explains how American costs may go beyond t... 010
jpfaguet.bsky.social @jpfaguet.bsky.social · 25/04/2026This is good! Sees straight through the noise. @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comIt’s no surprise Trump has met his match in Pope Leo – the US president represents the polar opposite of Christianity | Jonathan FreedlandName the deadliest of sins – cruelty, deceit, avarice – and Trump will both exhibit them and celebrate them, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland 0113