iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 26/09/2026

Relative to Talarico in Texas, El-Sayed is a particularly weak candidate in a much easier-to-win state —who still might win. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 23/09/2026

Using the latest data and 2026 redistricting files, I built an interactive model projecting all U.S. House races, with adjustments for polling bias, mail-in ballot restrictions, and more. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 22/09/2026

Using the latest 2026 redistricting files, the data shows Republicans drew themselves ~9 new safe House seats. Democratic counter-maps in California and Utah claw back 6 — netting the GOP about +3. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 21/09/2026

Teaching my students how to code in R\Python in one programming file. This file grabs PSZ from @gabrielzucman.bsky.social, AS, Census and @wid.world data remotely. And visualizes it, and shows how TRA86 proceeds a structural break in the income data, regardless of the estimate.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 25/08/2026

Dolly Parton passed. In undergrad, @rbreich.bsky.social would play "9 to 5" at the beginning of lecture when discussing gender inequality. Interestingly, I also remember @janetgornick.bsky.social making a passing comment in lecture that "...at least we still have Dolly" following a sad news day.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 24/08/2026

Lecturing and making lecture slides is so much fun. The cover art for my pop quiz is a baby lizard desperately running from endless traps and snakes in search of safety. Which feels emotionally appropriate.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 23/08/2026

Finished my two week annual training deployment last week, and finished my PhD Field exams in inequality and econometrics. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 07/08/2026

I’m currently away on a two-week deployment with the National Guard, very little cell reception, but I was able to get the latest from the Modified @claudia-sahm.bsky.social rule from the #JobsReport.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 25/07/2026

The 2026 election risk map and the map of swing districts is the same map. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 25/07/2026

Hundreds of polls show material policy does very well. On divisive social policy, there is an opening to pivot, for instance trans-sports polls poorly, but trans-protections in employment and housing polls well. goodeconomics.substack.com/p/the-second-best-agenda #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 24/07/2026

Deciding about if and how much to fund the War in Iran is unlikely to garner bipartisan support, but maybe funding orphanages or planting more street side trees is still possible.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 20/07/2026

The trends are clear. Conservatives have lost the most ground on issues that voters care about most. And Democrats stand to gain by reprioritizing messaging to the rankings of public concern.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 03/07/2026

One thing I find helpful about spatial @claudia-sahm.bsky.social style rules is they're really useful for fiscal diagnostics at-a-glance. 1/n

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 02/07/2026

There are endless ways to modify a @claudia-sahm.bsky.social style rule, each says something new about the #LaborMarket. The #JobsDay numbers on #Unemployment are reassuring in some ways, but @jaredb-econ.bsky.social is right to flag that people leaving the labor force. #EconSky #JobsDay

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 14/06/2026

I'm very happy for Spike Lee, and all the longstanding Knicks fans.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 13/06/2026

With Elon Musk hitting trillionaire status, I’m revisiting this exchange with Prof. @jasonfurman.bsky.social When I raised Musk becoming a trillionaire in a CEO/median-worker pay debate, I was told it was tail risk. That tail risk arrived fast. We need better solutions—and new economic thinking.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 05/06/2026

The unemployment figures continue to strengthen. Modified @claudia-sahm.bsky.social rules by location and other metrics also show improvement. But similar to 1990, even as headline figures improve, oil shocks/affordability can keep people economically discontent. #EconSky #JobsDay #JobsReport

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 01/06/2026

Creating @claudia-sahm.bsky.social rules by county shows unique local patterns. Typically lower-income areas are pro-cyclical and experience downturns sooner, with higher-income areas being slower/more accurate. The current moment has real regional weakness in the labor market. #SahmRule #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 28/05/2026

I appreciate this piece by @annielowrey.bsky.social But entire generations/communities exist in a near constant state of downward pressure, unable to find good enough jobs that can afford the most basic premises of a good life: a home and a family. GDP is growing, but the economy isn’t “good.”

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 20/05/2026

Creating income decile @claudia-sahm.bsky.social like rules, shows that in the lead up to many recessions lower-income workers experience downturns prior to the aggregate designation and long before higher-income counterparts. #EconSky #SahmRule #Recession #Inequality

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 14/05/2026

Americans are more productive than ever, but wages haven’t kept up—and the minimum wage has fallen far behind. It’s still $7.25, unchanged since 2009. Adjusted for inflation, it peaked in 1968. Meanwhile, tipped and exempt workers can still be paid poverty wages. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 08/04/2026

Absolutely fantastic visualization by @home-economics.bsky.social, this is ~7 variables of 30 countries across 20 years designed in a way that feels quite clean.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 02/04/2026

🚨New Working Paper🚨 Economists Should Fix the Economy WP: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... Economics maintains a general disposition against prescriptive work. But this is in stark contrast to the overwhelming view by the public that economist should be involved in policy. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 26/03/2026

Incredible work! Somewhat depends on how you count the beans, but it’s worth noting that wages for Asian/White women is typically higher than Black/Hispanic men. Asian women in the aggregate have higher pay than white men. With Asian men’s pay above all categories. www.bls.gov/opub/reports...

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 24/03/2026

🚨New Working Paper🚨 "Economists Should Fix the Economy" coming soon. I fielded a study, with NORC at the University of Chicago, that shows that 92% of Americans think economists should be involved in economic policy —they only disagree on how much. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 10/03/2026

The ROI of ‘just paying a bit more in taxes’ seems preferable for billionaires than increasingly trying to influence American political and policy outcomes. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 10/03/2026

To add to the point @gbenga-ajilore.bsky.social of @centeronbudget.bsky.social is making. My WP shows that you can test the "first fired" result, by putting Black unemployment into a @claudia-sahm.bsky.social like rule, and it shows exactly that. WP: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 07/03/2026

Over 10 years ago, long before George Floyd, I was doing a #BlackLivesMatter photo campaign. Facebook HQ invited me to photograph the staff. Back then, the view was controversial. At the grassroots level, no one had any idea there was any formal 501c3. A lot has changed since then.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 06/03/2026

With the #JobsDay data there are criticisms about the increase in unemployment, but labor-oriented recession indicators, like the @claudia-sahm.bsky.social rule, Modified U6 #SahmRule, the #MichezRule, still do not point to a downturn. A bad or weakening economy is not the same thing as recession.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 03/03/2026

These two visualizations are the same data, just visualized differently. This comes from a report that I helped a professor with, aimed at giving the NY state legislature an update on the economic outlook. And is case-in-point why research communication is so important.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 02/03/2026

Did a quick redesign of the Friends of BLS site! Fantastic group. @aaronsojourner.org is so helpful, Bill Beach is hilarious, and Paul is so easy to work with. This is a project I believe in, a cause I support, and with my design background it was super easy for me to help. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 21/02/2026

The outro to these videos for #TheGreenBookProject are my favorite. I love how the silhouette visuals work with the logos, and I love the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” line from the Promise Land speech by MLK.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 21/02/2026

On the train to #NationalGuard drill this weekend. Today, I ref’d a paper for Computational Econ, then edited a video for @justinwolfers.bsky.social Then redesigned the Friends of BLS site for @aaronsojourner.org. Then saw @trevondlogan.bsky.social post a video I made for #TheGreenBookProject!

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 11/02/2026

@justinwolfers.bsky.social subscribes to my Substack. I think that means I win today. goodeconomics.substack.com #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 09/02/2026

Political betting markets have #HowardLutnick as the most likely to leave the White House —over his relationship with #Epstein, the most notorious child sex trafficker in American history. Lutnick is named ~100 times in the #EpsteinFiles. Trump is named 38k times.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 02/02/2026

This #BlackHistoryMonth, the #GreenBookProject invites you to explore the rich and complex history of Black travel during segregation. The Green Book Project, run by @trevondlogan.bsky.social serves as an archive and community project. greenbookproject.osu.edu #CommunityMap #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 31/01/2026

This is my favorite cover art so far. Read: goodeconomics.substack.com/p/the-unaffo... #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 31/01/2026

I've argued for years, with economists I deeply respect like @pkrugman.bsky.social, @briancalbrecht.bsky.social, and @jasonfurman.bsky.social, that the #AffordabilityCrisis was always a more long-run issue whereby people felt priced-out of a good life. goodeconomics.substack.com/p/the-unaffo...

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 29/01/2026

In the lead up of the election, prominent economists were committed to telling people they were wrong about the economy, I pushed back arguing that #affordability was a holistic long-run assessment. Yesterday @natecohn.bsky.social aided that thesis with data. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 27/01/2026

Point estimates of inequality differ, but the direction is inarguable. Data from the #GCWealthProject. goodeconomics.substack.com/p/the-case-f...

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 24/01/2026

It took me like ~20 seconds to figure out how some graphic designer decided the mid-value, and I did not have to ascribe any level of mens rea to legacy media. There's a lot going on in the world that deserves criticism, but —respectfully— sometimes it's not that deep, professor.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 23/01/2026

While headline unemployment is low-ish, and hirings have slowed, the dimension that is being overlooked is slack —to be clear, underemployment is rising. This is research extending @claudia-sahm.bsky.social-like rules to U-measures. Working Paper: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 23/01/2026

I am proud to be a part of the #GreenBookProject with @trevondlogan.bsky.social, it’s an honor to contribute —even just visual work— to a project that democratizes a portion of this history. greenbookproject.org.ohio-state.edu #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 21/01/2026

Inspired by @jasonfurman.bsky.social's piece on #Affordability, in my latest Substack post, I’m prototyping an interactive way to assess the economy that’s transparent by design: pick the measures you trust, weight them, and get a clear composite view. Less punditry, more open accounting. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 20/01/2026

Growing up as an orphan, having worked in policy for years, and served the country for years, now in a PhD, I am guided by what @itsafronomics.bsky.social once wrote to “lift as you climb”, a quote by Mary Church Terrell. My research focuses on those at the bottom, because I am them. #EconSky

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 19/01/2026

I created a custom cover art. And built a table that translates the PPC policy agenda into today’s language in real terms—and pairs items with recent polling where available (or the closest proxy where polls don’t ask directly). #EconSky #Polling #PublicPolicy #EconomicJustice

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 19/01/2026

To place #reparations alongside other PPC demands in a comparable fiscal frame, I draw on modern scholarship—especially @sandydarity.bsky.social's framework (with A. Kirsten Mullen, Marvin Slaughter, and related work)—to estimate plausible contemporary costs.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 19/01/2026

The piece anchors the history with data publicly-available from the #GreenBookProject by @trevondlogan.bsky.social, Cook, @maggieecjones.bsky.social, + Rosé, which maps the listings Black families relied on to navigate hostile local economies—making Jim Crow’s political economy legible.

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 18/01/2026

Also made a custom graphic to accompany the piece. I will try to write at least once a week on various topics. I'm calling this project "Good Economics." Subscribe!

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Mark G. Sheppard @markgsheppard.com · 18/01/2026

The original data is sourced from @epi.org, and I followed the methodology explained by @arindube.bsky.social. The interactive tool allows readers to decide if/when to index, which has narrative implications. #EconSky

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