iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Erik Loomis @erikloomis.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

This Day in Labor History: June 15, 1990. 400 striking janitors organized with Service Employees International Union held a rally in Los Angeles. The LAPD proceeded to beat the shit out of them in front of office workers wondering what the hell was going on. Let's talk about Justice for Janitors!

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JW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

It's a feature of many market solutions to social problems that they look much more attractive if you ignore the implementation details. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/news...

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Rutgers School of Engineering canceled a commencement speech by Rami Elghandour—an alum and executive producer of an Oscar-nominated film about Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child killed by Israel—because "some" students complained: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... His response (via X):

Statement from Rami Elghandour on Rutgers Speech Cancellation
Rutgers first gave me the honor of being the convocation speaker for this year's engineering graduation.
They've now given me an even greater honor.
After a "few" students complained about my selection as speaker because of my social media advocacy for Palestine, Rutgers has canceled my speech. They decided that the feelings of a handful of students who said that my social media posts "opposed their beliefs", were more important than the experience of the entire graduating class, the reputation of the school, the dignity and belonging of Arab and Muslim students, and the First Amendment.
I have not and will not waver on my principles. I stand by my commitment to human rights and American democracy. Only those who fear the truth leverage institutional power to silence it.
Rutgers chose me in part because of my humanitarian work. They put my role as an executive producer for the Oscar nominated The Voice of Hind Rajab front and center. They led with my social justice advocacy. Until it was inconvenient. That's the difference between virtue signaling and principles. One withstands challenge. The other wilts in the slightest breeze.
The message Rutgers is sending to this class and everyone around the country is alarming. Don't dare stand for anything. Don't dare speak up. There will be consequences for being a humanitarian. For advocating for social justice and equality. Avoid people and ideas that contradict your own. Cancel them if you can.
I love Rutgers and it's both heartbreaking and disappointing to see it abandon its students and its ideals.
Ironically the essence of my convocation speech is being yourself and choosing kindness. That you can build a life consistent with your values. That you don't have to choose between success and principles. Rutgers' leadership clearly does not believe in these values.
But they can't stop me from sharing them. I'm recording my speech and will post it soon.

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Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

@us.theguardian.com has a new piece about our working class climate agenda. As the story makes clear, we believe that climate politics must directly address the cost-of-living crisis in order to win policies that are desperately needed in the US.

theguardian.com

As household bills soar, is it time for a ‘working-class climate agenda’?

Proposal from group that worked with AOC and Bernie Sanders seeks to counter claim that climate policy is politically toxic

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Housing must be a top priority for policymakers & candidates. 1/3 of Americans rent. Increasingly these are families thought of in the traditional "middle" class. Yet housing policy is leaving them high & dry. Rent control may not be a silver bullet, but it's common sense & brings immediate benefits

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

every time i write about wage theft i do a double take because it's so crazy corporations steal more than $50 bn from workers' paychecks each year, illegally paying workers less than they earned for their labor that significantly exceeds the combined losses from larceny, burglary, & vehicle theft

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Thrilled to see my home state of Massachusetts out front with an important ballot initiative to implement state wide rent control at CPI or 5%, whichever is LOWER. This is a common sense move that will protect renters, increase affordability, and have no impact on supply www.mass.gov/doc/25-21-an...

mass.gov

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

The Fight for $15 started way back in Nov 2012. Simply adjusting for inflation (not including producitivty gains), would bring that wage up to $21.19 today.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

CBO does great work, but they do not have a crystal ball here. Also, this is largely a policy choice.

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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

"Four hours after his arrest, he was taken to a hospital emergency room in Edina with swelling and bruising around his right eye and bleeding. A CT scan revealed at least eight skull fractures and life-threatening hemorrhages in at least five areas of his brain..." apnews.com/article/immi...

apnews.com

ICE claim that a man shattered his skull running into wall triggers tension at a Minnesota hospital

Nurses in Minneapolis doubted federal immigration officers' claims about a Mexican immigrant's severe injuries.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Do not look away. It's time to organize. It's time to be furious. It's time to revolt.

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Greg Olear @gregolear.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

One of the best things I’ve read in a while:

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Dan Immergluck @danimmergluck.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Chicago. Now. Ice out of everywhere. Snow and cold not slowing folks.

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Dimitri Drekonja, MD, MS @dimitridrekonja.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him. White. Hot. Rage.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Central planners can certainly make this transition happen as smoothly as possible. And yes, bankers are central planners. But the idea that they’ll facilitate a transition, unless forced to, is delusional

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Teaching a new heterodox labor econ & policy course. Any suggestions and resources would be most appreciated.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

I’m honestly surprised by how resilient the economy has been these last few months. Any good pieces trying to tease out how much of that is driven by AI hype/investment?

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

Couldn't imagine a better team to work with!

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

NEWS --> An internal Homeland Security memo suggests Trump's use of military for domestic enforcement is about to get worse. It details top-level talks between Defense Department and DHS on what this should look like. Experts say it's alarming. We obtained the memo: newrepublic.com/article/1987...

newrepublic.com

Trump’s Domestic Use of Military Set to Get Worse, Leaked Memo Shows

A Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by TNR signals top-level discussions about a potential escalation of the Pentagon’s domestic anti-immigration role, and lays out new details.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Today, @nealemahoney.bsky.social has a guest piece up on @jaredb-econ.bsky.social substack. It has some good insights on the affordability crisis. But then it notes "Q: how does rent control fit it here? A: it needs to be tightly targeted or it can discourage new construction". NUANCE plz.

media.tenor.com

a man with pink hair is standing in front of a refrigerator with the words so frustrating written on it .

ALT: a man with pink hair is standing in front of a refrigerator with the words so frustrating written on it .

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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 25/07/2025

"Unless Israel is stopped, Gaza will be bombed and starved until the entire population is either dead or shipped off somewhere. Then the West Bank will receive the same treatment." prospect.org/world/2025-0...

prospect.org

Israel’s Endgame Is Obliterating Palestine

Gaza is being deliberately starved. The West Bank is next.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

I wrote a thing on why economists are slowly starting to rethink their wrongheaded knee-jerk hatred of rent control. www.policylink.org/resources/pu...

policylink.org

Economists Are Rethinking Rent Control | PolicyLink

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

"overconsumption of housing by tenants of rent controlled-apartments" is honestly a wild statement. We do have an "overconsumption of housing" problem, but tenants in rent-controlled apartments have absolutely nothing to do with it. For example, this 66k mansion owned by Gates is overconsumption

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

This is an excellent piece, per usual, by @jwmason.bsky.social. One crucial point, which is a massive departure from how modern econs/policymakers are trained, is: "Legibility, simplicity, and universality are underrated virtues in policymaking" www.dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...

dissentmagazine.org

What Can Zohran Accomplish? - Dissent Magazine

What distinguishes Zohran Mamdani's socialism is not its aims. It’s his willingness to take seriously the problem of how to get there.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Anyone teaching a heterodox labor econ course and have a syllabus they're willing to share?

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

My least favorite task is writing rejection letters for journals. People work so hard, and I get that. And being a kind, thoughtful, and constructive reviewer is crucial. But getting a paper that just isn't it is painful all around.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Average home sizes are falling, and I think that's a good thing.

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Ruthy Gourevitch @ruthygourevitch.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Multifamily construction is 🆙 but low-rent units are dwindling. We're losing low-rent units faster than we're building. And new units are expensive Rent regulations are often pitted against supply. But as US hemorrhages affordable homes, rent regs are actually a path to *preserve* affordable supply

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Reposted by Mark Paul

INET Complexity Economics @inet-complexity.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

We need a part time Research Assistant to work on macroeconomic and distributional impacts of the UK’s Seventh Carbon Budget. Apply by 21 July.

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Reposted by Mark Paul

Collin Rees @collinrees.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

“When analyzing a transition plan, we must ask: “Is it really a transition? Does it have a plan to phase out fossil fuels? If not, then it’s not a transition, let alone a just one.” @jmijin.bsky.social at amazing @cplusc.bsky.social book talk at @cornellilr.bsky.social’s Climate Jobs Institute.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Some of the best months of my life.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Times are troubling, but Zohran is a welcome light showing us what real leadership looks like. Can't wait for him to be the next Mayor of NYC.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

I guess geriatric rent control is a thing. Patterson, NJ has a 5% rent cap unless the tenant is over 65, in which case it's 3.5%. Both caps are too high, to be clear, but an interesting approach that I can't say I'm sold on. www.patersonnj.gov/egov/documen...

patersonnj.gov

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Fran Quigley @franquigley.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

New newsletter post highlights the important work of @markpaulecon.bsky.social on building economic rights. Free speech does not put food on the table for a family of five. The right to vote is not building a roof over the heads of our clients headed to sleep in shelters, cars, or the streets.

open.substack.com

Time to Focus on Economic Rights

Since the November, 2024 election, I have talked with dozens of people facing eviction or enduring unsafe and unhealthy rental housing conditions.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

Well, it's official! I am now a TENURED associate professor of pub policy here at Rutgers! Couldn't have done it without my amazing family and my truly wonderful community of political economists. Let us continue to strive to not only interpret the world, but to change it. ✊

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

I always find it funny how people talk about the Dems as the party of "redistribution". I mean, this is some substantial redistribution of resources right here from the R's—it's just from the masses to the 1%

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Albert Weale @albertpweale.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Very informative chart from Washington Post

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

The concentration of power continues.

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Ruthy Gourevitch @ruthygourevitch.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Bee's home filled with ash during the wildfires. Holly pays $350/month to heat her studio apt. Desperate for safety & change, both turned to a trusted source: the tenant union. The climate crisis hits tenants hardest, but tenants are fighting back. I wrote about it in @shelterforce.bsky.social

shelterforce.org

The Climate Crisis Hits Tenants Hardest. They're Fighting Back.

From California to North Carolina, tenants are organizing to demand protections from natural disasters.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Whiplash is excellent for consumer and business confidence.

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Mark Paul @markpaulecon.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

The carnage won’t end without unprecedented resistance. We cannot hide from what is happening. We cannot ignore it. We can only confront it.

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