Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 11/06/2026Check out the rest of the illustrations here: atlasofinnovation.org/library And while you’re there, it’s also worth taking a look at the map, which tries to convey a bunch of information about these policies through position, elevation, vegetation, structures, and more. 000
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 11/06/2026Lastly, I think the most original illustration is for “Advance Market Commitments,” where we imagine building a town to provide a rationale for a train line to enter the region. 101
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 11/06/2026For “R&D Subsidies”, we wanted something that captured the way a subsidy is usually undirected, and supports R&D effort at lots of different kinds of orgs, like the wind pushing forward all boats. 110
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 11/06/2026Third, we have “Research Contracts,” - when you just tell a performer exactly what you want them to do. 100
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 11/06/2026For “Intramural science” (think national labs or my old employer, the USDA Economic Research Service) we’ve got scholarly work happening at a remove from the rest of society - in this case on a mountain top. 100
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 11/06/2026To celebrate the debut of the Atlas of Innovation, a guide to funding innovation from IFP and the Market Shaping Accelerator, a thread of my favorite Atlas illustrations (by R. Kikuo Johnson)! First: “milestone payments” - get it? (Atlas explainer here: www.abundanceandgrowth.org/p/an-atlas-o...) 123
Reposted by Matt ClancyJoshua Rosenbloom @jlrosenbloom.bsky.social · 20/05/2026@mattsclancy.bsky.social as usual offers useful insights about the fate of social science funding at NSF Social science at the NSF open.substack.com/pub/abundanc...open.substack.comSocial science at the NSFHistory rhymes 011
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 29/01/2026And in case you missed it, some more thoughts from Jordan on the ways replication is underrated:open.substack.comIs replication pro-progress or anti-risk?The role of research integrity in scientific abundance 040
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 29/01/2026It’s a debate between @jdworkin.bsky.social and @stuartbuck.bsky.social on the value of replicating research!open.substack.comBack and Forth on the Value of ReplicationFrom Stuart: 241
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 03/01/2026PS - for the interested folks out there who are not PhD students or academics, this course isn’t designed for you. Instead, may I recommend the IFP metascience 101 podcast series! ifp.org/the-metascie...ifp.orgThe "Metascience 101" Podcast Series | IFPA nine-episode set of interviews that doubles as a crash course in the debates, issues, and ideas driving the modern metascience movement 010
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 03/01/2026Apply by January 9, 2026 (this Friday!) for consideration. Be sure to share with the less online students you know. We welcome applications from anyone who has completed the equivalent of a first year economics PhD. ifp.org/economics-of...ifp.orgReady to apply? More details below. | Institute for ProgressOur target audience is current or recent students who have completed at least one year of a PhD program in economics or related fields. Acceptance, however, 100
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 03/01/202611. Competition and Innovation, Mitsuru Igami 12. Patent Policy, Janet Freilich 13. Advice on Research and Careers, panel of Caleb Watney, Heidi Williams, Matt Clancy 100
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 03/01/20266. Science and the Returns to R&D, Matt Clancy (me) 7. AI and Innovation, Kevin Bryan 8. Innovation Policy, John Van Reenen 9. Immigration and Innovation, Michael Clemens 10. Regulation, Heidi Williams 100
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 03/01/2026Schedule: 1. Introduction to the economics of Idea, Ben Jones 2. Idea-based models of economic growth, Chad Jones 3. The supply of Innovators, Ina Ganguli 4. Open Science as an Economic Institution, Pierre Azoulay 5. The Direction of Science, Kyle Myers 100
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 03/01/2026The course runs from early February through late March. Each week is an interactive zoom lecture from a different expert in the relevant field, plus a meeting with a small group of other students to discuss assigned readings. 100
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 03/01/2026Are you a PhD student interested in the economics of innovation? The Economics of Ideas, Science, and Innovation Online short course, hosted by IFP, is back for the third time! ifp.org/economics-of...ifp.orgEconomics of Ideas, Science, and Innovation Online PhD Short Course | Institute for Progress 1105
Reposted by Matt ClancyAlex Armlovich @aarmlovi.bsky.social · 17/11/2025Excited to share I'm joining @openphil.bsky.social under @mattsclancy.bsky.social as the housing program officer for the Abundance & Growth Fund! Launching Niskanen's housing team has been a blast, & I'll remain a Senior Fellow with them But I'm thrilled to start supporting housers everywhere! 11632
Reposted by Matt ClancyGaétan @gderasse.bsky.social · 03/10/2025🔎 Patent citations are everywhere in innovation research. But do they really trace how ideas spill over between inventors—or are we mistaking legal paperwork for knowledge flows? 🧐 New on #ThePatentist: www.thepatentist.com/p/patent-cit... #patents #innovation #spilloversthepatentist.comPatent citations: Tracing spillovers or chasing shadows?Measuring how ideas move across firms and regions 033
Reposted by Matt ClancyBrian Nosek @briannosek.bsky.social · 25/09/2025Excellent retrospective approach to a timely prospective question. 131
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025You can read the full paper here. It’s short and I think pretty transparent! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgWhat if NIH had been 40% smaller?Replaying history with less NIH funding shows widespread impacts on drug-linked research 030
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025We find that drugs that cite at-risk research are, on average, no less likely to get priority reviews at FDA and do not have worse implied valuations by the stock market. In short, we don’t have reason to believe drugs linked to at-risk research are worse. 120
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025Are drugs linked to at-risk research worse? We look at two proxies for drug value: whether a drug gets priority review at the FDA, and stock market reactions when a drug patent is announced. Yes, very imperfect, but we think still worth looking at. 110
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025Finally, it’s less common, but in some cases, drugs directly acknowledge support from specific NIH grants in their patents. Only 40 drugs acknowledge NIH grant support, but of that group, 14 (35%) acknowledge support from a grant that is at-risk. 120
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025We consider other ways to link drugs with at-risk grants. For example, we find that 12% of drugs have more than a quarter of their patent-to-paper citations going to at-risk research. See the paper for some examples of specific drugs. 130
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025This doesn’t mean 51% of drugs wouldn’t exist if the NIH had been 40% smaller. Various caveats cut in different ways (see discussion in the online appendix). But we take this as evidence that the benefits of at-risk NIH research are wide and diffuse. 140
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025Most new drugs are protected by patents. We look at these patents to see if they cite research funded by at-risk grants. We find 51% of drugs have a patent that cites one or more articles funded by an at-risk grant. 120
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025Would anyone miss the research funded by these at-risk grants? To help assess that, we link these at-risk grants to drugs, focusing on all 557 FDA approvals for new molecular entities approved in the 21st century. 120
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025We have the real priority scores for all NIH grants made over 1980-2007. Since NIH mostly funds research by working down these priority scores until the budget runs out, we can identify the grants that would probably have been cut with a smaller budget. 140
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 25/09/2025New research by Pierre Azoulay, Danielle Li, Bhaven Sampat and me. Earlier this year, the President’s budget proposed a 40% cut to the budget of the NIH. This motivated us to ask: what if the NIH had been 40% smaller? 22617
Reposted by Matt ClancyChris Elmendorf @cselmendorf.bsky.social · 20/09/2025If you're a thinker or do-er in the housing space and you haven't subscribed to @michaelwiebe.bsky.social's substack, you're doing it wrong! It's a living urban econ lit review, inspired by @mattsclancy.bsky.social's New Things Under the Sun. Great stuff! Here's an example ⤵️. 2122
Reposted by Matt ClancyAlexander Berger @albrgr.bsky.social · 17/09/2025Nice article on returns to R&D in MIT Tech Review, ft. our own @mattsclancy.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/17/... 0102
Reposted by Matt ClancyOtis Reid @otisreid.bsky.social · 27/07/2025Deadline to apply to these positions is today! Big opportunity to accelerate growth and progress in housing, energy, clinical trials, and more. 0116
Reposted by Matt ClancyCentre for Cities @centreforcities.bsky.social · 16/07/2025PODCAST | Remote working and the future of cities 🎙️ @andrewcities.bsky.social is joined by @mattsclancy.bsky.social to discuss hybrid working, productivity, cities and the future of work. Listen to the pod 🎧👇buff.lyCity Talks: Remote working and the future of cities - Centre for CitiesChief Executive Andrew Carter is joined by Matt Clancy, Senior Programme Officer at Open Philanthropy and the creator of New Things Under the Sun, a 022
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 09/07/2025Apply by July 27 for full consideration! Know someone who might be a good fit? Earn $5k if your referral results in a hire: shorturl.at/S3N8j (4/4)shorturl.atExternal Referrals - Open PhilanthropyExternal Referrals 020
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 09/07/2025There are two kinds of position posted, which we’re calling specialists (who will focus on 1-2 of the above areas) and generalists (who will have a broader portfolio). Full job descriptions below. (3/4) Specialist: shorturl.at/yF9Hq Generalist: shorturl.at/aWGnmshorturl.atSenior Program Associate/Program Officer, Abundance and Growth (Specialist Track)Open Philanthropy is looking to hire up to four new team members to join our Abundance and Growth https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/abundance-and-growth/#:~:text=This%20fund%20supports%20efforts%... 120
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 09/07/2025We’re interested in putting together a team with expertise across many different possible areas: housing policy, energy, infrastructure, state capacity, healthcare and clinical trials, economic dynamism, and more. (2/4) 110
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 09/07/2025The Abundance and Growth Fund at Open Philanthropy is hiring! We’re looking for 2-4 people to help expand this new $120+ million program to accelerate economic growth and reduce the cost of living through strategic grantmaking and research. (1/4) www.openphilanthropy.org/research/ann...openphilanthropy.orgAnnouncing Our New $120M Abundance And Growth Fund | Open PhilanthropyWe are excited to announce the launch of our new Abundance and Growth Fund, which will spend at least $120 million over the next three years to accelerate economic growth and boost scientific and tech... 3249
Reposted by Matt ClancySebastian Buhai @sbuhai.bsky.social · 18/06/2025Enter the 1st pop‑up journal, true living R&D ROI lab for Zvi Griliches: revisiting his seminal question, catalyzing his legacy in real‑time policy, and promising impact no posthumous Econ Nobel (which he more than deserved!) ever could. Arguably the wisest academic publishing initiative in decades. 032
Reposted by Matt ClancyShane McHugh @shanemchugh.bsky.social · 17/06/2025Such a clever idea. You could imagine its application to all sorts of wicked problems… 061
Reposted by Matt ClancyAnders Sandberg @arenamontanus.bsky.social · 17/06/2025This is a really cool kind of initiative: a pop-up journal on the returns to public R&D: popupjournal.com. Pop-up journals to coordinate research on questions that matter!popupjournal.comThe Pop-Up Journal Initiative 091
Reposted by Matt ClancyBrendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 17/06/2025Love this - need more innovation in academic publishing 0203
Reposted by Matt ClancyAlfred P. Sloan Foundation @sloanfoundation.bsky.social · 17/06/2025Very excited to join with Open Philanthropy on an all-out sprint to answer some of the thorniest practical questions in economics. First question: What return do we get when we invest in R&D? 1122
Reposted by Matt ClancyTim Bresnahan @timobres.bsky.social · 17/06/2025Good luck with this! An interesting innovation in the organization of the study of innovation. 051
Reposted by Matt ClancyDavid Marx @digthatdata.bsky.social · 17/06/2025interesting idea. we need more innovation in the research publication/curation space. 021
Reposted by Matt ClancyJakob Schneebacher @jschneebacher.bsky.social · 17/06/2025Interesting metascience experiment: a pop-up journal! Read @mattsclancy.bsky.social's thread for details and how to apply. 031
Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · 17/06/2025We are lucky to be supported in this initiative by a fantastic advisory board that will help us select the winning bid for this journal and select the big questions for future Pop-Up Journals: Matt Clancy Doug Elmendorf Ted Gayer Danny Goroff Jonathan Haskel Margaret Levi Paul Niehaus Heidi Williams 160