Woo! Check out my awesome friend and colleague, Miguel:

x.com/UGA_PA_Policy/…

Giving thanks to De La Soul for all the music. This year I couldn't stop listening to Buddy. #SpotifyWrapped
open.spotify.com/artist/1Z8ODXy…

#PADP8670 herd immunity can be achieved through vaccination more safely than forced exposure. It only works if we reach a minimum threshold. Are you up to date on your vaccines? #fluseason #alsowashyourhands

#PADP8670 payday loans are predatory and trap borrowers in a cycle of debt, but regulation is oftentimes, corrupt so nearly impossible. In the words of Sarah Silverman, anything else is preferable to a payday loan if you need cash.

#PADP8670 Georgia Lottery has generated >$24.6 billion for education of almost 4 million students. Regardless, lower income families spend more on lotteries and higher income kids may perform better in school, so there are some concerns about the scholarship program's equity.

#PADP8670 Value of statistical life (VSL): putting a price on what's priceless. But using VSL estimations allows for policy evaluation using cost-benefit analysis. For example, the EPA uses VSL for air quality standards-preventing pollution costs less than lives lost to pollution

#PADP8670 Sports stadiums are widely believed to be harbingers of prosperity when they're being built, but are overly luxurious structures which often end up costing taxpayers a significant amount of money without bringing jobs. #FreeCincinnatifromtheBengals !

#PADP8670 Pigouvian taxes can address deadweight losses arising from negative externalities, but knowing the right amount to tax can be tricky. For efficiency, the tax should equal the external costs--but what is the precise external cost of something like secondhand smoke?

#PADP8670 Medical device detailing may be as problematic as pharmaceutical detailing. Device education for physicians may be more important than drug education, but do you really want your Grandma to get a certain kind of implant because the rep brought tacos for lunch?

#PADP8670 Evanston, IL passed the first reparations law in US history in 2019, granting $25,000 to select individuals for home improvements, down payments, or mortgage assistance. The law is groundbreaking, but would cash transfers be less paternalistic?

youtu.be/EGHP0QRydA4?si…

#PADP8670 Patents promote innovation, but they grant temporary monopolies. Monopolies reduce overall surplus, and may dampen further innovation. Recent studies suggest R&D subsidies may increase income inequality despite speeding economic growth (eg, Grossman & Helpman 2018).

#PADP8670 While patents represent a way of protecting innovation loopholes like 'patent trolling' suppress innovation. On the pharmaceutical market, firms use litigation around patent expiration to delay generic entry. Regulation should ensure patents are helpful, not harmful.

The idea of a universal basic income is controversial, but cash transfers may allow people who receive welfare the freedom to invest in aspects of their life that they know will benefit them the most.
#PADP8670
npr.org/2021/03/04/973…

#PADP8670 Food in the US is subsidized to be overproduced and is then thrown away. Yet far too many citizens face food insecurity. Tax breaks for food donations and charities that collect overproduced food for donation may present an early solution to these problems.

#PADP8670 In the '60s, the US produced 95% of its clothes. Now, we produce <2%. Fast fashion is convenient and online, but we really have no idea where it's coming from. Child labor laws vary--those distressed jeans on SheIn are more complicated than being 'a click away'.