Blair Fix @[email protected]

In a 2024 paper criticizing the 'billion-dollar-disasters' database, Roger Pielke Jr. published analysis that is best described as a Russian-doll of errors. Here's my in-depth take down of his appallingly bad work. economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/rog…

Other than outright fraud, what bothers me most in science is the combination of clever rhetoric with analysis that seems sound but is actually abysmal. It's a recipe for hoodwinking people. Hence this deep dive into some appallingly bad science: economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/rog…

@RogerPielkeJr argues that existing data, however poor, show that large-scale climate disasters are becoming less impactful. @blair_fix shows that these data demonstrate the very opposite. Will @Nature publish his rejoinder? bnarchives.net/id/eprint/872/ economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/rog…

Fractional reserve banking is one of the most persistent myths in economics. It sounds technical, but it describes a world that no longer exists, and pretending it does keeps us misunderstanding how banks actually create money. 🧵1/12

Here is James McMahon's first piece in a research series on how Hollywood's dominant capital consolidates via mergers & acquisitions. bnarchives.net/id/eprint/871/ notesoncinema.com/2025/10/19/con…

If you enjoy my data-driven research, consider becoming a supporter. You can sign up here: economicsfromthetopdown.com/membership/

In a 2024 paper criticizing the 'billion-dollar-disasters' database, Roger Pielke Jr. published analysis that is best described as a Russian-doll of errors. Here's my in-depth take down of his appallingly bad work. economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/rog…

It's fascinating to watch Paul Krugman transform into a radical. If nothing else, Trump is running a very interesting social experiment in how to radicalize elites. paulkrugman.substack.com/p/can-a-despis…

Here's an interesting new paper from Sandy Hager, in which he traces the shifting fortunes of corporate psychedelia. capitalaspower.com/2025/09/hager-…

Rates and inflation move together (Fisher-style co-movement), so claiming “rate hikes reduce inflation” is at odds with the obvious pattern. The paper emphasizes the positive coupling and the discipline’s “cognitive dissonance” in reversing it to a down-regulation story. Confidence: High (≈90–95%) — it’s a robust descriptive regularity. @blair_fix economicsfromthetopdown.com/2023/02/19/int…

2+2=5, says the White House. George Orwell rolls in his grave.

I used to think that infinite scroll was cool, but I've come to believe that it's killing the internet. It emphasizes meaningless stimulation over active reading. Hence, I've removed the infinite scroll from my blog home page. Here's the updated home: economicsfromthetopdown.com

Given the hype about AI achieving 'general intelligence', now seems like a good time to re-up this post. economicsfromthetopdown.com/2020/08/18/why…

Some news for those interested in capital as power research. The entire contents of the Bichler & Nitzan Archives are now available on the Internet Archive: archive.org/details/bichle…

As Trumps Big Ugly Bill goes into effect, pumping wealth from the poor to the rich, I'm tempted to say I told you so. Or as Sheldon Cooper would say, "I informed you thusly." economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/01/31/par…

How Economics Became a Cult youtu.be/JeplRmADW3E?si… via @YouTube

Did the Soviet Union lose the Cold War? In some ways yes, since it ultimately collapsed. That said, for most of the Cold War, the Soviet regime gained ground relative to the United States. Here's the energy picture. economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/05/13/the…

In this article, Magness and Makovi have done a public service. They have accidentally shown how nonsense is being published in major economics journals. As such, there are broader lessons to be learned from the Synthetic Marx Affair. Here goes… 1/15

I'm all in on #NixOS Here, for those who are interested, is my setup today. It's a work in progress. …iencedesk.economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/05/nixing…

Ominous shit: "AI Slop Is Coming For Science" youtube.com/watch?v=hVkCfn…

this is how you can tell the corrupt care scandal is getting really serious.