PhD Candidate in Economics, UMass Amherst
Joined May 2026
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Inflation is back. Real wages are down. But things may already be worse than they look.
During the COVID inflation the data said real wages ROSE, providing a buffer against today’s price surges.
But my NEW WORKING PAPER finds: those real wage gains were a statistical illusion🧵
Evan Wasner retweeted
Almost five years ago I was declared an “unreal economist” for proposing that the return of inflation had something to do with a sharp rise in profit margins.
This was the beginning of a tireless research effort. @EvanWasner and I wrote a paper explaining how emergencies coordinate corporate price hikes causing sellers’ inflation. Our work has been discussed widely and cited by central banks, the IMF and OECD.
Now, Evan just became Dr Wasner with a brilliant dissertation on inflation, critical inputs and inequality.
Could not be prouder of my first ever PhD student graduating! Onwards! 🍾🍾🍾🍾
Evan Wasner retweeted
Great thread here folks…
Evan Wasner retweeted
The vibes were real. Inflation was — and is — real. The lesson is when masses of people say their finances are declining, believe them.
I'm sure 100% of people agree with me when I say the skyrocketing utility bills from data centers is absolutely worth it for this
This is the greatest video I’ve ever seen. No notes. The lifeless clanker carcass just laying there. No crowd reaction, anything. Just Billie Jean. Until its lifeless shell is shamefully dragged off. Purely amazing.
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Furthermore, the results of this paper suggest: maybe sometimes public perceptions can be more accurate than “the data” after all. These lessons will be important as we head into another inflation fueled by supply shocks. 22/22
You can find the link to the paper here (X keeps hiding my posts with the link to the paper on SSRN, not sure why): evanwasner.com/publication/2…
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Evan Wasner retweeted
Really interesting paper teapawt.net/EvanWasner/status/2056…
Evan Wasner retweeted
The “Vibecession” was key to the downfall of Bidenomics. This must read paper leverages scanner data to show: People were right to be worried about affordability. Real wages can fail to capture the actual living standards of the majority. We need better measures of affordability.