Mike Konczal

Everything-Bagel Authoritarianism

If you want to dismantle a liberal, pluralist democracy, you need to be able to tell parts of your far-right coalition “no.”

Dec 23 • Mike Konczal

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A Year In, the MAGA Labor Market Story Has Fallen Apart

The administration bet on government cuts, tariffs, deportations, and a gendered theory of growth. The data say otherwise.

Dec 19 • Mike Konczal

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Does a Target Range Make Sense of the Fed's Actions?

Why the Fed may be acting as if inflation has a band, not a point. And why bands are good!

Dec 13 • Mike Konczal

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The Baby Euler Equation

How rational expectations model the fertility gap and clarify the debate over pronatalism.

Dec 9 • Mike Konczal

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The Eldest Millennials Had the Same Fertility as the Youngest Baby Boomers

How U.S. fertility is happening later, not less.

Dec 4 • Mike Konczal

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Mass Deportation Will Save Renters Less Than $5 a Month

President Trump wants to deport his way to affordability. But immigration can’t explain the housing crisis, and deportation won’t fix it.

Dec 1 • Mike Konczal

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September 2025

Miran’s Case for Cuts: A Reminder of Why Independence is Essential

Stephen Miran's recent speech highlights not just a debate over r*, but the deeper risks of allowing White House talking points to shape monetary…

Sep 29 • Mike Konczal

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July 2025

Chris Waller's Cuts, Declining Jobs, and the Quiet Case for Fed Independence

Why Fed independence matters for communications when the economy slows.

Jul 24 • Mike Konczal

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The Four Data Sleights‑of‑Hand Behind Trump’s Assault on Powell

What looks like a monetary policy debate is really a cover to take control of the central bank.

Jul 17 • Mike Konczal

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May 2025

The House Just Passed The Biggest Medicaid Cut in U.S. History, Twice the Size of Reagan's Cuts

So much for realignment. New analysis from UnidosUS shows the House’s cuts to Medicaid and SNAP are unprecedented, twice as large as anything under…

May 23 • Mike Konczal

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Republicans Revive the “Lucky Ducky” War with 2025 Tax Plan

Congressional Republicans and President Trump are proposing a tax bill that looks like previous deficit-increasing tax cuts, but uniquely targets the…

May 21 • Mike Konczal

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Federal Employees Are Now Less Likely to Work from Home Than Private Sector Workers

New evidence from the latest jobs report shows Trump’s DOGE cuts and efforts finally showed up somewhere visible: in the share of federal workers that…

May 2 • Mike Konczal

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