Blair Fix

Political economist. Blogger. Scientist. Editor: Review of Capital as Power.

Support my research here: https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/membership/

Blog: https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/
Support: https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/membership/

Last Notes

2026-05-26 20:33:40 UTC

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You put you finger on it. Once you admit power into economics, nothing of neoclassical theory is left standing. Income in general says little to anything about 'productivity'.

2026-05-26 19:51:22 UTC

In hindsight, it looks like Bush's 'war on terror' signaled the end of the Pax Americana (the post-WWII imperial peace).
Here's the number of military conflicts involving the United States since 1946. The post-2001 jump is shocking.
https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2026/05/22/the-business-of-war-and-the-mismeasurement-of-military-might/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/642/596/952/665/481/original/87e6eb572cb05ebf.png

2026-01-31 14:51:35 UTC

I read Robert Putnam's 'Bowling Alone' last night. I did not anticipate his evidence blaming *television* as a key cause for US civic breakdown.
Someone needs to update this research to include all forms of modern screen time. I suspect the results would be horrifying.

2025-11-12 17:26:03 UTC

YouTube doubles down on enshittification. The site will no longer load videos if it detects ublock origin on your browser.
@npub1fdr…lvhs
https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/internet/youtube-is-not-down-its-cracking-down-on-ad-blocker-users-3-ways-to-fix-it

2025-09-11 21:17:37 UTC

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.
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/can-a-despised-autocrat-consolidate

2025-09-11 21:00:42 UTC

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

2025-09-07 21:46:24 UTC

2+2=5, says the White House. George Orwell rolls in his grave.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/165/180/708/322/837/original/0089ffca2a7810a9.png

2025-05-26 17:22:01 UTC

In hindsight, the Cold War wasn't a competition between two superpowers. It was a battle between a dominant empire and an emerging competitor.
Here's the energy picture.
https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/05/13/the-soviet-experiment-with-empire/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/575/272/029/815/817/original/bf4f80f3c1557b0c.png

2025-05-09 21:04:55 UTC

To what extent do politicians have a say over the rise and fall of empires?
The rhyme between US and British history suggests limits to political agency, at least via liberal democracy. (Revolutions, of course, are a different matter.)
https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/05/04/the-half-life-of-empire/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/479/895/889/984/377/original/edb4e6a6c8d216a3.png

2025-03-14 20:22:03 UTC

It's worth stressing that modern Republican rule is in large part built on ignorance. Here's how the diversity of people's news sources declines as Republican state control increases.
https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/01/31/partisan-politics-and-the-road-to-plutocracy/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/162/624/213/938/048/original/b55123dced4d108c.png

2025-02-25 17:05:55 UTC

When Republicans rule, more people are food insecure. Here's the data at the state level.
#plutocracy
https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/01/31/partisan-politics-and-the-road-to-plutocracy/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/065/597/989/745/100/original/93c9b409da0ef076.png