Tracking Economists Who Show Up — March 2026

Update: This list now lives in one place — a directory of 43 named economists on Substack, updated monthly. See the full directory →

List of economists on Substack.

I have been thinking about who is actually shaping how economics is discussed in public, and not just in academic journals.

So I started paying attention and collecting data on economists who are actively showing up and sharing their work on Substack.

Economists are not one group

Economists study very different parts of the economy—labor markets, macroeconomic policy, financial systems, environmental protection, energy markets, agricultural systems, and more.

Yet, to the public, “economist” often sounds like a single voice.

It is not.

Why this matters

Economics shapes policy.

Economic thinking also shapes the day-to-day decisions we make.

It shapes how we understand the world around us—prices, jobs, energy, wars, and technology.

Who communicates economic ideas, and how often they show up in public spaces, matters.

Visibility influences which ideas gain traction.

How this list was formed

This database is not a ranking.

It is not static. I will update it as frequently as I can.

It is a dataset of economists who consistently engage with the public through Substack.

The focus is on:

• Consistency of posting

• Clarity of ideas

• Willingness to engage beyond academia

• Named economists (not anonymous)

What stands out is not just what these economists say but that they show up.

The goal of this database is to help identify different types of economists and how they communicate their work publicly.

If you know an economist, share their link in the comments. If you are an economist who uses your real name on Substack, share your work in the comments section.

For now, I have compiled 17 names for you, and it's worth noting that I found only two women (including myself).

Named Economists Active on Substack

• Paul Krugman (last post March 27, 2026)

• Jay Akridge (last post March 27, 2026)

• David Hummels (last post March 27, 2026)

• Abdullah Al Bahrani (last post March 27, 2026)

• Cameron Belt (last post March 27, 2026)

• Jadrian Wooten (last post March 27, 2026)

• John Brewton (last post March 26, 2026)

• Noah Smith (last post March 26, 2026)

• Michael Testa (last post March 22, 2026)

• Matthew E. Kahn (last post March 22, 2026)

• Michael Prunka (last post March 22, 2026)

• Mahelet G. Fikru (last post March 21, 2026)

• Erdener Emin Eker (last post March 8, 2026)

• Chris Clarke (last post March 7, 2026)

• Jordan Peeples (last post February 16, 2026)

• John Kruggel (last post February 2, 2026)

• Richard Tol (last post January 22, 2026)

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(More to come as this database grows.)

(Acknowledgments: Karen Smiley, thanks for the idea of creating a living database.)