Scott examines how American political discourse absorbs European narratives that don't fit the US context, particularly around immigration and crime statistics. Longer summary

Scott argues that American political discourse sometimes absorbs European issues that don't apply to the US context. He gives two main examples: the narrative about generational wealth transfer through pensions (which happens in Europe but not America), and conservative talking points about immigrants being criminals and welfare recipients (largely true in parts of Europe, largely false in America). He provides detailed statistics showing that most US immigrant groups, including asylum seekers, have lower crime rates than native-born Americans, contrasting this with higher rates in countries like Germany. Scott suggests both liberals and conservatives avoid acknowledging this difference because it's politically inconvenient, but argues liberals should directly challenge conservatives to focus on American rather than European data. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander and 1DaySooner outline potential positive health policy initiatives that could emerge under three key Trump administration health appointees: Jim O'Neill, Marty Makary, and Jay Bhattacharya. Longer summary

This post discusses potential health policy proposals under a hypothetical second Trump administration, focusing on three key appointees and their possible initiatives. The piece examines Jim O'Neill as Deputy Secretary of HHS, highlighting his potential work on organ donation compensation and longevity research; Marty Makary as FDA Commissioner, discussing FDA transparency and regulatory improvements; and Jay Bhattacharya as NIH Director, exploring research funding reforms and challenge trials. Written in collaboration with 1DaySooner, the post specifically focuses on optimistic scenarios that could emerge from these appointments. Shorter summary

A detailed review of Michael Shellenberger's 'San Fransicko', examining its critiques of San Francisco's progressive policies on homelessness, drugs, and crime. Longer summary

This post reviews Michael Shellenberger's book 'San Fransicko', which criticizes progressive policies on homelessness, drug addiction, and crime in San Francisco. The review examines key claims in the book, fact-checking statistics and comparing them to other sources. While finding some of Shellenberger's criticisms valid, the review also points out areas where the book presents a one-sided narrative or misrepresents data. Overall, the reviewer sees the book as a flawed but thought-provoking critique of San Francisco's approach to urban problems. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critically examines a major meta-analysis on antidepressant efficacy, noting potential biases and comparing its surprising drug rankings to his own previous analysis. Longer summary

This post reviews a major meta-analysis by Cipriani et al on the efficacy of antidepressants. The study claims to definitively show antidepressants work, but Scott notes it doesn't actually refute previous critiques about their effectiveness. He examines potential biases and methodological issues in the study, particularly around industry funding of trials. Scott also discusses the study's ranking of different antidepressants, noting some matches with conventional wisdom but also some surprising results. He compares these rankings to his own previous analysis, finding major discrepancies, and concludes by urging some caution in interpreting the study's results despite its impressive scope. Shorter summary

Scott argues against Vox's proposal for drug price controls, citing studies that such policies would significantly reduce pharmaceutical innovation and potentially cost millions of life-years long-term. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to Sarah Kliff's Vox article about drug pricing, arguing that her proposal for price controls on brand-name drugs would significantly decrease pharmaceutical innovation. He cites multiple economic studies suggesting price controls reduce R&D and new drug development. Scott argues that while price controls might lower costs in the short-term, they could cost millions of life-years long-term by reducing new drug creation. He suggests focusing on increasing generic drug competition and reducing unnecessary prescriptions of expensive brand-name drugs with cheap generic alternatives as better solutions to high drug prices. Shorter summary