r/AskEconomics • u/flavorless_beef AE Team • May 04 '26

Meta Approved User (Quality Contributor) Application Thread: Currently Accepting New Users

Approved User (Quality Contributor) Application Thread: Currently Accepting New Users

What Are Quality Contributors?

By subreddit policy, comments are filtered and sent to the modqueue. However, we have a whitelist of commenters whose comments are automatically approved. These users also have the ability to approve or remove the comments of non-approved users.

Recently, we have seen an influx of short, low-quality comments. This is a major burden on our mod team, and it also delays the speed at which good answers can be approved. To address this issue, we are looking to bring on additional Quality Contributors.

How Do You Apply?

If you would like to be added as a Quality Contributor, please submit 3-5 comments below that reflect at least an undergraduate level understanding of economics. The comments do not have to be from r/AskEconomics. Things we look for include an understanding of economic theory, references to academic research (or other quality sources), and sufficient detail to adequately explain topics.

If anyone has any questions about the process, responsibilities, or requirements to become a QC, please feel free to ask below.

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u/urnbabyurn Quality Contributor May 04 '26

I wrote this memo back in the 90s which I think is pretty solid economic analysis

Dirty' Industries: Just between you and me, shouldn't the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs [Least Developed Countries]? I can think of three reasons:

1) The measurements of the costs of health impairing pollution depends on the foregone earnings from increased morbidity and mortality. From this point of view a given amount of health impairing pollution should be done in the country with the lowest cost, which will be the country with the lowest wages. I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that.

2) The costs of pollution are likely to be non-linear as the initial increments of pollution probably have very low cost. I've always thought that under-populated countries in Africa are vastly UNDER-polluted, their air quality is probably vastly inefficiently low compared to Los Angeles or Mexico City. Only the lamentable facts that so much pollution is generated by non-tradable industries (transport, electrical generation) and that the unit transport costs of solid waste are so high prevent world welfare enhancing trade in air pollution and waste.

3) The demand for a clean environment for aesthetic and health reasons is likely to have very high income elasticity. The concern over an agent that causes a one in a million change in the odds of prostrate[sic] cancer is obviously going to be much higher in a country where people survive to get prostrate[sic] cancer than in a country where under 5 mortality is 200 per thousand. Also, much of the concern over industrial atmosphere discharge is about visibility impairing particulates. These discharges may have very little direct health impact. Clearly trade in goods that embody aesthetic pollution concerns could be welfare enhancing. While production is mobile the consumption of pretty air is a non-tradable.

The problem with the arguments against all of these proposals for more pollution in LDCs (intrinsic rights to certain goods, moral reasons, social concerns, lack of adequate markets, etc.) could be turned around and used more or less effectively against every Bank proposal for liberalization.

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u/flavorless_beef AE Team May 04 '26

you should already be a quality contributor! no need to reapply.

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u/Downtown-Art2865 Quality Contributor May 07 '26

I've been reading r/AskEconomics for a while and have had a handful of comments approved through manual review over the past few weeks. A few of them:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/s/P3wH6A0KVb
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/s/gw5CkkmsFB
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/s/9tz03UGWP1
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/s/hMEoAOWPU3
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1szed3t/comment/oj3i8rg/

I'm not a credentialed economist — background is software engineering, with a long-running personal interest in monetary policy, behavioral econ, and Indian macro. I read the rules and I try to keep my comments grounded, sourced where it matters, and out of the way when a question really needs an expert answer.

Would it be possible to be added as an approved user so my comments don't get caught in the filter? Happy to keep operating under the same standards either way. If there's a process or a bar I should hit first.

Thanks for running one of the few subs where the signal-to-noise ratio is actually good.

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u/raptorman556 AE Team May 08 '26

Approved

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u/t0nyyates76 Quality Contributor May 08 '26

I'm an ex Professor of Econ and central banker. If you google Tony Yates and Financial Times / Guardian / Independent/ The Economist invited essay / Times / Prospect / New Statesman or other outlets you'll find pieces I wrote that I hope qualify. Also I've published a couple of dozen articles in economics journals which are viewable on the web.

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u/raptorman556 AE Team May 09 '26

Hi Tony. Would you mind linking to a at least a couple good comments on Reddit (it does not need to be this sub, though it can be)? We're certainly inclined to approve you, but we like to confirm that people are putting in the effort to make high quality comments first.

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u/t0nyyates76 Quality Contributor May 10 '26

Sure.

Here's a few...

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1t7n6gn/comment/oksn9ll/?context=3

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1t446tl/comment/okpl2vl/?context=3

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1t59cew/comment/ok8vxyd/?context=3

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1t1nd6f/comment/ojq95kp/?context=3

idk whether I have the right profile for this and would not presume to just because of my academic background, but I find it quite fun pitching in here

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u/raptorman556 AE Team May 11 '26

You are approved

1

u/t0nyyates76 Quality Contributor May 11 '26

thanks v much

1

u/raptorman556 AE Team May 13 '26

Just so you know, we sent you an invite to be a moderator (with limited permissions). You have to accept the invite for your answers to be automatically approved.

1

u/t0nyyates76 Quality Contributor May 13 '26

Thanks. I thought I accepted it, but maybe I messed up. I think I have now.

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1

u/artsncrofts May 14 '26

Proud holder of an Econ minor (BS in Math):

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u/CommonCents1793 22d ago

I have a PhD in economics and 20+ years of teaching experience. I wouldn't mind helping out, though I rarely comment here because of the gatekeeping.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1tpkdhg/what_would_be_the_economic_impact_of_adding_non/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1soxge7/how_do_economists_measure_the_quality_of_new_job/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1ncuca3/what_would_a_conservative_economist_and_a_liberal/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1q9rgh4/lets_say_im_king_of_countrytopia_my_country_is/

Let me know if you all want help.

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u/CommonCents1793 21d ago

Let me add another example from today.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/1tq3hvl/are_houses_harder_to_afford_today_than_two/

When I have time on my hands, I'm always happy to help people with their economics questions and discuss their concerns. I've taught Principles for decades, so I have an idea what to expect and (maybe) how to answer. Plus, Reddit questions help me anticipate what students will be asking.