VoxTalks Economics
Episodes
S2 Ep17: How art auctions work
27 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What does economics teach us about art auctions? Katy Graddy of Brandeis University tells Tim Phillips what he needs to know before he bids for a pain...
S2 Ep16: The 2018 trade war
19 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Has the trade war with China been good for American businesses and consumers? The first results are in, and David Weinstein tells Tim Phillips who the...
S2 Ep15: Girls, boys and multiple choice
12 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How should multiple choice tests be scored? It seems like a harmless question, but Nagore Iriberri tells Tim Phillips how she discovered that well-int...
S2 Ep14: A green monetary policy
05 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're not short of policies intended to save us from catastrophic climate change, but should monetary policy be part of this effort? Dirk Schoenmaker ...
S2 Ep13: RCTs in the long run
29 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Randomised controlled trials have revolutionised development policy. But do the interventions that work in the short run have a benefit 10 or 20 years...
S2 Ep12: Why are schools segregated?
22 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our cities are diverse, but often the schools in these cities are less so. Bas van der Klaauw of VU University Amsterdam tells Tim Phillips that not n...
S2 Ep11: Love, money and parenting
15 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We all want happy, successful kids, so how can economics help? Fabrizio Zilibotti of Yale talks to Tim Phillips about the research that he and his pee...
S2 Ep10: Innovation policy for Europe
08 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The European Community's FRAME project, of which the CEPR has been a partner, recently held its final conference in London. Tim Phillips talked to the...
S2 Ep9: The Big Data economy
01 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The digital economy makes it possible for data-savvy firms to grow very large, very quickly. Laura Veldkamp of Columbia Business School tells Tim Phil...
S2 Ep8: Gender bias in mathematics
22 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why do girls do less well than boys in school math tests? Paola Giuliano of UCLA explains to Tim Phillips that, for many girls, the problem starts at ...
S2 Ep7: A history of international finance
15 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A new data set compiles the history of international finance spanning a century and a half, revealing new information about globalisation, crises and ...
S2 Ep6: Legal cannabis and the black economy
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On 17 October 2018, Canada legalised recreational cannabis use, with an immediate effect on how Canadian people use cash. Jonathan Ashworth explains t...
S2 Ep5: The end of globalisation?
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Trade growth is slowing down. But is it, as the media and populist politicians claim, the end of globalisation? Kevin O'Rourke tells Tim Phillips how ...
S2 Ep4: Work in transition, part 2
25 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In our second podcast on the The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's report on Work in Transition, Tim Phillips talks to Nate Young abo...
S2 Ep3: Work in transition, part 1
18 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has published a report that investigates how work is changing in Europe and Asia's transition eco...
S2 Ep2: Why we vote for protectionism
11 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It blows the minds of economists when voters choose protectionist policies that, they point out, make most of them poorer. Gene Grossman tells Tim Phi...
S2 Ep1: The half-life of injustice
04 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If our wealth has been acquired unjustly in the past, does that injustice fade or persist? David Miles of Imperial College tells Tim Phillips how econ...
S1 Ep29: Superstar economists
28 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We usually measure the effectiveness of economists by how many papers they publish, or how many citations they get. But a new measure takes into accou...
S1 Ep28: Regulating cyber risk
21 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How should banks and their regulators manage cyber risk? A new discussion paper from the CEPR sets out six principles from an economist's point of vie...
S1 Ep27: The end of men
14 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Women with college degrees are becoming more likely to get good jobs, but for college-educated men, the opposite is true. Henry Siu of the University ...
S1 Ep26: Short-time work
07 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Even though countries all over the developed world implemented short-time work policies during the great recession, we didn't know whether they worked...
S1 Ep25: Does prison work?
30 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We are sending more people to prison than ever. But we know surprisingly little about whether, and how, prison sentences cut crime. Gordon Dahl of USC...
S1 Ep24: Connecting to power
23 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Firms like to be politically connected, because it makes it easier for them to do business. But is it good for the rest of us? Ufuk Akcigit of the Uni...
S1 Ep23: The world needs more migrants
16 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the developed world borders are being closed and popular resistance to immigration is rising. Yet Lant Pritchett of Harvard University tells Tim Ph...
S1 Ep22: The economics of the Great War
09 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend marks 100 years since the end of World War 1. But is the history of the war that we learn at school the whole story? The 20 essays in a n...
S1 Ep21: The rise of superstar firms
02 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Firms are becoming more unequal in every country and sector. Is the rise of a few superstar firms good or bad the economy, and should we do anything a...
S1 Ep20: Why education reduces crime
26 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We know that increasing the school leaving age cuts crime, but why? Is it because kids who are most likely to commit crimes are learning things that m...
S1 Ep19: The making of modern London
19 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What accounts for London's explosive growth in the 19th and early 20th centuries? Tim Phillips talks to Stephen Redding of Princeton University about ...
S1 Ep18: The next recession will be a bad one
12 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the US, unemployment is at its lowest point for two decades. Wage growth is rising, the economy is growing. Tim Phillips asks Jeffrey Frankel of Ha...
S1 Ep17: Women and monetary policy
05 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's no secret that women have been under-represented in the boardroom in general, and central bank boards are no different. We also know that firms i...
S1 Ep16: The impact of innovation
28 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The FRAME Project was set up to find out the impact of innovation on macroeconomic outcomes such as productivity, job creation, and unemployment. Dieg...
S1 Ep15: The missing profits of nations
21 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Every year multinational companies reduce their tax bills by about $200 billion simply by shifting profits, legally, to tax havens. Governments critic...
S1 Ep14: English in Europe
14 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
English is the most widely-spoken language in Europe, but after Brexit it will cease to be an official language of the EU. Tim Phillips speaks to Shlo...
S1 Ep13: IMF reform: An unfinished agenda
07 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Two decades ago the four authors of the CEPR's first Geneva Report on the World Economy examined the future of the IMF. This year, for the 20th report...
S1 Ep12: Populism in France
31 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the French presidential election the parties of right and left collapsed, beaten by political newcomer Emmanuel Macron and the far-right candidate ...
S1 Ep11: The decline of northern England
24 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The north of England and Wales lag the south in output per person, educational attainment, and even life expectancy. Neil Cummins of the London School...
S1 Ep10: Financing the war on cancer
17 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
New drugs mean that many types of cancer are no longer a death sentence. But new medical treatments may have a catastrophic financial cost for patient...
S1 Ep9: Explaining Germany's recovery
10 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 1997 Germany was called "the sick man of Europe". So what is behind its exceptional recovery? Tim Phillips talks to Dalia Marin, the editor of a ne...
S1 Ep8: Tax evasion and inequality
03 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's routine for the rich to dodge tax by hiding it offshore. But how much of their wealth are they hiding illegally? Tim Phillips talks to Annette Al...
S1 Ep7: Robots and jobs
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If the robots are coming for our jobs, how many of us will they actually replace? Tim Phillips talks to MIT's Daron Acemoglu who argues that the robot...
S1 Ep6: Will central banks issue digital currencies?
30 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Economists have long been sceptical of the potential of cryptocurrencies and other electronic forms of money. But are central banks coming round to th...
S1 Ep5: The UK’s post-Brexit US trade deal
27 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When President Trump recently spoke of his hope for "a great bilateral trade agreement” with the UK after Brexit, what did he really mean? Tim Phill...
S1 Ep4: What caused the growth of the Sicilian Mafia?
25 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We all know how films and television tell the story of the Mafia, but what can economics tell us about its origins? Tim Phillips talks to Giuseppe De ...
S1 Ep3: The stubbornly high cost of remittances
23 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For the families of millions of migrant workers around the world, remittances can literally be a life-saver. But the cost of sending money home remain...
S1 Ep2: The return of regional inequality
20 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For most of the 20th century, inequality between Europe's regions declined. But what has happened in the last 40 years? New historical data gives us t...
S1 Ep1: How blockchain technology is changing finance
18 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blockchain technology has the potential to be a catalyst for change in the financial sector. But can it overcome its technical limitations and governa...