VoxTalks Economics

Bill English, editor of the ebook, discusses how central banks responded to post-pandemic inflation. Topics include contrasting approaches of emerging vs. advanced economies, forecasting inflation during supply shocks, and tools used by central banks like interest rates and asset purchases. Lessons for policymakers in dealing with future inflation challenges are emphasized.

Finance professor Alex Edmans discusses the mispricing of carbon transition risk in markets, highlighting how high emitters may be outperforming. The conversation explores the complexities of balancing social good with shareholder returns in ESG investments and the challenges faced by long-term investors in driving decarbonization efforts.

Bank experts Steven Ongena and Anna Pestova discuss how banks handle disasters like wars, pandemics, and natural calamities. They explore the impact of armed conflicts on financial systems, the effects of sanctions on banks, and strategies to manage risks from pandemics and natural disasters. The podcast highlights the importance of banks in providing crucial credit during emergencies and the need to enhance regulatory frameworks for disaster preparedness.

Exploring debt sustainability amidst Covid-19 and Ukraine war. Can existing institutions handle it? Analysis of debt burdens in EU countries and necessary fiscal adjustments. Governance reforms in EU and concerns over new legislation. Navigating debt challenges and climate implications. Economic policy shifts and global market impacts.

Are men from Mars, and women from Venus? If so, policies that seek to close the gender gap by equalising opportunities are unlikely to succeed. A recent paper finds that, contrary to popular belief, women and men’s traits are remarkably similar. Ruveyda Nur Gozen and Tim Phillips talk to Michelle Rao and Oriana Bandiera, two of the researchers who wrote the paper, about prejudice, policy, and the stubborn persistence of prior beliefs. Papers mentioned in the podcast:Bandiera, O., Parekh, N., Petrongolo, B., & Rao, M. (2022). Men are from Mars, and Women Too: A Bayesian Meta‐analysis of Overconfidence Experiments. Economica, 89, S38-S70. (link to paper)Bandiera, O., Fischer, G., Prat, A., & Ytsma, E. (2016). Do women respond less to performance pay? Building evidence from multiple experiments. (link to paper)Rao, M. (2021) Gender Differences in altruism: a Bayesian hierarchical analysis of dictator games. MimeoBayer, A., Hoover, G. A., & Washington, E. (2020). How you can work to increase the presence and improve the experience of Black, Latinx, and Native American people in the economics profession. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 34(3), 193-219. (link to paper)Bursztyn, L., González, A. L., & Yanagizawa-Drott, D. (2020). Misperceived social norms: Women working outside the home in Saudi Arabia. American economic review, 110(10), 2997-3029. (link to paper)Diaz-Pardo, G., Rao, M. (2024). Women and Cash Transfers: how program design and local conditions relate to causal estimates of impact. Field, E., Jayachandran, S., & Pande, R. (2010). Do traditional institutions constrain female entrepreneurship? A field experiment on business training in India. American Economic Review, 100(2), 125-129.Stansbury, A., & Schultz, R. (2023). The economics profession’s socioeconomic diversity problem. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 37(4), 207-230. (link to paper)

It is 12 months since the sudden downfall of Credit Suisse, one of a tiny number of Too Big to Fail global banks. Beatrice Weder di Mauro was one of an expert team who were asked by the Swiss Department of Finance to investigate the crisis and resolution. She talks to Tim Phillips about what they discovered, and the lessons we ignore at our peril.

Exploring the history of the euro over 25 years, including its resilience through tough times. Topics cover the aspirations, challenges, and reforms of the Euro Project, the impact of Covid on fiscal action, and the necessity of political leadership for euro evolution.

Researcher Daniela Del Boca discusses how parents influence their children's patience, work ethic, and saving habits. The podcast delves into the intergenerational transfer of these traits in Italian families and their impact on the economy. Insights on the correlation between parental patience levels, financial awareness, and children's behaviors are explored, highlighting the importance of early childhood development and parent-child interactions.

Frédéric Samama has pioneered the development and introduction of instruments that make climate finance not only possible, but practical. He tells Alissa Kleinnijenhuis and Tim Phillips about his research, and how investors can incentivise firms to decarbonise.

During Covid, America waited every Thursday for the release of the Initial Jobless Claims numbers at 8.30am. What happened next? Nancy Xu tells Tim Phillips that asset price movements may reflect expectations of government intervention as well as sentiment about the economy.