VoxTalks Economics

Russia’s war on Ukraine hasn’t just destroyed buildings and lives, it has put thousands of people out of work and denied thousands more an education. After the war, how can Ukraine rebuild its labour market? Tito Boeri tells Tim Phillips about how other countries and Ukrainian refugees can help to build back better.

Did slaveholding accelerate the industrial revolution in Britain? This controversial theory was first argued by Eric Williams almost 80 years ago but has lacked strong supporting evidence – until now. Stephan Heblich and Joachim Voth talk to Tim Phillips.

Credit cards that offer cashback or rewards are increasingly popular. Are you doing better or worse as a result? And how big is the financial difference between all the winners and losers? Andrea Presbitero knows and the amount, he tells Tim Phillips, is bigger than you think.

Can we explain what happened to inflation in the US in 2022, and what will happen next? Larry Ball and Daniel Leigh tell Tim Phillips why it stayed high and when it may fall.

Exploring Germany's NetzDG Law and its impact on content moderation, hate speech, and offline violence. Debating the effectiveness of content moderation laws and their impact on social media companies. Discussing the challenges of content moderation on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Examining the effectiveness of a controversial content moderation law in reducing hate speech and violence online.

In the industrial age many new empires quickly rose and eventually fell. Kerem Cosar and Roberto Bonfatti tell Tim Phillips how important shifting patterns of trade have been in this process. 

What is the net benefit of phasing out coal and replacing it with renewables? $85 trillion, according to a new calculation. Alissa Kleinnijenhuis and Patrick Bolton tell Tim Phillips how they estimated this extraordinary number, how the benefit can be realised – and whether the negotiations at COP27 will get us there.

How does a bilateral trade agreement affect the amount of competition in both countries? New data casts doubt on the conclusions that trade economists have drawn in the past, Meredith Crowley tells Tim Phillips.

The podcast explores the reasons behind high inflation, including the impact of the COVID recession, slow removal of stimulus measures, and supply-side issues. It also discusses the role of expectations and credibility in driving high inflation rates, the importance of establishing credibility with the financial sector, and factors contributing to high inflation with prospects for improvement.

Mitigating and adapting to climate change is economically rational. But it is also expensive, it’s not clear how the cost should be financed, or which countries or actors assume the burden. The 25th Geneva Report from CEPR investigates these questions. Beatrice Weder di Mauro and Ugo Panizza tell Tim Phillips about the report’s conclusions.