Economics Explored

There are gender differences in negotiation and these impact job market outcomes, as Dr Maria Recalde from the University of Melbourne explains. Dr Recalde speaks with show host Gene Tunny about her NBER working paper Gender Differences in Negotiation and Policy for Improvement, co-authored with Prof. Lise Vesterlund.About this episode’s guest - Dr Maria RecaldeDr Maria P. Recalde is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Economics at the University of Melbourne, Australia. My main fields of interest are experimental and behavioral economics, public economics, and development.Links relevant to the conversation with Dr RecaldeGender Differences in Negotiation and Policy for ImprovementThe gender pay gap with Dr Leonora RisseGender and the Labor Market: What Have We Learned from Field and Lab Experiments?You can't ask this: the spread of salary history bans and what it means for employersLinks mentioned in Gene’s introduction relating to EP106At an Overrun ICU, ‘the Problem Is We Are Running Out of Hallways’Heartbreaking plea from ICU nurse: 'Bodies are piling up'Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode. Check out his Upwork profile here:https://www.upwork.com/o/profiles/users/~01ce8c1d226cc8909e/Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.

At a time when the COVID pandemic continues, and cities such as Sydney and Melbourne remain locked down, Gilbert Berdine MD from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center shares his views on lockdowns and vaccine mandates with show host Gene Tunny. Toward the end of the episode, the conversation turns towards Dr Berdine's thoughts on vaping regulations. About this episode’s guest - Gilbert G. Berdine MDAssociate Professor of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TXFaculty Affiliate, Free Market Institute, Lubbock, TXDr. Berdine earned his B.S. degrees in chemistry and life sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA and his M.D. degree from Harvard University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. He completed residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Pulmonary Diseases at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now called Brigham and Women’s Hospital) in Boston, MA.Dr. Berdine was a faculty member at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio from 1983-1989. He was in the private practice of medicine from 1989-2009 when he returned to academia as a faculty member of TTUHSC.Dr. Berdine’s current teaching activities include lecturer for the respiratory blocks in the 1st year Major Organ Systems course and the 2nd year Systems Disorders 1 course. His clinical duties include staff attending physician for the inpatient Pulmonary Consult Service, inpatient Internal Medicine Floor Service, and the outpatient Pulmonary Fellow Clinic. He also sees patients in the Pulmonary Clinic for Texas Tech Physicians.Dr. Berdine’s research interests include the application of Austrian Economics to health care delivery and consumption. Dr. Berdine has published articles on these topics in peer reviewed journals and is a contributor to the Mises Daily Wire and the American Institute of Economic Research.Contact: gilbert.berdine@ttuhsc.eduLinks relevant to the conversationCOVID-19 Vaccines and the Delta Variant – AIER article by Gilbert Berdine MDLockdowns of Young People Lead to More Deaths from Covid-19 – AIER article by Gilbert Berdine MDCovid Misclassification: What Do the Data Suggest? – AIER article by Gilbert Berdine MDSometimes hesitancy is justified by Gilbert Berdine MDVaping Laws and the Treachery of Good Intentions by Gilbert Berdine MDEP100 – Incentivizing Vaccinations or Cash for JabsCorrespondence from Dr Berdine on COVID mortality ratesFollowing the recording, Dr Berdine provided the following clarification regarding COVID-19 mortality in the USA to show host Gene Tunny:...the mortality rate has a range of over 1000:1 depending on your age. The average mortality is heavily determined by the number of people over age 80 in the population. Based on latest census data and current CDC figures for COVID deathshttps://www.census.gov/data/tables/2019/demo/age-and-sex/2019-age-sex-composition.htmlhttps://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Provisional-COVID-19-Deaths-by-Sex-and-Age/9bhg-hckuMortality expressed as 1/mortality : Age: MortalityUnder 5: 124,1265 to 14: 283,02715 to 24: 32,46125 to 34: 7,85035 to 44: 2,84545 to 54: 1,08755 to 64: 47565 to 74: 21375 to 84: 8785 +: 31Cumulative AgeUnder 5: 124,126Under 15: 199,917Under 25: 64,258Under 35: 20,120Under 45: 8,681Under 55: 3,880So, for 35 and younger, the cumulative mortality including the overcounting is less than 1/10,000. If one looks at annual mortality, the figure  for Under 45 including overcounting is likely less than 1/10,000. If one adjusts modestly for overcounting, the  figure for Under 55 is likely less than 1/10,000.Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.

EP105 considers the persistence of bad social norms such as female genital mutilation (FGM). Show host Gene Tunny speaks with University of Queensland Lecturer (i.e. Assistant Professor) Dr David Smerdon about his experimental research on social norms, including fieldwork in Africa relating to FGM.  About this episode’s guest - Dr David SmerdonDr David Smerdon is a Lecturer in the University of Queensland School of Economics. He primarily works in behavioral and development economics. His research involves theory and modelling, experiments in the lab and field, and microeconometric analysis in order to investigate topics at the intersection of these fields.David earned his PhD from the Tinbergen Institute and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) as a General Sir John Monash scholar, and afterwards worked as a PODER fellow at Bocconi University in Milan. Prior to his academic career, David spent three years working for the Australian Department of Treasury as a policy analyst. Aside from economics, David is also a chess Grandmaster and has represented Australia at seven chess Olympiads.Links relevant to the conversation‘Everybody’s doing it’: On the persistence of bad social norms (journal article co-authored by Dr David Smerdon, which contains details of the experiment he ran)The economic impact of female genital mutilation (an article by David on his FGM research project)The Institutional Revolution: Measurement and the Economic Emergence of the Modern World by Douglas W. Allen

On Economics Explored we’ve previously discussed the large economic and social costs that arise from criminalising drugs such as cannabis. In episode 104, show host Gene Tunny discusses the broader concept of victimless crimes with a highly-experienced lawyer, Marc J. Victor, President and Managing Partner of Attorneys for Freedom.About this episode’s guest - Marc J. VictorMarc J. Victor is President and Managing Partner of Attorneys for Freedom (https://attorneysforfreedom.com/). He is a certified Criminal Law Specialist in Arizona and is admitted to practise in Arizona and Hawai‘i. Over nearly three decades, Marc has represented clients in more than a thousand major felony cases. As a long-time freedom activist, Marc is regularly invited to speak to audiences across Arizona on a variety of issues including ending the drug war, the rights of gun owners, the free market, criminal justice issues as well as a variety of other criminal law related issues. Most recently, Marc has spoken on the Live and Let Live Principle, the foundation upon which he has established The World’s Only Real Peace Movement (www.liveandletlive.org).Marc has been quoted locally, nationally and internationally on radio, television, in print and in person as a legal commentator and expert on many local and national cases.  He was an expert legal commentator for local NBC 12 News for the Jodi Arias case. Marc and firm partner Andrew Marcantel host The Peace Radicals Podcast with a new episode every Friday. The Peace Radicals is available on most streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and is also available to watch on YouTube.Links relevant to the conversationEconomics Explored episode 19: Cannabis with Dr Stephen ThorntonVictimless Crimes Are Not Really Crimes At All - Attorney Marc J. Victor - Attorneys For Freedom - YouTubeEnding the War on Drugs: By the Numbers - Center for American ProgressPeace Radicals Episode 36 - Mask Mandates, Vaccines, Lockdowns, and The Live and Let Live Philosophy

In Economics Explored Episode 103, Dr Michael Edelstein explains why Ayn Rand’s concept of self-esteem is unreasonable and unhelpful. Program host Gene Tunny asks Michael to explain his Three Minute Therapy approach, which is solidly based in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT).   Michael R. Edelstein, Ph.D., has an in-person and telephone therapy practice in San Francisco. He is the author of Three Minute Therapy, a self-help book for overcoming common emotional and behavioral problems, for which he has been awarded Author of the Year. The book was a Quality Paperback Book Club/Book-of-the-Month Club Selection, a Behavioral Sciences Book Service Book Club Selection, and an Albert Ellis Institute Selection. His 2009 book, Stage Fright, includes interviews with Robin Williams, Jason Alexander, Melissa Etheridge, Maya Angelou, and others, relating their personal experiences and wisdom in coping with performance anxiety.Links relevant to the conversation:Michael’s website - http://threeminutetherapy.com/Michael Edelstein - Why Ayn Rand's Self Esteem is Unreasonable [Capitalism & Morality Seminar 2015] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMHFGfVnZQ0‘Fountainhead’ a good read beneath the controversy http://brandeishoot.com/2012/01/27/fountainhead-a-good-read-beneath-the-controversy/William F. Buckley Jr. speaks with Charlie Rose about Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged - https://youtu.be/5KmPLkiqnO8

In Episode 102, Arrow's Impossibility Theorem is discussed by University of Queensland Senior Lecturer in Economics Dr Priscilla Man and Economics Explored host Gene Tunny.Links relevant to the conversationConversation article Gene mentions in intro: https://theconversation.com/kenneth-arrows-legacy-and-why-elections-can-be-flawed-73675The paradox of democracy: Arrow impossibility explained: https://youtu.be/dzS-RkzRRVMPlease send any questions, comments, or suggestions to contact@economicsexplored.com.

In these times of intense debate over COVID-19 and climate change policies, it is important to ask what theories and evidence we can trust - i.e. how do we know what's true or why trust science? Economics Explored host Gene Tunny tackles this topic with returning guest Tim Hughes in a first instalment of what will probably end up being a multi-episode conversation. Links relevant to the conversation include:Why Trust Science? by Naomi Oreskes Naomi Oreskes: Why we should trust scientists - YouTubeWhat Is This Thing Called Science?What Seattle learned from having the highest minimum wage in the nation - Vox (NB Seattle minimum wage has been increased to $15/hr)What evidence should social policymakers use by Andrew LeighEP60 Minimum wages and employmentEP14 Randomised controlled trials & economic developmentPlease send any questions, comments, or suggestions to contact@economicsexplored.com. We'd love to hear from you.    

Economist Isaac Katz discusses his proposed vaccination incentives with Economics Explored host Gene Tunny. You can read all about it in Isaac's discussion paper Incentives for achieving COVID 19 herd immunity through vaccination.Key features of Isaac's plan are:1. Rewards (incentives) could be in the form of payments to each vaccinated individual, and eligibility to win a significant lottery prize and smaller prizes.  We will discuss shortly how these rewards should be designed and who pays for them.2. The incentives would only be payable if a specified national vaccination rate is met by a specified due date.  Incentives would not be paid prior to the due date.  This approach creates a focus on the objective – which is to maximise the national vaccination rate.  Rewarding individuals for being vaccinated without recognising the national objective will fail to promote community based actions to increase vaccination rates (which we will discuss later).About this episode's guestIsaac Katz is a Director of Harding Katz Pty Ltd, a small consulting practice based in Melbourne specialising in utility regulation, energy market reform, business strategy and applied economics.Isaac was previously a Senior Manager with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young in Melbourne from October 1997 to September 2001.  He has provided economic and regulatory advice to regulators, Government and regulated businesses on a wide range of strategy and policy issues.Prior to moving to Australia, Isaac worked as a senior economic assistant for the UK electricity regulator (now Ofgem); and as a pool price analyst for a regional electricity company.  Isaac also worked as an economist for Railtrack plc, focusing on aspects of the regulatory framework prior to and immediately after privatisation.Isaac has a Master of Arts, Economics, from Cambridge University and a Master of Science, Business Economics, from Strathclyde University.Links related to the conversations include:https://theconversation.com/free-beer-doughnuts-and-a-1-million-lottery-how-vaccine-incentives-and-other-behavioral-tools-are-helping-the-us-reach-herd-immunity-160591https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58020090

A conversation regarding the European Union's proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a.k.a. a carbon border tax, between show host Gene Tunny and his colleague Ben Scott, Research Officer at Adept Economics.Links relevant to the conversationhttps://adepteconomics.com.au/what-does-the-eus-carbon-border-tax-mean-for-australia/https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.812870.de/dp1935.pdfhttps://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/f52d7587-8103-49a3-aeb6-651885fa6095/files/summary-australias-2030-emissions-reduction-target.pdfPlease send any questions, comments, or suggestions to contact@economicsexplored.com

In EP98 on political legitimacy, host Gene Tunny interviews  Prof. Phillip LeBel, the author of a book published earlier this year by Brown Walker Press titled: Risk and the State: How Economics and Neuroscience Shape Political Legitimacy to Address Geopolitical, Environmental, and Health Risks for Sustainable Governance.  Phillip LeBel is Emeritus Professor of Economics at Montclair State University, NJ. With a career combining academic research and teaching with professional consulting, Professor LeBel has accumulated a record of economic expertise in a variety of domestic and international fields. Over the years, he has lived in and/or worked in 30 countries, including Africa, East Asia, Central America, and Latin America.