The Economic and Political History Podcast

Interview with Christopher M. Meissner, author of 'One From the Many: The Global Economy Since 1850' This book provides a brief introduction to the economic history of globalization since 1850. Key indicators, such as trade-to-production ratios, global foreign assets relative to world production, and the share of foreign-born in the population, are tracked over time. All globalization indicators rose between 1850 and 1914, during the first wave of globalization. From 1918 to 1939, the global economy stagnated, experiencing a significant collapse during the Great Depression. Post-World War II, the global economy re-emerged, and integration deepened, generating economic benefits and raising welfare over the long run. While globalization has its costs, and certain groups may lose economically, historical data show a preference for more globalization. Looking ahead, the global economy is likely to persist, with integration continuing to expand. However, sustained globalization depends on recognizing common interests and mitigating adverse effects. ---- Javier Mejia is an economist at Stanford University who specializes in the intersection of social networks and economic history. His research interests also include entrepreneurship and political economy, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Los Andes University. Mejia has previously been a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at New York University-Abu Dhabi and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Bordeaux. He is also a frequent contributor to various news outlets, currently serving as an op-ed columnist for Forbes Magazine. Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/JavierMejiaC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/javier_mejia_c/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javier-mejia-cubillos/ Youtube: https://youtube.com/@javiermejia5309?si=LEy5CuqD83qVB8jd

Interview with Faisal Ahmed, author of 'Conquests and Rents: A Political Economy of Dictatorship and Violence in Muslim Societies' Tragically, dictatorship and civil strife are prevalent in many contemporary Muslim-majority (hereon, Muslim) societies; characteristics that are detrimental to socio-economic development. In Conquest and Rents: A Political Economy of Dictatorship and Violence in Muslim Societies, I offer an original explanation for why. The book is grounded in a positive political economy approach that advances a formal theory that is “tested” in a historical and contemporary setting. ---- Javier Mejia is an economist at Stanford University who specializes in the intersection of social networks and economic history. His research interests also include entrepreneurship and political economy, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Los Andes University. Mejia has previously been a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at New York University-Abu Dhabi and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Bordeaux. He is also a frequent contributor to various news outlets, currently serving as an op-ed columnist for Forbes Magazine. Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/JavierMejiaC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/javier_mejia_c/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javier-mejia-cubillos-64504562/

In this insightful discussion, Eric H. Cline, a professor at George Washington University and an expert on ancient civilizations, dives into the collapse of Late Bronze Age societies. He explores the multifaceted causes of this historic event, from invasions to climate change. Cline highlights how resilience and adaptability shaped the fate of civilizations post-collapse, leading to the rise of new powers like the Phoenicians and Israelites. He also draws parallels to modern challenges, emphasizing the importance of sustainable practices for societal stability.

Branko Milanovic, a senior scholar on socio-economic inequality, captivates with his insights on the evolution of inequality. He discusses how income distribution ideas have shifted across time, engaging with historical figures like Adam Smith and Karl Marx. Milanovic emphasizes the importance of context in analyzing inequality, critiquing common misreadings of thinkers like Smith. He also explores the resurgence of inequality research and the impact of new data on our understanding. A fascinating dive into the complexities of economic thought!

Interview with Michael Mann, author of 'On Wars' Benjamin Franklin once said, “There never was a good war or a bad peace.” But what determines whether war or peace is chosen? Award-winning sociologist Michael Mann concludes that it is a handful of political leaders—people with emotions and ideologies, and constrained by inherited culture and institutions—who undertake such decisions, usually irrationally choosing war and seldom achieving their desired results. Mann examines the history of war through the ages and across the globe—from ancient Rome to Ukraine, imperial China to the Middle East, Japan and Europe to Latin and North America. He explores the reasons groups go to war, the different forms of wars, how warfare has changed and how it has stayed the same, and the surprising ways in which seemingly powerful countries lose wars. In masterfully combining ideological, economic, political, and military analysis, Mann offers new insight into the many consequences of choosing war. --- Javier Mejia is an economist at Stanford University who specializes in the intersection of social networks and economic history. His research interests also include entrepreneurship and political economy, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Los Andes University. Mejia has previously been a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at New York University-Abu Dhabi and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Bordeaux. He is also a frequent contributor to various news outlets, currently serving as an op-ed columnist for Forbes Magazine.

Interview with Rowan Dorin, author of 'No Return : Jews, Christian Usurers, and the Spread of Mass Expulsion in Medieval Europe' Beginning in the twelfth century, Jewish moneylenders increasingly found themselves in the crosshairs of European authorities, who denounced the evils of usury as they expelled Jews from their lands. Yet Jews were not alone in supplying coin and credit to needy borrowers. Across much of Western Europe, foreign Christians likewise engaged in professional moneylending, and they too faced repeated threats of expulsion from the communities in which they settled. No Return examines how mass expulsion became a pervasive feature of European law and politics—with tragic consequences that have reverberated down to the present.Drawing on unpublished archival evidence ranging from fiscal ledgers and legal opinions to sermons and student notebooks, Rowan Dorin traces how an association between usury and expulsion entrenched itself in Latin Christendom from the twelfth century onward. Showing how ideas and practices of expulsion were imitated and repurposed in different contexts, he offers a provocative reconsideration of the dynamics of persecution in late medieval society.Uncovering the protean and contagious nature of expulsion, No Return is a panoramic work of history that offers new perspectives on Jewish-Christian relations, the circulation of norms and ideas in the age before print, and the intersection of law, religion, and economic life in premodern Europe. ----- Javier Mejia is an economist at Stanford University who specializes in the intersection of social networks and economic history. His research interests also include entrepreneurship and political economy, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Los Andes University. Mejia has previously been a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at New York University-Abu Dhabi and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Bordeaux. He is also a frequent contributor to various news outlets, currently serving as an op-ed columnist for Forbes Magazine.

Interview with Guido Alfani, author of 'God Among Men. A History of the Rich in the West' The rich have always fascinated, sometimes in problematic ways. Medieval thinkers feared that the super-rich would act ‘as gods among men’; much more recently Thomas Piketty made wealth central to discussions of inequality. In this book, Guido Alfani offers a history of the rich and super-rich in the West, examining who they were, how they accumulated their wealth and what role they played in society. Covering the last thousand years, with frequent incursions into antiquity, and integrating recent research on economic inequality, Alfani finds—despite the different paths to wealth in different eras—fundamental continuities in the behaviour of the rich and public attitudes towards wealth across Western history. His account offers a novel perspective on current debates about wealth and income disparity. ---- Javier Mejia is an economist at Stanford University who specializes in the intersection of social networks and economic history. His research interests also include entrepreneurship and political economy, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Los Andes University. Mejia has previously been a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at New York University-Abu Dhabi and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Bordeaux. He is also a frequent contributor to various news outlets, currently serving as an op-ed columnist for Forbes Magazine.

Interview with Felipe Valencia Caicedo, editor of 'Roots of Underdevelopment. A New Economic and Political History of Latin America and the Caribbean' This book features the foremost experts in economic history and Latin American history. Uses state-of-the-art econometric methods, such as causal identification, persistence, and historical development. Covers important topics, including colonialism, migration, elites, land tenure, corruption, and conflict ---- Javier Mejia is an economist at Stanford University who specializes in the intersection of social networks and economic history. His research interests also include entrepreneurship and political economy, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Los Andes University. Mejia has previously been a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at New York University-Abu Dhabi and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Bordeaux. He is also a frequent contributor to various news outlets, currently serving as an op-ed columnist for Forbes Magazine.

In this engaging discussion, Dongxian Jiang, a political theorist from Fordham University, shares his insights on Chinese political thought and the China Model debate. He highlights the contrast in political theory training between China and the U.S. and traces the evolution of Chinese political thought, especially post-1895. Jiang explores how Japan facilitated the transmission of Western ideas and the shift from early liberalism to communism. He critiques the China Model, advocating for competitive elections, and emphasizes a rich pedagogical approach to teaching comparative political theory.

In a captivating discussion, Yasheng Huang, a Professor of international management and author of 'The Rise and Fall of the EAST,' delves into how China's history is shaped by exams, autocracy, stability, and technology. He reveals that the civil service exam, Keju, has stifled creativity while promoting ideological uniformity. Huang argues that China's past successes hinged on balancing scale and scope—a dynamic now threatened under Xi Jinping. He emphasizes the need for diversification to prevent stagnation, drawing compelling lessons from China's trajectory.