Would you speak up at work if one colleague said something that unintentionally discriminated against another? And if you did, what would you actually say, and when and how would you say it? In this episode, we continue our Business Practice miniseries, where we ask people to script what they would say in a challenging workplace scenario. Chicago Booth behavioral science professor George Wu analyzes the results.

The movie “Gone with the Wind” depicts a genteel, harmonious world torn apart as the old way of life comes to an end. Behind that gentility was the inhumanity of slavery, whose end transformed the economy of the American South. Morally, that was a good thing, but, contrary to the depiction in the movie, was it also positive for the economy? In this episode, we talk to Chicago Booth’s Rick Hornbeck, whose research with Trevon Logan, a professor of economics at The Ohio State University, suggests that emancipation created huge economic value, a boost to the US economy that was even bigger than the introduction of the railroad.

Inflation in the US has proved remarkably stubborn. The most recent figures show it fell less than expected in January, to 3.1 percent, well above the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2 percent. In response, the futures markets slashed their expectations that the Fed will lower interest rates any time soon from its current level of 5.25-5.5 percent. The labor market is still relatively tight, and consumers keep spending. Many observers think a recession is increasingly unlikely, but a soft landing is hardly guaranteed. In this episode, Charles Evans, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from 2007 to 2023, and Chicago Booth’s Anil Kashyap, discuss how the Fed is thinking about the US economy. 

We are used to paying different prices for airline tickets, Uber rides, and hotel rooms, but can you imagine a time when all sorts of retailers use data to tailor their marketing and pricing for each individual customer? Does fairness require prices to be equal for everyone, or do certain groups and individuals deserve discounts? In this episode, Chicago Booth’s Jean-Pierre Dubé and EngineBI’s Jon Morris discuss the ethics and practicalities of personalizing pricing.

More than 90 percent of business leaders say their organizations use AI to help manage people, money, or both. But how many companies are using AI to develop strategy? In this episode of the Chicago Booth Review podcast, Chicago Booth’s Greg Bunch discusses how founders and companies could be making better use of AI to develop, test and operationalize their strategies.

How would you tell one of your direct reports that their work isn’t good enough? Especially if that person seems blissfully unaware that they are underperforming? In this episode of the Chicago Booth Review podcast, we’re launching a new podcast miniseries, the audio version of our popular Business Practice column, where we asked people to script what they would say in a challenging workplace scenario, and Chicago Booth behavioral science professor George Wu analyzes the responses.

Many of us have seen bullying behavior at work. And though we might not like to admit it, many of us have failed to do anything about it. That can reflect the difficult trade-offs that come with calling out bullying: subjecting ourselves and others to scrutiny, completely changing the dynamic between colleagues, and potentially damaging your own career. In this episode, Chicago Booth’s John Paul Rollert reflects on “the precarious relationship between ethics and expediency” when it comes to blowing the whistle on workplace bullying.

In recent years, there’s been a strong push to elevate the use of data in public decision-making by using evidence-based policymaking. Not everyone is enamored of the idea. In a 2019 essay for Chicago Booth Review, Lars Peter Hansen, of Chicago Booth and the University of Chicago, said the notion of evidence-based policymaking was “a misleading portrayal of academic discourse and the advancement of understanding.” In this episode, Hansen and his Chicago Booth and University of Chicago colleague Kevin Murphy to discuss the issue.

What’s so scary about uncertainty and ambiguity? Could it be that they’re unnerving because they threaten to upend our understanding of the world? And might letting go of your assumptions help you to navigate through uncertain times? In this episode of the Chicago Booth Review podcast, Chicago Booth’s Linda Ginzel offers her insights and advice on these critical topics for leaders.

Imagine trying to land a jet on the deck of an aircraft carrier in the middle of a raging storm. That’s how Chicago Booth’s Raghuram Rajan describes the main task this year for the US Federal Reserve as it attempts a soft landing for the US economy. Is it doable? This episode of the Chicago Booth Review podcast features the second of our two conversations with Rajan about his recent book, Monetary Policy and Its Unintended Consequences.