Stephanomics

As protests against racial discrimination and police killings continue across the U.S., another injustice is ripping through American cities: Black-owned businesses are shutting down at an alarming rate. Host Stephanie Flanders talks with Atlanta-based Bloomberg reporter Michael Sasso on why twice as many Black entrepreneurs are being forced to close their doors amid the pandemic as compared with white business owners.

Flanders also speaks with Bloomberg Economics’ Tom Orlik about how long the fallout from Covid-19 is likely to last. Is a rapid recovery possible? Or are we looking at a longer, more painful outlook for unemployment? We’ll hear why he thinks that almost one-third of the millions of jobs lost in the U.S. might not be coming back.

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Protests all across America following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, have put yet another spotlight on the deep inequality between black and white America. That disparity was also laid bare in last week’s jobs data, when a surprise drop in overall unemployment masked the fact that black joblessness has climbed to its highest level in more than a decade.

Host Stephanie Flanders talks with economy reporter Matthew Boesler about what these inequities mean for policy setting at the Federal Reserve, and Jason Furman, a former economic advisor to President Barack Obama, gives his thoughts about what lies ahead for U.S. employment after Covid-19.

Flanders also speaks with Bloomberg Economist Boingotlo Gasealahwe about the challenges facing African nations as they seek to fund post-pandemic recoveries. Without the backstop of cheap finance, they risk a protracted slump that could curtail development for decades.

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Europe is emerging after weeks of lockdowns that kept shops and businesses shuttered, and residents safe at home. On this week’s episode, Bloomberg economy reporter Jeannette Neumann steps out onto the streets of Madrid to speak with restaurateurs and hoteliers. In a post-coronavirus world where travel is limited, outdoor dining mandatory and police decide how many tables are allowed, reopening a business brings new challenges to stay afloat.

Host Stephanie Flanders also talks with Bloomberg Economics’ Johanna Jeansson about the very different pandemic strategy adopted by Sweden. When restrictions are voluntary and the government isn’t in charge, what does it means for the economy and public health?

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Covid-19 is the biggest threat to our physical and economic health in recent times, but on this week’s episode, Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs takes a 70,000 year perspective on the global crisis, what it will mean for international relations and even a potentially better future.

Stephanie Flanders also speaks to Bloomberg Opinion editor Ferdinando Giugliano about the European Union’s proposed recovery fund. He thinks this time will be different for fiscally strait-laced Germany, but for it to have lasting impact, the Italians will need to show they can spend it wisely.

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There’s little debate that Covid-19 has crushed economies and triggered government rescue efforts not seen in modern times. On this week’s episode, World Bank Chief Economist Carmen Reinhart and fellow Harvard professor Kenneth Rogoff, authors of “This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly,” discuss what comes next with Bloomberg Economics executive editor Simon Kennedy.

The depth of the U.S. recession isn’t the only way in which this time is different. While tens of millions are newly unemployed or working fewer hours, new pandemic-adjacent occupations are emerging. Host Stephanie Flanders talks with Bloomberg global business reporter Jeff Green about these new jobs, such as contract tracer and thermal scanner.

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Romanian home-care workers in Italy. Indian construction crews in Dubai. Filipino maids and cooks in Singapore. The world’s wealthy economies depend on a steady flow of cheap labor from lower-income nations. And people in those nations often rely on remittances from family members working abroad.

Now it seems that the coronavirus pandemic that’s crushing economies all over the world is also upending the global labor market. Workers are heading back to their native countries in large numbers—or stranded far from home without jobs and benefits.

Host Stephanie Flanders talks with Bloomberg journalists in three regions for insight into how this is playing out: European economy editor Andrew Langley in London, Middle East economic reporter Abeer Abu Omar in Dubai and Asia economics columnist Daniel Moss in Singapore.

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Just a few months ago, the economic debate about employment centered on how low the jobless rate could go. Now, with tens of millions out of work across the globe, it's about how bad it can get. On this week's episode, host Stephanie Flanders and economy reporter Katia Dmitrieva discuss how those "last in" to a boom economy are usually the "first out" in a downturn. Focusing on seven case studies, they discuss how minorities, young people and women who benefited from the historic surge in employment will be the ones who suffer most, and for longer. 

In Europe, the coronavirus continues to hit countries hard, yet many people have actually been able to keep their jobs, with at least 45 million having their wages paid by the state. Flanders also talks with Bloomberg Eurozone Economist Maeva Cousin about the cost of keeping these people paid, and how governments will wean companies off this vital support.

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The Waffle House chain of U.S. restaurants, with most of its locations in the nation’s south, is famous for staying open during hurricanes and other severe weather. Now it’s facing what could be a tougher challenge: luring customers who are wary of spending time there because of the coronavirus.

It’s all happening in Georgia, whose Republican governor made waves with his decision to let many businesses and restaurants reopen sooner than most people expected—and earlier than medical experts consider advisable.

Stephanie Flanders talks with Atlanta-based Bloomberg reporter Michael Sasso about the situation on the ground. We’ll hear excerpts from his interview with a Waffle House spokeswoman, too.

Flanders also speaks with returning guest Richard Baldwin, an economist at the Graduate Institute in Geneva and co-editor of a new eBook addressing Covid-19 and trade policy. Baldwin discusses how trade restrictions are exacerbating the damage done by the pandemic—such as making it more difficult to get masks.

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How do you restart the global economy following a coronavirus-induced lockdown? China is the test case, and getting workers back to work is proving a lot easier than getting them to shop or patronize restaurants. On this week’s episode, Stephanie Flanders talks to Bloomberg Beijing bureau chief Sharon Chen about her recent visit to Wuhan, the starting point of the pandemic, and her subsequent 14-day quarantine when she returned home.

Flanders also speaks with Bloomberg chief Europe economist Jamie Rush about how lifting restrictions will translate into increased economic output. Then, in an excerpt from a panel discussion, former European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet has some strong words about the Group of 20’s response to the pandemic, along with inflation targeting and a few other topics.

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Mid-April is when the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank hold their spring meetings, where finance ministers and central bankers gather to exchange ideas on keeping global growth intact. This year, the meetings will be virtual, and the discussions less about growth and more about avoiding an economic abyss.

Gita Gopinath, in her second year as the IMF’s chief economist, is projecting the worst global downturn since the Great Depression. She talks with Stephanie Flanders about what the international community needs to do now and what lessons policymakers should take away from the Covid-19 pandemic and its fallout. Flanders also speaks with Bloomberg economy reporter Catherine Bosley about why Germany is patting itself on the back for a history of budgetary stinginess.

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