Talking Economics

What are the main challenges children and teachers have to face in our schools due to an unprecedented inflow of Ukrainian children and youth into our educational system? Is the situation more complicated because schools suffered from the 2-year pandemic? Can we take this situation as an opportunity? Katarína Stehlíková talks about these questions with Daniel Münich.

Daniel Münich is a CERGE-EI PhD in Economics alumnus, member of CERGE-EI Faculty, and executive director of the academic think-tank IDEA at CERGE-EI.

Inflation and monetary policy have become hot topics recently. The world economy first seemed to be heading towards recession due to Covid. Now, we face huge increases in energy prices and soaring inflation. What are the main causes of such high inflation? Will the inflation go back to lower levels? Katarína Stehlíková asked Dana Hájková these questions in the latest episode of Talking Economics.

Dana Hájková is a CERGE-EI PhD in Economics alumna and Director of Monetary Policy and Fiscal Analyses Division at Czech National Bank.

What is the difference between the main sanctions imposed on Russia now and those from 2014/2017? What are the impacts of the sanctions? In Talking Economics, Katarína Stehlíková talks with Anna Pestova and Mikhail Mamonov on sanctions on Russia at the macro level.

"The current sanctions are not able to stop the inflow of foreign currency totally. They are not able to change the model of export-related activities of the Russian economy," said Anna Pestova and added: "Our estimate says that the amount of the oil embargo currently announced plus potential European oil embargo and the cut of European imports of gas by two thirds will decrease the export revenue by one quarter."

Anna Pestova and Mikhail Mamonov are both CERGE-EI PhD students doing their research stay at the University of Zurich. They have published several articles about sanctions imposed on Russia for VOX.EU, a policy portal of Economic Policy Research Centre. They are working on papers at CERGE-EI and Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT). Before joining CERGE-EI, Anna and Mikhail worked for ten years in the leading Russian think tank providing macroeconomic and financial policy consultations

In the most recent Talking Economics Podcast, Katarína Stehlíková and Jared Laxton have a closer look at challenges and opportunities in economic forecasting and modeling.

How has the current pandemic affected measuring and evaluating poverty and welfare programs? In Talking Economics, Katarína Stehlíková directs this question to Nikolas Mittag, Associate Professor with Tenure at CERGE-EI.

"How have banks survived the pandemics? And what are the trends in the banking industry?" In the Talking Economics Podcast, Katarína Stehlíková asks Richard Podpiera, CERGE-EI's Ph.D. Alumnus and ČSOB’s Executive Director.

Richard thinks that banks have proven to be quite resilient during the pandemic: "But that does not mean that COVID was a walk in the park. We were shocked as any other industry, perhaps even more because banks are generally leveraged plays on the economy. From one day to another, we had to resolve operational issues."

Richard sees two new directions in the banking industry’s future.

"Sustainability (green, energy, responsible behavior) and the effort of banks to be useful and relevant in client lives – simplify the way services are provided, estimate what clients want based on increasingly sophisticated data models, and provide most relevant offers and help to clients at the right time and through the most convenient channel."

Richard Podpiera is CERGE-EI's Ph.D. Economics Alumnus and ČSOB’s Executive Director. He manages retail group segments at ČSOB, one of the largest banks in the Czech Republic. Richard is also a lecturer of Master’s in Applied Economics, teaching Corporate Finance and Valuation courses at CERGE-EI. Prior to his current engagement, he has also worked for McKinsey&Company and for the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C..

"Have we learned anything new about the educational system during the pandemic? And why are the economics of education becoming more important these days?" asks Katarína Stehlíková in Talking Economics, a Podcast with Daniel Münich.

Daniel Münich, a CERGE-EI Ph.D. in Economics and member of the CERGE-EI Faculty, points out that inequality emerged during the pandemic: "I mean inequality in access to good education. It was already a problem before Covid-19. We don't have much data, but I'm convinced, given what I know, that inequality in education and resulting skills will substantially increase during the pandemic. That's a big issue even for us researchers."

Has the pandemic had a substantial impact on energy economics, or has the supply and use of energy worldwide remained stable during this time? And how does the current focus on climate change affect this interdisciplinary field? Katarína Stehlíková talks with Silvester van Koten also about the current increase in electricity prices in the Talking Economics Podcast.

Silvester van Koten is a CERGE-EI Ph.D. alumnus and a senior researcher at the Faculty of Social and Economic Studies at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem. He specializes in energy economics and experimental economics with a particular interest in the economics of electricity markets, renewables, and regulations.

What information do we need to introduce good economic policies? Have we learned anything from the pandemic? In the Talking Economics Podcast, Katarina Stehlíková talks with Filip Pertold and takes a closer look at data and its role in effective government.

Has the current pandemic changed the role of women in family, society, and work? How does the crisis affect women in developing countries? In the Talking Economics Podcast, Katarina Stehlíková talks with Martina Miotto and takes a closer look at these and other questions related to Gender and Development Economics.

Martina Miotto is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences and a research associate at the CAGE Research Centre in Warwick. Martina holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Warwick. Her research interests lie in development economics and economic history, focusing on the interconnection between the two. Among others, Martina has recently co-authored a study entitled "Gender and the COVID Crisis."