“Economics is relevant and it's important, and it's much too important to be left to one segment of the population. And historically, the segment has been white privileged males,” says David Wilcox, then-director of the research and statistics division of the Federal Reserve System Board of Governors. He talks about his research on the unequal distribution of economic education, the need to change economics classrooms and how it is the responsibility of every member of the economics profession to work toward diversifying the field.

In this Timely Topics podcast, Senior Vice President Robert Hopkins reflects on the Little Rock Branch's 100 years of history, from its start in payments to its focus on economic education and community development.

“People had a hard time taking me seriously, because I'm sure they didn't know any African-Americans who were economists,” says Lisa Cook, associate professor of economics and international relations at Michigan State University. She talks about discovering economics while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, how she overcame biases she faced as a woman and as an African-American, and her research showing GDP could be higher if more women and African-Americans were involved at the beginning of the innovative process.

St. Louis Fed economist Don Schlagenhauf discusses his research about household debt levels and delinquency rates since the Great Recession. He talks about the metrics used to monitor debt levels in the Eighth District and said he doesn't see any problem areas.

“I come from a family of economists. So, of course, I didn’t want to go into economics,” says Kate Warne, a principal and investment strategist at Edward Jones. She talks about why we need women in finance, policy and other fields related to economics. She also discusses the role of education in building confidence: “One of the things education does for you is provide a set of skills that you can be confident in.”

“I never even considered taking an economics class, because I thought it was business. I thought it was about making money,” says Louise Sheiner, the Robert S. Kerr senior fellow in economic studies and policy director for the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution. She talks about how she stumbled into economics after studying biology, her work in health economics and why she thinks high school debate could spark girls’ interest in econ.

St. Louis Fed economist Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria discusses her research on "search and matching," particularly as it relates to the marriage market. She notes that studying the marriage market is important because it has implications for income inequality and taxation.

“It's still a very important challenge to get more women and more minorities into the economics profession,” says Lael Brainard, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. She talks about women in economics at the international level, her time as the U.S. representative to the G20, her focus on financial stability and more.

“There were times when you were the only woman in the room, and you had to bring your self-confidence, your belief in yourself, and the desire for excellence in your pursuits,” says Una Osili, associate dean and professor at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She talks about the intersection of economics and philanthropy, the state of women in economics internationally and the need for more people of color in the field.

Our Memphis regional executive and senior vice president, Douglas Scarboro, talks about how the Memphis Branch of the St. Louis Fed has changed over the past 100 years—from cotton receipts to cash services to the King himself—Elvis Presley.