VoxTalk Vaults

Robert Townsend interviewed by Stephen Yeo, 10 December 2010

Robert Townsend of MIT talks about his research on how the lives of the world’s poor can be improved through more efficient financial systems. Drawing on data gathered from an extensive survey of Thai households, Townsend discusses risk-sharing and the importance of networks, the rate of saving and return on assets, and villages as small, open economies. The interview was recorded in London in November 2010.

John Quiggin interviewed by Viv Davies, 03 December 2010

John Quiggin of the University of Queensland talks to Viv Davies about his recently published book, which describes some of the economic ideas that he believes played a role in creating the global financial crisis. He refers to the Great Moderation, the efficient markets hypothesis, DSGE, ‘trickle-down’ economics and privatisation as ‘zombie’ ideas, which should have been killed off by the financial crisis, yet for some reason still live on in the minds of many economists and policy-makers. The interview was recorded in London in November 2010.

Andrew Levin interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 26 November 2010

Andrew Levin of the Federal Reserve talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his research on optimal monetary policy at the zero lower bound. They discuss the effectiveness of forward guidance, the use of non-standard measures and the interactions between monetary and fiscal policy. The interview, which was recorded at the annual congress of the European Economic Association in Glasgow in August 2010, represents Andrew Levin’s personal views

Philippe Aghion interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 19 November 2010

Philippe Aghion of Harvard University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his research on how government interventions can encourage firms to shift from ‘dirty’ to ‘clean’ innovation, thereby sustaining growth while mitigating climate change. He describes the microeconometrics of climate change as virgin territory, where research can make a real difference to the green policy agenda. The interview was recorded at the annual congress of the European Economic Association in Glasgow in August 2010.

Ben Wildavsky interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 12 November 2010

Ben Wildavsky of the Kauffman Foundation talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his book ‘The Great Brain Race: How global universities are reshaping the world’. Among other things, they discuss higher education funding and student finance, the rapidly growing international mobility of students and faculty, and the potential problem of ‘academic protectionism’. The interview was recorded at the London School of Economics in October 2010.

Olivier Blanchard interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 05 November 2010

Olivier Blanchard, economic counsellor at the IMF, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the two ‘rebalancing acts’ needed for a strong global recovery and the particular challenges facing the US, Europe and the emerging market economies. He also discusses fiscal consolidation, financial reform and ‘currency wars’. The interview was recorded on 4 November 2010 at the Centre for Economic Performance in London, where Blanchard was delivering a special lecture on ‘The State of the World Economy’.

Amar Bhidé interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 29 October 2010

Amar Bhidé of Tufts University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his new book, ‘A Call for Judgement: Sensible Finance for a Dynamic Economy’, which explains how bad academic theories and mis-regulation have caused a dangerous divergence between the financial sector and the real economy. He calls for a return to case-by-case judgment in financial transactions, with deposit-taking institutions limited to basic lending. The interview was recorded in London in October 2010.

Viral Acharya interviewed by Viv Davies, 22 October 2010

Viral Acharya talks to Viv Davies about a new book, 'Regulating Wall Street'. He discusses the success and failings of the Dodd-Frank Act and its implications for the US financial system. He outlines the crucial role of derivatives, the new council of systemic risk, SIFIs and the different approaches to resolution in the US and Europe. Acharya compares the Basel III proposals with the US reforms and suggests what should be priorities for discussion at the upcoming G20 summit. The interview was recorded in London on 13 October 2010.

Imran Rasul interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 15 October 2010

Imran Rasul of University College London talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his research with Jerome Adda and Brendon McConnell on the effects of a localized policing experiment that decriminalized cannabis possession in the London borough of Lambeth between 2001 and 2002. The interview was recorded at the annual congress of the European Economic Association in Glasgow in August 2010.

Harald Uhlig interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 08 October 2010

CEPR’s Euro Area Business Cycle Dating Committee has announced that the recession that began in the first quarter of 2008 came to an end in the second quarter of 2009. Harald Uhlig of the University of Chicago, who chairs the committee, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about how this recession compares with previous recessions and with the US recession, and about the components of GDP that are driving recovery. The interview was recorded in a telephone press conference on 4 October 2010.