VoxTalk Vaults

Thorsten Beck interviewed by Viv Davies, 14 May 2010

Thorsten Beck of Tilburg University talks to Viv Davies about his current research in the areas of finance, growth and development - and the policy lessons for developing countries. The interview was recorded at Tilburg University in April 2010.

Claudio Borio interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 07 May 2010

Claudio Borio of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about where the pre-crisis consensus on monetary policy-making went wrong; the implementation, effectiveness and costs of ‘unconventional monetary policy-making’ in response to the crisis; the idea that it is no longer ‘better to clean than to lean’; and the research agenda for macroeconomics. The interview, which was recorded in April 2010, represents Claudio Borio’s personal views and does not necessarily reflect those of the BIS.

Price Fishback interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 30 April 2010

Price Fishback of the University of Arizona talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about whether the current US economic situation is really comparable to the Great Depression. He argues that today’s monetary policy response is heavily and positively influenced by the failures of the past – but that today’s fiscal stimulus is far stronger than in the 1930s and out of proportion to the problem. The interview was recorded at a conference on ‘Lessons from the Great Depression for the Making of Economic Policy’ in London in April 2010.

Michael Bordo interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 23 April 2010

Michael Bordo of Rutgers University compares US banking panics in the early 1930s with panics in the shadow banking system and the repo market in 2007 and in investment banks and the universal banking system after Lehman failed. He argues that the bailouts of ‘too big to fail’ banks may lead to future crises, and discusses possible remedies. The interview with Romesh Vaitilingam was recorded at a conference on ‘Lessons from the Great Depression for the Making of Economic Policy’ in London in April 2010.

Philip Cook interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 16 April 2010

Philip Cook of Duke University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about cost-effective ways of reducing crime. They discuss his own research on private contributions to public order, as well as the potential impact on crime of higher taxes on alcohol, 'coerced abstinence' for convicted criminals, and social policies that may deter people from becoming criminals. The interview was recorded at the Royal Economic Society's annual conference at the University of Surrey in March 2010.

Carmen Reinhart interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 09 April 2010

Carmen Reinhart of the University of Maryland talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the sequencing of the cycle of debt build-ups – from private debt surges to banking crises to sovereign debt crises – and the four ‘deadly D’s’ that once again threaten many governments as a consequence of the current crisis – deficits, debt, downgrade and default. The interview was recorded at the Royal Economic Society’s annual conference at the University of Surrey in March 2010.

Andrew Clark interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 02 April 2010

Andrew Clark of the Paris School of Economics talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his research on the relationship between income and health, which examines changes in the health and health behaviours (smoking and drinking) of British people who win prizes in the national lottery. The interview was recorded at the Royal Economic Society’s annual conference at the University of Surrey in March 2010.

Robert Sugden interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 26 March 2010

Robert Sugden talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the new book of which he is a co-author, ‘Experimental Economics: Rethinking the Rules’. They discuss the development of experimental research in economics over the past 30 years, the design of laboratory experiments and the achievements of these methods in increasing understanding of economic behaviour. The interview was recorded in London in March 2010.

Jeffrey Chwieroth interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 19 March 2010

Jeffrey Chwieroth of the London School of Economics talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the evolution of economic ideas at the International Monetary Fund, drawing on his book, ‘Capital Ideas: The IMF and the Rise of Financial Liberalization’. They discuss changes in IMF thinking about capital controls, the Tobin tax and macroeconomic policy – as well the possibility of IMF intervention in Greece. The interview was recorded in London on 16 March 2010.

Josh Lerner interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 12 March 2010

Josh Lerner of Harvard Business School talks to Vox about the policies that governments employ to encourage venture capital and entrepreneurial activity, drawing on the findings in his book, Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Why Public Efforts to Boost Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Have Failed – and What to Do About It. The interview was recorded in London in January 2010.