VoxTalk Vaults

Justin Wolfers interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 24 July 2009

Justin Wolfers of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about happiness economics – the state of knowledge; the explosion of data; the debate about the Easterlin paradox; the impact of inequality and the business cycle on people’s happiness; and the implications for public policy. The interview was recorded at the Centre for Economic Performance in London in June 2009.

Lawrence Katz interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 17 July 2009

If people in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods have the opportunity to move house, what is the impact on their wellbeing and their educational and labour market outcomes? Lawrence Katz of Harvard University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the ‘Moving to Opportunity’ project, which is tracking 5,000 low-income families with children who were offered the chance to relocate in the mid-1990s. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in San Francisco in January 2009.

Tito Boeri interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 10 July 2009

Tito Boeri of Bocconi University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his research on public perceptions of migrants in Europe, which, in the middle of a recession, are increasingly seeing migrants as a fiscal burden and are pressing governments to reduce their access to welfare and tighten immigration policies. The interview was recorded at the Centre for Economic Performance in London in June 2009.

Elizabeth Currid interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 03 July 2009

Elizabeth Currid of the University of Southern California talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about her book, The Warhol Economy: How Fashion, Art and Music Drive New York City, which describes the inner workings of New York’s creative industries, the significant economic value they generate and the implications for policy-makers wanting to foster their own cultural economies. The interview was recorded in London in June 2009

Gilles Saint-Paul interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 26 June 2009

Gilles Saint-Paul of the Toulouse School of Economics talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his work on the evolution of people’s beliefs about the market economy – how it affects occupational choice; how it is influenced by intellectuals who may be biased against the market economy; and how this all plays out in public debate about economic reform, particularly in France. The interview was recorded at the Royal Economic Society’s annual conference at the University of Surrey in April 2009.

Paul Grout interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 19 June 2009

Paul Grout of the Centre for Market and Public Organisation (University of Bristol) talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his report, Private Delivery of Public Services, which surveys the theory and evidence on three models of private sector involvement in the delivery of public services: privatisation; public-private partnerships; and not-for-profit organisations. The interview was recorded in Bristol in June 2009

Christopher J. Ruhm interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 12 June 2009

Christopher Ruhm of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his work with Charles Baum, which analyses data from the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to explore how body weight and obesity change with age and how that relates to socioeconomic status. The interview was recorded at the Centre for Market and Public Organisation in Bristol (UK) in May 2009.

Bruce Sacerdote interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 05 June 2009

Bruce Sacerdote of Dartmouth College talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his work with Scott Carrell, identifying children in New England high schools who have the qualifications to go to college and encouraging them to apply with information or cash incentives. They discuss the returns to college education, and the role of guidance counselling. The interview was recorded at the Centre for Market and Public Organisation in Bristol (UK) in February 2009.

Martin Eichenbaum interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 30 May 2009

Martin Eichenbaum of Northwestern University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his research on nominal rigidities and reference prices, which analyses a new weekly scanner data set from a major US retailer containing information on prices, quantities and marginal costs for every item in over 1,000 stores. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in San Francisco in January 2009.

James Poterba interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 22 May 2009

James Poterba of MIT and President of the National Bureau of Economic Research talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his research on the economic consequences of ‘tax expenditures’ (the US term for tax deductions), and the short- and long-term prospects for tax reform in the United States book. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in San Francisco in January 2009.