VoxTalk Vaults

Raj Chetty interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 06 March 2009

Raj Chetty talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the optimal design of tax policies and social welfare programmes like unemployment insurance. They discuss his work on US public finance as well as new research on how to improve tax compliance in developing countries. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in San Francisco in January 2009.

Daron Acemoğlu interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 27 February 2009

Daron Acemoglu of MIT talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his new book, Introduction to Modern Economic Growth. They discuss why sustained growth took off in Europe in the nineteenth century, the roles of technology and institutions in explaining why some countries grow rapidly while others stagnate, and the growth prospects for the world’s poorest countries as well as the recent Asian success stories. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in San Francisco in January 2009.

Amar Bhidé interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 20 February 2009

Amar Bhidé of Columbia University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his new book, The Venturesome Economy: How Innovation Sustains Prosperity in a More Connected World. He explains why know-how developed abroad enhances prosperity at home, and why trying to maintain the US lead by subsidising more research or training more scientists will do more harm than good. The interview was recorded in London in November 2008.

Martin Eichenbaum interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 13 February 2009

Martin Eichenbaum of Northwestern University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the carry trade, a currency speculation strategy in which an investor borrows low-interest-rate currencies and lends high-interest-rate currencies. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in San Francisco in January 2009.

Armin Falk interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 06 February 2009

Armin Falk, director of the Bonn Laboratory of Experimental Economics talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his experimental research on how people compare themselves with others and its impact on their health and wellbeing. The interview was recorded at a workshop on happiness research at the Centre for Economic Performance in London in October 2008.

Robert J. Gordon interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 30 January 2009

Robert Gordon of Northwestern University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the causes and consequences of the economic crisis, the emerging consensus on the need for fiscal stimulus, and the challenge to the schools of thought that have dominated macroeconomics in recent decades. He argues that we will see a return to old-fashioned Keynesian (non-market clearing) analysis in macroeconomic teaching and research. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in San Francisco in January 2009.

Jeff Madrick interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 23 January 2009

Jeff Madrick, editor of Challenge magazine, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his new book, The Case for Big Government (Princeton University Press), the impact of the economic crisis, and policy priorities for the Obama administration. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in San Francisco in January 2009.

Jonathan Parker interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 16 January 2009

Jonathan Parker of Northwestern University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the effectiveness of fiscal stimulus measures, beginning with his research on the impact of the US income tax rebates of 2001 and 2008 on household spending. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in San Francisco in January 2009.

Alan B. Krueger interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 09 January 2009

Alan Krueger of Princeton University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his research on the influence of age and income on people’s reported experiences of physical pain. The interview was recorded at a workshop on happiness research at the Centre for Economic Performance in London in October 2008.

David Laibson interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 02 January 2009

We need a combination of psychology and economics to understand people's savings and investment decisions, says David Laibson of Harvard University in an interview with Romesh Vaitilingam. We can then build institutions that help people do what they want to do. The interview was recorded at the Centre for Economic Performance in London, where Laibson was delivering the Lionel Robbins Memorial Lectures in November 2007.