VoxTalk Vaults

Patrick Messerlin interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 03 October 2008

At the Global Economic Symposium in Schleswig-Holstein in September 2008, Patrick Messerlin of Sciences Po in Paris spoke at a session on reconsidering the international trading system. Afterwards, he talked to Romesh Vaitilingam about the key challenges facing the World Trade Organisation and potential solutions.

Randall Akee interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 03 October 2008

The opening of a casino on an American Indian reservation in North Carolina offered a natural experiment to examine the impact of changes in household income on children’s later life outcomes, particularly their educational attainment and involvement in crime. In an interview recorded at the annual congress of the European Economic Association in Milan in August 2008, Randall Akee of IZA talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the findings.

Edward Leamer interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 26 September 2008

At the Global Economic Symposium in Schleswig-Holstein in September 2008, Edward Leamer of the University of California, Los Angeles spoke at a session on inequality and globalisation. Afterwards, he talked to Romesh Vaitilingam about his concept of ‘neurofacturing’ (creating value through knowledge work rather than physical labour), its rising significance in the world of the personal computer and the internet, the impact on inequality and the implications for our education systems.

Battista Severgnini interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 26 September 2008

Drawing on records from ‘Calciopoli’, a judicial inquiry into corruption in the Italian soccer league, Tito Boeri and Battista Severgnini have investigated what drives match rigging, including referees’ career concerns, competitive balance and media concentration. In an interview with Romesh Vaitilingam, recorded at the annual congress of the European Economic Association in Milan in August 2008, Severgnini discusses their findings.

Cédric Tille interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 19 September 2008

Cédric Tille of the Graduate Institute in Geneva talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the enormous growth in most countries’ holdings of external assets and liabilities since the mid-1990s, and its consequences for current account volatility and international economic linkages. The interview was recorded at the annual congress of the European Economic Association in Milan in August 2008.

Torsten Persson interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 19 September 2008

At the annual congress of the European Economic Association and the Econometric Society in Milan in August 2008, Torsten Persson, director of the Institute for International Economic Studies in Stockholm, delivered his Econometric Society presidential address on ‘State Capacity, Conflict and Development’ Afterwards, he spoke to Romesh Vaitilingam.about his research on these issues, preliminary findings of which suggest that rising commodity prices increase the chances of civil war breaking out in poor countries.

Edward Lazear interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 12 September 2008

At the Global Economic Symposium in Schleswig-Holstein in September 2008, Edward Lazear – economics professor at Stanford University and currently chairman of the US Council of Economic Advisers – delivered a speech on the performance of the US economy over the past ten years. Afterwards, he recorded an interview with Romesh Vaitilingam.

Michael Burda interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 12 September 2008

Supply side reforms have had a positive impact on the labour market in Germany, raising job creation and reducing the unemployment rate. At the European Economic Association meetings in Milan in August 2008, Michael Burda of Humboldt University in Berlin discussed these achievements and future prospects for the German economy with Romesh Vaitilingam.

Edward Glaeser interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 05 September 2008

Edward Glaeser of Harvard University talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the lessons from his research on how falling costs of communication and transportation have been kind to idea-producing cities like New York, Boston and London and devastating to goods-producing cities like Cleveland, Detroit and Glasgow. The interview was recorded at the American Economic Association meetings in New Orleans in January 2008.

Hans-Joachim Voth interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 05 September 2008

From Indonesia and Malaysia to Italy, politically connected firms are more valuable than their less fortunate competitors. Yet a key event in the history of the twentieth century has not been examined in terms of the value of political connections: the Nazi rise to power. In an interview recorded at the annual congress of the European Economic Association in Budapest in August 2007, Joachim Voth talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his research with Thomas Ferguson on this question.