RMIT’s Dr Leonora Risse, formerly of Harvard’s Women and Public Policy Program, argues greater gender diversity in economics would improve the quality of economic analysis and policy advice. Arguably, it would shine more light on and promote solutions to gender inequality (e.g. the gender pay gap). Is Leonora right, or is this “self-serving identity politics” as some fellow economists have alleged about a focus on gender issues? In Episode 124, Economics Explored host Gene Tunny explores this question in a wide-ranging conversation with Leonora. The discussion considers differing average preferences among male and female economists on policy issues such as fiscal austerity and redistribution, touching on UBI.
Category: Podcast episode
Why politicians need to stop lying and cut the endless BS. Episode 123 of Economics Explored features a conversation with Philosophy Professor Deb Brown, Director of the Critical Thinking Project at the University of Queensland. Deb also chats with show host Gene Tunny and guest co-host Tim Hughes about what it means to think critically, drawing on her expertise in philosophy, including her study of Descartes.
About this episode’s guest – Professor Deb Brown
Deborah Brown is Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland, Australia. During her time in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deb has coordinated a wide range of projects focusing on critical thinking. She has been instrumental in establishing connections and partnerships within the school sector, including with the Queensland Department of Education, as well as building partnerships across UQ and with international education providers.
As part of her role, Deb works to link the UQ Critical Thinking Project into relevant projects within the university to provide educators with an understanding of how to embed critical thinking in classroom practice and assessment and to maximise outcomes for students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Deb has established a professional development program for educators, booster courses for school and university students and research collaborations with a diverse range of researchers from the broader UQ community.
Deb has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland and a Master of Arts and PHD from the University of Toronto.
Links relevant to the conversation
Abbreviations Deb uses:
- NAPLAN: National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy
- SES: Socio-economic status
The Australian ABC News article Deb was quoted in:
Is telling the truth too much to ask of our politicians?
A book Deb highly recommends:
On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt
Article on the AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) nuclear submarine agreement:
What is the AUKUS partnership?
NPR report on Trump-Trudeau argument about the US’s trade balance with Canada:
Trump Admits To Making Up Trade Deficit In Talks With Canadian Prime Minister
Note that the allegation made by President Trump was that the US was running a trade deficit with Canada, whereas the US typically has a trade surplus with Canada (i.e. typically US exports of goods and services to Canada exceed imports to the US from Canada). The White House argued that President Trump was referring to the trade balance relating to goods only and excluding services.
Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode.
Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.
136 countries have agreed to implement a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15%. Renowned US public policy economist Dr Dan Mitchell explains why he thinks this “global tax cartel” is bad news. In episode 122 of Economics Explored, Dan also explains to show host Gene Tunny how California is committing “economic suicide”, and why entrepreneurs are moving to Texas, Nevada, and Florida, among other low tax states.
Here’s a clip from the conversation that Dan has shared on YouTube:
About this episode’s guest – Dr Dan Mitchell
Dan Mitchell is Chairman of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a pro-market public policy organization he founded in 2000. His major research interests include tax reform, international tax competition, and the economic burden of government spending. Having also worked at the Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute, he has decades of experience writing editorials, working with the public policy community, and presenting the free-market viewpoint to media sources. He holds a PhD in economics from George Mason University.
Links relevant to the conversation
Relevant posts on Dan’s International Liberty blog:
Other relevant material:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/global-minimum-tax-rate-deal-signed-countries/
https://www.reuters.com/business/ireland-backs-global-tax-deal-gives-up-prized-125-rate-2021-10-07/
Information on incidence of corporate taxation
In his textbook Public Finance and Public Policy (6th edition, p. 748), MIT’s Jonathan Gruber wrote:
Suarez Serrato and Zidar (2016) estimate that 35% of corporate taxes are shifted to wages, 25% is shifted to land owners (through general equilibrium effects), and 40% is borne by corporate owners.
The study Gruber cites was published in vol 106, no. 9 of the American Economic Review:
Who Benefits from State Corporate Tax Cuts? A Local Labor Markets Approach with Heterogeneous Firms
Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode.
Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.
What is the Economy? And Why It Matters to You is a new book from UK economics writers Beth Leslie and Joe Richards, who are interviewed in episode 121 of Economics Explored. Legendary music producer Brian Eno has endorsed the book, writing “This clear and comprehensible book is long overdue.”
About this episode’s guests – Beth Leslie and Joe Richards
Beth Leslie is a writer and editor. She became interested in economics when she realised it was a great way to better understand the world around her. Beth is currently the Editor for Economy, a charity that seeks to make economics more understandable for everyone.
Joe Richards is an author, educator and economist. After the financial crash of 2008, Joe’s family lost their business and the home they grew up in. Spotting a lack of public understanding in the economy, Joe’s journey in economics began. Joe campaigned to make economics more accessible for everyone, working with organizations from the Bank of England and BBC News, to local schools and the UK government.
Links relevant to the conversation
Where you can purchase What is the Economy? And Why it Matters to You:
US https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/what-is-the-economy-9781786995605/
UK https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/what-is-the-economy-9781786995605/
Australia https://www.booktopia.com.au/what-is-the-economy–beth-leslie/book/9781786995605.html
Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode.
Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.
2021 saw accelerating inflation in advanced economies, the pandemic continuing, cracks appearing in the Chinese economic model, and massive price growth in cryptocurrencies and NFTs. In episode 120, Economics Explored host Gene Tunny discusses the big issues of 2021 and looks forward to 2022 with frequent guest Tim Hughes.
The episode also features discussion on the COP26 climate change summit, the idea of “degrowth” advanced by some ecologists and environmentalists, and feedback on EP115 on the Opioid Crisis and the War on Drugs.
Links relevant to the conversation
Crazy Crypto charts Gene refers to in the episode
Covid: Dutch go into Christmas lockdown over Omicron wave
WHO forecasts coronavirus pandemic will end in 2022
China struggles to shrug off weak consumer spending and property woes
China Evergrande reports progress in resuming home deliveries
Life in a ‘degrowth’ economy, and why you might actually enjoy it
EP115 – The Opioid Crisis and the War on Drugs
Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode.
Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.
The late Professor Tony Makin was a leading Australian economist who made major contributions to the economic policy debate in Australia on the balance of payments and the effectiveness of fiscal stimulus, of which Tony was highly sceptical. In Economics Explored EP119, Former Ambassador to the OECD for Australia Dr Alex Robson, now an Associate Partner at EY, reflects on Tony’s contributions to open economy macroeconomics and the policy debate.
About this episode’s guest – Dr Alex Robson
Dr Alex Robson is Associate Partner at EY. He has previously been Professor of Economics at Griffith University, Australian Ambassador to the OECD, Chief Economist for the Australian Prime Minister, a lecturer at ANU, and Director at Deloitte Access Economics. He is the author of Law and Markets, and has consulted to ASX 200 companies, Australian and NZ Government Departments and the OECD. Alex has a PhD and Masters in Economics from University of California, Irvine, USA.
Links relevant to the conversation
Celebrating the Life of Anthony John Makin
Gene’s Economics Explored conversation with Tony: A Fiscal Vaccine for COVID-19 with Tony Makin – new podcast episode
Tony’s critique of the 2008-09 Australian Government fiscal stimulus: Did Australia’s Fiscal Stimulus Counter Recession?: Evidence from the National Accounts
Tony’s paper for the Minerals Council of Australia which prompted a critical response from the Australian Treasury: Australia’s Competitiveness: Reversing the Slide
Australian Treasury’s 2014 Response to Professor Tony Makin’s Minerals Council of Australia Monograph – ‘Australia’s Competitiveness: Reversing the Slide’
Tony’s 2016 paper prepared for the Treasury reiterating the arguments he previously made about the ineffectiveness of fiscal stimulus: The Effectiveness of Federal Fiscal Policy: A Review
Alex’s papers with Tony (NB full articles behind paywalls): Missing money found causing Australia’s inflation, The Welfare Costs of Capital Immobility and Capital Controls
Gene’s paper with Tony: The MMT Hoax
Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode.
Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.
There is an eerie correlation between the construction of a new world’s tallest building and economic crisis, the so-called Skyscraper Curse. Professor Mark Thornton, Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute, explains why this is so, drawing on his expertise in Austrian economics, in episode 118 of the Economics Explored podcast.
About this episode’s guest – Mark Thornton
Mark Thornton is the Peterson-Luddy Chair in Austrian Economics and a Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute. He serves as the Book Review Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. His publications include The Economics of Prohibition (1991), Tariffs, Blockades, and Inflation: The Economics of the Civil War (2004), The Quotable Mises (2005), The Bastiat Collection (2007), An Essay on Economic Theory (2010), The Bastiat Reader (2014), and The Skyscraper Curse and How Austrian Economists Predicted Every Major Crisis of the Last Century (2018).
Dr. Thornton served as the editor of the Austrian Economics Newsletter and was a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Libertarian Studies and several other academic journals. He has served as a member of the graduate faculties of Auburn University and Columbus State University. He has also taught economics at Auburn University at Montgomery and Trinity University in Texas. Mark served as Assistant Superintendent of Banking and economic adviser to Governor Fob James of Alabama (1997-1999), and he was awarded the University Research Award at Columbus State University in 2002. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and received his PhD in economics from Auburn University. In 2014, he debated in opposition to the “War on Drugs” at Oxford Union.
Links relevant to the conversation
Cantillon’s Essay on Economic Theory edited by Mark Thornton
Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode.
Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.
The COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow in 2021 disappointed many advocates for strong action on climate change. In Episode 117 of Economics Explored, show host Gene Tunny discusses whether COP26 should be perceived as a failure or, at best, a mild success with fellow Brisbane-based economist Scott Hook, who has attended several global climate change summits in the past.
About this episode’s guest – Scott Hook
Scott Hook has over 25 years of experience in policy, economic, environmental and financial analysis and in the development of Pacific regional, national and local government policy. He has also researched and written on the role of institutions in shaping policy implementation in Fiji and the Pacific, climate change and disaster risk and climate and security issues. He has a PhD from the University of Queensland that was completed in 2010.
In the last decade he has worked extensively on infrastructure reform and policy, understanding and building resilience to climate and disaster risk and improving access to, and management of, climate change and disaster risk finance for Pacific island countries. He has supported Pacific Island Delegations in the Finance discussions of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties negotiations as a technical adviser, coordinator and negotiator.
He has experience with working with a range of partners and their modalities of engagement, such as. the Green Climate Fund (Forum Secretariat is a Readiness Partner and organising the 2015 and 2016 Pacific Roundtable Meetings), European Development Fund (design and governance for a €29 million energy programme), and a US$10 million regional programme of the Climate Investment Fund through the development of the Pacific component of the Strategic Program for Climate Resilience. He has worked closely with a wide range of partners including the Pacific Community, SPREP, DFAT, EU, NZAID, the ADB and World Bank.
Links relevant to the conversation
New Zealand commits millions to climate relocation fund for Fiji
Pacific Adaptation for Climate Change (PACC) Project
Previous Economics Explored episodes on COP26:
EP108 – COP26 climate change summit with Tony Wood, Grattan Institute
EP110 – COP26 Dissenting Voices Part 1: Dr Alan Moran
EP111 – Australian Senator Matt Canavan – COP26 Dissenting Voices Part 2
Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode.
Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.
Categories
EP116 – The Great Resignation
What’s going on with the Great Resignation, the record numbers of people leaving jobs in the US and the UK? Will we see it in other countries such as Australia? What can employers do to hold on to staff? In Episode 116, Economics Explored host Gene Tunny talks about the Great Resignation with his serviced office neighbours Anthony Bersz and Louise Gibson from Remedy Resourcing, a Brisbane-headquartered recruitment firm.
Here’s a video recording of the conversation via YouTube:
About this episode’s guests – Anthony Bersz and Louise Gibson, Remedy Resourcing
Anthony Bersz is Managing Director of Remedy Resourcing and Director of Remedy Information Technology. Anthony’s recruitment career started in 2010 working for one of the world’s leading recruitment agencies based in the UK. After a number of years supporting his candidates and clients throughout the North West of England, Anthony made the move to Brisbane, Australia. On arrival to Brisbane, Anthony continued his career within the same global brand supporting IT companies and professionals with their recruitment and career needs. After listening to the candidate and client frustrations of working with a large global agency, Anthony decided to create Remedy Resourcing to provide a more tailored and flexible approach.
Email anthony@remedyresourcing.com
Louise Gibson is Director of Remedy Legal. Louise’s recruitment career began in 2001 (whilst living in the United Kingdom) and for the next several years, she recruited for one of the largest recruitment agencies in the world, before obtaining a Directorship in the North West’s leading taxation and legal search and selection firms. During this decade, Louise sourced both tax accountants and tax lawyers for Big 4 Accounting, magic circle law firms and other private practice and FTSE 100 companies.
Louise moved to Brisbane in 2012 and returned to the same international agency for several years where she took responsibility for managing the legal, professional services and finance team for their Brisbane office. It was here in 2015 that she was awarded the Queensland state record for the highest fees billed in a single period since records began. At the end of 2015, Louise joined Remedy to head up and develop the Legal recruitment arm of the business.
Email louise@remedyresourcing.com
Links relevant to the conversation
Great Resignation charts Gene refers to in conversation
Who Is Driving the Great Resignation? HBR article
Top reasons for quitting jobs in the Great Resignation: health fears, burnout, and bad managers Washington Post article
The Great Resignation Is Accelerating Atlantic Monthly article
Australia’s ‘great resignation’ is a myth — we are changing jobs less than ever before article by Mark Wooden showing Great Resignation hasn’t come to Australia yet
Escape to the country: how Covid is driving an exodus from Britain’s cities (September 2020 Guardian article)
Can Employers Lawfully ask Job Applicants if they have had the COVID-19 Vaccine? article mentioned by Louise in the conversation
Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode.
Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.
100,000 Americans have died of drug overdoses in a 12 month period, mostly with opioids. Economics Explored EP115 features a conversation on the US Opioid crisis and the failed War on Drugs, and why a Harm Reduction approach is preferable, with Dr Jeff Singer MD from the Cato Institute.
About this episode’s guest – Dr Jeffrey Singer MD
Jeffrey A. Singer is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and works in the Department of Health Policy Studies. He is principal and founder of Valley Surgical Clinics Ltd., the largest and oldest group private surgical practice in Arizona, and has been in private practice as a general surgeon for more than 35 years.
He is also a visiting fellow at the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix. Singer is a member of the Board of Scientific Advisors of the American Council on Science and Health. From 1994 to 2016, he was a regular contributor to Arizona Medicine, the journal of the Arizona Medical Association. He served on the Advisory Board Council of the Center for Political Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University from 2014 to 2018 and is an adjunct instructor in the Program on Political History and Leadership at ASU. He writes and speaks extensively on regional and national public policy, with a specific focus on the areas of health care policy and the harmful effects of drug prohibition.
He received his BA from Brooklyn College (City University of New York) and his MD from New York Medical College. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Jeff is @dr4liberty on Twitter.
Links relevant to the conversation
The North Carolina study:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26333030/
The Harvard/Johns Hopkins study on misuse rates in opioid naive post-surgical patients:
https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.j5790
The Cicero study on the rise of heroin as the “gateway” drug:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28582659/
Jeff’s report in the Journal of Pain Research:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6369835/
Jeff’s Quadrant article on e-cigarettes:
https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/public-health/2021/10/whose-lungs-are-they-anyway/
Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode.
Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.