Political Economy Forum

The Political Economy Forum of the University of Washington discusses cutting-edge academic research in the area of Political Economy.

#92 - We, the Data - w/ Wendy Wong

In this episode, Prof. James Long speaks to Prof. Wendy Wong of the University of British Columbia about her new book: "We, the Data: Human Rights in the Digital Age".

12-21
01:00:02

#91 - Regulation of Sexual Practices in the US - w/ Feler Bose

In this episode, Feler Bose of Indiana University East School of Business and Economics speaks about the regulation of sexual practices in the US.

06-25
43:01

#90 - Pitfalls of Democratization - w/ Jorge Rojas-Vallejos

In this episode, Prof. Jorge Rojas-Vallejos of Universidad Andres Bello in Chile discusses ongoing political reforms in Chile.

05-04
42:55

#89 - Digital Media, Elites, and Masses - w/ Martin Gurri

In this episode, former CIA Media analyst and author Martin Gurri describes how digital technologies have maybe irreversibly changed the information landscape, with profound implications for governance. 

03-06
40:27

#88 - Venture Capital Investment in Green Tech - w/ Nick de la Forge

In this episode, Nick De La Forge describes the approach and practice of German Venture Fund Planet A Ventures, of which Nick is a co-founder.

01-30
36:11

#87 - Is Technology Value-Neutral? - w/ Boaz Miller

In this episode, Boaz Miller of Zefat Academic College discusses to what extent technologies have values embedded in them and what political insights can be gleaned from that. 

01-09
51:55

#86 - How Social Scientists Reshaped US Foreign Policy-Making - w/ Daniel Bessner

In this episode, Prof. Daniel Bessner of the University of Washington discusses his 2018 book "Democracy in Exile", describing the crucial impact that social scientists had in reshaping political institutions during the early Cold War period. This is a fascinating history of the creation of the US think tank ecosystem, the sidelining of majoritarian institutions in an era of crisis, and the origin of foundational ideas in a variety of academic fields. 

10-24
37:31

#85 - The Diploma Divide - w/ Joan Williams

In this episode, Prof. Joan Williams of the University of California, Hastings, speaks about her new initiative: The Diploma Divide, arguing that Americans must grapple with the realities of economic class differences and their political impacts. 

10-10
39:41

#84 - Book Review: Technopoly by Neil Postman - w/ Wittstock and Menaldo

In this episode, Victor Menaldo and Nicolas Wittstock discuss the 1992 book "Technopoly - The Surrender of Culture to Technology" by Neil Postman. 

09-02
01:41:02

#83 - How much longer can the US Dollar stay on top? - w/ Herman Mark Schwartz

In this episode, Herman Mark Schwartz of the University of Virginia discusses why the US Dollar has remained the central world currency despite the fact that the US is persistently running current account deficits

08-22
56:01

#82 - Labor Unions and Corporate Revolutions - w/ Bella Wright, Asher Goldstein, and Weston Beckmann

In this episode, UW undergraduate students Bella Wright, Asher Goldstein, and Weston Beckmann speak to host Nicolas Wittstock about the current state of US labor unions, recent efforts to unionize at Starbucks and Amazon, as well as applications of game theory in these contexts. 

08-03
01:06:58

#81 - Finance and Clean Energy - w/ Brett Christophers

In this episode, Prof. Brett Christophers of Uppsala University speaks to host Nicolas Wittstock about the difficulties of obtaining financing for clean energy projects despite recent cost reductions of renewables. 

06-30
40:34

#80 - Human Trafficking in the US - w/ Rachel Castellano and Ryan Goehrung

In this episode, host Nicolas Wittstock speaks to Rachel Castellano and Ryan Goehrung, both PhD Candidates in the Political Science Dept. at the University of Washington, about their work on Human Trafficking in the US. In a recent paper, Rachel and Ryan explore the T-Visa program, intended to offer survivors of human trafficking a form of legal relief. US Department of Labor list of goods produced with forced labor: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods

06-23
43:52

#79 - Why We Fight - w/ Chris Blattman

In this episode, Morgan Wack speaks to Prof. Chris Blattman of the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, discussing the roots of war and paths to peace, which Blattman writes about in his recent book: "Why We Fight". 

05-16
39:10

#78 - The Franchise Economy - w/ Mark Schwartz

In this episode, Prof. Mark Schwartz of UVA discusses the cause of reductions in US economic growth since 1970, arguing that industrial organization plays a key role.

05-09
01:00:39

#77 - Silicon Valley and the Origins of US Big Tech - w/ Margaret O'Mara

In this episode, Prof. Margaret O'Mara of the University of Washington discusses the origins and workings of the US Tech industry - in reference to her 2019 book: The Code - Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. 

05-02
52:02

#76 - China Goes Green? - w/ Judith Shapiro and Yifei Li

In this episode, Prof. Judith Shapiro of American University and Prof. Yifei Li of NYU Shanghai discuss their book "China Goes Green: Coercive Environmentalism for a Troubled Planet?". Here, the authors discuss the varied impact of environmental policies under authoritarian government - and seek to evaluate the prospect of and rationale behind China's ambition to become an "ecological civilization". 

04-04
45:14

#75 - US Income Inequality Reconsidered - w/ Vincent Geloso

In this episode, Prof. Vincent Geloso of George Mason University discusses historical US income inequality, the "U-Curve", and whether our thinking about income inequality should be reconsidered in the face of new evidence. 

03-28
42:04

#74 - The Promise of Access - w/ Daniel Greene

In this Episode, Prof. Daniel Greene of the University of Maryland speaks about his book "The Promise of Access", which evaluates the attraction of simple technological fixes to complicated social problems like poverty in the United States. 

03-11
45:58

#73 - The Profit Paradox - w/ Jan Eeckhout

In this episode, Prof. Jan Eeckhout of the University of Barcelona Pompeu Fabra, speaks about his most recent book: "The Profit Paradox - How Thriving Firms Threaten the Future of Work." 

03-02
33:26

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