Insights from top economists to help you navigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Hosts Tess Vigeland and Eduardo Porter talk to University of Chicago economists about their research, revealing important new ways to make sense of this moment. Economics is at the heart of crucial decisions about how we confront the COVID-19 crisis. Topics range from global trade to the changing meaning of work. Pandemic Economics is produced by the Becker Friedman Institute and Stitcher and is part of the University of Chicago podcast network. Production and original music in this series by Story Mechanics. More information at http://pandemiceconomics.uchicago.edu/
How Do Buyouts Impact Hospital Performance? Evaluating the Role of Private Equity in Healthcare
Private equity investors made some $200 billion worth of healthcare acquisitions in 2021, and $1 trillion worth in the 10 years leading up to 2023. In this episode of The Pie, Maggie Shi, professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, discusses how private equity impacts hospitals along multiple dimensions, including patient volumes, revenues, employment, and technology adoption.
10/15/2024 • 20 minutes, 7 seconds
What Can the North Dakota Railroad War of 1905 Tell Us About Regulating Modern Monopolies?
When the Soo Line threatened to expand into the Great Northern Railway’s territory in 1905, the two companies entered a fierce competition for marketshare in which the they rapidly constructed nearly 500 miles of rail tracks and over 50 new towns. In this episode of The Pie, Chad Syverson, the George C. Tiao Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the Booth School of Business, explores this unique historical episode, shedding light on how acts of strategic competition, past and present, can affect our social welfare.
10/1/2024 • 29 minutes, 28 seconds
Understanding the Fed: How Perception Drives Market Reactions
The Federal Reserve responded to COVID-era inflation with the fastest increase in the federal funds rate in 40 years. Importantly, the effectiveness of their response depends on how the public perceived it. In this episode of The Pie, Carolin Pflueger, Associate Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, covers her recent talk to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in which she discussed her research on changing public perceptions and the effectiveness of monetary policy.
9/17/2024 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
Promises Delivered? The Economic Effects of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, a landmark piece of tax legislation from the first year of the Trump administration, overhauled the tax code for both individuals and businesses. In this episode of The Pie, Eric Zwick, Professor of Economics and Finance at the UChicago's Booth School of Business, discusses how the overhaul affected the economy, including investment, tax revenue, and wages.
9/5/2024 • 24 minutes, 55 seconds
Creative Destruction: Why Innovation is Crucial for Growth
The primary contributor to long-run growth is productivity: A country’s ability to raise residents’ standards of living depends on its ability to boost workers’ output. In this episode of The Pie, Ufuk Akcigit, The Arnold C. Harberger Professor in Economics and the College, describes his research on growth through technological progress.
8/20/2024 • 25 minutes, 29 seconds
Using Machine Learning to Predict—and Prevent—Police Misconduct
In the wake of numerous high-profile incidents of police use of force, particularly against Black Americans, law enforcement agencies across the United States are confronting issues of officer misconduct. Whether such misconduct is preventable depends in part on whether it is predictable. In this episode of The Pie, Greg Stoddard, Senior Research Director for the Crime Lab and Education Lab, discusses recent research using administrative data from the Chicago Police Department to predict officers misconduct, before it happens.
8/6/2024 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
What Went Wrong With Federal Student Loans?
The United States is in the midst of a student loan crisis, with over 45 million borrowers owing more than $1.6 trillion in federal dollars. On this episode of The Pie, Constantine Yannelis, Associate Professor of Finance at the Booth School of Business, argues that federal policy is to blame: Decades of regulation and de-regulation have given way to skyrocketing rates of risky borrowing.
7/23/2024 • 25 minutes, 41 seconds
The Uncertainties of Climate Change
How can we incentivize the private and public sectors to develop and deploy solutions to climate change, while accounting for uncertainties? This episode of The Pie covers a panel discussion among professors David Keith of the Department of the Geophysical Sciences at UChicago, Franklin Allen of Imperial College in London, and José Scheinkman of Columbia. Lars Peter Hansen, The David Rockefeller Distinguished Service Professor in Economics, Statistics in the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics and the Booth School of Business and winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics, moderates.
7/9/2024 • 44 minutes, 48 seconds
Using Cellphone Data to Observe Religious Worship in the United States
What do location data from roughly 2.1 million cellphones say about religiosity in the United States? In this episode of The Pie, Devin Pope, Professor of Economics and Behavioral Science at the Booth School of Business, paints a new picture of who goes to church, how often, and the other types of activities they do (or don’t) partake in.
6/25/2024 • 20 minutes, 32 seconds
India’s Economic Future
India’s government has big goals for economic growth. The former Governor of the country’s Reserve Bank, Raghuram Rajan, argues that India won't be able (and shouldn't try) to follow traditional methods of development. Professor Rajan, now of the the Chicago Booth School of Business, joins The Pie to discuss India’s untraveled path to prosperity.
6/11/2024 • 30 minutes, 40 seconds
ChatGPT: Who’s Adopting, Who’s Abstaining, and Why?
A year-and-a-half after its launch, half of workers report having used ChatGPT on the job. On this episode of The Pie, Anders Humlum, Assistant Professor at the Chicago Booth School of Business, shares results from a recent, large-scale survey profiling the workers who are leading the generative AI curve.
5/28/2024 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
Is College Worth It? Measuring the Returns to Higher Education
College graduates earn more than those who didn’t attend college. Does this mean higher education boosts your income? Or, does college simply attract students who would’ve earned more anyway? Jack Mountjoy, an economist at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, discusses his research on the returns to higher education.
5/14/2024 • 26 minutes, 27 seconds
Fighting Traffic in Chicago: Lower Fares, More Trains, Fewer Buses
American cities are overreliant on cars. Policies for reducing this gridlock and pollution range from changing public transit fares or frequencies to introducing new tolls. In this episode of The Pie, Milena Almagro, Assistant Professor of Economics at Chicago Booth, shares her research showing the optimal mix of these policies for cities dealing with transit issues.
4/30/2024 • 24 minutes, 11 seconds
Which Companies Discriminate Most? Experimental Evidence on Callback Rates by Applicant Race and Gender
A small number of companies are responsible for a substantial amount of the discrimination in today’s labor market. Who are they? In this episode of The Pie, Evan Rose, the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in Economics discusses results from his recent experiment to measure discrimination among the largest employers in the United States.
4/16/2024 • 27 minutes, 11 seconds
Recessions: What Are They Good For? Possibly Your Health
When the Great Recession hit in 2007, it produced the largest decline in US employment since the Great Depression. It also substantially reduced mortality. In this episode of The Pie, Matt Notowidigdo discusses how economic downturns can lead to valuable health gains that may even offset some of the negative consequences of recessions.
4/2/2024 • 26 minutes, 38 seconds
Knowing When to Stop: The Unintended Consequences of Monetary Policy
This episode of The Pie features a panel discussion following a talk from Raghuram Rajan, the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at Chicago Booth, about his book "Monetary Policy and Its Unintended Consequences." The panel included Charles Evans, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and was moderated by Randall Kroszner, the Norman R. Bobins Professor of Economics at Chicago Booth and former Governor of the Federal Reserve System.
3/19/2024 • 36 minutes, 17 seconds
From Authoritarianism to Democracy: The Political Economy of Latin America
Anti-democratic sentiment is on the rise across Latin America. This episode of The Pie explores the evolving political and economic landscape of Latin America, highlighting the region's experimentation with democratization and the growing threats of authoritarianism. Luis Martinez, Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, discusses how economic reforms and pro-market transformations, despite their benefits, have left segments of the population feeling underrepresented and disillusioned.
3/5/2024 • 29 minutes, 40 seconds
Closing the Achievement Gap: Is There an App for That?
Children whose parents have college degrees are often more skilled readers than children whose parents didn't attend college. In this episode of The Pie, Harris Policy Professor Ariel Kalil discusses how certain technologies can help improve literacy skills for disadvantaged children.
2/20/2024 • 27 minutes, 7 seconds
Two Economies, Two Years of War: An Update on Economic Conditions in Russia and Ukraine
Russian-born economist Konstantin Sonin, Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, joins The Pie to provide an update on the economic impacts of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Sonin discusses how the war affects standards of living and output in both countries, and shares his predictions for what the future holds.
2/6/2024 • 18 minutes, 55 seconds
Conflict-Free or Conflict Displaced? Mine Certifications and Conflict in the Congo
Many mines in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are controlled by armed groups that frequently engage in conflict with nearby civilians. In this episode of The Pie, Hans Christensen, Professor of Accounting at Chicago Booth, and Samuel Chang, PhD student in Accounting, discuss what happens when mines become certified as conflict-free. Hint: It’s not what you might expect.
1/23/2024 • 21 minutes, 21 seconds
Tearing Down Healthcare to Rebuild it for Everyone: A Panel on the Economics of Insurance Reform
Most observers are convinced that America’s healthcare system needs reform. This episode of The Pie features a discussion among MIT health economist Amy Finkelstein, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration and current Duke professor Mark McClellan, and professor at the Harris School Joshua Gottlieb on what these reforms should entail. Michael Greenstone, director of UChicago's Climate and Energy Institute, moderated the conversation.
1/9/2024 • 39 minutes, 56 seconds
We're Back with More of The Pie
Last season, we were at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, effecting every aspect of our lives and the economy. So this season, we're back looking at the aftermath of the global pandemic and beyond — talking with economists from the University of Chicago about their cutting-edge research on the issues of today.
Join us every other week for season two of The Pie, beginning Tuesday, October 4.
9/27/2022 • 3 minutes, 14 seconds
Economics of Courage
Economists and policymakers alike rely on the “value of a statistical life” to make important trade-offs. What are the merits of such a calculation? Can it be improved? Economists Michael Greenstone and Kyle Greenberg join to discuss groundbreaking research examining army reenlistment choices to show how US soldiers, in effect, price the risk of certain career options.
7/1/2021 • 24 minutes, 56 seconds
Vaccine Lotteries: Worth a Shot?
More than a dozen states have announced large lotteries to incentivize vaccinations. On this episode, Steve Levitt and Jeff Severts examine the economics and likely outcomes of the policy strategy. Is this a lottery where everyone wins big? When it comes to cash prizes, does magnitude matter?
6/17/2021 • 27 minutes, 11 seconds
Pay Now or Pay Later
With the rise in federal spending over the last several years, there are questions on how the US will pay those bills. Chicago Booth economists Austan Goolsbee and Eric Zwick demystify which rate changes actually impact revenue and expose how economists think about infrastructure spending. Delving into the details on capital gains taxes, they discuss strategies to close loopholes and, ultimately, increase total revenues.
6/3/2021 • 28 minutes, 27 seconds
College Sports: Show Me The Money
Division I schools make billions off athletic programs, with close to two-thirds coming from men’s basketball and football alone. Economist Matt Matt Notowidigdo has calculated that due to NCAA restrictions, only 7% of those revenues are paid to student athletes, with important distributional consequences. He joins this week with sports attorney Michael McCann to discuss the economic dynamics, who benefits most, and what is at stake in future court cases over this controversial issue.
5/20/2021 • 31 minutes
Discrimination is Expensive
Preventing people from entering careers where they could maximize their potential places massive costs on society, and economists can measure the real impact. Chang-Tai Hsieh and Erik Hurst have discovered that declining barriers to careers for women and Black men over the last 50 years accounts for 25-40% of all productivity growth in the US. They join to discuss the implications of their critical findings.
5/6/2021 • 20 minutes, 30 seconds
Are Carbon Offsets Bogus?
Some of the world’s largest companies (and biggest emitters of CO2) boast big investments in carbon offset programs to reduce their reported carbon footprint. Do these programs work ? If so, for whom? Michael Greenstone and Barbara Haya join to take a close look at proposed solutions to reducing on carbon emissions.
4/22/2021 • 24 minutes, 46 seconds
WFH… Forever?
The pandemic forced many Americans into a mass social experiment: working from home (WFH). Now, economists like Steve Davis are measuring the immediate and long-term impact of this massive shift. Davis and Kate Lister join this week to help us explore how time away from the office will change life — for workers, employers, and our cities.
4/8/2021 • 24 minutes, 57 seconds
Incentives and the Race to Vaccinate
With COVID-19 variants proliferating, administering vaccines as quickly as possible is a key policy priority. How can we ensure every level of the healthcare system pulls out all the stops in that pursuit? Joshua Gottlieb and David Pitrak join to discuss the urgent answers from their specialties of economics and medicine.
3/25/2021 • 26 minutes, 19 seconds
Is the Future Cashless?
When COVID lockdowns started a year ago, the use of cash plummeted. But the pandemic only accelerated a trend already underway. As we begin to emerge from global pandemic, is a fully cashless world on the horizon? Who benefits from using cash? Fernando Alvarez and Raghuram Rajan share research insights on the economic effects of banning – and introducing – cash in today’s markets.
3/12/2021 • 24 minutes, 40 seconds
The Surprising Results of Pandemic Unemployment Benefits
In March 2020, the CARES Act expanded who was eligible for unemployment benefits, how much they could collect and for how long. Economists are now finding patterns in job searches and spending during this enormous expansion that seem to counter common economic assumptions. Peter Ganong and Fiona Greig join to discuss the surprising effects they uncovered in the data.
2/25/2021 • 20 minutes, 45 seconds
When Good Debt Goes Bad
Nationally, student loan debt is at crisis level. The share of students behind on loan payments equals the share of homeowners in default at the peak of the housing crisis. What’s the best way to help students struggling under a huge debt burden? Is there a better way to finance college? Chicago Booth’s Constantine Yannelis and Seth Frotman of the Student Borrower Protection Center discuss the impacts of different loan forgiveness proposals under consideration, including who benefits.
2/11/2021 • 20 minutes, 51 seconds
Shots on Goal: How to Jumpstart the Economy
Which economic policies must be prioritized now to get the best returns in the future? This week, The Pie is breaking out the crystal ball. Austan Goolsbee and Randall Kroszner share what economists are learning from the pandemic and what we can expect in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
1/28/2021 • 28 minutes, 57 seconds
The Big Tech Threat?
The expanding market influence of tech companies has sparked new fear of an old economic problem – monopoly power. In this episode, Eric Posner and Chad Syverson discuss whether these corporate giants pose potential risks to the world economy. How urgent is the problem? Is there a policy solution?
1/14/2021 • 25 minutes, 35 seconds
The Pandemic Recession’s Gender Gap
Women suffered significantly in the early months of the current recession, raising important questions about the gender effects of this pandemic-fueled downturn. Yana Gallen and Heather Sarsons share research on labor force gender disparities and discuss the potential long-term implications of the recession on women’s employment choices and opportunities.
12/30/2020 • 19 minutes, 22 seconds
A Vaccine for Billions
The economic benefits of ending the COVID-19 pandemic even one day earlier are enormous. Michael Kremer and Canice Prendergast describe the urgency of vaccine delivery, the promise of production incentives, and why it pays to fail when developing a vaccine.
12/17/2020 • 26 minutes, 47 seconds
Pre-existing Confusion: The US Health Insurance System
The American health insurance system is complex, politically divisive, in need of reform, and facing a historic pandemic crisis. Economists Katherine Baicker and Matt Notowidigdo expose healthcare’s most urgent flaws and discuss potential remedies. Then, Dr. Stacy Lindau joins to discuss the crucial consequences for public health.
12/3/2020 • 26 minutes, 24 seconds
The Pie
Economists are always talking about The Pie - how it grows and shrinks, how it’s sliced, and who gets the biggest shares. Join hosts Eduardo Porter and Tess Vigeland as they talk with leading economists from the University of Chicago and other experts about the most pressing matters of today. Hear how the economic pie is at the heart of issues like COVID-19 vaccine development, gender dynamics in the workplace, energy policy, jobs, and more.
