Rajiv Sethi, a Professor at Barnard College and author of the newsletter 'Imperfect Information', engages in insightful discussion. He explores the impact of Trump's tariff threats on global markets, questioning their efficacy. The conversation also touches on self-censorship, racial identity, and educational outcomes, emphasizing the significance of parental investment. Additionally, Sethi contrasts the effectiveness of prediction markets with traditional polling in forecasting elections, shedding light on the complexities of political and economic dynamics.

In this engaging discussion, David French, a veteran and author of "Divided We Fall," joins Rajiv Sethi, an economics professor studying gun violence. They tackle the stark realities of gun violence in America with insights into bipartisan solutions. They explore the complexities of the Second Amendment, the effectiveness of red flag laws, and compare the U.S. to countries like Australia. With a focus on innovative approaches, they emphasize the importance of unity and clarity in the ongoing debate over gun control.

Economics Professor Rajiv Sethi discusses how stereotypes influence crime investigations and justice decisions. Topics include motives behind murder, impact of stereotypes on policing, decline in murder rates, hotspots policing effectiveness, and history of felony disenfranchisement based on stereotypes.

As the old nut goes, “To the victor goes the spoils.” But if each round of play consolidates the spoils into fewer hands, eventually it comes to pass that wealthy special interests twist the rules so much it undermines the game itself. When economic power overtakes the processes of democratic governance, growth stagnates, and the rift between the rich and poor becomes abyssal. Desperate times and desperate measures jeopardize the fabric of society. How might nonpartisan approaches to this wicked problem help us walk the system back into a healthy balance?Welcome to COMPLEXITY, the official podcast of the Santa Fe Institute. I’m your host, Michael Garfield, and every other week we’ll bring you with us for far-ranging conversations with our worldwide network of rigorous researchers developing new frameworks to explain the deepest mysteries of the universe.This week on Complexity we speak with Steven Teles, political scientist at Johns Hopkins University and SFI External Professor Rajiv Sethi, Professor of Economics at Barnard College, Columbia University about how self-serving economic actors intervene in regulation to stifle innovation, increase inequality, and contribute to the conditions in which violence can flourish. Referencing Teles’ aisle-crossing book The Captured Economy with co-author Brink Lindsey, we link the problem of regulatory capture in its myriad forms to Sethi’s work on race, inequality, and crime, which we discussed in Episode 7 (Rajiv Sethi on Crime, Stereotypes, and The Pursuit of Justice). At the interface between the left and right, public and private, our guests shed light on the forces that divide — and may help reunite — the USA and other modern nations.Be sure to check out our extensive show notes with links to all our references at complexity.simplecast.com. Note that applications are now open for our Complexity Postdoctoral Fellowships! Tell a friend. And if you value our research and communication efforts, please subscribe, rate and review us at Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and consider making a donation — or finding other ways to engage with us — at santafe.edu/engage.Thank you for listening!Join our Facebook discussion group to meet like minds and talk about each episode.Podcast theme music by Mitch Mignano.Follow us on social media:Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedInMore on the Emergent Political Economies SFI Research Theme:SFI launches new research theme on emergent political economiesComplexity 82 - David Krakauer on Emergent Political Economies and A Science of Possibility (EPE 01)Complexity 83 - Eric Beinhocker & Diane Coyle on Rethinking Economics for A Sustainable & Prosperous World (EPE 02)Complexity 84 - Ricardo Hausmann & J. Doyne Farmer on Evolving Technologies & Market Ecologies (EPE 03)Referenced in (or related to) this episode:The Captured Economy: How The Powerful Enrich Themselves, Slow Down Growth, and Increase Inequalityby Brink Lindsey and Steven TelesShadows of Doubt: Stereotypes, Crime, and the Pursuit of Justiceby Brendan O’Flaherty and Rajiv SethiComplexity 19 - David B. Kinney on the Philosophy of ScienceCommon as Airby Lewis HydeSignalling architectures can prevent cancer evolutionby Leonardo Oña & Michael LachmannScaling of urban income inequality in the USAby Elisa Heinrich Mora, Cate Heine, Jacob J. Jackson, Geoffrey B. West, Vicky Chuqiao Yang and Christopher P. KempesCrime and Punishment in a Divided Societyby Rajiv SethiRajiv Sethi discusses gun violence, critical race theory, and bezzleson The Glenn Loury Show (video)(audio-only podcast link)The Gun Deal by Rajiv Sethi (Substack)Rajiv Sethi reviews Boldrin/Levine’s Against Intellectual MonopolySteven Teles and Brink Lindsey on EconTalk with Russ RobertsIs Nothing Sacred? Rajiv Sethi on Salman Rushdie (Substack)Rajiv Sethi with Bari Weiss and David French on gun violenceRajiv Sethi on James Tobin’s Hirsch Lecture on Functional Inefficiency in Finance (Substack)

Rajiv Sethi, Professor of Economics at Bernard College at Columbia University, discusses prediction markets and how they harness the wisdom of the crowd. They explore the concept of markets as speculation and aggregation of information, compare prediction markets to epidemiological models, and suggest using prediction markets to capture rare events more effectively.