Political Economy Forum

Forum Fellow Morgan Wack hosts Guy Grossman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, founder and director of U Penn’s Development Research Initiative (PDRI), and faculty affiliate of Stanford University’s Immigration Policy Lab (IPL).

In this episode,  Nicolas Wittstock hosts  PhD Candidate Beatrice Magistro. They discuss Beatrice’s dissertation on the relationship between financial and economic literacy and policy preferences in Italy and the UK. They discuss her motivation to pursue this topic, its importance in today’s context of rampant populism and protectionism, the findings from her four papers, and future directions for research. During the episode they discuss the following works: Financial literacy and support for free trade in the UK  The effects of financial and economic literacy on policy preferences in Italy Party cues or policy information? The differential influence of financial and economic literacy  Financial literacy and time preference: A classroom experiment

In this episode of the Political Economy Forum Podcast, James Long hosts  Victor Menaldo and Ben Glasner. They discuss the gig economy and the future of work. The topics range from Ben's dissertation on the role of labor market protections and the social safety net among the self-employed and independent contracts, Victor’s hobby horse of automation and the future of work, and the role COVID-19 might play in it all. The conversation bounces around as James, Victor, and Ben debate the changing nature of work, and what it might mean for the modern  American economy.  The session ends after consideration of what role a  Keynesian response to the current economic turmoil might play in the coming months and years.

In this episode of the Political Economy Podcast Nicolas Wittstock hosts Mark Menaldo and Victor Menaldo. They discuss Mark's forthcoming piece on the existential philosopher Martin Heidegger and his influence on politics.  They discuss the different branches of philosophy, including metaphysics, namely, the study of reality, and the origins and consequences of postmodernism. One of the main topics they cover is whether the "Continental School" of philosophy tends to complement totalitarianism versus other schools of thought, such as classical or the so-called analytic approach inaugurated by the philosopher of language Ludwig Wittgenstein and represented by writers like George  Orwell. They also discuss the political dysfunction that racks the  United States and how it relates, if anything, to these issues. During the episode they discuss the following works: Philosophy in the Shadow of Nazism Goethe's Metamorphosis of Plants Orwell's Politics and the English Language

This episode is a conversation between Professor Victor Menaldo, Jesse – a friend of the forum who works for a Big Tech company – and Nicolas Wittstock. The conversation revolves around a recent piece published on Areo, authored by Victor Menaldo that discusses modern threats to Liberal Democracy around the globe.

A special crossover episode of Neither Free Nor Fair? with the Political Economy Forum, James Long, Victor Menaldo, and Mark Smith discuss the presidential debates, whether the remaining debates should be canceled or not, and the role of debates to democracy.

In this new podcast series, “Neither Free Nor Fair?” we will try to make sense of the evolving threats to election security and democracy in the US and around the world. The series is produced by the Political Economy Forum at the University of Washington and hosted by me, James Long, Associate Professor of Political Science and co-founder of the Forum. I research and teach on elections, corruption, and democracy in a global context, and for more than a decade, have observed elections in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. Each episode, global experts from academia, advocacy, policymaking, and the tech industry will join me to discuss how we can apply lessons from around the world to understand threats to elections in the US, and how these lessons inform the conversation around the fate of global democracy in the 21st century. We hope you’ll join us.

In this episode of the Political Economy Forum Podcast, Professor Victor Menaldo and Nicolas Wittstock discuss the meaning and virtues of Liberal Democracy and the political earthquakes that Populists have provoked across contemporary democracies. The conversation mentions works by North, Wallis, and Weingast, Levitsky and Ziblatt, John Wallis, Cas Mudde, Magistro and Menaldo, and Munger and Munger, as well as a New York Times op-ed by Victor Menaldo and Seattle Times op-ed by Menaldo. This podcast is produced by Matthew Dagele, Morgan Wack, and Nicolas Wittstock. Our theme music was created by Ted Long. Any questions or feedback, please contact uwpoliticaleconomy@gmail.com

In this episode, Professor Victor Menaldo and Nicolas Wittstock discuss Capitalisms historical trajectory and the pathbreaking economic expansion of the last 250 years as well as concerns over the current economic performance of industrialized economies. The conversation mentions works by Deirdre McCloskey, James Bessen, Robert Gordon, Haber and Calomiris, Ronald Coase as well as Daron Acemoglu. Produced by Nicolas Wittstock Any questions or feedback, please contact uwpoliticaleconomy@gmail.com

In this episode, the founders and organizers of the UW Political Economy Forum discuss the importance of the scientific method to improve how policymakers make decisions. Professors Rachel Heath, James D. Long and Victor Menaldo discuss how scientific inquiry is conducted in political economy and public policy – the pitfalls of relying on intuition and ideology when deciding on policy – and how to ensure that dysfunctional approaches to solving problems get weeded out. The conversation repeatedly makes references to a recent post on Ronald Coase’s contribution to evidence-based policymaking as well as a more general post on the topic by Victor Menaldo. Produced by Nicolas Wittstock Any questions or feedback, please contact uwpoliticaleconomy@gmail.com