Zero-sum thinking - the belief that gains for some necessarily come at the expense of others - can shape support for economic redistribution, race- and gender-based affirmative action, and immigration policies. Drawing on new survey data, Stefanie Stantcheva joins EconoFact Chats to discuss her research on what determines whether people view the world as zero sum. Her analysis demonstrates that viewing the world in zero-sum terms is not a left vs. right issue. Rather factors such as people’s ancestry, where they live, with whom they interact, and their generation influence their views on this point – and, through this, their views on a range of economic and social policies. Stefanie is the Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy at Harvard, and the founder of the Social Economics Lab.

Working from home was relatively rare before COVID. It became a necessity as the pandemic raged. Today, it remains more common and, to some extent, a choice. But is it a choice that both workers and employers agree upon? More than three years after the start of the pandemic, what do we know about the preferences for working from home for employees, and for employers? What do we know about its effects on productivity, and job satisfaction? Drawing on data from the latest Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes, Nicholas Bloom joins EconoFact Chats to explore these questions. A co-founder at the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes, Nick is a Professor of Economics at Stanford University, and Co-Director of the Productivity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship program at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

In 2021, Americans donated nearly $500 billion to charity. One-quarter of all Americans also report volunteering their time. What does economic analysis add to our understanding of volunteering time and giving money to charities, activities typically considered moral or religious duties? To what causes do people donate time or money? And what makes people more or less likely to give to a particular organization? Laura Gee joins EconoFact Chats to discuss these issues. Laura is an Associate Professor of Economics at Tufts University.  Her research is in behavioral economics — with a particular focus on how individual decision making is influenced by group dynamics. Note: This podcast was first published on 27th November, 2022.

The very highest-income individuals and families typically pay lower taxes, as a share of income, than middle-class individuals and families. Part of the reason is that much more of their income comes from investment and business incomes that are tax-favored as compared to wage and salary income. The very wealthy also benefit from tax rules and regulations that diminish taxes paid on inheritances. These features of the tax system reinforce income inequality, diminish economic opportunity, and reduce tax revenue. Bill Gale joins EconoFact Chats to address these issues. He offers suggestions on ways to reform the tax system to make it more progressive and to increase much-needed revenues. Bill is the Arjay and Frances Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy and Senior Fellow in the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution. He served as president of the National Tax Association from 2019 to 2020.

The income tax was established in 1913 with the ratification of the single sentence of the 16th amendment. Tax rules and regulations have undergone many revisions and changes in the 110 years since then, including the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act. One provision of that act, concerning multinational corporations repatriating income, is being challenged in the case Moore v. United States. Oral arguments in that case, which could have far-reaching implications for the tax system, will be heard by the Supreme Court in December. Dan Shaviro of the New York University School of Law, explains the evolution of the income tax system over the past half decade and some of the possible consequences of the Moore decision, including huge revenue losses for the government. Dan is the Wayne Perry Professor of Taxation at NYU. His newest book is 'Bonfires of the American Dream in American Rhetoric, Literature and Film.'

In what ways are children particularly hard hit by poverty? How does growing up poor affect early-life development? Lisa A. Gennetian joins EconoFact Chats to answer these questions, drawing on preliminary results from 'Baby’s First Years,' a large-scale, multi-decade interdisciplinary study on the impact of poverty on brain development among infants. A Principal Investigator at 'Baby's First Years,' Lisa is also the Pritzker Professor of Early Learning Policy Studies at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

The U.S. Congress has stated its intention to extend many of the tax cuts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act beyond 2025. But, as Kim Clausing highlights, Congress is also likely to rethink some of the act's provisions. Kim joins EconoFact Chats to discuss which parts of the act made for good tax policy, which didn't, and what policy changes could put the U.S. on a path of greater fiscal sustainability. A nationally recognised tax policy expert, Kim is the Eric M. Zolt Professor of Tax Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law.

China's rise has been among the most consequential economic events of the past half century. Before the reforms begun by Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s, China was among the poorest nations in the world. The transformations over the past 45 years have made it a central player in the world economy. But in the last few years, the Chinese juggernaut has stalled. And while many economies slowed during the COVID pandemic, the downturn in China has been especially acute.  Will the Chinese economy rebound? Adam Posen joins EconoFact Chats to share his thoughts on this and other issues, drawing on his latest Foreign Affairs article ‘The End of China's Economic Miracle.’  Adam is the President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Health outcomes in the United States lag behind those in many other rich countries, especially for lower income groups and ethnic and racial minorities. These shortcomings arise even though health care expenditures represent almost one-fifth of this country’s national income. Amy Finkelstein and Liran Einav document the state of health care and health insurance in the United States as well as their suggestions for improvements in their new book 'We've Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care.' Amy joins EconoFact Chats to discuss the findings and analysis in her book, and her decades of pathbreaking research on this topic. Amy is the John and Jennie S. MacDonald Professor of Economics at MIT. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Amy was awarded the prestigious John Bates Clark Medal from the American Economic Association in 2012, and a MacArthur “Genius Grant” in 2018.

Binyamin Applebaum of the New York Times, Larry Edelman of the Boston Globe, Scott Horsley of NPR, and Heather Long of the Washington Post join EconoFact Chats for the 9th edition of the podcast's panel discussion with economic journalists. Binyamin, Larry, Scott and Heather focus on inflation, affordable housing, the temporarily averted government shutdown, the auto-workers strike and what that might imply about the union movement, and the ongoing Amazon and Google anti-trust cases.