Trumponomics

Romanian home-care workers in Italy. Indian construction crews in Dubai. Filipino maids and cooks in Singapore. The world’s wealthy economies depend on a steady flow of cheap labor from lower-income nations. And people in those nations often rely on remittances from family members working abroad.Now it seems that the coronavirus pandemic that’s crushing economies all over the world is also upending the global labor market. Workers are heading back to their native countries in large numbers—or stranded far from home without jobs and benefits.Host Stephanie Flanders talks with Bloomberg journalists in three regions for insight into how this is playing out: European economy editor Andrew Langley in London, Middle East economic reporter Abeer Abu Omar in Dubai and Asia economics columnist Daniel Moss in Singapore.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just a few months ago, the economic debate about employment centered on how low the jobless rate could go. Now, with tens of millions out of work across the globe, it's about how bad it can get. On this week's episode, host Stephanie Flanders and economy reporter Katia Dmitrieva discuss how those "last in" to a boom economy are usually the "first out" in a downturn. Focusing on seven case studies, they discuss how minorities, young people and women who benefited from the historic surge in employment will be the ones who suffer most, and for longer. In Europe, the coronavirus continues to hit countries hard, yet many people have actually been able to keep their jobs, with at least 45 million having their wages paid by the state. Flanders also talks with Bloomberg Eurozone Economist Maeva Cousin about the cost of keeping these people paid, and how governments will wean companies off this vital support.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Waffle House chain of U.S. restaurants, with most of its locations in the nation’s south, is famous for staying open during hurricanes and other severe weather. Now it’s facing what could be a tougher challenge: luring customers who are wary of spending time there because of the coronavirus.It’s all happening in Georgia, whose Republican governor made waves with his decision to let many businesses and restaurants reopen sooner than most people expected—and earlier than medical experts consider advisable.Stephanie Flanders talks with Atlanta-based Bloomberg reporter Michael Sasso about the situation on the ground. We’ll hear excerpts from his interview with a Waffle House spokeswoman, too.Flanders also speaks with returning guest Richard Baldwin, an economist at the Graduate Institute in Geneva and co-editor of a new eBook addressing Covid-19 and trade policy. Baldwin discusses how trade restrictions are exacerbating the damage done by the pandemic—such as making it more difficult to get masks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you restart the global economy following a coronavirus-induced lockdown? China is the test case, and getting workers back to work is proving a lot easier than getting them to shop or patronize restaurants. On this week’s episode, Stephanie Flanders talks to Bloomberg Beijing bureau chief Sharon Chen about her recent visit to Wuhan, the starting point of the pandemic, and her subsequent 14-day quarantine when she returned home.Flanders also speaks with Bloomberg chief Europe economist Jamie Rush about how lifting restrictions will translate into increased economic output. Then, in an excerpt from a panel discussion, former European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet has some strong words about the Group of 20’s response to the pandemic, along with inflation targeting and a few other topics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mid-April is when the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank hold their spring meetings, where finance ministers and central bankers gather to exchange ideas on keeping global growth intact. This year, the meetings will be virtual, and the discussions less about growth and more about avoiding an economic abyss.Gita Gopinath, in her second year as the IMF’s chief economist, is projecting the worst global downturn since the Great Depression. She talks with Stephanie Flanders about what the international community needs to do now and what lessons policymakers should take away from the Covid-19 pandemic and its fallout. Flanders also speaks with Bloomberg economy reporter Catherine Bosley about why Germany is patting itself on the back for a history of budgetary stinginess.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, a small band of economists pushed an unorthodox approach to government spending (particularly in the U.S.), arguing that concern about deficits and debt was wildly overblown. Now, with measures to contain the novel coronavirus shutting down commerce around the world, and fiscal authorities spending trillions of dollars to fill the gap, it’s starting to become more popular.Stephanie Kelton, an economist and adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, the now-former Democratic presidential candidate, has been one of the most prominent advocates of Modern Monetary Theory. On this week’s episode, host Stephanie Flanders talks with Kelton about her thoughts on the fiscal response so far, and whether President Donald Trump has indeed joined the crowd of MMT advocates.Tom Orlik, Bloomberg’s chief economist, also puts the government and central bank actions into perspective, while global trade correspondent Shawn Donnan discusses how his beat has changed during the pandemic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a matter of weeks the Covid-19 virus has turned the world upside down. In the start of a new season of Stephanomics, James Mayger and Zhu Lin report from China - the original epicenter of the virus – on how truck drivers there are trying to get back to normal. Then host Stephanie Flanders asks US economist Adam Posen how the economics profession has risen to the challenge of the crisis - and whether the right advice has been getting through to governments.The terrible human cost of the coronavirus has been evident for some time. But most countries are only now starting to see the economic cost which fighting the pandemic will also inflict. In this third season of Stephanomics we’ll be doing our best to help you understand that story with reporting and insights from experts inside and outside Bloomberg.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harnessing Bloomberg's reporting from every continent, Bloomberg's daily Prognosis podcast brings the news, data and analysis you need for living in the time of Covid-19. In around ten minutes, we will explain the latest developments in health and science, the impact on individuals, industries and governments and the adaptions they are making in the face of the global pandemic. Come back every weekday afternoon for a short dose of the best information about the novel coronavirus from more than 120 bureaus around the world.First episode drops Thursday, March 26. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

French economist Thomas Piketty made a big splash in 2014 with his best-selling book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," stirring debate about how capitalism benefited the wealthy. He takes an even broader view in his new tome, "Capital and Ideology," whose English translation will be published in March. You can wait until then to read all 1000+ pages - or get a sneak preview with the author himself in this bonus episode of Stephanomics. In her conversation with Piketty, Stephanie Flanders discusses the impact of his book and why he thinks this one is better. He also offers his view of Donald Trump and Brexit, the limitations of electoral systems and the 2020 US election, the global rise of nationalism and why history does not move move in a straight line. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Stephanomics concludes its second season with a preview of Bloomberg Markets’ special trade issue, along with a look at what could stop the spread of the coronavirus.Tyler Cowen, the George Mason University economist and Marginal Revolution blogger, talks with host Stephanie Flanders about how well—or how poorly—the U.S. and China are positioned to deal with the outbreak.On trade, reporter Enda Curran visits Hong Kong and the city’s Toy and Baby Fair to get a sense of how the territory’s place in the world economy is being buffeted by democracy protests and the U.S.-China trade war. Then Stephen King, senior economic adviser at HSBC, returns to discuss what the history of globalization portends for the future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.