In this discussion, Karen Macours, an economist at the Paris School of Economics, sheds light on the detrimental effects of menstrual stigma on schoolgirls in Madagascar. She reveals how a groundbreaking program tackled this issue by encouraging open conversations about periods and empowering young girl leaders. The results showed a significant boost in mental health and graduation rates among participants. Macours emphasizes the importance of creating supportive school environments to enhance educational success and reduce anxiety for female students.

Recorded at the CEPR Paris Symposium. During the first half of the 20th century, the US introduced state laws that imposed restrictions on when and how women were permitted to work outside the home. These laws seem bizarre in 2025. Why were they introduced – and why were they eventually repealed? In the first of three episodes to celebrate International Women’s Day, Tim Phillips talks to Anne Hannusch of the University of Mannheim about what motivated the movement to keep women out of the workplace, and what, eventually, brought them back in.

Recorded at the CEPR Paris Symposium. Recent research shows that our sex and race still affect our life chances. New evidence investigates whether class is still important in one profession that's close to home: academia. Anna Stansbury of MIT talks to Tim Phillips about what we mean when we talk about class, how it affects the careers of academics who get their PhDs from the top universities in the US – and why the class system, at least in academia, still exists.

It seems like many more of us have been working from home for at least part of the week. But bosses fret about the effect on productivity when their employees are out of sight. And we’re increasingly hearing about companies who are demanding that their staff to return to the office for four, or even five, days a week. Alessandra Fenizia of George Washington University talks to Tim Phillips about her research into a group of hybrid workers in the UK public sector whose work patterns make it possible to compare productivity at home and in the office. 

It is now a month since President Trump’s inauguration, and it’s fair to say that a lot has happened already. In a special episode we talk to Moreno Bertoldi of ISPI and Marco Buti of EUI about how the EU can be smart when imposing reciprocal tariffs, whether the US economic agenda and the EU’s growth strategy are sustainable – and how the EU can maintain a united front in response to a looming trade war. 

Jonna Olsson, an economist from the Norwegian School of Economics, dives into the complexities of work patterns and productivity. She discusses whether more productive individuals really work more or less, challenging common beliefs. Olsson explores the intricate balance between wages and leisure, revealing how economic growth influences these choices. The conversation also touches on how risk management and access to insurance can affect productivity, alongside a critique of current labor market models that overlook essential dynamics.

Recorded at the CEPR Paris Symposium. Europe faces a gigantic climate investment gap. Can an EU climate debt financing scheme help to close it? To do this, Irene Monasterolo and her co-authors are proposing the joint issuance of climate bonds by the European Stability Mechanism, funded by selling greenhouse gas emission allowances via the ETS. She talks to Tim Phillips about what this would mean in practice for the greening of the monetary system and the efforts of EU states to counter the effects of climate change – and also the political impact if the funding mechanism creates the EU’s first common fiscal capacity.

Recorded at the CEPR Paris Symposium. At COPs or the WEF, we regularly hear about ambitious tree-planting initiatives. These massive programs have been praised as a way to motivate entire communities to join the fight against climate change, but do we know what their impact on the environment or the economy would be? An ingenious piece of research that evaluates a century-old environmental policy in the US gives us a valuable new insight into what planting trees, if done carefully, can achieve. Florian Grosset-Touba spoke to Tim Phillips about the history of tree-planting programmes, where and how to plant them, and the potential impact on the climate and the economy. 

Recorded at the CEPR Paris Symposium.  For several decades, global financial markets have been increasingly integrated. But has that process now gone into reverse? If so, what blocs does the fracturing of global financial markets create, and what might be the consequences of what we now call financial deglobalization? Linda Goldberg and Signe Krogstrup spoke to Tim Phillips about what these changes in the global financial system might mean for price stability, financial stability, and payments.

Bruno Biais, a Professor at HEC Paris, delves into the intriguing world of cryptocurrencies as a safeguard against economic turmoil. He discusses how these digital currencies can counteract government-driven inflation, echoing Friedrich Hayek's ideas on money. Biais highlights their emerging role in countries with unstable financial systems and shares examples from Nigeria where citizens turn to crypto amidst bans. The conversation also touches on the reevaluation of cryptocurrencies' volatility and their potential as a stable alternative in times of financial crisis.