The Federal Reserve responded to COVID-era inflation with the fastest increase in the federal funds rate in 40 years. Importantly, the effectiveness of their response depends on how the public perceived it. In this episode of The Pie, Carolin Pflueger, Associate Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, covers her recent talk to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in which she discussed her research on changing public perceptions and the effectiveness of monetary policy.

Eric Zwick, a Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, dives into the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. He examines whether it lived up to its promises, revealing a significant drop in tax revenues despite some investment uptick. Zwick discusses the act's impact on corporate tax rates and income inequality, as well as future implications as the act nears expiration. He also shares insights on small business growth, and they even mix in some fun with a playful chat about baking pie!

Ufuk Akcigit, a leading economics professor renowned for his research on growth via technological progress, discusses the vital role of innovation in economic growth. He highlights 'creative destruction' as a key driver of productivity and living standards. The conversation delves into historical lessons from Germany's economic divide and the conflict between innovation and market dominance, with established companies stifling new ideas. Akcigit also emphasizes the importance of talent allocation in nurturing future inventors, advocating for a merit-based system.

In the wake of numerous high-profile incidents of police use of force, particularly against Black Americans, law enforcement agencies across the United States are confronting issues of officer misconduct. Whether such misconduct is preventable depends in part on whether it is predictable. In this episode of The Pie, Greg Stoddard, Senior Research Director for the Crime Lab and Education Lab, discusses recent research using administrative data from the Chicago Police Department to predict officers misconduct, before it happens.

The United States is in the midst of a student loan crisis, with over 45 million borrowers owing more than $1.6 trillion in federal dollars. On this episode of The Pie, Constantine Yannelis, Associate Professor of Finance at the Booth School of Business, argues that federal policy is to blame: Decades of regulation and de-regulation have given way to skyrocketing rates of risky borrowing.

Professors David Keith, Franklin Allen, and José Scheinkman discuss incentivizing climate change solutions. Topics include restructuring market incentives, Amazon reforestation, financial innovations, fusion technology, and challenges in governmental solutions. The podcast explores the role of finance in driving environmental change and the importance of collaboration for achieving net zero emissions.

What do location data from roughly 2.1 million cellphones say about religiosity in the United States? In this episode of The Pie, Devin Pope, Professor of Economics and Behavioral Science at the Booth School of Business, paints a new picture of who goes to church, how often, and the other types of activities they do (or don’t) partake in.

India’s government has big goals for economic growth. The former Governor of the country’s Reserve Bank, Raghuram Rajan, argues that India won't be able (and shouldn't try) to follow traditional methods of development. Professor Rajan, now of the the Chicago Booth School of Business, joins The Pie to discuss India’s untraveled path to prosperity.

A year-and-a-half after its launch, half of workers report having used ChatGPT on the job. On this episode of The Pie, Anders Humlum, Assistant Professor at the Chicago Booth School of Business, shares results from a recent, large-scale survey profiling the workers who are leading the generative AI curve.

Economist Jack Mountjoy from the University of Chicago discusses the returns of higher education. He examines the impact of college choices on student trajectories, cost-benefit analysis of enrolling academically marginal students, and the value of college education for these students, highlighting earnings, dropout rates, and societal benefits.