The Pie: An Economics Podcast

Constantine Yannelis, an Associate Professor of Finance at the Booth School of Business, sheds light on the U.S. student loan crisis affecting over 45 million borrowers. He discusses how decades of federal regulation and de-regulation have led to a staggering $1.6 trillion in debt. The rise of for-profit educational institutions is explored, alongside the challenging impacts of recent policies like the Biden administration's loan forgiveness efforts. Yannelis emphasizes the necessity of accountability and targeted solutions to navigate this multifaceted crisis.

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.

Devin Pope, a Professor of Economics and Behavioral Science at the Booth School of Business, dives into the intriguing world of cellphone data and its insights on religious attendance in America. He reveals significant discrepancies between self-reported church attendance and actual participation, suggesting rates as low as 5%. The conversation touches on worship patterns across different faiths, the socioeconomic diversity within congregations, and how regular religious attendance might influence moral choices regarding nightlife activities. Fascinating insights emerge regarding the intersection of faith and community.

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.

In this engaging discussion, Milena Almagro, an Assistant Professor of Economics at Chicago Booth, dives into the transportation challenges plaguing urban areas, particularly Chicago. She reveals how policies like congestion pricing and improved public transit can alleviate gridlock and pollution. Drawing on innovative research using cell phone data, she emphasizes the disparities in transit access linked to income levels. Milena also highlights the economic implications of congestion and shares strategies to enhance public transport efficiency.

A small number of companies are responsible for a substantial amount of the discrimination in today’s labor market. Who are they? In this episode of The Pie, Evan Rose, the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in Economics discusses results from his recent experiment to measure discrimination among the largest employers in the United States.

When the Great Recession hit in 2007, it produced the largest decline in US employment since the Great Depression. It also substantially reduced mortality. In this episode of The Pie, Matt Notowidigdo discusses how economic downturns can lead to valuable health gains that may even offset some of the negative consequences of recessions.

Panel discussion with Raghuram Rajan, Charles Evans, and Randall Kroszner on central bank responsibilities, unintended consequences of monetary policy, implications of altering inflation targets, challenges faced by Chairman Powell, distinguishing actions for financial stability, and unconventional bank stress testing scenarios.