
DebtTalks
How do countries incur in debt? And why does debt become unsustainable? How debt crises are triggered, and how a small nation managed to bring the Euro area on the edge of collapse? I am Paola Subacchi (https://www.sciencespo.fr/psia/sovereign-debt/the-team/), and this is DebtTalks, the podcast of Sciences Po Chair in Sovereign Debt and Finance. With my guests I’ll be discussing the economics and politics of debt, exploring past and current episodes of debt distress, examining legal controversies, and much more. Join us for the latest insights and stay tuned on DebtTalks.
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Latest episodes

Jan 14, 2025 • 32min
Episode 6. Resilient sovereign bonds from Waterloo to our days
How does the debt market fare over a very long period? Paola Subacchi is joined by Josefin Meyer to look at sovereign bonds over 200 years that stretch after the battle of Waterloo (1815) and 2016. Research shows that over this period real returns averaged more than 6 per cent annually – after taking into account wars, financial crises and default episodes.Guest: Josefin Meyer is Head of International Macroeconomics Research Group of the Macroeconomics Department at Deutsches Institut Für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin) and Research Fellow at Kiel Institute for The World Economy.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Dec 10, 2024 • 36min
Episode 5. China as bilateral creditor: complexity and controversies
China has become the world’s largest bilateral creditor to low- and middle-income countries. Paola Subacchi, Deborah Brautigam and Yufan Huang explore the changing dynamics of China’s lending and the implications for the international financial architecture. Guests: Deborah Brautigam is Director of the SAIS China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) and Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy EmeritaJohns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).Yufan Huang is a Pre-Doctoral Fellow with the China-Africa Research Initiative, and a PhD candidate at Cornell University.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Nov 25, 2024 • 35min
Episode 4. The first debt crisis since WW2, 1982-1989
In the latest episode of DebtTalks, Paola Subacchi and Jérôme Sgard dive into the debt crisis of the 1980s that hit many developing countries between 1982 and 1989. The 1989 Brady initiative put an end to the crisis and put the International Monetary Fund at the helm of the debt restructuring architecture. Guest: Jérôme Sgard is Professor of Political Economy at Sciences Po. He is the author of The Debt Crisis of the 1980s: Law and Political Economy (2023).Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

12 snips
Nov 18, 2024 • 38min
Episode 3. Coordinating sustainable solutions: the Paris Club
Good coordination of creditors and debtors is at the core of effective debt treatments. The Paris Club, that brings together official creditors, provides coordinated financing for countries that experience debt distress such as debt relief by postponement, reduction in debt service obligations, concessional rescheduling. Listen as Paola Subacchi, William Roos and Philippe Guyonnet-Dupérat discuss challenges posed by a more heterogenous creditor group and institutional innovations like the Common Framework for Debt Treatments.Guests: William Roos is Assistant Secretary for Multilateral, Development and Trade Affairs at the French Treasury. He is co-chair of the Paris Club and co-chaired in that capacity all common framework official creditor committees.Philippe Guyonnet-Dupérat is Secretary general of the Paris Club and head of international debt at the French Treasury.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Oct 29, 2024 • 36min
Episode 2. After default comes litigation: Argentina, 2001-2016
In 2001 Argentina defaulted on $100 billion in bonds. The subsequent debt restructuring and a decade of litigation with holdout creditors show the complex interplay between financial markets, governments, the IMF, the press, and the courts. Join Paola Subacchi and Gregory Makoff as they discuss the economic, legal, political, and institutional questions that arise when a country defaults on its debt.Guest: Gregory Makoff is a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy Schooland an expert on sovereign debt. He is the author of Default: The Landmark Court Battle over Argentina's $100 Billion Debt Restructuring (2024).Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Oct 15, 2024 • 37min
Episode 1. Greece on the brink, 2010-2015: the debt crisis that hindered Europe - Yannis Manuelides
Welcome to DebtTalks, the podcast of SciencesPo Chair in Sovereign Debt and Finance, hosted by Paola Subacchi. Join Paola and Yannis Manuelides for the first episode of this series. In 2010 Greece’s debt was downgraded and this marked the beginning of a long debt crisis that brought Greece near collapse and undermined the financial stability of the Euro Area. Guest: Yannis Manuelides is a London-based finance lawyer and consultant. He was a partner at Allen& Overy’s London office for over 23 years where he headed the firm’s sovereign debt practice. Yannis led the legal team which acted for the Steering Committee of Private Creditors of Greece on Greece's EUR206bn debt restructuring (PSI). 🔗 Chair in Sovereign Debt and finance website LinkHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.