FT Alphachat

Economist Michael Mandel joins Cardiff Garcia to talk about the research that he and co-author Bret Swanson have published on "the coming productivity boom" -- an optimistic case for productivity growth based on the application of information technology in physical industries such as manufacturing and healthcare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economist Stephen Kinsella joins Cardiff Garcia to discuss the right lessons from Ireland's experience of crisis, austerity, and recovery -- and a few of the wrong lessons as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Physicist Geoffrey West joins FT Alphaville's Izabella Kaminska to discuss his work on a universal theory of growth - or scaling - that extends beyond human lifespans to encompass the sustainability of corporations, cities and more, as detailed in his latest book "Scale". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sociologist Richard Ocejo joins Cardiff Garcia to talk about the way educated urbanites have upscaled and transformed traditionally low-income manual jobs from bartending to butchery, and what it suggests about the evolution of the labour market in the age of automation. It is the subject of Ocejo's most recent book, Masters of Craft. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a bonus episode featuring parts of Cardiff Garcia's interview with economist Anne Case that did not make it into the episode published on April 21. In this Alphachat extra the two discuss Anne's experience dealing with bloggers and other commentators who react to her work, how her research in South Africa shaped her approach to health economics and why height turns out to be such a useful variable in her research. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economist Alice Rivlin joins Cardiff Garcia to discuss her storied Washington career, from her roles in three different presidential administrations, to the first director of the Congressional Budget Office, to Vice-Chair of the Federal Reserve, to her current post at the Brookings Institution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Konnikova, a writer and author of “The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For It… Every Time” talks to host Cardiff Garcia about her work and the challenge of judging the quality of social-science research. The two also discuss big data, open-plan offices, sleep and the psychological effects of pornography. Maria also describes the methods and traits of con artists, and explains why everyone is susceptible to being a victim. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Historian and biographer Jeremy Adelman joins Cardiff Garcia to survey the life and philosophy of economist Albert O. Hirschman, from his work on development economics to "The Passions and the Interests", his book about the forgotten intellectual history behind the emergence of capitalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason Furman, economist and former chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, joins Cardiff Garcia to discuss the way economic policy was made and framed during the Barack Obama administration. Jason also talks about his background and the economists who influenced him, and he gives his thoughts on a few salient economic issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economist and polymathic author Tyler Cowen talks to Cardiff about his essay, "Stubborn Attachments", in which he shares his vision for a free and prosperous society - and the philosophical foundations necessary to build it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.