InequaliTalks
41 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 months ago -What is the most unequal region of the world? How deep does gender discrimination run in our societies? What happens to poor households during a housing boom? How is land distributed today? How can minimum wage reduce racial inequality? Can we really expect politicians to fix inequality? InequaliTalks presents accessible research done by young economists on one of the most pressing issues in the public conversation: inequality.
InequaliTalks is supported by School of Cities at the University of Toronto.
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Episodes
Episode 36: Trade and Foreign Labor -- with Mathilde Muñoz
July 19, 2023 16:00 - 33 minutes - 46.4 MBIn this episode, Mathilde studies whether jobs supplied locally are protected from globalization and how trade liberalization interacts with labor market regulations and affects wage inequality. Working Paper: “International Trade Responses to Labor Market Regulations” Most recent version (February 2023): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tuVIbzn9QbplrtmfQalpVGcP3QfC-Xal/view Recommendation: “Has Globalization Gone Too Far?” (1997) Dani Rodrik
Episode 35: Gender Inequality in Peruvian Trade -- with Pamela Medina Quispe
July 05, 2023 16:00 - 23 minutes - 32 MBIn this episode, Pamela Medina Quispe explores the idea that trade liberalization in Peru negatively impacts women’s participation in the labor market. She points to the increasing presence of the manufacturing industry as a force which is pushing women into an unstable, informal sector. Working Paper: "When Women's Work Disappears: Marriage and Fertility Decisions in Peru”, with Hani Mansour and Andrea Velás Most recent version (January 2023): https://www.dropbox.com/s/qq1f6prrx84q4jr/Draf...
Episode 34: The Effects of Trade on Wages -- with Mayara Felix
June 21, 2023 16:00 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBDoes trade reduce wages? Why? In this episode, Mayara Felix considers the impact of trade liberalization on workers’ wages, and their ability to find gainful employment. Using the example of Brazil, Mayara argues that trade affects a key economic variable: labor market concentration, and explores its consequences on wage inequality. Working Paper: “Trade, Labor Market Concentration, and Wages” Most recent version (October 2022): https://www.mayarafelix.com/papers/Felix_JMP.pdf Recommendations...
Episode 33: Intergenerational Trauma in the Antilles -- with Marie Beigelman
March 01, 2023 17:00 - 27 minutes - 38.2 MBIn this episode, Marie Beigelman speaks about the intergenerational traumas and economic gaps borne of slavery and forced labors in the Caribbean—Guadeloupe and Martinique, specifically. She tells us about her ongoing research exploring the effects of slavery on family units’ development and access to economic opportunity. Working Paper: “Intergenerational Impact of Labor Coercion” https://mariebeigelman.github.io/research/ Recommendation: “Les Rivières”, by Mai Hua (2019) https://lesr...
Episode 32: Persistent Economic Inequality in China -- with Marlon Seror
February 15, 2023 17:00 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MBIn this episode, Marlon Seror explores how one of the most radical social transformations in recent human history affected economic inequality in China. He demonstrates that inequality persisted despite two revolutions in the same century. Working Paper: “Persistence Despite Revolutions”, with Alberto Alesina, David Y. Yang, Yang You and Weihong Zeng Most recent version (August 2022): https://marlonseror.github.io/papers/PersistenceDespiteRevolutions.pdf Recommendation: “To Live” (1992) by ...
Episode 31: How Air Pollution Creates Economic Inequality – with Jonathan Colmer
February 01, 2023 17:15 - 25 minutes - 35 MBIn this episode, Jonathan Colmer explores the intergenerational effects of environmental pollution on economic opportunity. He tells us about his work as co-founder of the Environmental Inequality Lab where he uses census data to determine the link between exposure to air pollution pre-birth and in early childhood of an individual and the economic outcomes of their offspring. Working Paper: “Air Pollution and Economic Opportunity in the United States”, with John Voorheis and Brennan Willia...
Episode 30: The Gender Ask Gap -- with Nina Roussille
October 12, 2022 16:00 - 19 minutes - 22.1 MBOver the past few decades, the raw gender pay gap in the U.S. has decreased significantly. Nonetheless, the residual pay gap, or the chunk of the pay gap that cannot be explained by gender differences, remains the same. Meanwhile, there is extensive research showing that women continue to have lower salary expectations than men - a fact that raises questions about the relationship between women’s salary expectations and the residual pay gap. In this episode, Nina Roussille talks to us about t...
Episode 29: The Minority Trap -- with Xiaoyue Shan
September 28, 2022 16:00 - 24 minutes - 33.9 MBIn this episode, Xiaoyue Shan discusses her research on the ways in which minority status causes women to leave male-dominated fields. She tells us about a field experiment as part of which she examined how gender impacted dropout rates in an introductory economics course, and how she found that female students with higher math achievement and academic potential were nonetheless more likely than male students to drop out of the course. Working Paper: « The Minority Trap: Minority Status Dri...
Episode 28: Female-Friendly Jobs: the Power of Unions -- with Lorenzo Lagos
September 14, 2022 16:00 - 23 minutes - 23.5 MBIn recent decades, gender-based discrimination in the workplace has become a symbol of women’s fight for equality. In parallel, the role of unions in supporting underrepresented workers has grown into an unmatched tool to address inequity and intolerance. In this episode, Lorenzo Lagos tells us about his ongoing work on the power of unions in creating more female-friendly jobs. Looking at the bargaining strategy of Brazil’s largest trade union federation, he finds that including more gender-b...
Season 3 Trailer: The Gender Inequality Series
September 09, 2022 16:00 - 44 seconds - 877 KBStarting Wednesday, September 14th, InequaliTalks is starting its first spotlight series. To begin, we will be looking at gender inequality and interviewing three scholars whose research looks at the intersection of economics and patterns of gender inequality: Lorenzo Lagos, Xiaoyue Shan and Nina Roussille. Make sure to tune in!
Episode 26: What happens when big companies increase wages? -- with Ellora Derenoncourt
February 16, 2022 19:00 - 25 minutes - 29.5 MBIn recent years, decreasing federal minimum wage, low unionization rates and growing outsourcing trends have had some important effects on wage growth in the US low wage sector. As major firms throughout the world come under scrutiny for their failure to compensate their workers fairly, it is becoming increasingly necessary to better understand what motivates companies to mirror other larger firms’ wage changes. In this episode, Ellora Derenoncourt explains that when it comes to wage changes,...
Episode 25: Carbon Tax Aversion -- with Thomas Douenne
January 26, 2022 16:00 - 18 minutes - 21.7 MBHow do beliefs shape and determine our attitudes towards policies? In this episode, Thomas Douenne looks at carbon taxation in the context of the Yellow Vest Movement, and how French people rejected a tax & dividend policy which they assumed would negatively impact their purchasing power. Working Paper: “Yellow Vests, Pessimistic Beliefs and Carbon Tax Aversion”, with Adrien Fabre https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.20200092&&from=f Recommendation: “The Tyranny of Merit: What’s B...
Episode 25: Carbon Tax Aversion
January 26, 2022 16:00 - 18 minutes - 21.7 MBHow do beliefs shape and determine our attitudes towards policies? In this episode, Thomas Douenne looks at carbon taxation in the context of the Yellow Vest Movement, and how French people rejected a tax & dividend policy which they assumed would negatively impact their purchasing power. Working Paper: “Yellow Vests, Pessimistic Beliefs and Carbon Tax Aversion”, with Adrien Fabre https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.20200092&&from=f Recommendation: “The Tyranny of Merit: What’s B...
Episode 24: Housing and Racial Discrimination -- with Aradhya Sood
January 12, 2022 17:30 - 14 minutes - 20 MBWhat are racial covenants? How do they target specific ethnic and religious minorities? And how do they affect present-day economic outcomes? In this episode, Aradhya Sood tells us about her research on the prevalence of racially-restrictive covenants during the early-to-mid 20th century, and how these contracts continue to impact house prices and promote racial segregation today. Working Paper: Long Shadow of Racial Discrimination: Evidence from Housing Covenants, with William Speagle and K...
Episode 23: Outsourcing and Inequality -- With Adrien Bilal
December 01, 2021 17:00 - 22 minutes - 25.3 MBIn recent decades, firms' decision to rely on contract labor over "in-house" workers has become increasingly prevalent. In this episode, Adrien Bilal tells us about his research on labor outsourcing and inequality in France. He explains that while domestic outsourcing may increase aggregate productivity, it nonetheless leads to oursourced workers suffering important wage losses. Paper: “Outsourcing, Inequality and Aggregate Output”, with H. Lhuillier (2021) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h...
Episode 23: Outsourcing and Inequality -- with Adrien Bilal
December 01, 2021 17:00 - 22 minutes - 25.3 MBIn recent decades, firms' decision to rely on contract labor over "in-house" workers has become increasingly prevalent. In this episode, Adrien Bilal tells us about his research on labor outsourcing and inequality in France. He explains that while domestic outsourcing may increase aggregate productivity, it nonetheless leads to oursourced workers suffering important wage losses. Paper: “Outsourcing, Inequality and Aggregate Output”, with H. Lhuillier (2021) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h...
Episode 22: Affirmative action in Brazil -- With Ana Paula Melo
November 12, 2021 11:30 - 24 minutes - 28.5 MBWhat is affirmative action? How can it increase the representation of under-privileged groups in a given field? And how might it play out in the higher education sector? In this episode, Ana Paula Melo talks to us about her research on the impact of affirmative action policies on the access to college in Brazil. She tells us about the benefits and shortcomings of this policy, and what is still missing in the existing literature on the topic. Working Paper: Affirmative action and demand for ...
Episode 22: Affirmative action in Brazil -- with Ana Paula Melo
November 12, 2021 11:30 - 24 minutes - 28.5 MBWhat is affirmative action? How can it increase the representation of under-privileged groups in a given field? And how might it play out in the higher education sector? In this episode, Ana Paula Melo talks to us about her research on the impact of affirmative action policies on the access to college in Brazil. She tells us about the benefits and shortcomings of this policy, and what is still missing in the existing literature on the topic. Working Paper: Affirmative action and demand for ...
Episode 21: Systemic Discrimination -- with Evan K. Rose
October 28, 2021 16:45 - 25 minutes - 35.5 MBEvan K. Rose talks to us about his research on the relationship between human capital, company behavior and discrimination. Looking at the hiring procedures of over a hundred Fortune 500 firms across the US, Rose found that there were significant penalties for applicants belonging to gender and/or racial minorities. In this episode, Rose discusses the policy implications of this phenomenon, and the need for change in both institutional and internal practices. Paper: “Systemic Discriminat...
Episode 20: The Declining Worker Power Hypothesis -- with Anna Stansbury
October 13, 2021 16:00 - 25 minutes - 29 MBWhy has wage inequality increased in the past 40 years in the United States? Why has corporate valuation skyrocketed? In this episode, Anna Stansbury presents her work with Larry Summers on how declining worker power better explains these recent trends in the American economy and what that means for inequality. Paper: “The Declining Worker Power Hypothesis” by Anna Stansbury and Lawrence Summers https://www.brookings.edu/bpea-articles/declining-worker-power-and-american-economic-performance/...
Episode 19: What We Teach about Race and Gender -- with Anjali Adukia
September 29, 2021 15:00 - 21 minutes - 24.5 MBBooks shape how children learn about society and the world. Analyzing over 1,100 award-winning children’s books, Anjali Adukia talks about what artificial intelligence (AI) tools can tell us about how race and gender are depicted to children. Paper: “What We Teach About Race and Gender: Representation in Images and Text of Children’s Books” (by A. Adukia, A. Eble, E. Harrison, H.B. Runesha, T. Szasz) https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w29123/w29123.pdf Recommendation: "Salt" by...
Episode 18: State Capacity, Taxation and Development -- with Augustin Bergeron
September 16, 2021 15:15 - 30 minutes - 34.5 MBGovernments in the world’s poorest countries face important revenue constraints. The ability to collect taxes directly affects the quality of public services and infrastructures, and is thought to undermine economic growth. Augustin Bergeron walks us through 3 experiments he conducted in D.R. Congo to investigate how the architecture of tax collection affects a state's fiscal capacity: who collects taxes, how much you can collect, and how you collect them. Papers: - "Local Elites as State Cap...
Episode 17: Obesity and Wealth -- with Elisa Macchi
August 04, 2021 19:00 - 14 minutes - 16.6 MBCan obesity signal wealth? In this episode, Elisa talks about the experiment she conducted in Uganda, in which she demonstrates that obese people are perceived as rich and that being obese facilitates access to credit. Paper: "Worth your weight? Experimental evidence on the benefits of obesity in low-income countries" by Elisa Macchi https://elisamacchi.github.io/publication/job-market-paper/ Recommendation: "The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone" by Olivia Laing https://www...
Episode 16: Keeping up with the Khans -- with Eve Colson-Sihra
July 21, 2021 16:00 - 18 minutes - 20.7 MBDoes inequality affect our perception of necessity and luxury? Does it change our preferences for certain goods? And if yes, what are the impact in terms of malnutruition? Eve Colson-Sihra talks about the research she conducted with Clément Bellet on the impact of exposure to inequality on the perceived needs of the poor in India. Paper: "Does Inequality Affect the Perception of Needs?" by Clément Bellet and Eve Colson-Sihra https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XfOvB3_k2IZHt1NowTFcKFwe4meqb6gg/vi...
Episode 15: Race, Place, Health -- with Diane Alexander
March 17, 2021 15:00 - 18 minutes - 21.7 MBHigher asthma rates are one of the more obvious ways that health inequalities between African American and other children are manifested beginning in early childhood. Diane Alexander talks about the research she conducted with Janet Currie on the impact of children's neighborhoods on the racial gap in respiratory diseases such as asthma. Paper: "Is it who you are or where you live? Residential segregation and racial gaps in childhood asthma" by Diane Alexander and Janet Currie https://www.sc...
Episode 14: Top Immigrants -- with Felix Koenig
March 03, 2021 16:00 - 17 minutes - 20.4 MBDoes immigration import inequality? Felix Koenig talks about his recent research on the contribution of migrants to the rise in UK top incomes, showing that immigrants make up a much larger proportion of the top of the income range than of the bottom. Paper: “Importing Inequality: Immigration and the Top 1%” by Arun Advani, Felix Koenig, Lorenzo Pessina, Andrew Summers. http://ftp.iza.org/dp13731.pdf Recommendations: - "A Star is Born" by Bradley Cooper https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517451/ ...
Episode 13: Hurricanes and the City -- with Rhiannon Jerch
February 17, 2021 15:00 - 22 minutes - 26.2 MBLocal governments are essential providers of public goods and services utilized by Americans every day. Extreme weather events can threaten the stability of local revenue sources and the ability of municipalities to provide essential goods and services. Rhiannon Jerch talks about her research with Matthew E. Kahn & Gary Lin in which they study what happens to local public finances in the aftermath of hurricanes in the United States. Paper: "Local Public Finance Dynamics and Hurricane Shocks" ...
Episode 12: Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice -- with Felix Owusu
February 03, 2021 16:00 - 30 minutes - 34.8 MBPeople of color are drastically overrepresented in Massachusetts state prisons. What happens at different stages of the criminal system, from charging and bail to adjudication and sentencing? Felix Owusu presents the work he conducted with The Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School to explore the factors that lead to persistent racial disparities in the Massachusetts criminal system. Paper: "Racial Disparities in the Massachusetts Criminal System" by Elizabeth Tsai Bishop, Bro...
Episode 11: Can We Do Something about Tax Evasion? -- with Juliana Londoño-Vélez
January 20, 2021 16:00 - 24 minutes - 28.6 MBProgressive wealth taxes may be difficult to enforce if wealthy individuals underreport their wealth, but disclosure incentives and greater enforcement can improve tax collection. Juliana Londoño-Vélez presents her work with Javier Avila-Mahecha which uses rich administrative data from Colombia and leverages a government-designed program for voluntary disclosures of hidden wealth, as well as the threat of detection triggered by the Panama Papers leak. Paper: "Enforcing Wealth Taxes in the De...
Episode 10: Season 1 Final Episode -- with Thomas Piketty
December 09, 2020 15:15 - 16 minutes - 19.4 MBAn (almost) unedited conversation with Thomas Piketty about his last book "Capital and Ideology" (2019). We talked about private property, slavery, colonialism, Haiti and arts. Book: "Capital and Ideology" by Thomas Piketty https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674980822 Recommendation: - "La voluntad y la fortuna" (2008) by Carlos Fuentes https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50254105-voluntad-y-la-fortuna-by-fuentes - "Snowpiercer" (2013) by Bong Joon Ho https://www.imdb.com/title...
Episode 9: Minimum Wage and Racial Inequality -- with Claire Montialoux
November 25, 2020 16:00 - 23 minutes - 26.5 MBThe earnings difference between white and Black workers fell dramatically in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Claire Montialoux, in a paper with Ellora Derenoncourt, shows that the expansion of the minimum wage played a critical role in this decline. Recommendation: "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America" by Richard Rothstein https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32191706-the-color-of-law Paper: "Minimum Wages and Racial Inequality" b...
Episode 8: Are Female Surgeons Discriminated? -- with Heather Sarsons
November 11, 2020 16:00 - 20 minutes - 23.1 MBDoes a person's gender influence the way we interpret information about his or her ability? Heather Sarsons tests this hypothesis in a unique setting using Medicare data on referrals from physicians to surgical specialists. She finds that the referring physicians view their patients' surgical outcomes differently depending on whether the surgeon is a man or a woman. Recommendations: - "Privilege: The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Paul's School" by Shamus Rahman Khan https://www.goodre...
Episode 7: Wealth Inequality and Housing -- with Clara Martínez-Toledano
October 28, 2020 15:00 - 14 minutes - 17.1 MBHousing is the main asset in most individual portfolios. The recent rise in private wealth with respect to national income has been mainly driven by capital gains on housing. How do house price cycles affect wealth inequality? Clara Martínez-Toledano explores the dynamics of wealth accumulation over forty years in Spain. Recommendations: - "The Hidden Wealth of Nations" by Gabriel Zucman http://gabriel-zucman.eu/hidden-wealth/ Paper: - "House Price Cycles, Wealth Inequality and Portfolio Resh...
Episode 6: Does a Career in Science Pay? -- with Kadeem L. Noray
October 14, 2020 15:00 - 19 minutes - 21.8 MBSTEM classes, especially computer science and engineering, are increasingly popular on college campuses, often because they are seen as offering better employment prospects and higher earnings. What happens to this early STEM pay premium in the long run? Kadeem Noray from Harvard talks about his research with David J. Deming on how changing job skills affect the career dynamics of people majoring in STEM. Recommendations: - Breaking Bad https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/ - The Secret of o...
Episode 5: Global Land Inequality -- with Yajna Govind
September 30, 2020 15:00 - 19 minutes - 21.8 MBDespite significant process of industrialization in developping countries across the world, agricultural land is still a vital resource for three out of four of the poorest billion individuals in the world. How does land ownership inequality vary across countries and regions of the world? How different is the picture if we account for land area and value, or for the landless population? Yajna Govind gives a full picture of global land inequality. Recommendations: - Down and Out in Paris and ...
Episode 4: Do Politicians Know about what Citizens Prefer? -- with Asad Liaqat
September 16, 2020 15:00 - 21 minutes - 24.6 MBDo politicians know enough about voters to adequately represent them? Are they responsive to new information about their constituency? How does it affect the representation of marginalized groups? Asad Liaqat presents the results of large experiment he conducted on politicians in Pakistan, and reveals large information asymmetries in politics. Recommendations: - "Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity" by Katherine Boo https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Episode 3: The Most Unequal Region -- with Lydia Assouad
September 02, 2020 15:00 - 21 minutes - 24.6 MBLydia Assouad revisits the "Arab Inequality puzzle" : survey estimates suggest that inequality in the Middle East is not particularly high. In reality, the Middle East is the most unequal region in the world, with both enormous inequality between countries and large inequality within countries. Recommendations: - Comics "Palestine" by Joe Sacco https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/769712.Palestine - Movie "Capernaum" by Nadine Labaki https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8267604/ Paper: - "Rethinking ...
Episode 2: A Pandemic in a Globalized World -- with Alessandro Sforza
August 19, 2020 15:00 - 23 minutes - 26.5 MBWhat would have been the economic impact of COVID-19 in a less integrated world? Is trade openness a good or a bad thing to mitigate the shock of a pandemic? How can we quantify the welfare effect of such a large disruption in production? Alessandro Sforza explains why the economic effects of a pandemic crucially depend on the extend to which countries are connected in global production networks. Recommendations: - "The Reach of Rome: A Journey Through the Lands of the Ancient Empire, Follow...
Episode 1: Why Does COVID-19 Affect Poor Households? -- with Michael Stepner
August 05, 2020 15:00 - 25 minutes - 29.4 MBThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected the U.S economy at an incredibly rapid pace. Michael Stepner presents his most recent work with Opportunity Insights. Combining anonymized data from private companies, the Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker provides a real-time picture of how the economy is performing. How and where do people spend their money? Who are the most vulnerable workers? Where are located the most affected businesses? What is the impact of state-ordered reopenings, small busines...
Episode 1: Why Does COVID-19 Affect Poor Households?
August 05, 2020 15:00 - 25 minutes - 29.4 MBThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected the U.S economy at an incredibly rapid pace. Michael Stepner presents his most recent work with Opportunity Insights. Combining anonymized data from private companies, the Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker provides a real-time picture of how the economy is performing. How and where do people spend their money? Who are the most vulnerable workers? Where are located the most affected businesses? What is the impact of state-ordered reopenings, small busines...
Episode 0: Introducing InequaliTalks
July 22, 2020 15:00 - 2 minutes - 2.69 MBInequality is one of the most pressing issues in the public conversation. Economic research can help us find the tools to address it. Here is a quick taste of what's to come every second Wednesday. By Clémentine Van Effenterre