Conversations with Economists

Recent surveys suggest many Americans have lost faith in the value of higher education. Are they right? Do they act like college isn't worth it or is that just what they say in surveys? James Feigenbaum, Assistant Professor of Economics moderates a discussion along with Joshua Goodman, Associate Professor of Economics and Education, and Kevin Lang, Laurence A. Bloom Professor of Economics, where they review evidence about college enrollment trends, the costs and benefits of college degrees, and recent federal policy developments in higher education.

How much does the White House effect the decisions that the Federal Reserve makes? Boston University Economics professors Tarek Alexander Hassan, David Lagakos, and Adam Guren discuss why Federal Reserve independence matters and how political pressure can lead to inflation, stagflation and much more.

Flexibility is often pitched as a key lever for closing gender gaps—but it isn’t free. We’ll discuss how workers pay for flexibility through pay, hours, or career progression, and why what we see in the data doesn’t always reflect what people actually want.

In this episode of Conversations with Economists we discuss crypto assetts and the future of finance. Martin Fiszbein moderates a debate between Tarek Hassan and David Lagakos, all economics professors at Boston University. Professor Hassan's background is in international finance, macro-finance, and social factors in economic growth. Professor Lagakos's research is focused on development economics, productivity, and structural transformation.

In this episode of Conversations with Economists, Boston University Professor Bart Lipman interviews Larry Kotlikoff about: Is the US Government Bankrupt? Larry Kotlikoff is a professor of economics at Boston University, president of Economic Security Planning, and a New York Times best-selling author. His columns, articles, and books cover personal finance, generational policy, climate policy, inequality, tax reform, Social Security, banking, robotization, growth, and much more. We discuss that by the standard measure—the ratio of official debt to GDP—the U.S. looks like it’s in serious trouble, with the ratio soaring above 1.25. But here’s the twist: official debt only counts the government liabilities that Congress has decided to put on the books. Major obligations like accrued Social Security benefits? They’re left off the books and don’t appear in that ratio. Because of this, debt-to-GDP can’t give us the full picture of our country’s true fiscal health.

In this episode we discuss the ever important question: Is Democracy Failing? In this episode, we're joined by three Boston University Economics professors: Professor Fisman, who investigates the mechanics of corruption and the impact of political connections; Professor Fiszbein, who explores the deep historical roots of growth and how factors like agricultural diversity shape long-term development; and Professor Marx, who researches the intersection of religion, state-building, and democratic accountability in modern governance.There are signs of democratic backsliding in America and around the world. At the same time, authoritarian regimes appear to be gaining an economic edge. What is the future of democratic institutions, and what economic fallout could result from rising populism and the erosion of democratic governance?