Just Economics
In the Just Economics podcast, economist Ioana Marinescu, associate professor of public policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice and research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research explores what we actually know about how policies and labor markets work, including the science behind job creation and unemployment insurance.
Each episode introduces the work of an eminent scholar whose research provides evidence that empowers us to create a more just world. In some episodes, Ioana will be joined by her colleague, Katherina ‘Kat’ Rosqueta, founding executive director of Penn’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy and adjunct faculty at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice. Together, Ioana and Kat will discuss the implications of the guest scholar’s research, with Ioana focusing on the policy implications, and Kat focusing on the implications for philanthropy – i.e., private action for public good.
The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Castbox, TuneIn, Podchaser, Listen Notes, Pocket Casts, and Deezer.
Season 1
Ioana and Kat talk about COVID-related job loss and the effects of unemployment insurance policies. Ioana interviews Eliza Forsythe, an economics professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, about the labor market during COVID-19 and how the pandemic and the United States government’s response has impacted inequality in the U.S
Ioana and Kat discuss recent evidence on the effects of child tax benefits on poverty and work. Ioana interviews Mark Stabile, an economics professor at INSEAD in France, on his recent working paper, “The Effects of Child Tax Benefits on Poverty and Labor Supply: Evidence from the Canada Child Benefit and Universal Child Care Benefit.” Ioana and Mark discuss the results of his study as well as how the Canadian child tax benefit can help us understand the debate in the United States around the expansion of the child tax credit. Afterwards, Kat and Ioana discuss the implications for both policymakers and donors who want to help.
The US has strong political polarization, which affects policy outcomes. Race is an important dividing line for partisanship. White people are more likely to be Republicans, and Republicans are less likely to support racial integration policies, such as busing or affirmative action. But what if these racial integration policies themselves changed racial attitudes and political partisanship by allowing White people to get to know more Black people? This is the topic of today’s discussion: the impact of busing on political affiliation. Ioana welcomes Eric Chyn to the podcast to discuss this issue.
Due to the pandemic, governments around the world are reflecting on where policy should be going next, and climate change is a key item on the agenda. However, climate policies like the carbon tax increase the price of energy, which can particularly hurt low income people. Economist Adrien Fabre joins Ioana on to discuss his publication with Thomas Douenne investigating the support for the carbon tax among French people shortly after the Yellow Vests protests against gas tax increases.
Season 2
Larry Katz is an economics professor at Harvard University, and an expert on all things about the labor market. Larry was the chief economist of the US Department of Labor in 1993-1994. He is an editor at the Quarterly Journal of Economics, one of the top academic journals in the field of economics. Ioana and Larry discuss his recent work about the ways in which job training can help less educated workers get better jobs.
Ioana welcomes housing expert Ingrid Gould Ellen, a professor of urban policy and planning at the Wagner School of New York University and the faculty director for the Furman Center for Real Estate and Policy, to the podcast to discuss her 2020 paper on housing choice vouchers.
About the Hosts
Ioana Marinescu is an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She studies the labor market to craft policies that can enhance employment, productivity, and economic security. To make an informed policy decision, it is crucial to determine the costs and benefits of policies. Her research expertise includes wage determination and monopsony power, antitrust law for the labor market, the universal basic income, unemployment insurance, the minimum wage, and employment contracts. Her research has been published in leading academic journals such as the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Journal of Labor Economics, the American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, and the Journal of Public Economics. She testified for policy makers, including Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. Her research has been cited in many media outlets including the New York Times, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal.
Katherina ‘Kat’ M. Rosqueta is the founding executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy. Founded as a collaboration between the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice and alumni of the Wharton School, the Center for High Impact Philanthropy is the premier source of knowledge and education to help donors around the world do more good.
She has held numerous civic leadership positions, currently serving as vice-chair of the board of Candid (recent merger of Foundation Center and Guidestar), the world’s largest source of information on nonprofits and foundations. In addition, she serves on the national board of Greenlight Fund, a venture philanthropy fund dedicated to addressing urgent social needs in cities around the United States, and co-chairs Greenlight Fund Philadelphia.
Kat received her B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was the 2012 recipient of the Wharton Women in Business Kathleen McDonald Distinguished Alumna Award and a 2011 recipient of the Brava! Women Business Achievement Award. She and her husband Michael Idinopulos live in Philadelphia with their three children