Policy Punchline

In our last episode, Dr. Celeste Wallander discussed Putin’s Revisionist vision, Russia’s micro-aggression in Eastern Europe, the effect of American sanctions, and the possibility of a nuclear escalation among many other topics… In this episode, we continue our conversation with her. She will explain why military technology could be a "human construct," how the current discourse on Russia is too p...

US-Russia Relations After the Mueller Report: Revisionism, Salami Tactics, and Nuclear Escalation On March 24th, special counsel Robert Mueller released his report that the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia during the 2016 election. Russia is now urging President Trump to reset relations, but will the two countries ever return to a more normalized dynamic? Here to provide her insights on...

“Cautiously optimistic” — that’s the punchline Deutsche Bank Chief Economist Torsten Slok gave for the world economic outlook. Why is there so much angst for a potential recession? How should we react to all the different opinions and reach our own thesis on the economy? How do investment bank economists produce their forecasts?…… All those questions will be answered in this interview. Dr. Slok jo...

What's the next step for North Korea's denuclearization after President Trump and Kim Jong Un failed to reach a deal in Vietnam? Would the U.N. Security Council be a viable approach for finding solutions? How does the Security Council work and how do different major players exert their influences? As a real expert on the U.N., China, and global security issues, Prof. Courtney Fung is here to answe...

From the Treasury Department to Citi, from W.H. to Mastercard, Amb. Michael Froman has truly had such a diverse range of work experiences across the public and private sectors. In this episode, we continue our conversation with Amb. Froman and focus more on his career after W.H. Amb. Froman served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the U.S. trade representative from June 2013 to January 2017....

Mar. 1 was the deadline for U.S.-China trade negotiations, making it so timely for us to discuss trade issues and policies. It's an honor for Policy Punchline to present our interview with Amb. Michael Froman, who will explain how trade negotiations happen, the advantages of multi-lateral trade deals, prospects of U.S.-China relations, Pres. Trump's underlying philosophy for trade... Amb. Froman s...

Prof. Glen Weyl from Princeton University discusses ideas in his new book "Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society." The book was just listed in “The Economist’s books of the year” among many other praises. In this interview, Prof. Weyl explains how his vision could be a unique solution to many of our problems today, the role of blockchain technology in social change...

Prof. Matthias Thiemann discusses post-financial-crisis regulations in Europe and the U.S. He will introduce the shadow banking industry, explain the danger of “regulatory competition,” and provide some clarity for the future of the European Union. Prof. Thiemann visited us at Princeton from Sciences Po, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies. He is both a political economist and a...

As the U.S. and China engage in a trade war, what’s future for the business interactions between the two countries? How have the financial industries in the two countries responded to the changes that took place in the past few months? In this episode, Mr. David Willard will discuss the cross-border M&A activities in U.S. and China, the outlook and challenges ahead, and his take on the trade war....

Dr. Bill Janeway presents his book "Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy: Markets, Speculation, and the State." He touches on topics such as venture capital investment, tech bubbles, government regulation, cryptocurrency & blockchain, and the future of AI… Dr. Janeway is praised by many as a “theorist-practitioner.” He has been an active venture capital investor for more than 40 years. He bu...

Dr. Christopher Marks discusses the current investment outlook and political environment in Africa, as well as his experience supporting economic development in Africa as a public finance specialist and investment banker. Dr. Marks is Managing Director, Head of Emerging Markets EMEA, at the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). Prior to his current role, Dr. Marks served as Senior Advisor at the...

Dr. Christopher Marks of Mitsubishi Financial Group discusses how innovations in development finance such as new risk management tools are now “crowding in” private investments into emerging markets like Africa. As the flow of overseas development assistance shrinks, governments and development banks in emerging markets are increasingly seeking out new, private investors. In this context, risk man...