InequaliTalks

In 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 G...

In 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...

Does 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” Mos...

In 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://mariebe...

In 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://marl...

In 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 P...

Over 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...

In 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 m...

In 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 barg...

Starting 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!

In 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...

How 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....

What 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: L...

In 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: “Outsourcin...

What 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 mis...

Evan 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 th...

Why 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 h...

Books 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. Sza...

Governments 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 collect...

Can 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/ Reco...

Does 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...

Higher 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 seg...

Does 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....

Local 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 after...

People 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...