#AcademicRunPlaylist - 10/17/25

It was perfect running weather in Boston, and while enjoying the brisk fall day I listened to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was a great conversation with Darren Rosenblum on LGBTQ+ people, the closet, and corporate governance on the Business Scholarship podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QATr9Wa9S-s

Next was the economics of race and stratification conference at the National Bureau of Economic Research. I particularly liked the talks by Dania Francis (intellectual tradition of stratification economics), Mwangi Wa Githinji and Patrick Mason (occupational integration of Black immigrants), and Ashwini Deshpande (caste, class, and stratification). Highly recommend the whole day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcLDp5vELcw

Last was "The Refusal of Work" by David Frayne. Frayne has put together a thought provoking book that leans largely on philosophical analysis to argue against the centrality of work in human life. This is complemented with some insightful interviews with people who have taken a variety of approaches to refusing work in some way. He does fall into the common philosophical trap of quoting well known thinkers as if they're religious figures (pro tip: just because Marx wrote something doesn't make it true), and his global north focus makes the case even less compelling. Beyond that, he essentially ignores all history from before the industrial revolution, which is a huge mistake given how profoundly that changed economic life. Still, if you're interested in this topic it's a good book to grapple with https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/refusal-of-work-9781350354296/