#AcademicRunPlaylist - 4/15/25

This guy was fairly wary of me as I passed, and while enjoying seeing a camelid in its original continent I also enjoyed some talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was an intriguing talk by Dominique Lestel on the purpose of humanoid robots that serve no purpose at The University of Tokyo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3jZC53RiI0

Next was a fantastic talk by Fabian Stephany on the rise of skill-based hiring in AI and green technology related roles at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Stephany uses large-scale online job listings to demonstrate that while jobs aren't going away, skills are highlighted much more than advanced degrees were in the past. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZWxLv26Q5E

Next was an engaging panel on private enforcement of EU competition law with Julia Suderow, Juan Ignacio Ruiz Peris, and Carmen Estevan de Quesada at the Digital Markets Research Hub https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBZ7k6SYAfs

Next was an important talk by Kristin Roebuck on race, sex, and eugenics in Japan from WW2 to the Cold war at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Roebuck details how Japan styled itself as a melting pot nation prior to defeat, with mixed race children held up as the essence of Japan, rapidly shifting to a discriminatory orientation. Can't wait to bring this up at my next METI meeting where they insist Japan culturally can't accept many immigrants. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DWTwcIDoI8

Next was "The Ethics of Invention" by Sheila Jasanoff. The meat of this book are chapters 1, 8, and 9, which investigate the inherent politics of technology, its socio-technical nature, and approaches to grapple with those challenges through different engagement and governance techniques. Jasanoff skews strangely techno-utopian at the end, and her exhortation that ethical concerns should consider every conceivable future scenario, no matter how far off or ungrounded, seems indefensible. The other chapters are essentially run throughs of different classes of technology and possible ethical issues, although they aren't systematically investigated and have little connective tissue https://wwnorton.com/books/The-Ethics-of-Invention/

Last was "Resolute Japan" by Jusuke Ikegami, Harbir Singh, and Michael Useem. This book combines excellent qualitative interviews with leadership of large Japanese firms with macro quantitative data on CEO career trajectories and corporate governance metrics to provide a holistic view of the Japanese organizational management landscape. While sometimes veering a bit more into boosterism than I'd like, this book strongly demonstrates the unique characteristics of modern Japanese management, how it differs from models dominant in North America and Europe, and how those differences can drive better outcomes. I do wish there was a bit more engagement with the still nagging problems of Japanese management styles, particularly speed of decision making. Overall, however, both practitioners and academics would do well to pick up this essential book. Highly recommend https://www.pennpress.org/9781613631812/resolute-japan/