#AcademicRunPlaylist - 6/14/24

I was able to briefly get outside with the dogs in between torrential downpours, but at least while I was inside I was able to listen to some talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was a fascinating talk by Fran Handrick on the changing world of Amish women at the University of London’s School of Advanced Study. Handrick presents a deep dive into this unique culture, illustrating the surprising examples of entrepreneurship and cultural/technological change. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ThGFj97koc

Next was an excellent talk by David Solomon on how IR consulting firms influence media coverage and stock prices at Columbia Business School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmSJIk5Tmbo

Next was a wide-ranging panel on designing better working environments at a societal level at the LSE with Kate Bell, Stephen Machin, Alan Manning, Sarah O'Connor, and Kirsten Sehnbruch. There's a lot of ground covered here - working week length, worker organizing regulations, and contract types, to name a few. I don't agree with everything proposed here, but these are progressive, stimulating proposals that deserve to be seriously considered (also there's a great story about the Soviet Union's failed attempt to tinker with the working week) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmVphhFEEsc

Next was an engaging panel on the future of payment tech in Nigeria at TechCabal with Olayiwola Osoba, Surayyah Ahmad Sani, Ope Adeoye, Ayodeji Aina, and Timi Odueso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJCmQBwRrU8

Next was an important talk by Alan Krueger on the effect of minimum wages at the Royal Economic Society. Minimum wage works in practice but not in traditional economic theory, and Krueger explores this contradiction and reviews the voluminous evidence about the positive effects of mandating higher minimum wages, demonstrating essentially no negative effects. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf2LWR0bBjs

Next was a great talk by Kathryn Sampeck on the winding history of chocolate, using anthropological, archaeological, and historical evidence to trace the development of this confection from pre-history to the modern day at Brown University. Fantastic quote at the end: We eat what we are! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bflkUN06_E

Next was a slate of talks at New York University School of Law with Maciej Bernatt (lessons for Europe from the judicial review FTC decisions), Rebecca Allensworth (new antitrust federalism), Angela Zhang (ideological divide at the General Court), and Matthew Jennejohn (innovation and the design of antitrust institutions) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEZtTAJR918

Last was a thought-provoking talk by Joan Loughrey on closely examining the relationship between corporate director disqualification, accountability, and broader regulatory goals at the Cambridge Faculty of Law https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhRuowB52EU