#AcademicRunPlaylist - 7/3/24

After some early calls I had most of the day clear, so I was able to once again run my age in miles (40.5, or 65 km)! Of course that also meant lots of time to listen to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was a thought-provoking talk by Steve Davies on the modern case for free trade at the Cambridge Society for Economic Pluralism (CSEP) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwhMpOimxa8

Next was an interesting talk by Emilio Calvano on how AI and algorithmic recommendations influence competition and consumer welfare at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIHD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1NGnL1RhnU

Next was a fascinating talk by Matthew Fright on the history of Keynes, his economic work, and his legacy at CSEP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1EWu5ceg-Q

Next was an intriguing talk by Deivison Faustino on AI, digital colonialism, and coded racialization at the Institute for Science and Ethics (IWE) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oViBdRp_sys

Next was an excellent talk by Seung Woo Kim on how non-economic factors such as politics, cultural assumptions, and ideology shaped the field of finance at CSEP. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhdi1jic6ik

Next was a nice talk by Angel Sanchez on mathematically describing decision making processes involving norms and experimentally validating them at MPIHD. Sanchez has a great line during the talk: "Even if I'm in a math department, I'm a theoretical physicist. If you are a physicist you die a physicist so I don't believe in things we can't measure." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAKyMdLrxe8

Next was a whirlwind talk by Christopher Hope on the changing economic explanations for why some countries are poor at CSEP. Hope clearly reviews the evolution of institutional economics and the economics academic field from the turn of the 20th century, to the ascendency of neoliberal approaches, to the modern day. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6iB6bivoas

Next was a fantastic talk by Bret Beheim on using big data to reveal the forces of cultural evolution at MPIHD. After some theoretical grounding, Beheim explores applications in topical trends in Anglophone literature since the mid-1800s and the dynamics of opening strategies in the game of GO in the pre and post AlphaGo eras, with very different results. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR7kTuWcv5o

Next was a riveting talk by Maha Atal on the economic myth of the fragile state at CSEP. Atal dives into the real world interactions between foreign investors and governments, showing the complicated dynamics that emerge and how economists should examine state/investor relations moving forward. Also the title for this talk is on point. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hPsdrV31ts

Next was a great talk by Richard Nisbett on whether college makes people smarter (or just teaches stuff) at the University Of Michigan Department Of Psychology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7iJUdzCWRw&t=2s

Next was a sweeping symposium on how colonialism shapes today's development challenges with Shailaja Fennell (focusing on India and Pakistan, and her dynamite talk alone is worth the price of admission), and Jason Hickel (ascendency of finance and debt in development). Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on3ECNgvpc0

Next was an engaging panel on the US's 1965 Immigration Act and its aftermath at the American Constitution Society with Charles Kamasaki, Pratheepan Gulasekaram, Jayesh Rathod, and Rose Cuison-Villazor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4x3T6fKjP4

Last was an informative talk by Tae Hoon Kim on the history of the privatization of the UK's electricity industry at CSEP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcoInlx6yWY