#AcademicRunPlaylist - 10/28/25

Author

Ben Waber
October 28, 2025

The rippling Charles River on a sunny day, with dotted clouds stretching to the horizon. Forest lines the right bank, while the Harvard boat house and a tall apartment building are on the left.

After teaching my session on AI for the MIT Technology Leadership program (with spirited discussion of many of the themes from Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender's essential book, "The AI Con"), I shuttled between meetings and listened to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was a fascinating discussion with Janick Marina Schaufelbuehl on how US multinational executives advocated for globalization in the post-1945 years at the Hagley Museum and Library https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtNLQufc-OA

Next was an excellent talk by Luke Rawling on networks, sorting, and the productivity effects of immigration at the Economics of Migration seminar. Rawling shows how barriers to immigrant employment impair productivity and doesn't impact native outcomes. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKiaql3nSKs

Next was an engaging review of recent US labor developments with Seth Harris, Claudia Irizarry Aponte, Bill Samuel, and Seema N. Patel at Power At Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgTeG2Nj3Ok

Next was a great talk by Gordon Hanson on how to help left behind regions and workers at LSE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2jbNKht4g4

Last was "After One Hundred Winters" by Margaret D. Jacobs. This book focuses mostly on the Ponca and the injustices done to them by settlers and the US government over generations, with Jacobs reflecting on what that means for settlers inheriting that legacy. The story of the Ponca is deeply upsetting while also being representative of what many Native Americans experienced, and Jacobs reviews the advocacy of different Poncas and their allies over the years. I especially like the sections examining different strategies for reparations that people have taken over the centuries up to the modern day, with some inspiring recent examples. As a minor quibble, I do wish the focus on the Ponca was emphasized in the summary for this book, since I was expecting a broader history. Highly recommend https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691224336/after-one-hundred-winters