This is a new experiment we’re trying at the Rhodes Center Podcast.
From time to time, going forward, instead of focusing on one expert and their latest research, Mark will take a deeper dive into one issue (or one question) that’s been bothering him.
Future episodes will examine the politics of immigration and the persistence of inequality. But the first episode in this new series will explore a topic especially near and dear to Mark: inflation. Specifically, the stories we tell about what causes inflation, how those stories affect our efforts to curb it, and who wins and loses depending on which stories our leaders believe.
In the first half of this episode, Mark talks with economist Nicolò Fraccaroli about a book he and Mark wrote called “Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers” (coming out in Spring 2025).
In the second half, Mark talks with economist Claudia Sahm about the history of inflation, the role central banks play in it, and what’s lost when we try to take politics and politicians out of the inflation debate.
(One thing to note: both of these conversations were recorded before the election, but the ideas explored in these conversations are just as relevant now as ever.)
Guests on this episode:
Nicolò Fraccaroli is an economist at the World Bank
Claudia Sahm is Chief Economist for New Century Advisors and former Section Chief at the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors
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The new politics of growth and stagnation (part 2): growth models at scale
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The new politics of growth and stagnation (part 1)
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The Past, Present, and Contested Future of Central Banks
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Possibilities for a Post-Covid Economy
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The First Globalist: Sandy Zipp Talks Wendell Willkie’s World
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The Corona Oil Shock
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State Capacity, Growth Models, and Coronavirus in Latin America
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Experts and the National Interest: The Curious Case of China and the US
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Rethinking Economic Paternalism
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Economic Narratives and 'Uncertain Futures'
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A Progressive Case for Free Trade with Kimberly Clausing
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Aidan Regan: Economic Ideas and Real Politics
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Zsófia Barta: Understanding the Politics of Public Debt
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Ling Chen: New Insights on the 'Made in China' Model
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William Rhodes: Connecting the Dots, from Venezuela to China and Beyond
00:22:56
Marco Buti – Inclusive Multilateralism as a Response to Economic Nationalism?
00:16:47
Paul Tucker – Unelected Power: The Quest for Legitimacy in Central Banking and the Regulatory State
00:33:32
Dani Rodrik – From Globalization to Hyper-Globalization and Back
00:38:21
Rick Perlstein - Jimmy Carter and the Origins of the Democratic Party Cult of Austerity
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Quinn Slobodian – Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism
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Ilene Grabel – When Things Don't Fall Apart
00:35:03
Bill Janeway – Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy
