Moving the Needle

How Does Immigration Affect the Economy? An Evidence-Based Discussion

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 19:11:49 GMT

Immigration is one of the most relevant issues of our time. One of the most important questions is whether immigrants are helpful or hurtful to the economy. This interview with Professor Zeke Hernandez provides an overview of his research exploring how immigrants affect capital investment, innovation, and economic growth, and what the evidence implies for setting immigration policy.

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Binyamin Appelbaum on his new book, The Economists' Hour

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 14:00:10 GMT

The Wharton Public Policy Initiative hosted Binyamin Appelbaum for a talk on his newly released book, The Economists’ Hour: False Prophets, Free Markets, and the Fracture of Society. Appelbaum is a member of the New York Times Editorial Board and his book traces the history of the US economists’ growing influence in the policy sphere. He met with Dan Loney in the Knowledge@Wharton Business Radio studio to talk about his book.

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Inequality in the Gig Economy

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 14:00:01 GMT

Gig economy jobs have soared in recent years, but as the consumer receives a quick service or a same-day delivery product, what are the workers getting? When this type of work, including ride-hailing services and ice cream delivery came along, some thought women would benefit greatly. But data shows that this hasn't occurred yet, as inequality is a growing component of the global workforce. There has been an "Uberization" of what the gig economy is today, and those jobs are mainly done by men which has left the discussion about women in this sector primarily on the side. Professor Julia Ticona joined host Dan Loney in the Knowledge@Wharton Business Radio studio to discuss her research into the inequalities of the gig economy.

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How The Law Can Help Protect Consumers When Making Large Financial Decisions

Mon, 27 May 2019 14:00:21 GMT

Richard Cordray, was the first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was formed in the wake of the Great Recession as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In his five years leading the CFPB, Cordray was tasked with making sure consumers were no longer harmed by the actions of banks, lenders, and other financial institutions. In 2017, Cordray returned to his home state of Ohio where he had previously served as State Treasurer and Attorney General, to run for governor. Mr. Cordray was the Wharton PPI 2019 Public Policy Visiting Fellow and joined Dan Loney in the studio for a special interview.

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Antitrust in the Labor Markets

Mon, 20 May 2019 14:00:50 GMT

Big U.S. tech companies like Apple, Alphabet, Facebook, and others, are coming under fire for being monopolies that should be broken up. This is what we have been hearing from Democratic Presidential candidates like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. It is an idea that is gaining steam as these tech giants face accusations of violating privacy rights, squeezing out competitors, and spreading misinformation. A new 150-page report commissioned by the British government includes many of those similar criticisms and say the existing rules governing these companies are outdated and need to be strengthened. And the European Union has repeatedly fined big tech companies. So is it time for the U.S. to look at whether the tech industry is too big and make some changes?

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Nation Branding: Which Countries Ranked Highest This Year?

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 18:40:56 GMT

The idea of brand identity extends beyond the corporate world. Countries are also brands, and a country’s brand, like a corporate brand, is economically powerful. A positive country brand brings money and economic growth to it through tourism, foreign direct investment, and foreign trade; conversely, a negative country brand is economically costly. Professor David Reibstein, who collaborates with U.S. News and World Report in developing the Best Countries Rankings, shares select insights from his research.

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The Economics of Universal Basic Income

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 13:15:25 GMT

The idea of a universal basic income (UBI) has generated a lot of conversation. The conversation in the U.S. often has focused on whether a UBI program here would be politically palatable and feasible. Its economic implications, however, are not always well understood. Based on her B-School seminar, Professor Marinescu discusses her research on UBI-style programs, such as the Alaska Permanent Fund, to discuss their effects, especially with regard to labor markets.

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Regulating Robo-Advisors

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:15:11 GMT

With big data and automation becoming more common, so too has the “robo advisor”, any automated service that ranks or matches consumers to financial products on a personalized basis. Tom Baker, Professor of Law and Health Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, joins host Dan Loney of Knowledge@Wharton to discuss his recent B-School for Public Policy seminar about research he’s been doing on the regulation of robo-advisors, particularly within the financial services industry.

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Achieving Regulatory Excellence

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 13:15:00 GMT

Much attention has been given to Donald Trump’s call for deregulation, a priority based on the notion that regulation impedes business growth. According to data from the Penn Wharton B-School for Public Policy seminar “Achieving Regulatory Excellence” by Professor Cary Coglianese, the number of cumulative pages in the code of Federal regulations has more than doubled from 75,000 to over 180,000 between 1975 and 2016. But regulatory excellence is more complicated than the raw number of regulations and needs to incorporate not only concern for the success of businesses, but also, and perhaps more importantly, the protection of citizens. Cary Coglianese, the Edward B. Shils Professor of Law and Political Science and Director of the Penn Program on Regulation has researched and written extensively on “Achieving Regulatory Excellence”. He joins Dan Loney, host of Knowledge@Wharton Radio to discuss the topic.

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Regulatory Responses to the Sharing Economy, Autonomous Vehicles, and Disruptive Innovation

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 19:20:01 GMT

Sarah Light, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton School, joins host Dan Loney to discuss her recent B-School Seminar presented to congressional staffers that focuses on examining the challenges facing regulators and legislators when new disruptive forms of business and technology require regulations that promote innovation while also protecting the public interest.

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The Decline of U.S. Corporate Investment

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 19:19:48 GMT

What happened to domestic corporate investment after the financial crisis of 2008? Joao F. Gomes, Howard Butcher III Professor of Finance at the Wharton School, joins host Dan Loney to discuss his recent B-School Seminar presented to congressional staffers that examines the decade-long weak recovery, influencing the lackluster investment of U.S. corporations into its economy and its potential effects on little infrastructure spending.

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The Financing and Management of Public Infrastructure

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 19:19:30 GMT

Infrastructure is among other pressing topics, such as health care, immigration, and trade, in terms of the American political agenda that need immediate attention. It’s also one of the most difficult problems to solve because it’s expensive, divisive and downright complicated. Nevertheless, Wharton finance professor Robert Inman makes a compelling argument for why government officials need to make infrastructure a priority.

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Advancing Evidence-Based Social Policies through Intergovernmental Data Sharing Partnerships

Fri, 08 Jun 2018 15:27:37 GMT

There is a concern in this country that some federal level policy decisions does not use the evidence that is collected by people at the state and local level. The impact of these moves can have a wide range of effects on different sectors, including housing, health, and education. In light of this, the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative held a conference to try and reinforce the importance of data-centric decision making. Dennis Culhane is a Professor at Penn's School of Social Policy and Practice, Co-Principal Investigator for the Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, and Director of Research for the National Center for Homelessness among Veterans. He joins Dan Loney on Knowledge@Wharton radio to discuss.

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US Workforce Development and Employer Tax Incentive Plans

Fri, 25 May 2018 19:07:05 GMT

Peter Cappelli, Director of the Center for Human Resources and Professor of Management at the Wharton School and Host of In the Workplace, joins host Dan Loney to discuss workforce development, skill gaps & employer tax incentive plans.

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Why Blockchain Growth May Depend on Trust

Fri, 25 May 2018 18:34:28 GMT

At a time when public confidence in major societal institutions seems to be under siege, the blockchain offers an intriguing new paradigm for establishing trust in human transactions. Wharton legal studies and business ethics professor Kevin Werbach talks about the transformative potential of the blockchain, the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies such as the bitcoin. While the adoption of cyber-currencies is running into headwinds, the blockchain is finding more practical use across industries. Its nature as a distributed ledger in which transactions are transparent among parties creates a “new architecture of trust,” Werbach adds. One doesn’t have to trust another party in a blockchain to do a transaction even if there is no centralized authority, such as a bank or government, in charge.

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Does the U.S. Tax System Give Foreign Buyers an Advantage?

Fri, 25 May 2018 18:25:00 GMT

In 2013, US companies held $2 trillion in indefinitely reinvested earnings abroad. How and why they continue to do this is central to the debate surrounding US international tax policy and carries broader repercussions for the domestic economy. Does the U.S. system of taxation potentially give foreign buyers of U.S. multinational businesses an unfair advantage? Jennifer Blouin, Associate Professor of Accounting at the Wharton School, joins host Dan Loney on Knowledge@Wharton to describe the presentation she recently gave to congressional staffers as part of the Penn Wharton B-School for Public Policy, a new monthly series of faculty-led seminars for policymakers.

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Insuring High Risks Fairly, Protecting Individuals Against Flood Losses

Fri, 25 May 2018 18:12:22 GMT

Howard Kunreuther, Co-Director of Wharton’s Public Policy Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, joins host Dan Loney on Knowledge@Wharton to discuss the potential re-authorization of the National Flood Insurance Program and the benefits of a more fair and risk-based insurance plan to help combat rising premium rates as presented to congressional staffers as part of the Penn Wharton B-School for Public Policy, a new monthly series of faculty-led seminars for policymakers. For more information about how to get involved with Penn Wharton B-School for Public Policy, visit: https://publicpolicy.wharton.upenn.edu/b-school/get-involved

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Taxation, Competitiveness, and Corporate Inversions

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 15:00:13 GMT

A wave of corporate inversions over the past several years has generated substantial debate in academic, business, and policy circles. The core of the debate hinges on a couple of key economic questions: Do US tax laws disadvantage US-domiciled companies relative to their foreign competitors? And, if so, does inversion reduce or eliminate that tax disadvantage, and increase the competitiveness of US multinational firms for making investments both abroad and at home? In a B-School for Public Policy seminar, Professor Michael Knoll addressed these questions and their implications for tax reform discussions, drawing insight from newly published research. He joined Lori McMillan, law professor at Washburn University in Kansas, and Daniel Hemel, assistant professor of law at the University of Chicago, in the Knowledge@Wharton Business Radio studio for an interview with host Dan Loney.

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