Pocket Dilemmas: big answers to big questions

What happened to the hopes and dreams of 1989?

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 09:58:18 GMT

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast Pocket DilemmasJoin Jonathan Charles and Kerry Law on a journey to the region which breached the Berlin Wall and tore down the Iron Curtain in 1989. Where are the peoples of Germany, Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union three decades on? We ask in this very special episode of our Pocket Dilemmas podcast. How far have their dreams of freedoms and prosperity been realised?And what is the future for market economics, democracy and political pluralism in these EBRD regions?Our special guests, BBC Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg, author of a new documentary on the 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and EBRD Chief Economist Beata Javorcik, help us shed light on these questions and the influence exerted on them by the rise of populism.Like what you hear? Review our podcast on iTunes, email us at dilemmas@ebrd.com, or tweet us @EBRD #EBRDdilemmasYou can rate, review and subscribe to Pocket Dilemma on ITunes, Spotify and Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts.Episode notes: Steve Rosenberg 30 years since the Fall of berlin Wallhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49971599Netflix: Chuck Norris vs Communismhttps://www.chucknorrisvscommunism.co.uk/Berlin Wall’s fall marked the end of the Cold War for the American publichttps://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/11/03/berlin-walls-fall-marked-the-end-of-the-cold-war-for-the-american-public/Eastern Europeans democracy attitudes:https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/10/16/where-americans-and-europeans-agree-and-differ-in-the-values-they-see-as-important/

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How to make Chernobyl safe for the future

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 09:13:06 GMT

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast, Pocket Dilemmas What are the lessons to be learnt from Chernobyl? How does one decommission a power plant which has been the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident and manage its legacy? The EBRD has been working on making the Chernobyl nuclear power plant safe for over 25 years, as explained in the latest episode of the Pocket Dilemmas podcast. Taking part are:•Simon Evans of the EBRD’s Nuclear Safety team•Irina Velichko, a lead engineer at the site who joins us live from the site As usual, the hosts of the Pocket Dilemmas podcast are Jonathan Charles and Kerrie Law Like what you hear? Be sure to click the ‘like’ button and rate us on iTunesEpisode notes:US Nuclear Energy Institute- released a fact sheetChernobyl podcast- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUeHPCYtWYQEBRD YouTube Chernobyl-https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-g1ugEHzOCqYKuSFJ49-0yL2PdaXp8SF

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What is the future of poverty?

Wed, 29 May 2019 08:43:14 GMT

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast Pocket DilemmasEarlier this year Bill Gates tweeted an infographic showing ‘how much life has improved over the last two centuries,’ particularly as measured by an apparent decline in extreme poverty. The graph provoked fierce debate amongst economists across the globe. In this episode of Pocket Dilemmas our presenters, Jonathan Charles and Kerrie Law, were joined by our Chief Economist, Sergei Guriev and the Chief Economist of the UK Department for International Development, Rachel Glennerster to discuss the past, present and future of poverty.Like what you hear? Review our podcast on iTunes, email us at dilemmas@ebrd.com, or tweet us @EBRD #EBRDdilemmasYou can rate, review and subscribe to Pocket Dilemma on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Mind the LGBTQI pay gap!

Tue, 21 May 2019 07:00:17 GMT

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast, Pocket DilemmasHow does sexual orientation affect the pay gap? While we often hear of the gender pay gap, we set about exploring how sexual preferences impact salaries and rights in the workplace and elsewhere On this week’s episode of Pocket Dilemmas we speak to Kitt Carpenter Professor of Economics at Vanderbilt University, and Cevat Aksoy, one of our economists, on the LGBTQI pay gap and were surprised by some of the findings from the research. For example, on average gay men in the United States earn 11 per cent less than heterosexual men, while lesbians earn 9 per cent more than heterosexual women.As usual, the hosts of the Pocket Dilemmas podcast are Jonathan Charles and Kerrie Law Like what you hear? Be sure to click the ‘like’ button and rate us on iTunes.You can rate, review and subscribe to Pocket Dilemma on ITunes, Spotify and Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Twitter @EBRD #EBRDdilemmas and email us via dilemmas@ebrd.com .

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Megatrends: Is the future already here?

Tue, 14 May 2019 12:56:40 GMT

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast Pocket DilemmasWe recorded the most recent episode of Pocket Dilemmas in front of a live audience in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital Sarajevo, host of last week’s 2019 Annual Meeting and Business Forum. Our presenters, Jonathan Charles and Kerrie Law, led a discussion of the most pressing challenges of our time - climate change, technology, urbanisation, resource scarcity and global power shifts- inside the country’s Parliament Building. There was also a Q&A session with the audience.The line up of guest for this episode included:•Alexia Latortue, EBRD Managing Director, Corporate Strategy•Sergei Guriev, EBRD Chief Economist,•Neil Buckley, Financial Times, Chief Leader writer•Tim Judah, Economist Correspondent for the Western Balkans, and Fellow at IWM - Institute for Human Sciences•Hemant Kanoria, Chairman and Managing Director of India’s SREI GroupAlso taking part were Leo Johnson, host of BBC Radio 4’s FutureProofing, Petre Shilegov, Mayor of Skopje, and Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana.Like what you hear? Review our podcast on iTunes, email us at dilemmas@ebrd.com, or tweet us @EBRD #EBRDdilemmasYou can rate, review and subscribe to Pocket Dilemma on ITunes, Spotify and Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Taking the cryptic out of cryptocurrencies

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 09:14:45 GMT

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast, Pocket Dilemmas What is the future of money? Are cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin a modern-day miracle or a mirage? We invited our very own Stuart Trow and Zeynep Gurguc from Imperial College London to help us resolve this week’s dilemma on our podcast Pocket Dilemmas.We also talked to Jelena Madir, Chief Counsel and our main blockchain expert, and Urmas Peiker, the founder of Funderbeam, the world's first primary and secondary marketplace for earlystage investments, secured by the blockchain.As usual, the hosts of the Pocket Dilemmas podcast are Jonathan Charles and Kerrie LawLike what you hear? Review our podcast on iTunes, email us at dilemmas@ebrd.com, or tweet us @EBRD #EBRDdilemmasYou can rate, review and subscribe to Pocket Dilemma on ITunes, Spotify and Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts. -#AskDraghi: “A euro today is a euro tomorrow” – can the same be said for #bitcoin?-Liberland : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberland-Discussing IBM’s foray into blockchain – based payment systems -- https://www.cnbc.com/bitcoin/-Funderbeam clip -Mt. Gox faced questions long before crisis: Sources – https://www.cnbc.com/2014/03/30/mtgox-faced-questions-long-before-crisis-sources.html-The US dollar to reign supreme for decades to come -- https://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/24/future-of-money-what-currencies-will-look-like-in-25-years.html

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Age against the machine and the future of work

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 09:11:34 GMT

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast Pocket Dilemmas What is the future of work? How will technology, automation and AI change our jobs and will we and our children actually have jobs the way we do now? Will, in fact, the future be a battle between us and the machines? This week we have Jason Furman from Harvard Kennedy School and our Chief Economist Sergei Guriev as our guests to help us resolve this dilemma on our podcast Pocket Dilemmas.As usual, the hosts of the Pocket Dilemmas podcast are Jonathan Charles and Kerrie Law.Like what you hear? Review our podcast on iTunes, email us at dilemmas@ebrd.com, or tweet us @EBRD #EBRDdilemmasYou can rate, review and subscribe to Pocket Dilemma on ITunes, Spotify and Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts.-War of the Worlds (The Eve of the War) – Jeff Wayne (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eCAphdQPck) -AI isn’t taking our jobs – but it is changing how we recruit – Brian Peccarelli (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/ai-is-changing-the-way-we-recruit) -Will a robot take your job? – BBC news (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34066941) -Our soft skills can keep robots in their place – Ed Conway (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/our-soft-skills-can-keep-robots-in-their-place-hzzp609hl) -Global unemployment hits lowest point for 4 decades – Steve Johnson (https://www.ft.com/content/1e8f4cf4-f257-11e8-ae55-df4bf40f9d0d) -5 things I’m telling my kids to prepare for in the future – Stephane Kasriel (https://www.fastcompany.com/90247298/5-things-im-telling-my-kids-to-prepare-them-for-the-future) -Work in transition – EBRD Transition Report 2018-2019 ( https://www.ebrd.com/transition-report-201819) -Are we living in a time of unprecedented migration? Hein de Haas (https://sharingperspectivesfoundation.com/video-lecture/video-1/)

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Should algorithms rule the world?

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 08:13:21 GMT

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast Pocket Dilemmas Should algorithms rule the world? Maybe they do so already and we just never noticed. Will they in fact do a better job than mere humans? What are the ethical implications of the algorithm use for the policy makers? EmbedWe invited Jonnie Penn, Google Technology Policy fellow, and Dawn Duhaney, Partnerships Manager at UK Wellcome Trust to be our guests and help us resolve this dilemma on our podcast Pocket Dilemmas.As usual, the hosts of the Pocket Dilemmas podcast are Jonathan Charles and Kerrie LawLike what you hear? Review our podcast on iTunes, email us at dilemmas@ebrd.com, or tweet us @EBRD #EBRDdilemmasYou can rate, review and subscribe to Pocket Dilemma on ITunes, Spotify and Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts. -Measuring the new economy – 2014 OECD report (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/341889/725159/OECD+Manual+Measuring+the+Digital+Economy/6418c566-4074-4461-9186-9ad509bc4a4d) -Kirk Bansak, the Immigration Policy Lab (IPL) at Stanford University, https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/su-i-aaf011218.php-What is an algorithm? https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/z3whpv4

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The Brexit dilemma and its impact on the EBRD regions

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Episode One, dedicated to the origins of Brexit and its impact on the EBRD regions ( over 30 economies inside and outside the EU), was recorded in front of a live audience at our headquarters at the heart of the City of London on 3rd April and you can now listen to it here.Are there winners and losers? What do people outside the EU think about Brexit? We have all the answers here.The Pocket Dilemma hosts, Jonathan Charles and Kerrie Law, welcomed a great line up of guests, including: Sergei Guriev, EBRD Chief EconomistElina Ribakova, Deputy Chief Economist, IIF, Visiting Fellow, BruegelMichael Kitson, Senior Lecturer in International Macroeconomics, Judge Business School, University of CambridgeTweet: @EBRD #EBRDdilemmaEmail us your dilemma: dilemmas@ebrd.comNotes:Mythbusters EU:https://blogs.ec.europa.eu/ECintheUK/euromyths-a-z-index/The rise of word Brexit:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37896977

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Pocket Dilemmas: big answers to big questions

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

We're launching our new podcast, Pocket Dilemmas, dedicated to uncovering answers to the biggest questions of our time.We begin new season with a very special live event on Why Brexit and its impact on EBRD countries, recorded on 3 April in the Auditorium.Here is a little taster of what’s coming up in the series from the power of algorithms to the the future of work.

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Privatisation and state capitalism

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:29:18 GMT

Privatisation and state capitalism by EBRD

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Refugees and their hosts

Thu, 07 Jun 2018 09:09:14 GMT

In the new episode of our ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast, we discuss the challenges faced by refugees and the communities that host them. How can the private sector and international organisations help? Listen to Daphne Jayasinghe in conversation with Vanora Bennett.

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Thinking about the world in 2018

Thu, 17 May 2018 07:51:59 GMT

In this special ‘live’ edition of our podcast Pocket Economics, the EBRD’s Jonathan Charles discusses the challenges our world is currently facing with the FT’s Neil Buckley and, also from the EBRD, Sergei Guriev, Alexia Latortue and Tarek Osman.

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The future of development finance- part 2

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 09:17:26 GMT

In the second part of our review of the future of development finance Owen Barder, Vice President at the Center for Global Development, discusses its current goals and challenges with Jonathan Charles. What needs to be done and what can the EBRD and other Multilateral Development Banks do better? Can we deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by their 2030 deadline?

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What is green growth and why do we need it?

Fri, 06 Apr 2018 09:53:45 GMT

Is environmental protection compatible with continued global economic growth? Are economies put on a path to green growth? And which countries are leading the green race? Listen to Sam Fankhauser, Professor at the LSE and Co-Director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment in conversation with Vanora Bennett.

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The future of development finance

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 09:19:31 GMT

What is the future of development finance? How important is the private sector to our efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals? In this edition of our ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast, Jonathan Charles discusses these and other topics with a very special guest, Sir Suma Chakrabarti, the EBRD President.

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Does gender matter in lending?

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 15:11:05 GMT

A new episode of the ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast examines whether women are discriminated against when applying for loans.Do banks treat women and men differently? Listen to Ralph de Haas in conversation with Jonathan Charles.

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Integration and the Western Balkans

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 10:22:55 GMT

Special edition of the Pocket Economics podcast! Serbia’s Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic, shares with Jonathan Charles her thoughts on regional integration and the Western Balkans.

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The rise of populism

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 09:48:05 GMT

In the new episode of our 'Pocket Economics' podcast we discuss 'populism', one of the defining political terms of our 21st century.Is populism a threat, something we should be afraid of? Or a corrective for democracy when it stops working as it should? Listen to Sergei Guriev in conversation with Jonathan Charles.

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Youth and gender inclusion

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 10:56:05 GMT

On our new ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast: Youth and Gender Inclusion, we discuss equal opportunities in an unequal, increasingly changing world.Listen to our EBRD’s lead inclusion economist, Barbara Rambousek in conversation with Jonathan Charles.

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How to escape the middle-income trap

Thu, 18 Jan 2018 16:34:03 GMT

In the new episode of our ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast, we discuss the ‘middle-income trap’, namely the state of affairs whereby a developing economy becomes stuck at a certain level of income and cannot join the ranks of advanced, high income economies. Is the ‘middle-income trap’ a myth or in fact a reality afflicting many countries? Listen to Alexander Plekhanov in conversation with Jonathan Charles.

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Private equity in emerging markets

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 14:16:21 GMT

How can equity help companies? Listen to Çağatay Bircan, Principal Economist at the EBRD, on impact investing, the recent trends in private equity and whether equity has grown in emerging markets.

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China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:07:47 GMT

What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative and how is it reshaping the world as we know it? Listen to our Managing Director for Economics, Policy & Governance, Mattia Romani, describe what is arguably China’s most ambitious economic and foreign policy project since the founding of the People’s Republic.

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How to prevent the next financial crisis

Mon, 20 Nov 2017 09:17:03 GMT

Are financial crises predictable? What conclusions can be drawn from the 2008 financial crisis and how can we prevent the next one? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with Tamim Bayoumi, deputy director at the International Monetary Fund.

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The Great Soviet Experiment

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 10:01:48 GMT

What lessons can be drawn from the 1917 Russian Revolution and the seven decades of Soviet rule that followed it? Listen to a very special episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s very own Sergei Guriev.

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The economic impact of natural disasters

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 09:22:59 GMT

What is the economic impact of natural disasters? How will the 21st century’s economic cycle and its weather cycle influence each other in an era of global warming? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with Maurice Obstfeld, IMF Chief Economist.

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The corruption cycle

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 07:54:11 GMT

Does corruption beget more corruption? Why culture matters and what makes the difference between success and failure when a country is fighting corruption? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with Nicolas Ajzenman from Sciences Po University, Paris.

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Innovation in firms, a recipe for growth

Mon, 25 Sep 2017 08:04:29 GMT

How do we define and measure innovation in firms? Why are companies afraid of innovating? What holds them back and how can we boost creativity, the driving force behind innovation? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Director of Research, Ralph de Haas.

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The best of Pocket Economics

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 08:08:34 GMT

This special episode contains some of the highlights of our first year, the perfect soundtrack for your summer holiday! Over the last 12 months the podcast has examined everything from microfinance to economic resilience and life satisfaction to the social contract in the Middle East and North Africa.

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Pocket Economics: Why transition matters

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Description: How should countries make the transition to market economies? How should they respond to the challenges of globalisation? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Chief Economist Sergei Guriev.

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Pocket Economics: A new social contract for the Middle East and North Africa

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 08:30:25 GMT

How has the idea of a social contract been interpreted in the MENA region? Did the uprisings in the Arab world in 2010-11 come as a surprise to economists? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Chief Economist Sergei Guriev and the World Bank’s Chief Economist Shanta Devarajan.

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Pocket Economics: Courts and the economy

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Description: What takes place behind the courts’ walls and how does this affect the performance of a market economy? How do we measure how effective a justice system is? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with Peter Grajzl from Washington and Lee University

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Pocket Economics: Economic inclusion or equal opportunities for all

Mon, 22 May 2017 08:11:27 GMT

Why is economic inclusion one of the defining challenges of our time across the EBRD regions and beyond? What is the EBRD doing to close the inclusion gap? How does it affect the democratic process and institutions? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Lead economist focusing on Inclusion Barbara Rambousek.

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Pocket Economics: Why ‘secular stagnation’ matters

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 12:57:06 GMT

What does secular stagnation mean for a market economy? What causes it and how could countries overcome it? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Sergei Guriev.

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Pocket Economics: How to make economies more resilient

Mon, 20 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

What does resilience mean for a market economy? How can it become truly resilient to shocks and global challenges? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Mattia Romani and Bojan Markovic.

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Pocket Economics: Helping Women in Business

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

What challenges do women entrepreneurs face? What does it take to succeed as a woman in business? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Charlotte Ruhe.

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The cost of the gay pay gap

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The latest episode of the Pocket Economics podcast looks at what it means to be gay or lesbian in the modern workplace, asking how sexuality affects salary levels. Cevat Giray Aksoy, Principal Economist at the EBRD, Researcher at the London School of Economics and an expert on inequalities in the labour market helps us shed light on this issue.

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Pocket Economics: Family Empowerment

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

What is family empowerment? What role do families play in shaping modern economies? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with Oriana Bandiera, Professor of Economics at London School of Economics (LSE) and an expert on poverty reduction, inclusion and labour policies.

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Life satisfaction and the pursuit of happiness

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 08:28:20 GMT

What makes us happy and how should we measure life satisfaction?EBRD Chief Economist Sergei Guriev explains the findings of our Life in Transition Survey, the largest of its kind ever carried out in the EBRD regions.

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Pocket Economics: Gender Equality

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 08:35:46 GMT

What is gender equality and why does it matter?The EBRD’s Chief Counsellor for Social Issues and the Director of its Gender team, Michaela Bergman, discusses the importance of gender equality in encouraging economic growth.

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Pocket Economics: Inequality and how to fight it

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

How does inequality affect economic growth, the fate of reforms and people’s happiness?EBRD Chief Economist Sergei Guriev discusses inequality and globalisation. Inequality is the central theme of the EBRD’s Transition Report 2016-17.

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Pocket Economics: Climate finance: picking up the tab for climate change

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 15:22:57 GMT

How much will it cost to combat climate change? And who should pay the bill? Who should contribute more: developed or developing countries?Climate change is fast, expensive and the scale of the challenge is enormous. Mattia Romani, EBRD Managing Director for Economics, Policy and Governance, former Chief Economist of the Global Green Growth Institute explains how we can finance the battle against climate change.

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Pocket Economics: Political Economy and Reforms: the popularity paradox

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Do reformers have to be popular to be successful? It’s a conundrum thinkers have agonised over for centuries. Our guest, the EBRD’s Chief Economist, Sergei Guriev, looks at how the concept of political economy has evolved and discusses the dynamic between rulers, ruled and reforms. He also analyses the importance of leaders’ popularity in both democratic and authoritarian regimes and previews our next Transition Report, which focuses on inequality.

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Pocket Economics: Microfinance

Wed, 21 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Microcredit used to be regarded as a tool that, by funding the creation and expansion of microenterprises, could help lift households out of poverty. However, in recent years, the notion that microfinance is a “miracle cure” has been subject to intense debate. Ralph De Haas, EBRD’s Head of Research, author of numerous publications on microcredit including ‘Microcredit: neither miracle nor mirage’ helps us shed light on this complex issue.

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