Advertise on podcast: The Innovation and Diffusion Podcast

In this episode, our guest is Thomas Philippon who is a Professor of Finance at NYU Stern. We talked about his academic journey from Physics to Economics, influential economists, competition, superstar firms, concentration, and more! 13:36 Debating Market Competition 24:23 Historical Context of Superstar Firms 27:49 Impact of COVID on Market Dynamics 30:23 Market Power and Concentration: Good or Bad? 34:19 Comparative Analysis: US vs Europe 41:52 Cheezy Questions and Never Have I Ever!

In this episode, our guest is Alberto Bisin, a Professor of Economics at NYU. We talked about his personal academic journey, the economics culture at the University of Chicago, culture for economic growth, evolution in economics, and more! Host: Ruveyda Gozen (Cardiff Business School and CEP LSE) Producers: Ruveyda Gozen (Cardiff Business School and LSE) and John Van Reenen (LSE) 01:50 Evolution of Economics 05:16 Experiences at the University of Chicago 13:50 The Role of Culture in Economic Growth 21:06 Let's Think of a Hypothetical County? 25:45 The Long Divergence between the West and Middle East 42:48 Cheezy Questions & Never Have I Ever!

In this episode, our guest is Fiona Murray from MIT. We talked about her academic journey, publication processes, Nobel Prize winners in Economics, gender, security-driven innovation, and more! 12:15 Entrepreneurship is about failure. How about you? 15:54 Publication Speed in Economics and Other Fields 18:22 Nobel Prize Winners in Economics 21:00 Gender, Innovation and Innovation Ecosystems 31:17 Market-Driven Innovations vs Security-Driven Innovations

In this episode, our guest is Nick Bloom from Stanford University! And we talked about academic production functions, diffusion of innovation, economic situation in the US and the UK, working from home, and more. 01:41 How did he decide to be an economist? 03:17 John Van Reenen and Nick Bloom 04:45 Co-authorship and Academic Production Function   08:26 Diffusion of Innovation 16:25 Politics, Trump, and Long Run Innovation 20:28 How about the UK Politics?  26:33 Working from Home, Academia, Undergrads and Grads 35:58 What are the gaps in the literature? 38:00 “Gollum” Strategy? 40:59 If he couldn’t be an economist in a parallel universe, what would he be? 42:32 Is there something in economics he believes in that others disagree with? 44:45 Never have I ever!

In this episode, our guest is a young star economist: Kyle Myers from Harvard Business School! We talked about the current clash between the Trump administration and Harvard, NIH, "Elasticity of Science", Covid, and more! Current Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) Timestamps: 00:00 Intro, Trump, and Harvard  06:35 “Elasticity” of Science  20:43 Funding for Science: Is there a better way?  24:53 Covid and Elasticity of Science  28:03 Let’s Switch to More Personal Questions!  30:55 What is Kyle’s Production Function of Research? 34:55 If he couldn’t be an economist, what would he be in a parallel universe? 36:35 What’s something you believe about research or academia that many others in economics don’t agree with? 38:43 “This or That?” 40:13 Never Have I Ever!

In this episode, our guest is Jonathan Haskel from Imperial College and we talked about productivity puzzle in the UK, general productivity slowdown, intangible capital, and finance! Current Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) 04:00 Productivity Puzzle in the UK  11:12 Productivity Slowdown and Intangible Capital 29:25 Finance and Intangible Capital Investment 35:34 Some “personal” questions! 41:53 Game on! This or That? 

In this episode, our guest is Walker Hanlon who is an Associate Professor in Economics at Northwestern University. We talked about if necessity is the mother of invention, different theories about directed technical change, why the British Industrial Revolution specifically persisted and more! 06:40 Necessity: the mother of invention?  08:20 What is directed technical change?  09:50 Theories on directed technical change  15:10 Laissez-Faire and Walker’s New Book! 20:00 Why did The British Industrial Revolution persist? 32:25 Cheezy Question and “This or That” Game!

In this episode, our guest is Sascha Becker from the University of Warwick, and we talk about religion, how it is related to economic growth, Max Weber's theory on the Protestant Ethic, Erasmus, Luther, power dynamics, and more! 14:00 Religion and Economic Growth 17:00 Max Weber and The Protestant Ethic Theory 21:47 Digging for the Data 28:28 Objections from Various Disciplines 32:15 Diffusion of Ideas, and Innovations 35:59 Power Shift, Luther, and the Church 46:05 Cheezy Questions! 49:55 This or That? Who are you going to write a book with?!

In this episode, our guest is Robin Burgess from the LSE and we talked about the direction that the Environmental Economics is taking, new datasets, approaches, tension between economic growth, and climate change, and more! Current Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) Podcast Owners: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) 01:30 Deforestation and Political Incentives 06:25 The Direction of Environmental Economics 10:50 A Personal Story by Robin Burgess and His Production Function 14:30 His New ERC Grant and The Projects Ahead! 21:00 Economic Growth and Climate Change Tension 25:40 Whose Turn(!) to Pollute? 34:30 Green Policies 42:50 Cheezy Questions!

Our guest is Raffaella Sadun from Harvard Business School and we talk about organisations, managerial culture and capital, competition, natural disaster managements, and more! Don't miss out! 05:30 Productivity, Management, and World Management Survey 13:00 Through Which Channels Does Management Affect Productivity? 15:00 Key Factors Behind Good Management 18:41 What is "Managerial Capital"? And How to Find Them? 22:30 Decentralisation, Top Down vs Bottom Up Approach 28:00 How Did Management Practices Change As a Response to the Pandemic? 31:00 CEO Pay, and Gaps in the Literature 37:00 Cheezy Questions!

In this episode, our guest is Michela Giorcelli who is an applied microeconomist and economic historian from UCLA. We talk about the evolution of managerial practices, how policies during WW2 affected management and productivity, the "American Way of Business", and many more! Host: Ruveyda Gozen Podcast Owners: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) Time Stamps: 07:52 Historical Evolution of Management Practices 12:52 The Effects of WW2 on Management 20:55 Export of Management Practices to Japan 25:23 The American Way of Business 32:16 Cultural and Institutional Influences on Management 44:39 Gaps in the Literature 47:56 Cheezy Questions!

In this episode, our guest is Sabrina Howell who is a Professor of Finance at the NYU Stern. We talk about how to finance innovations, fintechs, venture capitalists, private and public equity, and the role of government! Current Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) Podcast Owners: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) Time Stamps: 06:15 Financial Problems and Inventors: Equity Financing, Debt Financing, Private and Public Equity 11:05 Life Cycle Decisions of Innovation and Financing 19:49 Venture Capitalists, Gender, Minorities, and Entrepreneurship 27:10 Fintechs, and Access to Financial Services 28:36 Government Intervention, and Direction of Technology 36:30 Policy Suggestions, Theory and Practice 41:37 Gaps in the Literature 44:38 Cheezy Questions!

Our guest in this episode is Philippe Aghion! We talk about Marx, Schumpeter, creative destruction, capital accumulation, history, middle income countries, political economy, and more!

In this episode, our guest is Stefanie Stantcheva and we talked about taxation, incentives for inventors, history, slavery and wealth accumulation, zero-sum attitude towards immigrants, and more! Hosts: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) 08:30 Taxation and Innovations 13:30 Policy Implications of Taxes and Innovation Incentives 22:17 Historical Facts on Wealth Inequality in the US 28:08 Social Economics Lab: Attitudes towards Climate Change 38:15 Social Economics Lab: Zero-Sum Attitude, and Income Inequality 44:30 Cheezy Questions!

In this episode, our guest is Daron Acemoglu from MIT and we talked about innovation dynamics, automation, elitism, institutions, history, and more! 06:05 Automation and declining labor share 17:20 But why do firms choose (so-so) automation? 25:00 Education is a solution! Or is it NOT? 27:20 First Industrial Revolution, Social Change, Elitism 30:50 Democracy and automation 34:40 What will governments do then? Cheezy Questions: 40:40 What is Daron's production function? 42:00 Which economist or philosopher had the largest impact on your thinking? 43:30 Privilege to write a non-causal paper in Economics