Smart Talk Podcast

Colleen Woodell earned her bachelor’s degree from Wells College in economics, and her master’s from NYU. Ms. Woodell is a veteran financial regulator. She has held senior positions at Standard and Poor, Fitch, and Moody’s. Her vast experience with the municipal bond market gives her a wealth of knowledge on government debt's role within the economy. Together we discussed how municipal bonds play into local development, how important property taxes are to state governments, and the impact a Land Value Tax would have if it were implemented in real life.  To check out more of our content, including our research, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Nell attained his bachelor's degree in economics from Princeton University and his master's and Ph.D. from Oxford University in England, after being awarded the Rhodes Scholarship. Dr. Nell has taught at numerous universities in the U.S. and across the globe including Wesleyan, Bennington College, McGill University, Bard College, and the University of Siena. He has written for many economic journals on macroeconomic theory, development, and monetary and financial analysis. He is also the author of "The General Theory of Transformational Growth," "Making Sense of a Changing Economy," and many more. We were lucky enough to join Dr. Nell in discussing the role of conflict and competition in economics, Henry George’s theories of trade, and how saving and investment interact in macroeconomic models. To check out more of our content, including our research, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Chappe received her master's in Comparative Business Law and her Ph.D. in Economics. Gabi Zodik is the director of Blockchain and Web3 at IBM Research. Eerke Boiten is a cybersecurity professor at De Montfort University in Leicester City, England. Ed Dodson spent his career in a variety of management roles at Fannie Mae and is a a Senior Researcher and long-time member of the Henry George School. Our discussion revolved around how cryptocurrencies work, their impact on public policy, and the cybersecurity risks they present. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Mr. Harrison received his bachelor's from Oxford University and his master’s from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as The People and Wellington Journal. In 1988 he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred places an emphasis on the housing market and its interaction with the economy as a whole. He is the author of many books, including "The Corruption of Economics," "The Power in the Land," and "A Philosophy for a Fair Society," all of which critique mainstream economic thinking. Mr. Harrison joined the Henry George School to discuss the consequences of generational poverty and inequality, why quantitative easing will fail to quell the next financial crisis, and why tech billionaires love the idea of basic income. To check out more of our content, including our research, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Bromley earned his bachelor’s degree from Utah State University in Ecology and master's and Ph.D. from Oregon State University in natural resource economics. He is Professor (Emeritus) at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a visiting professor at the Humboldt University - Berlin where he teaches environmental economics and ecology. He is also a fellow at the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. Dr. Bromley is quite a prolific author as well. Dr. Bromley has contributed to multiple journals on topics such as resource management and ecological economics. He is the author of "Vulnerable People Vulnerable States," "Making the Commons Work," as well as numerous ecology textbooks. Dr. Bromley served as Chair of the U.S. Federal Advisory Committee on Marine Protected Areas, an arm of the Department of the Interior. He has served as an advisor at many prestigious organizations such as the World Bank, the Ford Foundation, and the Asian Development Bank. Dr. Bromley joined the Henry George School to discuss how property rights affect environmental conservation efforts, why the marginal revolution fails to properly educate economics students, and the role of human nature in economic analysis. It was a pretty interesting conversation. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Rasmus is a professor at St. Mary’s college in California where he focuses on inequality and economic crises. Dr. Rasmus began his career in journalism and is the author of numerous books on the political economy such as "Central Bankers at the End of Their Rope," "The Scourge of Neoliberalism," and "Epic Recession." He has served as a negotiator, organizer, and president of multiple local unions. He is the host of the radio show "Alternative Visions" and has contributed to multiple magazines and journals, such as World Financial Review, European Financial Review, and World Review of the Political Economy. Together we discussed why a historical perspective is crucial for public policy, the impact of the decades-long tax cuts in the US, and why most of the world’s growth stemmed from China in the 2010s. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Mr. Harrison earned his bachelor’s in economics from Dartmouth and his master’s in finance from Columbia. Edward’s career has taken many turns, working as an executive at a technology company, an investment banker, and even a diplomat. His diverse experiences throughout his career have given him a well-rounded perspective to interpreting macroeconomic events. He is the author of "Credit Writedowns," a blog that examines economic and political trends through a global lens. Mr. Harrison has successfully predicted economic patterns such as the 2007 Financial Crisis and the Mid-Cycle Pause between 2014 and 2021. He is the founder of "Real Vision," a financial media startup intended to promote financial awareness through political and economic analysis. He has also appeared as a commentator on numerous news stations, such as the BBC. Together we discussed what caused the rise in populism in Europe and across the world, what it means for the future of the post-WW2 order, and why the appeal of populism is so alluring despite the general improvement of living conditions over time. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Lafer earned his bachelor’s in economics from Swarthmore College and his Ph.D. from Yale in political science. He has taught at numerous colleges around the world including the University of Oregon, UMass Amherst, Tel Aviv University, and Hebrew University. His work and teachings have focused on industrial policy and labor law. From 2009-2010 he served as Senior Policy Advisor to the United States Congress as part of its Committee on Education and Labor. Dr. Lafer is the author of "The Job Training Charade" and "The One Percent," both examinations of the failure of modern economic and labor policy in America. He is currently a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington D.C. where he studies topics such as unions and labor law. Together we discussed the decline of union membership, why the decline of big labor led to increased influence from non-profits, and how a better-planned tax system can better serve working-class Americans. To check out more of our content, including our research, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Mr. Davies was the program director of the Henry George Institute and editor of the Georgist Journal. He is the author of "The Sassafras Crossing" and "The Alodia Scrapbook," both of which are fiction novels that explore the topic of development on a local, more personal level. In addition to his novels, he was the editor of the Mason Gaffney Reader and the creator of Henry George’s abridged version of The Science of the Political Economy, one of George’s seminal works. A lover of all things Henry George, Lindy spent his life promoting Georgist values and spreading his word. Mr. Davies, unfortunately, passed away in 2019. May he rest in peace. Together we discussed the progress Georgists have made in promoting Georgist values, how monopolies act as extractive institutions in the economy, and why a systemic view is better for solving economic quandaries than a micro-based approach. To check out more of our content, including our research, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. O’Neil earned her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and received her Ph.D. from Harvard in mathematics. She spent the early part of her career teaching at MIT and Barnard but eventually left for the private sector. After a few years as a finance professional, she eventually became disillusioned with the industry and would eventually join the Occupy Wall Street movement. She is a regular contributor to Bloomberg and is the author of "The Shame Machine," "Doing Data Science," and "Weapons of Math Destruction"; which all explore the negative impacts data analytics and algorithms have on society. Dr. O'Neil joined us in discussing how big data and the use of algorithms became more common in everyday life, how their use creates negative externalities with socioeconomic repercussions, and what caused her dislike of the finance industry.