Equilibrium: the SFU Economics Podcast

Kevin Schnepel is a new faculty member in SFU's Economics department, moving over here last year from the University of Sydney. In this conversation with PhD student Marieh Azizirad, he describes his interesting and roundabout path to economics and, in particular, the economics of crime. He walks us through a recent paper on the effects of giving accused criminals second chances and discusses the policy implications of his work in general.

This time on Equilibrium PhD student Shirleen Manzur talks to SFU Economics Professor Doug Allen. Doug is well known on campus not only for his research but also his passionate and engaging teaching style, for which he has won a number of awards. Doug tells us a little about his personal history with economics and gives us his take on how the discipline should--and shouldn't--be applied.

Professor Gord Myers spent the last six years in high level administration at SFU. Now he’s combining this experience with his research interests to study the economics of higher education. How are universities structured, and why? How do different budgeting systems affect the incentives of faculties and departments? How can you evaluate the quality and productivity of a professor? Gord and PhD student Garrett Petersen discuss all of this and more in today’s conversation.

David Andolfatto is not only a professor of Economics at SFU, he’s also a vice president of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In this episode, PhD student Shirleen Manzur interviews David about cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, one of his main interests. Among other things, David and Shirleen talk about the pros and cons of cryptocurrencies, their role in the economy now and in the future, and how they can be regulated by the government.

This episode we’re bringing you Associate Professor Bertille Antoine in an interview with PhD candidate Thomas Vigie. Today’s show is all about econometrics: what it is, how Bertille got interested in it, and her recent work in the field. Thomas and Bertille discuss the relationship between economics research and decision making in public policy, and also the possibility of a widening gap between theoretical and applied research in economics.

This episode we bring you professor David Jacks interviewed by PhD student Ricardo Meilman Cohn. David specializes in international trade and economic history. He describes his latest research on the effects of alcohol prohibition in the United States and the role history plays in economics generally. David also gives his take on current international trade wars and the legalization of marijuana—all from a historical perspective.

This episode features Associate Professor Chris Bidner in a conversation with Garrett Petersen, one of our PhD students. Chris and Garrett touch on a number of topics, including: applied economics, Chris' recent work on gender roles in marriage, and advice for prospective graduate and undergraduate students. You may recognize Garrett from his own podcast, the Economics Detective. You can check out that at economicsdetective.com.