John Coates on *The Problem of Twelve: When a Few Financial Institutions Control Everything*

Jeffrey Rogers Hummel is a professor of economics at San Jose State University and writes on macroeconomics and economic history. Today, Jeff joins the show to discuss his work on the Fed's interventions during the Great Recession. He also dispels some myths about the extent to which the Fed really influences interest rates. Finally, he explains why he believes that cash plays an important role in society and why recent proposals to abolish cash are misguided. David's blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/ Macro Musings podcast site: macromusings.com David's Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Jeff Hummel's San Jose State University profile: http://www.sjsu.edu/economics/faculty/jeff.hummel.html Related links: "Central Bank Control over Interest Rates: The Myth and the Reality" by Jeffery Rogers Hummel https://www.mercatus.org/publications/central-bank-control-interest-rates "Ben Bernanke vs. Milton Friedman: The Federal Reserve's Emergence as the U.S. Economy's Central Planner" by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?a=824 "The War on Cash: A Review of Kenneth Rogoff's *The Curse of Cash*" by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel https://econjwatch.org/articles/the-war-on-cash-a-review-of-kenneth-rogoff-s-the-curse-of-cash

13 Nov 20171h 2min

Douglas Irwin is a professor of economics at Dartmouth College and a leading expert on trade economics. Today, he joins the show to discuss his new book, *Clashing over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy,* which examines the history of American trade policy from the late 1700s to the present. Doug explains how US attitudes toward trade evolved over time and how free trade became the postwar consensus. Specifically, Doug argues that the history of US trade policy has been guided by the "three R's: revenue, restriction, and reciprocity." Finally, David and Doug discuss some of Doug's work on the gold standard and the Great Depression. David's blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/ Macro Musings podcast site: macromusings.com David's Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Douglas Irwin's homepage: www.dartmouth.edu/~dirwin/ Douglas Irwin's Twitter: @D_A_Irwin Related links: *Clashing over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy* by Douglas A. Irwin http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo24475328.html "Steve Bannon's Bad History" by Douglas A. Irwin https://www.wsj.com/articles/steve-bannons-bad-history-1505861920 The Truth About Trade: What Critics Get Wrong About the Global Economy" (Foreign Affairs) by Douglas A. Irwin www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2016…h-about-trade *Free Trade Under Fire (Princeton University Press, fourth edition 2015)* by Douglas A. Irwin www.amazon.com/Free-Trade-under-…rth/dp/0691166250

6 Nov 201758min

Norbert Michel is the director of the Center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation. Today, Norbert joins the show to discuss a new book of collected essays, which he edited, titled *Prosperity Unleashed: Smarter Financial Regulation.* Norbert pushes back against the narrative that deregulation caused the 2008 financial crisis and argues that excessive regulation hinders growth and actually makes the financial system less safe. He and David discuss policy recommendations made in the book, including reforming the Federal Reserve's last-resort lending practices, converting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) into a commission, and more. David's blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/ Macro Musings podcast site: macromusings.com David's Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Norbert Michel's Heritage profile: http://www.heritage.org/staff/norbert-michel Norbert Michel's Twitter: @norbertjmichel Related links: *Prosperity Unleashed: Smarter Financial Regulation* edited by Norbert J. Michel http://www.heritage.org/prosperity-unleashed "Reforming Last-Resort Lending: The Flexible Open-Market Alternative" by George Selgin http://www.heritage.org/markets-and-finance/report/reforming-last-resort-lending-the-flexible-open-market-alternative "Reforming the Financial Regulators" by Mark Calabria, Norbert Michel, and Hester Peirce http://www.heritage.org/markets-and-finance/report/reforming-the-financial-regulators "Money and Banking Provisions in the Financial CHOICE Act: A Major Step in the Right Direction" by Norbert Michel http://www.heritage.org/markets-and-finance/report/money-and-banking-provisions-the-financial-choice-act-major-step-the

30 Okt 20171h

Karl Smith is the director of economic research at the Niskanen Center. He joins the show to discuss his thoughts on increasing market power (the ability of firms to influence prices) in the United States. Karl argues that this is at least partially due to what he calls the "Great Variation," the desire many Americans have had for more individualized consumer goods since the 1960s. Finally, Karl also shares his thoughts on some of President Trump's choices for Federal Reserve chair. David's blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/ Macro Musings podcast site: macromusings.com David's Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Karl Smith's Niskanen profile: https://niskanencenter.org/blog/staff/chief-economist/ Karl Smith's Twitter: @karlbykarlsmith "Modeled Behavior": https://www.forbes.com/sites/modeledbehavior/#661385b4a824 Related links: "Mark-Ups and Market Power" by Karl Smith https://niskanencenter.org/blog/markups-market-power/ "The Great Variation" by Karl Smith https://niskanencenter.org/blog/notes/the-great-variation/ https://niskanencenter.org/blog/notes/just-say-no-kevin-warsh/

23 Okt 201759min

Binyamin Appelbaum is an award-winning correspondent for the New York Times and covers the Federal Reserve and other aspects of economic policy. Today, he joins the show to discuss his work on covering the Fed and some ideas to improve Fed transparency. Binyamin also shares his thoughts on who President Trump may choose to fill vacancies on the Federal Reserve. Finally, Binyamin and David discuss what Trump's trade policies may mean an increasingly globalized world. David's blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/ Macro Musings podcast site: macromusings.com David's Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Binyamin Appelbaum's New York Times archive: https://www.nytimes.com/by/binyamin-appelbaum Binyamin's Twitter: @BCAppelbaum Related links: "U.S. Inflation Remains Low and that's a Problem" by Binyamin Appelbaum https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/us/politics/us-inflation-remains-low-and-thats-a-problem.html "Yellen and Cohn to Be on Shortlist to Lead Federal Reserve" by Binyamin Appelbaum https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/23/business/yellen-and-cohn-said-to-be-on-shortlist-for-new-head-of-the-fed.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fbinyamin-appelbaum&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&gwh=92BA8BF1D73950AA0455B7DF58B5E2FB&gwt=pay "A Look at Airbus's Epic Assembly Line" by Binyamin Appelbaum and Christopher Payne https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/magazine/a-look-inside-airbuss-epic-assembly-line.html "American Companies Still Make Aluminum. In Iceland" by Binyamin Appelbaum https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/01/us/politics/american-companies-still-make-aluminum-in-iceland.html "Minorities Seen More Likely to Pay High Mortgage Rates" by Binyamin Appelbaum and Ted Millnik http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-09-03/news/0509030121_1_rates-for-mortgage-loans-interest-rates-lending-process

16 Okt 20171h

Olivier Blanchard is the C. Fred Bergsten Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the former Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund. Today, he joins the show to discuss working at the IMF in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession. He also shares his thoughts on the limitations of current-day macroeconomic models as well as some suggestions to improve them. David's blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/ Macro Musings podcast site: macromusings.com David's Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Olivier Blanchard's MIT profile: https://economics.mit.edu/faculty/blanchar Olivier Blanchard's PIIE profile: https://piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/olivier-blanchard Olivier Blanchard's Twitter: @ojblanchard1 Related links: "Do DSGE Models Have a Future?" by Olivier Blanchard https://piie.com/publications/policy-briefs/do-dsge-models-have-future "On the Need for (At Least) Five Classes of Macro Models" by Olivier Blanchard https://piie.com/blogs/realtime-economic-issues-watch/need-least-five-classes-macro-models "Will Interest Rates Lead to Fiscal Crisis?" by Olivier Blanchard https://piie.com/publications/policy-briefs/will-rising-interest-rates-lead-fiscal-crises "Getting Serious About Wage Inflation in Japan" by Olivier Blanchard and Adam Posen https://asia.nikkei.com/Viewpoints-archive/Viewpoints/Getting-serious-about-wage-inflation-in-Japan "Monetary Policy: Science or Art?" by Olivier Blanchard https://economics.mit.edu/files/742

9 Okt 20171h 1min

JW Mason is an assistant professor of economics at John Jay College and a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute. Today, he joins the show to discuss his recent paper, "What Recovery? The Case for Continued Expansionary Policy at the Fed?" JW argues that the recovery from the Great Recession was unusually weak. Furthermore, the American economy is still not at full employment, and, as a result, potential GDP is continually underestimated. In order to get the economy back to full employment, JW argues greater monetary expansion is needed. David's blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/ Macro Musings podcast site: macromusings.com David's Twitter: @DavidBeckworth JW Mason's website: http://jwmason.org/ JW's Twitter: @JWMason1 "What Recovery? The Case for Continued Expansionary Policy at the Fed?" http://rooseveltinstitute.org/what-recovery/

2 Okt 201759min

Caroline Freund is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). Previously, she served as the chief economist for the Middle East and North Africa at the World Bank. She joins the show to discuss her career in trade policy and her work on the slowdown in global trade since the Great Recession. Finally, she also shares her thought on President Trump's trade policies. David's blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/ Macro Musings podcast site: macromusings.com David's Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Caroline's PIIE profile: https://piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/caroline-freund?author_id=906 Caroline's Bloomberg archive: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/contributors/AQnL_eq2K8M/caroline-freund Caroline's Twitter: @CarolineFreund Related links: *Rich People, Poor Countries: The Rise of Emerging-Market Tycoons and Their Mega Firms* by Caroline Freund (assisted by Sarah Oliver) https://piie.com/bookstore/rich-people-poor-countries-rise-emerging-market-tycoons-and-their-mega-firms "The Global Trade Slowdown and Secular Stagnation" by Caroline Freund https://piie.com/blogs/trade-investment-policy-watch/global-trade-slowdown-and-secular-stagnation "Invest in minds, not miners" by Caroline Freund and Christine McDaniel https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-07-06/the-u-s-needs-to-invest-in-minds-not-miners "U.S. Needs Trade Deals, Not 'Remedies'" by Caroline Freund https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-08-14/u-s-needs-china-trade-deals-not-remedies "The China Shock: Learning from Labor Market Adjustment to Large Changes in Trade" by David H. Autor, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson http://www.nber.org/papers/w21906 "Trump's Trade Pullout Roils Rural America" by Adam Behsudi http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/07/trump-tpp-deal-withdrawal-trade-effects-215459

25 Sep 20171h