Melissa Dell on the Significance of Persistence

Melissa Dell on the Significance of Persistence

Explaining 10 percent of something is not usually cause for celebration. And yet when it comes to economic development, where so many factors are in play—institutions, culture, geography, to name a few—it's impressive indeed. And that's just what Melissa Dell has accomplished in her pathbreaking work. From the impact of the Mexican Revolution to the different development paths of northern and southern Vietnam, her work exploits what are often accidents of history—whether a Peruvian village was just inside or outside a mine's catchment area, for example—to explain persistent differences in outcomes. Her work has earned numerous plaudits, including the John Bates Clark Medal earlier this year.

On the 100th episode of Conversations with Tyler, Melissa joined Tyler to discuss what's behind Vietnam's economic performance, why persistence isn't predictive, the benefits and drawbacks of state capacity, the differing economic legacies of forced labor in Indonesia and Peru, whether people like her should still be called a Rhodes scholar, if SATs are useful, the joys of long-distance running, why higher temps are bad for economic growth, how her grandmother cultivated her curiosity, her next project looking to unlock huge historical datasets, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.

Recorded July 30th, 2020

Other ways to connect

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(288)

Michael Nielsen on Collaboration, Quantum Computing, and Civilization's Fragility

Michael Nielsen on Collaboration, Quantum Computing, and Civilization's Fragility

Take our Listener Survey Michael Nielsen is a scientist who helped pioneer quantum computing and the modern open science movement. He's worked at Y Combinator, co-authored on scientific progress with...

29 Maj 20241h 2min

Benjamin Moser on the Dutch Masters, Brazil, and Cultural Icons

Benjamin Moser on the Dutch Masters, Brazil, and Cultural Icons

Take our Listener Survey Benjamin Moser is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer celebrated for his in-depth studies of literary and cultural figures such as Susan Sontag and Clarice Lispector. His latest ...

15 Maj 20241h 6min

Coleman Hughes on Colorblindness, Jazz, and Identity

Coleman Hughes on Colorblindness, Jazz, and Identity

Coleman Hughes believes we should strive to ignore race both in public policy and in our private lives. But when it comes to personal identity and expression, how feasible is this to achieve? And are ...

1 Maj 202456min

Peter Thiel on Political Theology

Peter Thiel on Political Theology

In this conversation recorded live in Miami, Tyler and Peter Thiel dive deep into the complexities of political theology, including why it's a concept we still need today, why Peter's against Calvinis...

17 Apr 20241h 14min

Jonathan Haidt on Adjusting to Smartphones and Social Media

Jonathan Haidt on Adjusting to Smartphones and Social Media

In The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt explores the simultaneous rise in teen mental illness across various countries, attributing it to a seismic shift from a "play-based childhood" to a "phone-ba...

3 Apr 202459min

Fareed Zakaria on the Age of Revolutions, the Power of Ideas, and the Rewards of Intellectual Curiosity

Fareed Zakaria on the Age of Revolutions, the Power of Ideas, and the Rewards of Intellectual Curiosity

Those who know Fareed Zakaria through his weekly column or CNN show may be surprised to learn he considers books the important way he can put new ideas in the world. But Fareed's original aspiration w...

27 Mars 20241h 7min

Marilynne Robinson on Biblical Interpretation, Calvinist Thought, and Religion in America

Marilynne Robinson on Biblical Interpretation, Calvinist Thought, and Religion in America

Marilynne Robinson is one of America's best and best-known novelists and essayists, whose award-winning works like Housekeeping and Gilead explore themes of faith, grace, and the intricacies of human ...

20 Mars 202449min

Marc Andreessen on AI and Dynamism

Marc Andreessen on AI and Dynamism

In this interview, recorded at a16z's 2024 American Dynamism Summit, Tyler and Marc Andreessen engage in a rapid-fire dialogue about the future of AI, including the biggest change we'll see in the nex...

13 Mars 202427min

Populärt inom Utbildning

det-skaver
historiepodden-se
rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
allt-du-velat-veta
nu-blir-det-historia
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
johannes-hansen-podcast
not-fanny-anymore
sektledare
rss-viktmedicinpodden
roda-vita-rosen
i-vantan-pa-katastrofen
rss-dr-bjorklund
rss-real-talk-with-jesper-stahl
rss-max-tant-med-max-villman
rss-basta-livet
rss-relationsrevolutionen
sa-in-i-sjalen
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
rss-foraldramotet-bring-lagercrantz