An Oral History of Industrial Relations and Labor Economics
In this podcast series of conversations with leading thinkers and practitioners, we are creating an oral history of an entire generation of industrial relations experts and labor economists whose contributions to their fields have been absolutely extraordinary. Hosted by Orley Ashenfelter, the Joseph Douglas Green 1895 Professor of Economics, Emeritus at Princeton University.
Truman Bewley, the Alfred C. Cowles Professor Emeritus of Economics at Yale University discusses his academic background, his work on economic theory and shift to empirical economics, and his studies on wage rigidity and price setting of commodities and differentiated products that involved hundreds of interviews with employers and workers over many years.
Andrew Zimbalist, the Robert A. Woods Professor Emeritus of Economics at Smith College, discusses his academic background, the economics of sports, especially baseball, his thoughts on the monopsony power of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and how college sports might be reorganized to prioritize the education and well-being of student athletes.
John Kennan, Juli Plant Grainger Distinguished Chair in Economics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, discusses his early years in Dublin, Ireland, his academic background, and his research on the economic effects and political challenges of migration, especially the impact of open borders on existing workers’ wages.
V. Joseph Hotz, Research Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago and Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Economics and Public Policy Emeritus at Duke University, discusses his research on life cycle models of labor supply and fertility, the challenges of balancing data disclosure risk with data usability, and the child tax credit’s impact on child poverty.
Solomon Polachek, Distinguished Professor of Economics at Binghamton University, State University of New York, discusses his academic career, his teaching awards, his past and ongoing research on the gender wage gap, and his role as Dean of Harpur College at Binghamton University.
