The Work Goes On
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.
Robert McKersie on his lifelong study of labor negotiations and the state of unions today
Robert McKersie, Professor of Management Emeritus at MIT's Sloan School of Management, joins the podcast to talk to Princeton’s Orley Ashenfelter about his path from being the son of an International Workers of the World (IWW) member in Paterson, NJ to becoming one of the leading global experts on labor negotiations.
Claudia Goldin on her journey from the Bronx to Harvard–with lots of groundbreaking research in between
Claudia Goldin, the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University, joins the podcast to talk to Princeton’s Orley Ashenfelter about growing up as an “inner city kid” in the Bronx, how her famous study on the impact of blind auditions at orchestras came to be, and her life’s work on “the single most important change in the labor force” for almost every country: women’s labor force participation.
The Rt Hon The Lord (Richard) Layard on his life in public service and his pioneering research on happiness
Peter Richard Grenville Layard, Baron Layard FBA, the founding director of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics and co-director of the Centre’s Community Wellbeing Programme, joins the podcast to talk to Princeton’s Orley Ashenfelter about his life in public service, his advocacy on behalf of the unemployed, and his pioneering research on happiness, life satisfaction, and mental health.
Ronald Ehrenberg on why industrial relations economists make great university administrators
Ronald Ehrenberg, the Irving M. Ives Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Economics Emeritus at Cornell University’s ILR School, joins the podcast to talk with Princeton’s Orley Ashenfelter about the twists and turns that led to his being on the faculty at Cornell–and why industrial relations economists make great university administrators.
Ronald Oaxaca on gender pay discrimination and the 1973 lawsuit against AT&T
Ronald Oaxaca, the McClellan Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of Arizona, joins the podcast to talk to Princeton's Orley Ashenfelter about his research on gender wage gaps and using research to solve real-world problems.