Economy Insight (Audio)

UCTV

From jobs to trade, experts weigh in on the US and world economies.

Episodes

  1. Feb 16

    It’s Not So Simple: An Examination of How the Internal Revenue Code Fails to Contemplate the Economic Realities of Individuals with Disabilities and Their Families

    Families with disabled students often face extra out-of-pocket costs—costs they wouldn’t have if their child weren’t disabled—to secure the same education other students receive for free, yet tax relief for those expenses is limited and unclear. Garret Hoff, J.D., argues that Internal Revenue Code Section 213 and its interpretations reflect a time when disabled people were not viewed as worth public money to educate, leaving families with arbitrary distinctions under the medical expense deduction. Hoff recommends the IRS revise Treasury Regulation 1.213-1(e)(1)(v)(a) to recognize a broader reading of Section 213, and he urges Congress to amend Section 529A, created by the ABLE Act, to lift contribution limits and make contributions tax deductible so families can fund qualified disability expenses through ABLE accounts. Hoff adds that lasting access and justice require cultural change, not only tax revisions. Series: "Autism Tree Project Annual Neuroscience Conference" [Public Affairs] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41178]

    40 min

  2. 06/10/2025

    The Moral Economy of Resource Extraction and the Future of Industrialization

    The "energy transition" is actually a shift from relying on fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas) to using metals to generate energy. However, extracting metals has always been a significant environmental and political issue, especially for cities. This problem has been around for centuries, even ancient Roman writers wrote about it. In this program, Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University, talks about the historic use of fossil fuels and its economic, social and environmental impacts to the transition today to extracting metals for energy, dominated by China. Thompson points out that extracting resources will always have environmental and social costs. To mitigate these risks, she says we need to find ways to reduce international competition and ecological damage. This requires acknowledging that the idea of endless progress, which was fueled by fossil fuels, has its limits. And she says we must prioritize sustainability and responsible resource management to create a better future. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 40428]

    1h 20m

  3. 01/27/2025

    Do Cash Transfers Save Lives?

    Does giving cash up front improve the health and wellbeing of people in poor communities? In this program, Edward (Ted) Miguel, professor of economics and co-director of the Center for Effective Global Action at UC Berkeley, talks about his work in Kenya on the impact of cash transfers on infant mortality, leveraging a unique large-scale census of local households’ birth histories. The findings provide novel evidence on the broader impacts of cash transfers on wellbeing of a poor rural population, and illustrate the value of the experimental approach in development economics for public policy. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 40309]

    1h 12m

  4. 11/01/2024

    The Future of American Democracy: The 2024 Election and Beyond

    As voters prepare to head to the polls on Election Day, join the Goldman School of Public Policy and Cal Performances for a critical look at the moment we’re in, the issues that have shaped and led us to this year’s tumultuous election, and the future of American democracy. UC Berkeley experts from former presidential administrations—Janet Napolitano, former Secretary of Homeland Security under the Obama administration (2009-2013); Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under the Clinton administration (1993-1997); and Maria Echaveste, former Assistant to the President and Deputy White House Chief of Staff under the Clinton Administration (1998-2001)—as well as PolicyLink founder-in-residence and Chief Vision Officer for the Goldman School of Public Policy’s new Democracy Policy Initiative, Angela Glover Blackwell. Series: "The Goldman School - Berkeley Public Policy" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 40302]

    1h 14m

  5. 08/15/2024

    Housing and Homelessness in California

    Across the United States, homelessness has been on the rise. In California, there have been over 181,000 people without a stable place to call home—about 30 percent of the nation’s homeless population. During the COVID-19 pandemic, those numbers continued to rise as earnings dropped and the housing affordability crisis worsened. What interventions have prevented people from becoming homeless? What lessons have we learned from local, regional, and statewide efforts to reduce unsheltered homelessness in the Bay Area and beyond? The Terner Center for Housing Innovation, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and a diverse panel of cross-sector experts and advocates collaborated for a discussion on reducing poverty and addressing homelessness in California. Series: "The Goldman School - Berkeley Public Policy" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 39849]

    39 min

  6. 02/09/2024

    Poverty in America with Matthew Desmond

    What's the root cause of poverty in America? And how do we fix it? In this discussion, Matthew Desmond, renowned Princeton sociologist and author of "Poverty, by America," talks about why poverty persists in the U.S. with Marc-Andreas Muendler, economic professor at UC San Diego. Desmond argues we can end poverty through grassroots activism and a willingness to target systems that perpetuate it, like local zoning laws. Desmond was catapulted into the national spotlight as a leading authority on modern American poverty when his Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,” made its debut in 2016. His work has been supported by the Gates, Horowitz, Ford, JBP, MacArthur, and National Science, Russell Sage, and W.T. Grant Foundations, as well as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 39385]

    15 min

  7. 01/01/2024

    Policies to Restore the American Dream with Raj Chetty

    Where did the American Dream of hard work equals upward mobility go? And what will it take to bring it back? In this talk, Raj Chetty, director of Opportunity Insights and professor of public economics at Harvard University, focuses on three policy levers to increase upward mobility: reducing racial and economic segregation through more effective affordable housing programs, investing in place-based policies, and strengthening higher education. Chetty gives specific examples of pilot studies and interventions that help inform the design of policy and practice from the federal to state to local levels, including at institutions of higher education such as UC Berkeley. He offers illustrations that can be scaled nationally, providing a pathway to expand opportunities for all. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 39239]

    1h 22m

  8. 12/27/2023

    The Science of Economic Opportunity: New Insights from Big Data with Raj Chetty

    Children’s chances of earning more than their parents have fallen from 90% to 50% over the past half century in America. How can we restore the American Dream of upward mobility for all children? In this talk, Raj Chetty, director of Opportunity Insights and professor of public economics at Harvard University, shows how big data from varied sources ranging from anonymized tax records to Facebook social network data is helping us uncover the science of economic opportunity. Among other topics, Chetty discusses how and why children’s chances of climbing the income ladder vary across neighborhoods, the drivers of racial disparities in economic mobility, and the role of social capital as a driver of upward mobility. He presents data on the state of economic opportunity in California in particular to provide a local context to these national patterns. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 39238]

    1h 28m

  9. 01/29/2023

    The Social Safety Net as an Investment in Children with Hilary Hoynes

    A hallmark of every developed nation is the provision of a social safety net – a collection of public programs that deliver aid to the poor. Because of their higher rates of poverty, children are often a major beneficiary of safety net programs. Compared to other countries, the U.S. spends less on antipoverty programs and, consequently, has higher child poverty rates. Professor Hilary Hoynes discusses the emerging research that examines how the social safety net affects children’s life trajectories. The long run benefits are significant for the families, but also show that many programs prove to be excellent public investments. This has implications for current policy discussions such as the expanded Child Tax Credit. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 38275]

    1h 18m

  10. 12/12/2022

    Autism at Work: Opening More Doors to Workers Who Are Neurodivergent - Autism Tree Global Neuroscience Conference 2022

    The county of San Diego has instituted inclusionary hiring practices to recruit neurodivergent individuals to the workforce and ensure departments have the proper skills to interview, train, and work with these members of the San Diego community. Garret Hoff, Brandy Winterbottom, Brian Lafferty, and Megan Elledge-LeVota discuss how this initiative came to be and what it means for the future. Series: "Autism Tree Project Annual Neuroscience Conference" [Public Affairs] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 38394]

    42 min

  11. 07/21/2022

    Triton Talks: Mexico - Indispensable Ally of the U.S.

    The U.S. is blessed with stable neighbors to the south and north. Despite the polarization of immigration issues along the southern border, Mexico is the indispensable ally of the U.S., according to Rafael Fernandez de Castro, director of UC San Diego's Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies. Mexico is the top U.S. trading partner with over 6 million American jobs dependent on trade in goods and services with our neighbor to the south. Mexico also plays a substantive role in migration and border affairs. Series: "Triton Talks" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 38070]

    17 min

  12. 06/20/2022

    Smart Money: Educational Investments in Adolescents Earn Higher Returns

    This program looks at education and how the brain of adolescents primes them for learning. Caroline Hoxby, professor of economics at Stanford University and one of the world’s leading scholars in the field of education economics, says investing in education in early adolescents can have profound impacts on the continuation of learning through teenage years and beyond. She says that more education leads to social cohesion, advancing economic opportunity, reducing inequality and decreasing geographic and political polarization. This discussion includes commentary by Jan-Werner Müller, Erik Hurst, and Silvia Bunge. Series: "Tanner Lectures on Human Values" [Public Affairs] [Education] [Show ID: 37733]

    1h 57m
  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

From jobs to trade, experts weigh in on the US and world economies.

Information

  • Creator
    UCTV
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 Regents of the University of California
  • Show Website
    Economy Insight (Audio)

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