Show Notes
Most advanced economies enjoyed a long period of low, stable inflation prior to 2021, with inflation in the U.S. actually running below the Federal Reserve's 2% inflation target for much of the 2010s. This stability was driven in part by factors external to monetary policy, including downward price and wage pressures from globalization and de-unionization. However, the authors of a new BPEA paper, "Changing central bank pressures and inflation," argue that emerging trends may present headwinds to central banks trying to keep inflation steady. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, paper co-author Pierre Yared of Columbia Business School speaks with Brookings Senior Fellow Don Kohn about the new research and its implications for policymakers. Show notes and transcript The Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].
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AI is often described as a software story, but the boom is also a massive physical investment in data centers, power systems, and specialized chips. A new BPEA paper projects that this buildout will total $10.3 trillion from 2025 to 2032, an average of 3.63% of U.S. GDP per year and larger relative to the economy than past booms in railroads, highways, and telecommunications. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Aaron Klein talks to the paper's author, Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh about what this means for transparency and risk. Show notes and transcript The Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].
Data on labor markets is incredibly important to policymakers, from state and federal legislators to the central bank and Treasury Department. But this data is often noisy or incomplete. A new BPEA paper draws on a large body of data sets going back to 1960 to develop a novel approach to studying labor markets that can help fill these gaps. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Brookings Senior Fellow Louise Sheiner talks to Ayşegül Şahin, one of the paper authors, about this new methodology. Show notes and transcript The Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].
The promise and peril of an AI-dominated future have dominated debates among economists, technologists, and policymakers in recent years. But even as the technology continues to evolve, considerable uncertainty remains about who is using AI and its impact on economies around the globe. In a new BPEA study, researchers conducted surveys in the U.S. and Europe to answer some of these questions and improve understanding of how and why different firms and workers are using AI. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Sanjay Patnaik, director of Brookings' Center on Regulation and Markets, speaks with two of the paper authors about their findings. Show notes and transcript The Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].
The tariff increases during the second Trump administration have been historic in their magnitude and scope, dwarfing even those from Trump's first term. Many feared that these tariffs would have dramatic impacts on the economy, but for the most part, the tariff impacts have been muted in the U.S. In a new BPEA study, Pablo Fajgelbaum and Amit Khandelwal document the effects of Trump's tariffs, what goals they have (or have not) accomplished, and where the costs have fallen. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, the authors speak with Kari Heerman, Brookings' director of trade and economic statecraft, about their findings and what to expect next. Show notes and transcript The Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].