Talking Economics

Global Uncertainty, Real Economies: A Macro Outlook | Kamil Kovář 14.04.2026 32min

The new episode of Talking Economics brings a timely discussion with Kamil Kovář, Director at Moody’s Analytics and our alumnus, on how today’s overlapping shocks are reshaping the global economy.Kamil explores how wars, energy disruptions, rearmament, trade fragmentation, and political unpredictability are changing the way economists think about growth, inflation, and risk. “It’s just, as you said, one shock after another, and it just doesn’t stop,” Kamil says. In this environment, he argues, economists can no longer rely on a single central outlook: “It’s more and more important to talk in terms of scenarios and not talk in terms of the baseline outlook only.”The episode examines what has changed most fundamentally in the global economy, what the most likely path forward may be, and which alternative scenarios matter most. Kamil also reflects on how recent crises have exposed the limits of traditional models, noting that “the distribution has widened so much” that one or two scenarios are no longer enough to capture the risks economies face.This episode offers a guide to understanding the macroeconomic landscape in a period marked by constant disruption.https://cerge-ei.cz/https://instagram.com/cergeei/https://facebook.com/cergeei/https://x.com/CERGE_EI/https://bsky.app/profile/cerge-ei.bsky.social/

Talking Economics Emerging Scholars: Margarita Pavlova 26.03.2026 24min

Our job market candidate Margarita Pavlova is the latest guest in the Talking Economics: Emerging Scholars podcast series, which highlights the research and career journeys of CERGE-EI PhD in Economics candidates and recent graduates.Margarita is an applied microeconomist specializing in labor and gender economics. Her research explores how macroeconomic conditions, labor market policies, and institutions shape labor market outcomes—especially the long-term effects of economic shocks, wage setting, and labor market inequality. In her job market paper, Margarita studies how business-cycle conditions at the time of labor market entry shape early-career trajectories and how these effects evolve over time.00:00 Introduction01:15 Why economic research04:35 Challenges during Covid07:00 Visiting Yale08:34 Graduates in a cycle, graduating in a recession14:07 Women in the labor market19:29 Competition and the gender pay gaphttps://cerge-ei.cz/https://instagram.com/cergeei/https://facebook.com/cergeei/https://x.com/CERGE_EI/https://bsky.app/profile/cerge-ei.bsky.social/

Talking Economics Emerging Scholars: Sona Badalyan 18.02.2026 20min

The Talking Economics: Emerging Scholars podcast series highlights the research and career journeys of CERGE-EI PhD in Economics candidates and recent graduates. In this episode, we speak with Sona Badalyan, one of our current job market candidates.Sona is an applied microeconomist with interests in labor, public, and personnel economics. Her job market paper examines internal labor markets, exploring how firm organization, labor market institutions, and frictions shape outcomes for workers and firms in an aging economy.00:00 Introduction01:20 Path to a PhD decision05:10 Challenges and mobility stays08:06 Motivation for a dissertation topic08:53 Intra-firm spillovers of raised retirement age15:30 Old-age employment and organizational structures17:50 Peer Effects in old-age employmenthttps://cerge-ei.cz/https://instagram.com/cergeei/https://facebook.com/cergeei/https://x.com/CERGE_EI/https://bsky.app/profile/cerge-ei.bsky.social

The Economics of Discrimination with Vojtěch Bartoš 27.10.2025 35min

Why does discrimination persist even when it’s costly for firms and societies? CERGE-EI alumnus and Associate Professor at the University of Milan, Vojtěch Bartoš, explains how behavioral economics helps uncover the mechanisms behind bias — and how evidence-based tools can help reduce it.https://www.cerge-ei.cz/https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/https://x.com/CERGE_EI/

Matching Matters: The Hidden Economics of Who Works Where with Luca Mazzone 19.08.2025 32min

What happens when the labor market doesn’t match workers and firms efficiently? Can online platforms and better data solve the problem? And what role do families play in shaping the workforce of tomorrow?Luca Mazzone, Assistant Professor at CERGE-EI and Economist at the IMF, talks about the hidden dynamics behind wage inequality, employment policy, and how households shape labor market outcomes. His research looks into how people and firms find each other—and why this matching process matters for productivity, inequality, and growth.https://www.cerge-ei.cz/https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/https://x.com/CERGE_EI/

Marta Cota: Household Financial Choices 19.06.2025 26min

What determines the financial decisions we make throughout our lives—like choosing a mortgage, saving for retirement, or deciding whether to invest? In the latest episode of Talking Economics, we explore these questions with Marta Cota, a CERGE-EI PhD alumna and Assistant Professor of Finance at Nova School of Business and Economics in Lisbon.https://www.cerge-ei.cz/https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Vladimír Novák: Polarization, Policy, and Structural Challenges 16.05.2025 24min

In the latest episode of Talking Economics, we speak with Vladimír Novák, Senior Economist at the National Bank of Slovakia and CERGE-EI PhD alumnus, about his recent research and how it connects to real-world policy challenges. Vladimír’s academic work focuses on how individuals process information—and how that, in turn, shapes their beliefs, decisions, and broader societal outcomes.https://www.cerge-ei.cz/https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Ctirad Slavík: Taxation, Wages, and Growth 27.02.2025 27min

Associate Professor at CERGE-EI, Ctirad Slavík, discusses taxation, inequality, and the economic impact of policy reforms in our latest episode. He shares insights on optimal capital taxation, the effects of automation on wages, and the 2021 Czech income tax reform.https://www.cerge-ei.cz/https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Talking Economics Emerging Scholars: Theodor Kouro 09.01.2025 36min

Our next guest on the Talking Economics: Emerging Scholars series is Theodor Kouro, one of CERGE-EI’s job market candidates this year. Theo’s research spans behavioral, experimental, and development economics, with a particular focus on gender economics. In his job market paper, he explores the mechanics of autonomy in a large-scale natural field experiment on effort provision. This paper earned him the 2023 Young Economist of the Czech Republic award. https://www.cerge-ei.cz/ https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/ https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/ https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Talking Economics Emerging Scholars: Sinara Gharibyan 10.12.2024 28min

Our next guest on the Talking Economics: Emerging Scholars series is Sinara Gharibyan, one of CERGE-EI’s job market candidates this year In her job market paper, Sinara examines how memories influence human behavior, particularly political behavior. Her innovative work distinguishes between two types of memory effects: fam-ily memory and collective memory. This paper earned her the prestigious PEDD Young Scholar Award in 2024 in Münster. 🎧 Tune in to hear about Sinara’s personal journey and dive deeper into her fascinating research! https://www.cerge-ei.cz/ https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/ https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/ https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Lukáš Makovský: Urban Economics Uncovered 14.11.2024 26min

In the latest episode of the Talking Economics podcast, a CERGE-EI alumnus Lukáš Makovský shares insights on the central questions and tools of urban economics, how models incorporate people’s preferences, and examines the movement toward urbanization alongside the impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. https://www.cerge-ei.cz/ https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/ https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/ https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Talking Economics Emerging Scholars: Daniil Kashkarov 19.09.2024 34min

The podcast series Talking Economics Emerging Scholars is dedicated to showcasing the research and inspiring journeys of CERGE-EI PhD in Economics graduates. Our guest in this episode is Daniil Kashkarov. Daniil’s research interests lie in macroeconomics and labor economics, with a focus on life-cycle modeling, skills accumulation, and the adaptation of workers to labor market disruptions. During his PhD, Daniil spent three semesters at Yale University. He will join Universidad Carlos III in Madrid as a Postdoctoral Researcher. https://www.cerge-ei.cz/ https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/ https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/ https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Talking Economics Emerging Scholars: Ella Sargsyan 12.08.2024 29min

The podcast series Talking Economics Emerging Scholars is dedicated to showcasing the research and inspiring journeys of CERGE-EI PhD in Economics graduates. Our first guest is Ella Sargsyan, an empirical economist specializing in development economics. Ella's academic journey included research visits to MIT and Columbia University. She will join UCLouvain as a postdoctoral researcher. https://www.cerge-ei.cz/ https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/ https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/ https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Barbara Pertold-Gebicka: Exploring Family Economics and Gender Wage Gaps 18.07.2024 28min

In our latest episode of Talking Economics, we met with Barbara Pertold-Gebicka, a CERGE-EI alumna and Assistant Professor at the Institute of Economic Studies of Charles University, to explore family economics and gender wage gaps. https://www.cerge-ei.cz/ https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/ https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/ https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Michal Šoltés: Behind Bars and Beyond: Insights into Criminal Behavior and the Czech Justice System 31.05.2024 28min

We explore the world of criminal behavior and the Czech justice system with Michal Šoltés, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics and Empirical Legal Studies at Charles University Faculty of Law, a CERGE-EI PhD in economics alumnus, and an IDEA think-tank researcher. In his research, he focuses on public economics, empirical legal studies, the economics of criminal justice, and the economics of crime. https://www.cerge-ei.cz/ https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/ https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/ https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Andreas Menzel: Labor Dynamics in Developing Countries 30.04.2024 45min

In a recent episode of Talking Economics, we discussed firms and labor markets in developing countries with Andreas Menzel, an Associate Professor with Tenure at CERGE-EI. Andreas’s research projects focus on development, organizational, and labor economics with field experiments in Ghana, Tanzania, and Bangladesh. https://www.cerge-ei.cz/ https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/ https://www.facebook.com/cergeei/ https://twitter.com/CERGE_EI/

Christian Ochsner: Unlocking Economic Prosperity: It’s People That Matter 20.11.2023 35min

Why do some regions thrive while others struggle to keep up in the race for economic development? In a recent episode of Talking Economics, we talk about regional economics with Christian Ochsner, an Assistant Professor at CERGE-EI. https://www.cerge-ei.cz https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/cergeei

Andreas Ortmann: Having Data Posted Should Be Done on a Regular Basis 25.09.2023 27min

In a recent episode of Talking Economics, we embark on a journey with our special guest, Professor of Experimental and Behavioral Economy at the University of New South Wales Business School in Sydney, Australia, Professor Andreas Ortmann, to talk about behavioral economics, exploring the rise and challenges it faces now due to recent reports of fraudulent behavior in the field. https://www.cerge-ei.cz https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/cergeei

Branislav Saxa: CBDC - the Future of Monetary System? 15.08.2023 28min

What are the expectations and how far are the discussions on Central Bank Digital Currencies across the world? In a recent episode of Talking Economics, we took a closer look at digital currencies with Branislav Saxa, a CERGE-EI PhD alumnus, Principal Analyst, and Head of Monetary Analyses and Monetary Policy Transmission Team at Czech National Bank. https://www.cerge-ei.cz https://www.instagram.com/cergeei/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/cergeei

Libor Krkoška: Crisis Response Is in Our DNA 19.07.2023 31min

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is an international financial institution, established in 1991 to help Central and Eastern Europe transition to a market economy after the fall of communism. How has the bank’s mission changed over time and what are its priorities now? We discuss EBRD’s response to world changes with Libor Krkoška, a CERGE-EI PhD in Economics alumnus and EBRD Deputy Director, Country strategy.