Explore every episode of the podcast The Innovation and Diffusion Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 E8: Space Race, Cold War, and Public R&D Policies with Alex Whalley from the University of Calgary | 30 juil. 2026 | 00:32:47 | |
In this episode, our guest is Alexander T. Whalley from the University of Calgary and we talked about his academic journey, paper suggestions, large public R&D policies, space race, and more! Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen on X) 01:35 Big Picture Questions and Alex’s Academic Journey 03:35 A Research Habit Recommendation 05:01 A “Must-Read” Paper Suggestion (Enrico Moretti: https://moretti.econ.berkeley.edu ) 06:40 Returns to Public R&D: Space Race and Cold War 13:15 CIA Data: Is it Accessible? 15:39 How Should We Understand the “No Productivity Effects”? 18:30 Should Governments Implement More Mission-Focus R&D Policies? 22:01 Surprising Moments from the “Moonshot” Paper 23:00 Geography of Innovation 25:56 Gaps in the Literature 27:38 Cheezy Questions & Never Have I Ever! Papers Mentioned: | |||
| S3 E7: Industrialization, Diffusion of Technology, and Meiji Japan with Réka Juhász (British Columbia) | 25 juin 2026 | 00:34:53 | |
In this episode, our guest is Reka Juhasz from the University of British Columbia and we talked about her academic journey, favorite books and papers in economics, why some countries could successfully industrialize while others failed, what made Meiji Japan special, and more! 06:58 Why could some countries industrialize more successfully than others? 09:55 What specifically happened in Meiji Japan in the 19th century? 20:10 What is the main message of this QJE paper? 23:00 Industrial Policy and Political Agendas 28:25 Cheezy Questions and Never Have I Ever! Papers/Books mentioned in the episode: Codification, Technology Absorption, and the Globalization of the Industrial Revolution: https://www.nber.org/papers/w32667 The Rise of "the Rest": https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-rise-of-the-rest-9780195170597?cc=gb&lang=en& The Wind of Change: Maritime Technology, Trade, and Economic Development: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20140832 | |||
| S3 E6: Scientific Production, International Collaborations, and WW1 with Fabian Waldinger (University of Munich) | 29 avr. 2026 | 00:40:17 | |
In this episode, our guest is Fabian Waldinger (University of Munich) and we talked about his research interests, scientific production and boycotts in the World War 1 era, women in academia, the role of socio-economic background on academic success, and more! Enjoy! 0:52 What is the main question that he is after? 01:29 What drew him into his research areas? 03:21 Who were his role models? 04:14 Which paper in economics is his favorite? 05:47 International Scientific Production, WW1 and Boycotts 22:16 What are the implications of “International Collaboration in Science” for today? 24:07 Data comes first or the question? What is Fabian’s production function? 26:05 Women in Academia throughout the 20th Century 28:55 Socio-economic background and the Success Likelihood of being in Academia 36:00 Cheezy Questions & Never Have I Ever! | |||
| S3 E5: Gender Inequality and Child Penalty with Camille Landais (LSE) | 27 mars 2026 | 00:37:02 | |
In this episode, our guest is Camille Landais (@landais_camille on X) from the London School of Economics and we talk about his academic journey, interests in family economics, policy making versus academia, the relationship between gender inequality and child penalty, and more! Enjoy! Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen on X) Intro: His Academic Journey and Interests on Gender Inequality & Family Economics 05:58 Academia or Policy Making? 08:05 Gender Inequality and Having Children 14:49 What are the channels or mechanisms? 17:28 Child Penalty is Larger in Developed Economies: childpenaltyatlas.org 23:52 Do Welfare Policies Work? What are Camille’s Family Policy Suggestions? 29:01 Cheezy Questions! | |||
| S3 E4: Product vs Process Innovations, Firm Growth, and Political Connections with Salomé Baslandze (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta) | 25 févr. 2026 | 00:40:50 | |
In this episode, our guest is Salomé Baslandze from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and we talked about her academic journey, influential economists in her career, new data on product vs process innovations, firm growth, political connections, policy suggestions, and more! Host: Ruveyda Nur Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen on X) 1:04 Her Academic Journey 4:52 Comparison between Academia and Policy Institutions 7:40 The "AI" Heat on Academia 22:57 Why do economists use theoretical models? 29:50 The Role of Competition Authorities 32:56 Research Gaps in the Literature 36:00 Cheezy Questions! 38:03 Never Have I Ever! | |||
| S3 E3: The Great Reversal, Europe and the US with Thomas Philippon from NYU Stern | 21 janv. 2026 | 00:45:55 | |
In this episode, our guest is Thomas Philippon who is a Professor of Finance at NYU Stern. We talked about his academic journey from Physics to Economics, influential economists, competition, superstar firms, concentration, and more! 13:36 Debating Market Competition 24:23 Historical Context of Superstar Firms 27:49 Impact of COVID on Market Dynamics 30:23 Market Power and Concentration: Good or Bad? 34:19 Comparative Analysis: US vs Europe 41:52 Cheezy Questions and Never Have I Ever! | |||
| S3 E2: Culture and Economic Growth with Alberto Bisin from NYU | 19 déc. 2025 | 00:54:36 | |
In this episode, our guest is Alberto Bisin, a Professor of Economics at NYU. We talked about his personal academic journey, the economics culture at the University of Chicago, culture for economic growth, evolution in economics, and more! Host: Ruveyda Gozen (Cardiff Business School and CEP LSE) Producers: Ruveyda Gozen (Cardiff Business School and LSE) and John Van Reenen (LSE) 01:50 Evolution of Economics 05:16 Experiences at the University of Chicago 13:50 The Role of Culture in Economic Growth 21:06 Let's Think of a Hypothetical County? 25:45 The Long Divergence between the West and Middle East 42:48 Cheezy Questions & Never Have I Ever! | |||
| S3 E1: Nobel Prize Winners and Economics of Innovation with Fiona Murray from MIT | 21 nov. 2025 | 00:38:34 | |
In this episode, our guest is Fiona Murray from MIT. We talked about her academic journey, publication processes, Nobel Prize winners in Economics, gender, security-driven innovation, and more! 12:15 Entrepreneurship is about failure. How about you? 15:54 Publication Speed in Economics and Other Fields 18:22 Nobel Prize Winners in Economics 21:00 Gender, Innovation and Innovation Ecosystems 31:17 Market-Driven Innovations vs Security-Driven Innovations | |||
| S2 E9: Diffusion of Innovation, Productivity, and Academia with Nick Bloom from Stanford University | 16 juil. 2025 | 00:50:56 | |
In this episode, our guest is Nick Bloom from Stanford University! And we talked about academic production functions, diffusion of innovation, economic situation in the US and the UK, working from home, and more. 01:41 How did he decide to be an economist? 03:17 John Van Reenen and Nick Bloom 04:45 Co-authorship and Academic Production Function 08:26 Diffusion of Innovation 16:25 Politics, Trump, and Long Run Innovation 20:28 How about the UK Politics? 26:33 Working from Home, Academia, Undergrads and Grads 35:58 What are the gaps in the literature? 38:00 “Gollum” Strategy? 40:59 If he couldn’t be an economist in a parallel universe, what would he be? 42:32 Is there something in economics he believes in that others disagree with? 44:45 Never have I ever! | |||
| S2 E8: Science and Politics with Kyle Myers from Harvard Business School | 05 juin 2025 | 00:44:20 | |
In this episode, our guest is a young star economist: Kyle Myers from Harvard Business School! We talked about the current clash between the Trump administration and Harvard, NIH, "Elasticity of Science", Covid, and more! Current Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) Timestamps: 00:00 Intro, Trump, and Harvard 06:35 “Elasticity” of Science 20:43 Funding for Science: Is there a better way? 24:53 Covid and Elasticity of Science 28:03 Let’s Switch to More Personal Questions! 30:55 What is Kyle’s Production Function of Research? 34:55 If he couldn’t be an economist, what would he be in a parallel universe? 36:35 What’s something you believe about research or academia that many others in economics don’t agree with? 38:43 “This or That?” 40:13 Never Have I Ever! | |||
| S2 E7: Capitalism without Capital, and Productivity Puzzles with Jonathan Haskel from Imperial College | 16 avr. 2025 | 00:48:29 | |
In this episode, our guest is Jonathan Haskel from Imperial College and we talked about productivity puzzle in the UK, general productivity slowdown, intangible capital, and finance! Current Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) 04:00 Productivity Puzzle in the UK 11:12 Productivity Slowdown and Intangible Capital 29:25 Finance and Intangible Capital Investment 35:34 Some “personal” questions! 41:53 Game on! This or That? | |||
| S2 E6: Inventors/Engineers, Directed Technical Change, and the British Industrial Revolution with Walker Hanlon from Northwestern University | 07 mars 2025 | 00:38:30 | |
In this episode, our guest is Walker Hanlon who is an Associate Professor in Economics at Northwestern University. We talked about if necessity is the mother of invention, different theories about directed technical change, why the British Industrial Revolution specifically persisted and more! 06:40 Necessity: the mother of invention? 08:20 What is directed technical change? 09:50 Theories on directed technical change 15:10 Laissez-Faire and Walker’s New Book! 20:00 Why did The British Industrial Revolution persist? 32:25 Cheezy Question and “This or That” Game! | |||
| S2 E5: Religion, Economic Growth, and the Protestant Ethic with Sascha Becker from the University of Warwick | 05 févr. 2025 | 00:51:59 | |
In this episode, our guest is Sascha Becker from the University of Warwick, and we talk about religion, how it is related to economic growth, Max Weber's theory on the Protestant Ethic, Erasmus, Luther, power dynamics, and more! 14:00 Religion and Economic Growth 17:00 Max Weber and The Protestant Ethic Theory 21:47 Digging for the Data 28:28 Objections from Various Disciplines 32:15 Diffusion of Ideas, and Innovations 35:59 Power Shift, Luther, and the Church 46:05 Cheezy Questions! 49:55 This or That? Who are you going to write a book with?! | |||
| S2 E4: Join the Green Growth Movement! with Robin Burgess from the LSE | 04 déc. 2024 | 00:56:12 | |
In this episode, our guest is Robin Burgess from the LSE and we talked about the direction that the Environmental Economics is taking, new datasets, approaches, tension between economic growth, and climate change, and more! Current Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) Podcast Owners: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) 01:30 Deforestation and Political Incentives 06:25 The Direction of Environmental Economics 10:50 A Personal Story by Robin Burgess and His Production Function 14:30 His New ERC Grant and The Projects Ahead! 21:00 Economic Growth and Climate Change Tension 25:40 Whose Turn(!) to Pollute? 34:30 Green Policies 42:50 Cheezy Questions!
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| S2 E3: Firms, Management Surveys, and Practices with Raffaella Sadun from HBS | 05 nov. 2024 | 00:42:20 | |
Our guest is Raffaella Sadun from Harvard Business School and we talk about organisations, managerial culture and capital, competition, natural disaster managements, and more! Don't miss out! 05:30 Productivity, Management, and World Management Survey 13:00 Through Which Channels Does Management Affect Productivity? 15:00 Key Factors Behind Good Management 18:41 What is "Managerial Capital"? And How to Find Them? 22:30 Decentralisation, Top Down vs Bottom Up Approach 28:00 How Did Management Practices Change As a Response to the Pandemic? 31:00 CEO Pay, and Gaps in the Literature 37:00 Cheezy Questions! | |||
| S2 E2: WW2, and Management as a Soft Technology with Michela Giorcelli from UCLA | 02 oct. 2024 | 00:47:46 | |
In this episode, our guest is Michela Giorcelli who is an applied microeconomist and economic historian from UCLA. We talk about the evolution of managerial practices, how policies during WW2 affected management and productivity, the "American Way of Business", and many more! Host: Ruveyda Gozen Podcast Owners: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) Time Stamps: 07:52 Historical Evolution of Management Practices 12:52 The Effects of WW2 on Management 20:55 Export of Management Practices to Japan 25:23 The American Way of Business 32:16 Cultural and Institutional Influences on Management 44:39 Gaps in the Literature 47:56 Cheezy Questions! | |||
| S02 E01: Financing Innovation with Sabrina Howell from NYU Stern | 04 sept. 2024 | 00:50:16 | |
In this episode, our guest is Sabrina Howell who is a Professor of Finance at the NYU Stern. We talk about how to finance innovations, fintechs, venture capitalists, private and public equity, and the role of government! Current Host: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) Podcast Owners: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) Time Stamps: 06:15 Financial Problems and Inventors: Equity Financing, Debt Financing, Private and Public Equity 11:05 Life Cycle Decisions of Innovation and Financing 19:49 Venture Capitalists, Gender, Minorities, and Entrepreneurship 27:10 Fintechs, and Access to Financial Services 28:36 Government Intervention, and Direction of Technology 36:30 Policy Suggestions, Theory and Practice 41:37 Gaps in the Literature 44:38 Cheezy Questions! | |||
| S1 E10: More Inclusive, More Innovative! with Philippe Aghion from LSE and College de France | 01 avr. 2024 | 00:45:12 | |
Our guest in this episode is Philippe Aghion! We talk about Marx, Schumpeter, creative destruction, capital accumulation, history, middle income countries, political economy, and more! | |||
| S1 E9: Taxation, Inequality, and Innovation with Stefanie Stantcheva from Harvard University | 05 mars 2024 | 00:51:42 | |
In this episode, our guest is Stefanie Stantcheva and we talked about taxation, incentives for inventors, history, slavery and wealth accumulation, zero-sum attitude towards immigrants, and more! Hosts: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) 08:30 Taxation and Innovations 13:30 Policy Implications of Taxes and Innovation Incentives 22:17 Historical Facts on Wealth Inequality in the US 28:08 Social Economics Lab: Attitudes towards Climate Change 38:15 Social Economics Lab: Zero-Sum Attitude, and Income Inequality 44:30 Cheezy Questions!
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| S1 E8: Power Dynamics, Elitism, and Innovations with Daron Acemoglu from MIT | 13 févr. 2024 | 00:47:59 | |
In this episode, our guest is Daron Acemoglu from MIT and we talked about innovation dynamics, automation, elitism, institutions, history, and more! 06:05 Automation and declining labor share 17:20 But why do firms choose (so-so) automation? 25:00 Education is a solution! Or is it NOT? 27:20 First Industrial Revolution, Social Change, Elitism 30:50 Democracy and automation 34:40 What will governments do then? Cheezy Questions: 40:40 What is Daron's production function? 42:00 Which economist or philosopher had the largest impact on your thinking? 43:30 Privilege to write a non-causal paper in Economics | |||
| S1 E7: Lost Talents, Inequality, and Innovations with Xavier Jaravel from LSE | 22 janv. 2024 | 00:35:28 | |
In this episode, we talk about lost talents or lost Einsteins and Marie Curies in an economy, the relationship between inequality, innovation, and inflation, and more! Let us know your thoughts, comments, and questions! 05:00 Lost Einsteins and Marie Curies 12:00 Creative Destruction and Inequality 20:00 Inflation, Inequality, and Innovation 25:00 Cheezy Questions! Hosts: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@jvanreenen) | |||
| S1 E6: Corporate Giants, Patent Trolls, and Litigation Wars with Naomi Lamoreaux from Yale University | 02 janv. 2024 | 00:50:00 | |
In this episode, our guest is Naomi Lamoreaux from Yale University. We dive into history to talk about big corporations, patent trolls and sharks, and litigation wars between companies! Take a look at this episode and let us know your thoughts @POID_cast on X or email us at lsepoidcast@gmail.com! Hosts: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) 02:55 Patents or Prizes for Innovations? 07:07 Litigation Wars and Property Rights 11:10 Who are Patent Trolls? 19:24 Standard Oil Company, Innovations, Mergers 28:55 What Does an Ideal Patent System Look Like? 38:04 Cheezy Questions! Any Strategies to Publish a Paper? 43:12 Mean (!) Comments by Referees | |||
| S1 E5: Production and Growth of Knowledge with Ben Jones from Northwestern University | 11 déc. 2023 | 01:02:10 | |
In this episode, our guest is Ben Jones from Northwestern University. We are talking about how production of knowledge has changed over time, whether gender-diverse teams perform better, whether we have a bias towards multi-authored papers, immigration, age, and entrepreneurship, and more! Take a look at this episode and let us know your thoughts @POID_cast on X or email us at lsepoidcast@gmail.com! Hosts: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) 06:00 Production of Knowledge 09:40 Multiple Co-authors and Gender: Who Gets the Credit? 25:00 Burden of Knowledge 33:00 Immigration and Entrepreneurship 41:00 Age and Entrepreneurship 46:30 Cheezy Questions! | |||
| S1 E4: Medical Innovations, Patents, and Exclusivities with Heidi Williams from Dartmouth College | 20 nov. 2023 | 01:00:06 | |
Why isn't there a solution for cancer? Is there an incentive problem in the economy? What are exclusivities? To hear about these questions and for more, join us in this episode! For your questions and comments: @POID_cast (X) and lsepoidcast@gmail.com (email) Hosts: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) | |||
| S1 E3: Unorthodox Methodologies on Innovation with Petra Moser from NYU Stern | 30 oct. 2023 | 00:58:18 | |
In this episode, we talk about new or unorthodox ways of measuring innovation with Petra Moser. Are patents a necessary condition for innovation? Which one is better: a patent system or secrecy? How does immigration affect innovations? How does motherhood affect productivity? And her experience and suggestions as an economist and economic historian. Let us know what you think! Email: lsepoidcast@gmail.com X: @POID_cast Hosts: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) and John Van Reenen (@jvanreenen) | |||
| S1 E2: Science, Superstar Scientists, and Innovation with Pierre Azoulay from MIT | 16 oct. 2023 | 00:50:49 | |
In this episode, we dive into the production of science with Pierre Azoulay from MIT Sloan School of Management. We dig deeper the relationship between science and technology, how they feed into each other, the impact of superstar scientists, and policies to encourage innovation, and more! Email us at lsepoidcast@gmail.com OR X it out here: @POID_cast Hosts: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) & John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) 03:45 Interdisciplinary vs Pluri-disciplinary Academic Research 06:18 How does science feed into technology and vice versa? 10:24 The production function of science 14:50 Does science progress one funeral at a time? 37:20 What is Pierre's production function of research? | |||
| S1 E1: Economics of Creative Destruction with Ufuk Akcigit from the University of Chicago | 02 oct. 2023 | 01:10:10 | |
In this episode, we dive into "The Economics of Creative Destruction" with Ufuk Akcigit. We talk about what creative destruction is, how this notion evolved over time, the dynamics between firms and political institutions, developing economies, and more! Email us at lsepoidcast@gmail.com OR X it out here: @POID_cast Hosts: Ruveyda Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) & John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) 2:30 What is creative destruction, and how did this notion evolve over time? 20:30 Defensive Innovation through Political Connections and Patent Thickets or Innovation Pushing the Frontier? 25:00 Superstar Firms, Market Power, and Innovation 37:30 Diffusion of Innovation and Barriers in Developing Economies 41:30 Frontier Research and Potential Research Questions on Innovation 50:30 Green Innovation 54:00 Robert Lucas 58:14 Ups and Downs, Successes and Failures | |||
| S1 E0: What is the Innovation and Diffusion Podcast? | 24 sept. 2023 | 00:19:08 | |
Welcome to the Innovation and Diffusion Podcast! In this episode, we introduce what this podcast is about, why we do this podcast, and give you a quick glimpse of what's awaiting you in the upcoming episodes! For any comments and suggestions, please email us at lsepoidcast@gmail.com or Twitter @POID_cast Hosts: Ruveyda Nur Gozen (@ruveyda_gozen) & John Van Reenen (@johnvanreenen) The Economic and Social Research Council funds this podcast through the Programme on Innovation and Diffusion (POID) at the London School of Economics and Political Science. | |||