Podcasts by Pocket Dilemmas: big answers to big questions
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Transition Report 2021-22 launch from 2021-11-17T15:25:30
System upgrade: Delivering the digital dividend
Our report explores how advanced digitalisation has affected the economies where we invest.
The digitalisation process is destined...
COP26: what’s at stake for the EBRD regions from 2021-10-08T08:27:33
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COP26, or the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, will bring international stakeholders together to accelerate action towards the goals of ...
Robots v Covid-19: the future of work? from 2021-05-25T07:22:41
Robots v Covid-19: the future of work?
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“Telecommuting”, “quaranteams”, “doomscrolling”, “upperwear” and curating one’s Zoom backgroun...
Can finance reduce pollution during the Covid-19 crisis? from 2021-05-17T07:53:06
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With the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26) scheduled for November, governments are under growing pressure to meet their natio...
The EBRD at 30: what’s next? from 2021-04-16T08:50:34
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On the 15 April 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development opened its doors for business for the first time.
It was conceiv...
How to measure impact of multilateral lending from 2021-03-05T12:20:36
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The Multilateral development banks were set up after the Second World War to be the original impact investors, fighting poverty, inequality or more current...
Combatting inequality during and after Covid-19 from 2021-01-22T09:44:43
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Inequality is emerging as the “biggest policy challenge” during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, with the World Bank estimating that extreme global po...
The State Strikes Back: what is the role of the state post Covid-19? from 2020-11-11T13:52:50
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the key role of the state amidst managing public health and economic disaster. However, if the role of state is growing, is it actually a good thing? Thes...
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The growing mountain of debt: how Covid-19 is creating a big pile of debt and what to do with it from 2020-10-29T14:37:23
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It’s been almost a year since reports of a new strain of coronavirus first emerged. Even back then the IMF was sounding the alarm about the high and r...
Trade finance during the coronavirus pandemic from 2020-09-18T10:57:02
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The coronavirus pandemic has broken supply chains, closed off borders and disrupted international trade routes.
Trade, which in recent years ...
Fiscal policy and the post Covid-19 social contract from 2020-07-10T08:40:45
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The full cost of the coronavirus pandemic is still unknown. But state spending has skyrocketed as governments try to protect whole sectors and industr...
Is technology in the era of Covid-19 a threat to democracy? from 2020-06-15T07:23:41
The coronavirus pandemic has locked populations inside their houses and put millions under the spotlight of a new state-controlled panopticon, watching us and our movements in the name of public sa...
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Will capitalism survive the coronavirus pandemic? from 2020-06-08T12:14:07
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Joseph Stiglitz, Economist and Professor, Columbia University, Beata Javorcik, EBRD Chief Economist, and Roger Cohen,...
The future of capitalism post-coronavirus from 2020-05-19T09:37:29
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Will the coronavirus pandemic change capitalism forever? Could such changes lead to economies and societies which are more cohesive, inclusive and fai...
Coronavirus and the future of trust and populism from 2020-05-14T07:20:32
The recent 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed a dramatic turnaround in levels of popular trust in governments, from their lowest to highest ever recorded levels. Indeed, government is now the in...
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The Coronavirus pandemic and the future: a conversation with Ivan Krastev from 2020-05-06T07:33:39
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The coronavirus pandemic has already turned global politics and economics upside down. Are there lessons to be learnt from previous...
What does the coronavirus pandemic mean for gender inequality? from 2020-05-04T07:15:51
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The coronavirus pandemic is changing our attitude to far more than just public health. The ways we work, socialise and travel may ...
What does the coronavirus pandemic mean for impact investing? from 2020-04-27T08:22:41
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For all the loss of human life and damage to the economy inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic, could the disease herald opportuni...
How will the coronavirus pandemic affect the global economy? from 2020-04-17T08:00:33
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The economic and political impact of the coronavirus pandemic is growing more dramatic by the day. Millions of businesses and the jobs they supp...
Can open borders survive the coronavirus pandemic? from 2020-04-15T09:38:01
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More and more countries have responded to the coronavirus pandemic by closing themselves off from the rest of the world and shutti...
To reform or not to reform: the populism dilemma from 2019-12-11T07:00:33
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We say goodbye to our former Chief Economist Sergei Guriev and look back at his 3 years at the EBRD.
This special episode, recorde...
What is the future for our cities? from 2019-12-03T08:28:39
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Does the uncontrolled growth of large cities endanger smart and sustainable living?
From adaptive traffic lights to wooden sk...
What happened to the hopes and dreams of 1989? from 2019-11-07T09:58:18
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Join Jonathan Charles and Kerry Law on a journey to the region which breached the Berlin Wall and tore down the Iron Curtain in 19...
How to make Chernobyl safe for the future from 2019-06-19T09:13:06
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What are the lessons to be learnt from Chernobyl? How does one decommission a power plant which has been the site of the world’s...
What is the future of poverty? from 2019-05-29T08:43:14
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Earlier this year Bill Gates tweeted an infographic showing ‘how much life has improved over the last two centuries,’ particularly...
Mind the LGBTQI pay gap! from 2019-05-21T07:00:17
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How does sexual orientation affect the pay gap? While we often hear of the gender pay gap, we set about exploring how sexual pre...
Megatrends: Is the future already here? from 2019-05-14T12:56:40
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We recorded the most recent episode of Pocket Dilemmas in front of a live audience in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital Sarajevo, h...
Taking the cryptic out of cryptocurrencies from 2019-04-30T09:14:45
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What is the future of money? Are cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin a modern-day miracle or a mirage? We invited our very own Stua...
Age against the machine and the future of work from 2019-04-23T09:11:34
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What is the future of work? How will technology, automation and AI change our jobs and will we and our children actually have job...
Should algorithms rule the world? from 2019-04-15T08:13:21
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Should algorithms rule the world? Maybe they do so already and we just never noticed. Will they in fact do a better job than mere...
The Brexit dilemma and its impact on the EBRD regions from 2019-04-04T00:00
Episode One, dedicated to the origins of Brexit and its impact on the EBRD regions ( over 30 economies inside and outside the EU), was recorded in front of a live audience at our headquarters at th...
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Pocket Dilemmas: big answers to big questions from 2019-04-02T00:00
We're launching our new podcast, Pocket Dilemmas, dedicated to uncovering answers to the biggest questions of our time.
We begin new season with a very special live event on Why Brexit and its ...
Privatisation and state capitalism from 2018-06-28T10:29:18
Privatisation and state capitalism by EBRD
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Refugees and their hosts from 2018-06-07T09:09:14
In the new episode of our ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast, we discuss the challenges faced by refugees and the communities that host them. How can the private sector and international organisations help...
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Thinking about the world in 2018 from 2018-05-17T07:51:59
In this special ‘live’ edition of our podcast Pocket Economics, the EBRD’s Jonathan Charles discusses the challenges our world is currently facing with the FT’s Neil Buckley and, also from the EBRD...
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The future of development finance- part 2 from 2018-04-25T09:17:26
In the second part of our review of the future of development finance Owen Barder, Vice President at the Center for Global Development, discusses its current goals and challenges with Jonathan Char...
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What is green growth and why do we need it? from 2018-04-06T09:53:45
Is environmental protection compatible with continued global economic growth? Are economies put on a path to green growth? And which countries are leading the green race?
Listen to Sam Fa...
The future of development finance from 2018-03-20T09:19:31
What is the future of development finance? How important is the private sector to our efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals? In this edition of our ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast, Jonat...
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Does gender matter in lending? from 2018-03-08T15:11:05
A new episode of the ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast examines whether women are discriminated against when applying for loans.
Do banks treat women and men differently? Listen to Ralph de Haas ...
Integration and the Western Balkans from 2018-02-27T10:22:55
Special edition of the Pocket Economics podcast! Serbia’s Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic, shares with Jonathan Charles her thoughts on regional integration and the Western Balkans.
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The rise of populism from 2018-02-15T09:48:05
In the new episode of our 'Pocket Economics' podcast we discuss 'populism', one of the defining political terms of our 21st century.
Is populism a threat, something we should be afraid of?...
Youth and gender inclusion from 2018-01-31T10:56:05
On our new ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast: Youth and Gender Inclusion, we discuss equal opportunities in an unequal, increasingly changing world.
Listen to our EBRD’s lead inclusion economist,...
How to escape the middle-income trap from 2018-01-18T16:34:03
In the new episode of our ‘Pocket Economics’ podcast, we discuss the ‘middle-income trap’, namely the state of affairs whereby a developing economy becomes stuck at a certain level of income and ca...
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Private equity in emerging markets from 2017-12-21T14:16:21
How can equity help companies? Listen to Ça?atay Bircan, Principal Economist at the EBRD, on impact investing, the recent trends in private equity and whether equity has grown in emerging markets.
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China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative from 2017-12-07T10:07:47
What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative and how is it reshaping the world as we know it? Listen to our Managing Director for Economics, Policy & Governance, Mattia Romani, describe what is arguabl...
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How to prevent the next financial crisis from 2017-11-20T09:17:03
Are financial crises predictable? What conclusions can be drawn from the 2008 financial crisis and how can we prevent the next one? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with Tamim Bayou...
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The Great Soviet Experiment from 2017-11-09T10:01:48
What lessons can be drawn from the 1917 Russian Revolution and the seven decades of Soviet rule that followed it? Listen to a very special episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s very own Serge...
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The economic impact of natural disasters from 2017-11-01T09:22:59
What is the economic impact of natural disasters? How will the 21st century’s economic cycle and its weather cycle influence each other in an era of global warming? Listen to the latest episode of ...
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The corruption cycle from 2017-10-11T07:54:11
Does corruption beget more corruption? Why culture matters and what makes the difference between success and failure when a country is fighting corruption? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Ec...
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Innovation in firms, a recipe for growth from 2017-09-25T08:04:29
How do we define and measure innovation in firms? Why are companies afraid of innovating? What holds them back and how can we boost creativity, the driving force behind innovation? Listen to the la...
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The best of Pocket Economics from 2017-08-15T08:08:34
This special episode contains some of the highlights of our first year, the perfect soundtrack for your summer holiday!
Over the last 12 months the podcast has examined everything from microfi...
Pocket Economics: Why transition matters from 2017-07-20T00:00
Description: How should countries make the transition to market economies? How should they respond to the challenges of globalisation? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD...
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Pocket Economics: A new social contract for the Middle East and North Africa from 2017-06-26T08:30:25
How has the idea of a social contract been interpreted in the MENA region? Did the uprisings in the Arab world in 2010-11 come as a surprise to economists? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Ec...
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Pocket Economics: Courts and the economy from 2017-06-06T00:00
Description: What takes place behind the courts’ walls and how does this affect the performance of a market economy? How do we measure how effective a justice system is? Listen to the latest episod...
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Pocket Economics: Economic inclusion or equal opportunities for all from 2017-05-22T08:11:27
Why is economic inclusion one of the defining challenges of our time across the EBRD regions and beyond? What is the EBRD doing to close the inclusion gap? How does it affect the democratic process...
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Pocket Economics: Why ‘secular stagnation’ matters from 2017-04-10T12:57:06
What does secular stagnation mean for a market economy? What causes it and how could countries overcome it? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Sergei Guriev.
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Pocket Economics: How to make economies more resilient from 2017-03-20T00:00
What does resilience mean for a market economy? How can it become truly resilient to shocks and global challenges? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Mattia Romani and...
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Pocket Economics: Helping Women in Business from 2017-03-10T00:00
What challenges do women entrepreneurs face? What does it take to succeed as a woman in business? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with the EBRD’s Charlotte Ruhe.
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The cost of the gay pay gap from 2017-02-21T00:00
The latest episode of the Pocket Economics podcast looks at what it means to be gay or lesbian in the modern workplace, asking how sexuality affects salary levels. Cevat Giray Aksoy, Principal Eco...
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Pocket Economics: Family Empowerment from 2017-02-09T00:00
What is family empowerment? What role do families play in shaping modern economies? Listen to the latest episode of Pocket Economics with Oriana Bandiera, Professor of Economics at London School of...
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Life satisfaction and the pursuit of happiness from 2017-01-10T08:28:20
What makes us happy and how should we measure life satisfaction?
EBRD Chief Economist Sergei Guriev explains the findings of our Life in Transition Survey, the largest of its kind ever car...
Pocket Economics: Gender Equality from 2016-12-06T08:35:46
What is gender equality and why does it matter?
The EBRD’s Chief Counsellor for Social Issues and the Director of its Gender team, Michaela Bergman, discusses the importance of gender equality...
Pocket Economics: Inequality and how to fight it from 2016-11-16T00:00
How does inequality affect economic growth, the fate of reforms and people’s happiness?
EBRD Chief Economist Sergei Guriev discusses inequality and globalisation. Inequality is the central the...
Pocket Economics: Climate finance: picking up the tab for climate change from 2016-10-24T15:22:57
How much will it cost to combat climate change? And who should pay the bill? Who should contribute more: developed or developing countries?
Climate change is fast, expensive and the scale of th...
Pocket Economics: Political Economy and Reforms: the popularity paradox from 2016-10-04T00:00
Do reformers have to be popular to be successful? It’s a conundrum thinkers have agonised over for centuries. Our guest, the EBRD’s Chief Economist, Sergei Guriev, looks at how the concept of polit...
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Pocket Economics: Microfinance from 2016-09-21T00:00
Microcredit used to be regarded as a tool that, by funding the creation and expansion of microenterprises, could help lift households out of poverty. However, in recent years, the notion that micro...
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