x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

Tune into the Backstory Podcast with hosts Riccardo Di Cato, Aakash Bhalothia, Santiago Cantillo, and Maddison Erbabian for a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes process of economic research. Each episode unpacks the hidden journey from a paper"s conception to its publication, sharing the challenges and triumphs scholars face along the way. Conceptualized by Paul Niehaus and brought to life by UCSD grad students, Backstory gives voice to the stories that academia often leaves untold.

science social sciences

All Episodes

00:20:25

Backstory: Paul Christian on Balancing Equity and...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/10/22

Precious speaks with Paul Christian, an Economist in the Development Impact (DIME) Department at the World Bank, whose research explores how agricultural and food security programs can better target and manage irrigation and subsidy projects across the Global South. Paul shares the story behind his paper “Shaping Productive and Progressive Agricultural Subsidies in Mozambique,” which examines how the design of subsidy price schedules can influence both productivity and equity. He reflects on what

en

00:22:32

Backstory: Dean Spears on After the Spike:...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/10/14

Santiago speaks with Dean Spears, a Professor at University of Texas at Austin. Dean shares the backstory of his new book with Michael Geruso. He tells us how he bridges working across economics, demography and ethics and why he thinks we should all engage in the topic of depopulation. His new book is available here: https://deanspears.net/books/after-the-spike-population-progress-and-the-case-for-people/

en

00:27:36

Backstory: Maddie McKelway on Household Communication...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/10/09

Join Maddison as she speaks with Madeline McKelway, an Assistant Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College. Maddie shares the backstory behind her paper with Namrata Kala, "The Power of Persuasion: Causal Effects of Household Communication on Women's Employment." She also shares her experience navigating field work and getting started with RCTs.The working paper can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LgQtwvTMExxf49YvnkgWugxhffJ2rqlF/view

en

00:23:30

Backstory: Yasir Khan on Credit Policy for Minorities

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/08/28

In this episode, Maddison interviews Yasir Khan, an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh, about the backstory behind his paper coauthored with S.K. Ritadhi, “Economic and Political Consequences of Credit Policy for Minorities: Evidence from India.” Yasir also shares his experience and his advice about starting and navigating collaborations in grad school.The working paper can be found here: https://y-khan.github.io/yasirkhan.org/khan_ritadhi_minority.pdf

en

00:22:33

Backstory: Oeindrila Dube on Conflict and Contact Theory

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/08/07

In this episode, Santiago interviews Oeindrila Dube about her work in progress "Can Contact Reduce Conflict? Experimental Evidence from Nigeria", coauthored with Soeren Henn and James Robinson. Oeindrila discusses the importance of keeping an eye out for interesting stories that can become new projects, as well as how to conduct research in sensitive places and the process of teaming up with NGOs.

en

00:33:00

Backstory: Backstory: Loren Brandt on Labor Force...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/04/28

In this episode, Riccardo interviews Loren Brandt about the paper “Labor Force Participation and Structural Change,” coauthored with Chaoran Chen and Xiaoyun Wei. Loren reflects on his journey into research and academia, from his early work on China’s economy to the broader questions that have guided his career. He explains what it takes to build a coherent research agenda and why he found academia the best path for exploring the questions that interest him.

en

00:23:10

Backstory: Nathan Nunn on Zero-Sum Environments, the...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/04/24

Join Riccardo as he talks to Nathan Nunn about his paper “Zero‑Sum Environments, the Evolution of Effort‑Suppressing Beliefs, and Economic Development.” They explore how Nathan’s idea‑generation process has evolved over the years, the value of reading beyond economics, and the challenges and rewards of bringing insights from other disciplines into economic research. Nathan also offers a behind‑the‑scenes perspective on what it’s like to break new ground in economics and how that shapes both the

en

00:37:34

Backstory: Raúl Sánchez de la Sierra on Unbundling...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/04/21

Riccardo talks to Raúl Sánchez de la Sierra about the backstory of his paper “Moral Violence: Unbundling Social Preferences at the Heart of a Major Armed Group in Congo” (with Louis Dunia and Hilary Yu). This episode uncovers a unique journey that takes us back ten years, when Raúl was forging the connections and friendships that gave him access to the inner circles of Congolese armed groups. What makes this episode special is that we not only see how Raúl’s research developed and how he approaches

en

00:36:02

Backstory: Natalie Bau on Long-Term Effects of School...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/04/14

In this episdode, Maddison interviews Natalie Bau, Professor of Economics at UCLA, about the backstory behind her paper, "The Long-Term Effects of School Quality in a Low-Income Country: Evidence From 15 Years of Data" with Jishnu Das and Catherine Michaud-Leclerc. Natalie discusses how she and her coauthors conduct a unique panel survey in Pakistan, so that they can carefully study long-run effects of primary schooling. Natalie also shares advice about working on joint projects with

en

00:29:28

Backstory: David McKenzie on Problem Selection and...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/04/07

In this episode, Aakash speaks with David McKenzie about how he identifies research problems across his various agendas. David also discusses the differences between working as a researcher at the World Bank versus in academia, and shares the private and external benefits of creating public goods. Tune in to learn more!

en

00:27:10

Backstory: Francis Annan on the Economic Impacts of...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/04/01

In this episode, Aakash speaks to Francis Annan (UC Berkeley) about his paper titled "Randomized Entry", exploring how the entry of financial services firms impacts local economies. Francis shares the backstory of his collaboration with key industry stakeholders, his innovative approach to measuring economic outcomes, and insights on working with firms in challenging contexts.The working paper can be found here: https://www.nber.org/papers/w33134

en

00:18:53

Backstory: Gani Aldashev on How Institutions Affect...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/03/20

In this episode Santiago talks with Gani Aldashev, professor of Economics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, about the backstory of his paper, "Relationships in the Wild: How Institutions Affect the Governance of Firms", that discusses how the “best practices” for firm governance vary according to the strength of political institutions [Working paper

en

00:29:45

Backstory: Kelsey Jack on Drought, Adaptation, and...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/03/13

Join Riccardo as he talks to Kelsey Jack, Associate Professor at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, about the backstory of her paper, "Dodging Day Zero: Drought, Adaptation, and Inequality in Cape Town," which she coauthored with Alexander Abajian, Cassandra Cole, Kyle C. Meng, and Martine Visser. The working paper can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dbtb0k1v9ausmqhcipbry/day_zero-submitted-version.pdf?rlkey=lgdq1ng1kvvs32dhq7phrzlmy&e=2&dl=0

en

00:18:09

Backstory: Geodon Lim on Ethnic Proximity and Politics

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/03/06

In this episode, Santiago sits down with Gedeon Lim, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Hong Kong, to explore his research on migration, ethnic diversity, and nation-building. They delve into his paper "Ethnic Proximity and Politics: Evidence from Colonial Resettlement in Malaysia", which examines the long-term political impacts of a British colonial resettlement program in Malaysia. Gedeon shares the personal and professional journey behind this study, highlighting how

en

00:27:26

Backstory: Gaurav Khanna on The IT Boom and Other...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/02/27

Join Maddison as she speaks with Gaurav Khanna, Associate Professor of Economics at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. In this episode, Gaurav discusses his paper, “The IT Boom and Other Unintended Consequences of Chasing the American Dream,” coauthored with Nicolas Morales. Gaurav shares the backstory behind this paper, which started when he was in grad school. In this episode, we also learn how Gaurav and his coauthor integrate micro and macro methods in this paper, and his

en

00:28:28

Backstory: Michela Giorcelli on the Effects of...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2025/02/21

In this episode, Michela Giorcelli, Associate Professor of Economics at UCLA, discusses her paper, “The Effects of Business School Education on Manager Career Outcomes,” with Maddison. Tune in to learn about the development of this paper and the story behind how Michela collected unique historical data for this project and several of her other projects.

en

00:29:58

Backstory: Steven Brownstone on Labor Market Effects...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2024/11/18

Steven Brownstone, a job market candidate at UC San Diego, discusses his job market paper, “Labor Market Effects of Agricultural Mechanization: Experimental Evidence from India” with Maddison. Steven shares the insights he gained through developing his job market paper and running an RCT in India. Steven dives into the specifics about what goes into organizing an RCT and doing field work as a PhD student. He also tells us about his experience of working to integrate empirical work with economic

en

00:20:58

Backstory: Ellora Derenoncourt on Historical...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2024/09/16

Ellora Derenoncourt talks with Santiago about her research on the impact of past incarceration status on labor market outcomes in the US. Ellora shares how her interest in inequality and the ladder of opportunities led her to focus on the criminal justice system as an underlying mechanism.Ellora also shared her "one-stop shop" to look for archival data: https://www.hathitrust.org/. It's a consortium of libraries that recollects and digitizes data and great place to start looking for

en

00:26:36

Backstory: Susanna Berkouwer on Cooking, Health, and...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2024/08/19

Join Maddison as she speaks with Susanna Berkouwer, Assistant Professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode, they discuss Susanna's paper with Joshua Dean, "Cooking, Health, and Daily Exposure to Transient Air Pollution Peaks" in Kenya. Tune in to hear how Susanna started this project as a grad student and how it evolved into two different papers, including their job market paper. Susanna shares insight into their experimental design, the

en

00:31:47

Backstory: Erin Kelley on Value of Long Run Forecasts...

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made ·

2024/07/22

In this episode, Aakash talks to Erin Kelley about her project titled “Long-Range Forecasts as Climate Adaptation: Experimental Evidence from Developing-Country Agriculture." Erin shares some fascinating insights about developing and maintaining relationships in research, different types of field projects, and a great idea for testing early ideas: pitch it to your parents! Here is the link to the working paper, co-authored with Fiona Burlig, Amir Jina, Gregory V. Lane & Harshil Sahai:

en

41 results

Similar Podcasts

X Minus 1 - Old Time Radio Show

Inception Point Ai

Science, Spoken

WIRED

This Week in Space (Audio)

TWiT

DarshanTalks Podcast

Darshan Kulkarni

The Best of Coast to Coast AM

iHeartPodcasts and Coast to Coast AM