We often think about the economy as being driven by how productive we are on the job, but the pandemic made it clear that our personal lives and our work lives are in fact deeply linked. Betsey Stevenson is a labor economist who studies how families are shaped by their economic situations and the decisions that policymakers make. Stevenson is a professor at the University of Michigan and a former economic advisor to the Obama administration. Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe spoke with Betsey Stevenson about her research into the powerful connections between our work and home life for the IMF series on extraordinary Women in Economics.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3X7ihML 

Economic progress improves lives, but it can also clash with some of the bigger development problems we face, like gender equality and the environment. Seema Jayachandran believes striking that balance is key to making economic development work for everyone. Jayachandran’s research has helped change gender attitudes in India’s schools, and conserve climate-critical forests in Uganda. Seema Jayachandran is a Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University and serves on the board of directors of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. In this podcast, Jayachandran talks about her work with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe as part of a special IMF series on extraordinary Women in Economics.

Transcript: http://bit.ly/3tW9Wz4

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Live simply so that others may simply live.” In this podcast, we hear from an economist who believes there is more to poverty reduction than just money. Sabina Alkire began her long career helping the poor doing volunteer work alongside the likes of Mother Teresa- then studying theology before turning to economics. Today, Alkire heads the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and is one of the creators of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which the United Nations uses to identify and help the most vulnerable people in the world. Journalist, Rhoda Metcalfe spoke with Sabina Alkire to discuss her work for our special series on extraordinary Women in Economics. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3bWv56W

In this episode of Women in Economics, economist Laura Carvalho speaks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about how growing up in Brazil in the 90s during its currency swings and hyperinflation drove her to become one of the country's most influential economists. Carvalho is a Professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Sao Paulo and the Director of the Research Center in Macroeconomics of Inequality. Her book, Brazilian Waltz - From Boom to Economic Chaos, was a best seller. Carvalho says Brazilians who understood basic economic principles fared better through the economic turbulence of that time.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3pN26pC

In this third episode of Women in Economics, distinguished British economist Diane Coyle speaks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about how the lack of diversity within the economic profession is holding it back. Coyle is the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and author of several books, some of which challenge conventional economic wisdom such as GDP. In this podcast, Coyle says economists need to start working with other disciplines if they are to live up to the influence they have in public policy and help deliver solutions to the complex challenges the world is now facing. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3DydryE

Look for the review of Diane Coyle's latest book Cogs and Monsters in the Fall edition of Finance and Development. IMF.org/fandd

The Women in Economics series showcases extraordinary work by extraordinary women in a field dominated by men. In this second episode, journalist Rhoda Metcalfe speaks with Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at University of Massachusetts Amherst, whose work on gender issues and the public value of care work gives voice to the unpaid caregivers who form the economic base for societies around the world. In this podcast, Ghosh says our whole notion of productivity is skewed because most care work is not captured in GDP.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3lUclqA

Inclusion doesn't just happen; it takes policies that intentionally serve the very specific purpose of ensuring inclusion. That is the focus of Rohini Pande's work these days as the Director of Yale's Economic Growth Center. Pande is one of the most influential development economists of her generation, always looking for ways for the poor to increase their influence and claim their fair share of growth. In this podcast, Pande speaks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about how tackling poverty depends less on direct aid and more on creating effective democratic institutions so that vulnerable populations can push their representatives to implement redistributive policies.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/37lughM

Read Rohini Pande's profile at IMF.org/fandd