Bridget Fisher is a researcher and communications specialist with a background in government and public affairs. Before joining SCEPA, she was a senior press officer in The New School’s communications department working with social science departments across the university. She came to higher education from government. In New York, she served as chief of staff for a member of the New York City Council and director of communications for the Working Families Party. On Capitol Hill, she served as press secretary and legislative assistant for a member of the U.S. Congress. Bridget graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor's degree in public communication and women’s studies. She received her master's degree in public administration with a focus on urban economic development from CUNY's Baruch College.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Schooling and Lifetime Earnings
Lauren Schmitz, New School for Social Research Economics Alum and Michigan University Professor, discussed, "Genetic and Environmental Influences on Schooling and Lifetime Earnings"
April 2, 2019
4:00pm - 6:00pm
The New School
6 East 16th Street, Room 1009
The event was part of the Spring 2019 Seminar Series hosted by SCEPA and The New School Economics Department.
Before Defying Comparative Advantage: Ha-Joon Chang and Justin Lin's Debate Revisited
Ying Chen of The New School for Social Research will discuss "Before Defying Comparative Advantage: Ha-Joon Chang and Justin Lin's Debate Revisited."
March 26, 2019
4:00pm - 6:00pm
The New School
6 East 16th Street, Room 1009
The event is part of the Spring 2019 Seminar Series hosted by SCEPA and The New School Economics Department.
Why Did Milton Friedman Change His Mind About the Phillips Curve?
James Forder of Balliol College at Oxford will discuss "Why Did Milton Friedman Change His Mind About the Phillips Curve?"
March 12, 2019
4:00pm - 6:00pm
The New School
6 East 16th Street, Room 1009
The event is part of the Spring 2019 Seminar Series hosted by SCEPA and The New School Economics Department.
A Noble but Failed Attempt by R.T. Ely, A.W. Small and the German Historical School to Influence U.S. Social Science (1890-1930)
Guillaume Vallet of Grenoble Alps University will discuss "A Noble but Failed Attempt by R.T. Ely, A.W. Small and the German Historical School to Influence U.S. Social Science (1890-1930)"
March 5, 2019
4:00pm - 6:00pm
The New School
6 East 16th Street, Room 1009
The event is part of the Spring 2019 Seminar Series hosted by SCEPA and The New School Economics Department.
Hudson Yards: The Cost of Redevelopment
Tax increment financing (TIF) has exploded in popularity on the municipal finance landscape as cities increasingly compete for scarce public resources to fund economic development projects.
The authors presented a case study of the Hudson Yards redevelopment project in New York City, the country’s largest TIF-type project. The analysis reveals a project that, rather than being “self-financing,” cost the city $2.2 billion, largely due to tax breaks to incentivize development and standard development risks and costs. The authors conclude that positioning TIF and its variants as “self-financing” is incomplete and that analyzing costs and risks associated with TIF and TIF-variant projects is necessary to provide a robust cost-benefit analysis to those municipalities considering its implementation. The study was covered by Gothamist and the New York Post.
Speakers:
Bridget Fisher, Associate Director, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA)
Bridget Fisher is a communications specialist with a background in government and public affairs. Before joining SCEPA, she was a senior press officer in The New School’s communications department working with social science departments across the university. She came to higher education from government. In New York, she served as chief of staff for a member of the New York City Council and director of communications for the Working Families Party. On Capitol Hill, she served as press secretary and legislative assistant for a member of the U.S. Congress. Bridget graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor's degree in public communication and women’s studies. She received her master's degree in public administration with a focus on urban economic development from CUNY's Baruch College.
Flávia Leite, SCEPA Research Associate
Flávia Leite holds a MS in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from Milano (2017) and a BA in economics from the University of São Paulo (2014). She is currently working as an advisor at São Paulo Parcerias, a mixed capital company linked to the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil. She is also a research assistant at SCEPA, investigating the financing structure and impacts of the Hudson Yards Project in NYC. Her areas of specialization are urban planning and development and housing policy. Previously she served as an analyst at P3urb, a Brazilian Consultancy, as Public Policy fellow for the Citizens Budget Commission in NYC and interned for the International Finance Corporation (IFC-The World Bank).
This event was part of the Kea Fiedler Spring 2019 Research Colloquium.
Older Men’s Bargaining Power Hit by 36% Decrease in Job Tenure
December 2018 Unemployment Report for Workers Over 55
What if Anything is Wrong with Bequest
Stefan Gosepath of Freie University in Berlin will discuss "What if Anything is Wrong with Bequest."
February 26, 2019
4:00pm - 6:00pm
The New School
6 East 16th Street, Room 1009
The event is part of the Spring 2019 Seminar Series hosted by SCEPA and The New School Economics Department.
Anti- Austerity: Lerner’s Functional finance at 75
Stephanie Kelton, NSSR Econ Alum and Stony Brook University Professor and Mark Blyth, Brown University Professor will discuss "Anti-Austerity: Lerner's Functional Finance at 75."
February 19, 2019
4:00pm - 6:00pm
The New School
6 East 16th Street, Room 1009
The event is part of the Spring 2019 Seminar Series hosted by SCEPA and The New School Economics Department.
How Inequality & Climate Change Impede Sustainable Growth
The "yellow vests" protest in France against fuel tax increases intended to combat climate change shows that people care about the unequal impacts of policies—actual and perceived.
Globalization and economic policies such as deregulation, free capital flows, and austerity, are perceived to have increased inequality. Policies to mitigate climate change and its consequences, such as disasters and damages, also pose a challenge to equity and fairness for national economies. How does inequality affect growth, and how can we design policies to foster globalization and tackle climate change in a way that is inclusive and sustainable?
This was the question addressed on February 7th as part of SCEPA's Economics of Climate Change Speaker Series, as academics, researchers, and policy analysts came together to discuss policies that balance economic growth with equality and climate change mitigation.
The evening began with a discussion of the relationship between inequality and economic growth, as IMF authors Jonathan Ostry and Prakash Loungani presented the findings of their new book Confronting Inequality: How Societies Can Choose Inclusive Growth. Ostry argued that inequality is bad for growth, and that countries are free to, and should, choose policies that can foster both equality and growth. You can view his presentation here. Loungani, whose presentation you can find here, linked their work to one of the biggest challenges for equity in modern economies: climate change. Climate disasters reinforce existing disadvantages as the poor are both the most exposed and the most vulnerable. In turn, they become less prepared for the next disaster, perpetuating a downward cycle.
Harvard Economist Dani Rodrik doubled down on the notion that inequality is not our destiny, contrary to stories of the inevitable trade-off between equity and efficiency and the cost of redistribution. Countries are free to, and should, choose globalization and trade policies that empower labor and civil society interests instead of financial institutions and the elite, he said. Rodrik argued that, as with globalization, technological change does not have to be the enemy of low-wage workers. Instead, we are capable of ensuring that new technology can lift up low-skilled workers by helping them do the jobs of more skilled workers.
Finally, New School for Social Research Alum and World Bank Consultant Erin Hayde asked, how can we design successful climate policy? She examined real-world examples, highlighting the success of carefully designed carbon pricing and targeted compensation in Iran and British Columbia. You can view her presentation here.
A brief discussion and Q+A period followed the formal remarks, with questions addressing a shift in economic thinking, including "Do you accept that there has to be a fundamental rethinking of our (economic) premises very broadly?;" "Is there going to be consensus in the economic field about the necessity to reduce inequality?;" and, "Will economists have difficulty finding political means to advance what they know is true?"
The event was hosted by SCEPA's Economics of Climate Change project, headed by economist Willi Semmler and generously supported by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. We thank Parsons Dean Joel Towers for joining us and making opening remarks.
Old Age Poverty: Single Women & Widows
The rates of elder poverty among widows and single women are higher than among couples and men.
