Macro Musings

Larry White is a professor of economics at George Mason University and is a returning guest to the show. He rejoins Macro Musings to talk about stablecoins, the history of free banking, and money market funds reform. Specifically, David and Larry also discuss the critiques levied against stablecoins, their impact on the banking system, and why stablecoins could be considered the new version of money market mutual funds.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Larry’s Twitter: @lawrencewhite1 Larry’s GMU profile: https://economics.gmu.edu/people/lwhite11 Larry’s Alt-M profile: https://www.alt-m.org/author/white/   Related Links:   *Should We Fear Stablecoins?* by Larry White https://www.alt-m.org/2021/06/24/should-we-fear-stablecoins/   *Taming Wildcat Stablecoins* by Gary Gorton and Jeffery Zhang https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3888752   *Overview of the Recent Events and Potential Reform Options for Money Market Funds* by the Pr

Jerusalem Demsas is a policy reporter for Vox and joins David on Macro Musings to discuss the state of housing in America and its implications for policy. Specifically, Jerusalem and David discuss the current state of the housing market, whether there is a housing bubble, how the housing shortage creates avenues for discrimination, the dynamics of racism in the US housing market, the impact of zoning laws, and much more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Jerusalem’s Twitter: @JerusalemDemsas Jerusalem’s Vox archive: https://www.vox.com/authors/jerusalem-demsas   Related Links:   *Housing Constraints and Spatial Misallocation* by Chang-Tai Hsieh and Enrico Moretti https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/mac.20170388   *Is There a Housing Bubble?* by Jerusalem Demsas https://www.vox.com/22464801/housing-bubble-market-crash-supply-shortage-great-recession   *Stuck! The Law and Economics of Residential Stagnation* by David Schleicher https://

Scott Sumner is the Ralph G. Hawtrey Chair of Monetary Policy at the Mercatus Center. Scott joins David on Macro Musings to discuss Milton Friedman's views and what he might say about some of the recent developments in monetary policy. Specifically, Scott and David talk about nominal interest rates as indicators of the stance of monetary policy, fiscal austerity as means of reducing excessive aggregate demand, Friedman’s critique of the Phillips curve and wage and price controls, what Friedman might have said about the recent inflation numbers, and much more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Scott’s automated Twitter: @MoneyIllusion Scott’s blog: https://www.themoneyillusion.com/ Scott’s Mercatus profile: https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/scott-sumner   Related Links:   *Friedman's Smashing Success­­* by Scott Sumner https://www.econlib.org/friedmans-smashing-success/   *Inflation is a Nominal Phenomenon* by Scott Sumner https://www.econlib.o

Skanda Amarnath is the executive director of Employ America and a former hedge fund economist. He rejoins Macro Musings to talk about the fate of the Phillips Curve, the inflation outlook, the Fed’s new framework, and his vision for a better monetary policy future. David and Skanda also discuss the Fed’s flawed assessment of maximum employment, how to modify the central bank’s Summary of Economic Projections, and the significance of capacity constraints vs labor utilization.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Skanda’s Twitter: @IrvingSwisher Skanda’s Employ America archive: https://employamerica.org/author/skandaamarnath/ Skanda’s Medium profile: https://medium.com/@skanda_97974   Related Links:   *Beyond the Phillips Curve: A Dynamic Approach to Communicating Assessments of 'Maximum Employment'* by Skanda Amarnath and Alex Williams https://employamerica.medium.com/beyond-the-phillips-curve-a-dynamic-approach-to-communicating-assessments-of-ma

Agustin Carstens leads the Bank for International Settlements or the BIS in his role as general manager and previously served as the governor of the Bank of Mexico. He also served as the deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Agustin joins David on Macro Musings to discuss the new BIS 2021 annual report. Specifically, David and Agustin discuss the macroeconomic developments of the past year, the distributional footprint of monetary policy, the evolving role of central banking, and the outlook for central bank digital currency (CBDC).   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Agustin’s BIS profile: https://www.bis.org/author/agust%C3%ADn_carstens.htm   Related Links:   *Annual Economic Report 2021* by the BIS https://www.bis.org/publ/arpdf/ar2021e.htm   U.S. Monetary Policy and the Global Financial Cycle* by Silvia Miranda-Agrippino and Hélène Rey https://academic.oup.com/restud/article/87/6/2754/5834728?login=true   David’s blog

Jason Furman is a former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and is currently a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Jason is also a professor at Harvard University and he rejoins Macro Musings to talk about overheating, the inflation outlook, and the right way to think about fiscal policy in an era of low interest rates.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Jason’s Twitter: @jasonfurman Jason’s Harvard profile: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/jason-furman Jason’s PIIE profile: https://www.piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/jason-furman   Related Links:   *A Reconsideration of Fiscal Policy in the Era of Low Interest Rates* by Jason Furman and Larry Summers https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/mrcbg/programs/growthpolicy/reconsideration-fiscal-policy-era-low-interest-rates-jason   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

Steffen Murau is a political economist at the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University and specializes in international money and finance. He joins Macro Musings to talk about the Eurozone, its role within international monetary architecture, and the future of the dollar zone. They also discuss balance sheet hierarchies, the roles of European banks compared to their American counterparts, and the fiscal ecosystem present within the Eurozone.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Steffen’s Twitter: @steffenmurau Steffen’s website: https://steffenmurau.com/ Steffen’s GDPC profile: https://www.bu.edu/gdp/profile/steffen-murau/   Related Links:   *A Macro-Financial Model of the Eurozone Architecture Embedded in the Global Offshore US-Dollar System* by Steffen Murau https://www.bu.edu/gdp/files/2020/07/Murau-Eurozone-architecture.pdf   *The Hierarchy of the Offshore US-Dollar System: On Swap Lines, the FIMA Repo Facility and Special Drawi

Dan Smith is an associate professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University and directs the Political Economy Research Institute at MTSU. Alex Salter is an associate professor of economics at Texas Tech University. Dan and Alex join David on a special live episode of Macro Musings to discuss their new book, Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions. Specifically, they discuss knowledge and incentive problems in setting monetary policy, what is meant by “rule of law,” how to make monetary policy accountable, centralized versus decentralized forms of digital currencies, thoughts on free banking, and much more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Alex’s Twitter: @alexwsalter Alex’s website: https://www.awsalter.com/ Alex’s Free Market Institute profile: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/freemarketinstitute/people/salter.php   Daniel’s Twitter: @smithdanj1 Daniel’s website: http://www.danieljosephsmith.com/a

David Andolfatto is a vice president for the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank and has published widely in the field of monetary economics. David also blogs at MacroMania and is a returning guest to the podcast. He rejoins Macro Musings to talk about his thoughts on macro theory, plumbing issues, central bank digital currency, and more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   David’s Twitter: @dandolfa David’s St. Louis Fed profile: https://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/leadership-governance/bank-officers/executive-bios/david-andolfatto   Related Links:   *Some Thoughts on Central Bank Digital Currency* by David Andolfatto https://www.cato.org/cato-journal/spring/summer-2021/some-thoughts-central-bank-digital-currency   *Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee: April 27-28, 2021* by the Fed https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/fomcminutes20210428.pdf   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

Mark Carney served as the governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 until 2013, and as the governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020. Mark also was the chairman of the Financial Stability Board from 2011 to 2018. Mark is currently the Vice Chairman and Head of Impact Investing at Brookfield Asset Management, as well as a UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance. Mark joins David on Macro Musings to discuss his new book *Value(s): Building a Better World for All*, as well as his career in central banking. Specifically, they discuss Mark’s experience at the Bank of Canada during the Great Recession, nominal GDP targeting and average inflation targeting as central bank frameworks, the future of central bank digital currencies, dollar dominance and the shadow banking system, the role of central banks and the financial sector in combating climate change, and much more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Mark’s Twitter: @MarkJCarney Mar

George Selgin is the director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives and is a returning guest to the podcast. He rejoins Macro Musings to talk about the Fed’s recent calls for comments on opening up Fed accounts to fintechs and other non-bank financial firms. George and David also discuss monetary plumbing issues, the state of fiscal QE, and more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   George’s Twitter: @GeorgeSelgin George’s Cato Institute profile: https://www.cato.org/people/george-selgin   Related Links:   *Keeping Fintech’s Promise: A Modest Proposal* by George Selgin https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/552614-keeping-fintechs-promise-a-modest-proposal   *Central Bank Digital Currency as a Potential Source of Financial Instability* by George Selgin https://www.cato.org/cato-journal/spring/summer-2021/central-bank-digital-currency-potential-source-financial-instability   *Federal Reserve Board Invites Public Com

Adam Posen is the President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Previously, Adam was on the monetary policy committee of the Bank of England. He has also worked at the New York Fed and has advised many central banks and governments. Adam is also a returning guest to the podcast and re-joins Macro Musings to discuss his new article, “The Price of Nostalgia: America's Self-Defeating Economic Retreat.” Specifically, David and Adam discuss the Fed’s new framework, secular stagnation, the economic impact of demographic changes, the China shock, and how the new political consensus on trade, growth, and the American middle class is short-sighted and self-defeating.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Adam’s Twitter: @AdamPosen Adam’s PIIE profile: https://www.piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/adam-s-posen   Related Links:   *The Price of Nostalgia: America's Self-Defeating Economic Retreat* by Adam Posen https://www.foreignaffa

Judge Glock is an economic historian, a scholar at the Cicero Institute, and a returning guest to the podcast. Judge rejoins Macro Musings to talk about the origins of the US mortgage market as detailed in his new book, *The Dead Pledge: The Origins of the Mortgage Market and Federal Bailouts, 1913-1939*. David and Judge also discuss the emergence and evolution of the national US mortgage market, the price parity movement, the history of federal land banks, and more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Judge’s Twitter: @judgeglock Judge’s blog: https://judgeglock.medium.com/    Related Links:   *The Dead Pledge: The Origins of the Mortgage Market and Federal Bailouts, 1913-1939* by Judge Glock https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-dead-pledge/9780231192538   *The “Riefler-Keynes” Doctrine and Federal Reserve Policy in the Great Depression* by Judge Glock https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/51/2/297/137129/The-Riefler-Keynes-Doctrine-a

Christina Parajon Skinner is a legal scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, and formerly was a legal counsel to the Bank of England. Christina joins David on Macro Musings to discuss her work on central bank activism. Specifically, David and Christina discuss comparisons between the Fed and the Bank of England, tensions between central bank independence and executive override, contemporary examples of central bank activism, and much more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Christina’s Twitter: @CParaSkinner Christina’s Wharton profile: https://lgst.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/skinnerc/   Related Links:   *Executive Override of Central Banks: A Comparison of the Legal Frameworks in the United States and the United Kingdom* by Michael Salib & Christina Parajon Skinner https://www.law.georgetown.edu/georgetown-law-journal/in-print/volume-108-issue-4-april-2020/executive-override-of-central-banks-a-comparison-of-the-legal-frameworks-in-the-u

Robert McCauley is a Senior Fellow at the Global Policy Center at Boston University and a Senior Research Associate of the Global History of Capitalism project at the Oxford Center for Global History. Robert also worked at the Bank for International Settlements for 25 years and the New York Federal Reserve Bank for 14 years, and he joins Macro Musings to discuss questions surrounding the global domain of the dollar. Specifically, Robert and David talk about how the US currency rose to prominence internationally in the 1950s, the size and influence of the global dollar zone, dilemmas imposed by dollar demand worldwide, and more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Robert’s Boston University profile: https://www.bu.edu/gdp/profile/robert-mccauley/ Robert’s BIS archive: https://www.bis.org/author/robert_n_mccauley.htm   Related Links:   *The Global Domain of the Dollar: Eight Questions* by Robert McCauley https://www.bu.edu/gdp/files/2021/02/McCau

Antonio Fatás is a professor of economics at INSEAD, an international business school with campuses in Singapore, France, and Abu Dhabi. Antonio joins David on Macro Musings to talk about hysteresis and the business cycle. Specifically, David and Antonio discuss the history of the academic literature on business cycle and trend, the impact of the Kydland and Prescott model, and how endogenous growth models play into hysteresis.   Support Macro Musings and get a free NGDP targeting mug: https://donate.mercatus.org/mug/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=hyperlink&utm_campaign=mug   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Antonio’s INSEAD profile: https://faculty.insead.edu/fatas/ Antonio’s Twitter: @AntonioFatas   Related Links:   *Hysteresis and the Business Cycle* by Valerie Cerra, Antonio Fatás, and Sweta Saxena https://faculty.insead.edu/fatas/hysteresis.pdf   *Time to build and aggregate fluctuations* by F.E. Kydland and E.C. Prescott https:

Matteo Maggiori is an associate professor of economics at Stanford University and joins David on Macro Musings to talk about global capital flows, reserve currencies, and the international monetary system. Specifically, David and Matteo also discuss the details of the Global Capital Allocation Project, the US and its status as banker to the world, the possibility we could see a major run on the dollar in the near future, and more.   Support Macro Musings and get a free mug: https://donate.mercatus.org/mug/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=hyperlink&utm_campaign=mug   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Matteo’s Twitter: @m_maggiori Matteo’s website: https://www.matteomaggiori.com/ Matteo’s Stanford profile: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/matteo-maggiori   Related Links:   The Global Capital Allocation Project: https://www.globalcapitalallocation.com/   *The Rise of the Dollar and Fall of the Euro as International Cu

Scott Skyrm is the Executive Vice President in Fixed Income and Repo at Curvature Securities. Scott joins David on Macro Musings to discuss REPO markets, where they have been and where they are going. Specifically, Scott and David discuss the role of broker-dealers like Curvature Securities in the repo market, how repo markets are tied to treasury markets and government deficit financing, why repo rates have recently entered negative territory, potential reforms to the repo market, and much more.   Support Macro Musings and get a free mug: https://donate.mercatus.org/mug/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=hyperlink&utm_campaign=mug   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Scott’s Twitter: @ScottSkyrm Scott’s Bio: http://curvaturesecurities.com/our-team/#1540493883550-e8ec7543-62d3   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

Ed Nelson is a Senior Advisor in the Monetary Affairs Division of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Ed has also previously been a professor and has worked at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, as well as the Bank of England. Returning to the podcast, Ed re-joins Macro Musings to talk about his new book, *Milton Friedman and the Economic Debate in the United States: 1932-1972*. Ed and David specifically discuss the life and work of Milton Friedman, as they explore his journey into monetarism, his contributions to the quantity theory of money, how he envisioned a money supply growth rule, and more.   Transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Ed’s website: https://sites.google.com/site/edwardnelsonresearch/ Ed’s Fed profile: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/edward-nelson.htm   Related Links:   *Milton Friedman and the Economic Debate in the United States, 1932-1972: Volume 1* by Edward Nelson https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books

Dan Awrey is a professor of law at Cornell Law School, a financial markets regulation scholar, and the editor of the Journal of Financial Regulation. Dan joins David on Macro Musings to discuss how to promote greater financial innovation, financial inclusion, and alleviate the “too big to fail” problem by safely unbundling banking, money, and payments in our financial system. Dan and David also go on to discuss tensions in the global shadow banking system, the history of how banks evolved to play such a central role in our financial system, how the law has reinforced this bundling of the banks’ roles, and much more.   Transcript of the episode can be found here: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/tags/macro-musings   Dan’s Twitter: @DanAwrey Dan’s Cornell Law Profile: https://www.law.columbia.edu/faculty/daniel-awrey   Related Links:   *Unbundling Banking, Payments and Money* by Dan Awrey https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3776739   *Brother, Can You Spare a Dollar? Designing an Effective Framew