The Center for Research in Emerging Economies, or CREE, (formerly Centre for Asia Pacific Business Research, Economics and Innovation) aims to serve the business and academic communities by bringing together researchers and industry leaders to conduct high quality research on current and emerging issues globally. It aims to facilitate constructive dialogues to have a significant impact in the economic and business advancement. In addition to engaging in research activities, CREE is also expected to serve as a discussion forum for advancement of business research, economics, and innovations in this region.
The Center for Research in Emerging Economies hosted a galaxy of globally renowned academicians in its Inspiration Lecture Series. In Fall 2020, the Center organized 17 Inspiration Lectures on a diverse array of topics, ranging from social networks and productivity to universal basic income, from optimum urban reopening policy post-COVID-19 to the increasing ubiquity of artificial intelligence across multiple domains, from comprehending pillars of responsible business to relating our present financial decision-making with our future self.
The Fall 2020 Inspiration lectures had three main focus areas:
The speakers in the Series were from top global institutions such as London School of Economics, San Francisco State University, Kings College London, UCLA, Northeastern University, University of Virginia, MIT, UT Dallas, University of Washington, Georgia State University, UC Berkeley, Berlin School of Economics and law, University of Maryland, University of Calgary, UC Berkeley, Southern Methodist University and University of Warwick.
To learn more about the lectures, please visit the “past events” in the link: https://jgu.edu.in/jgbs/research/cree/
The Inspiration Series will resume in Spring 2021, with new speakers. Information about the lectures will be updated here.
Thursday, October 22, 7:00PM-8:00PM
Innovation, Fintech, and Mobile Economics research
Dr. Alex R. Horenstein
Assistant Professor of Economics
University of Miami
In this talk, Dr. Horenstein will review the last centuries of economic development, the latest trends in Fintech, and the future of experimental economics.
Moderator: Dr. Anand Sharma, Assistant Professor (Economics), JGBS
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Thursday, October 26, 10.00 AM-11.30 AM
The Challenges and Future of Researching Wisdom
Professor (Honorary) Dr David Rooney
University of Macquarie, Australia
Moderator: Dr. Sudip Patra, Assistant Professor, Economics, JGBS
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Monday, October 26, 8:30PM-9:30PM
Increasing the Cost of Informal Workers: Evidence from Mexico
Dr. Brenda Samaniego de la Parra
Assistant Professor of Economics
University of California, Santa Cruz
Abstract:
Firms use informal work arrangements to sidestep various labor regulations and taxes. We estimate the effects of increasing the cost of informal employment on formal firms’ and workers’ outcomes. We create a novel dataset combining administrative records and household surveys, and exploit exogenous variation in the cost of informal jobs generated by over 600,000 random work-site inspections in Mexico. Increasing the cost of informal jobs leads to persistently lower employment growth, lower formal job creation, and higher formal and informal job destruction. For informal workers, inspections increase the probability of being formalized at the inspected firm, but also increase the probability of dissolving the informal match. Transitioning to a formal job due to an inspection increases the probability of being poached to a new, formal job and increases future wages. Our empirical findings are consistent with potential employers using formality status as a signal for workers’ productivity.
About the Speaker:
Moderator: Dr. Chitrakalpa Sen, Associate Professor (Economics), JGBS
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Wednesday, November 4, 6:30PM-8:00PM
Can Interest Rate Factors Explain Exchange Rate Fluctuations?
Dr. Julieta Yung
Assistant Professor (Economics)
Bates College
Abstract:
The level, slope, and curvature of the yield curve reflect time variation in investors’ risk premia and are known predictors of excess bond returns and economic activity. In this work, I find that interest rate factors help explain exchange rate fluctuations in and out of sample, particularly at longer horizons, and yield profitable currency portfolios relative to standard carry trade strategies.
About the Speaker:
Moderator: Dr. Chitrakalpa Sen, Associate Professor (Economics), JGBS
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Tuesday, November 10, 6:30PM-8:00PM
Optimal public debt indexation in advanced economies
Dr. Patricia Gomez-Gonzalez
Assistant Professor (Economics)
Fordham University
Abstract:
Advanced economies issue part of their public debt linked to inflation. For example, the UK issues 24% of its public debt in this manner; the US issues 10%. This paper studies optimal public debt management when governments can issue IL debt and nominal debt and aim to minimize tax distortions, debt investors are risk-neutral, and nominal debt carries a convenience premium. The optimal IL debt share is decreasing in the convenience premium and in the correlation between real government spending and inflation and is increasing in the variance of inflation and average inflation. Data between 1995 and 2018 for the 14 advanced economies that issue IL debt exhibit correlations in line with the model’s findings. In particular, the correlation between the IL debt share and the correlation between government spending and inflation equals -59.4%, which is consistent with IL debt acting as a hedge in the government’s budget constraint. The next step of this work-in-progress is to study how the results change if debt investors are risk-averse.
About the Speaker:
Moderator: Dr. Suganya Balakumar, Lecturer (Economics), JGBS
Inspiration Lecture Series
Pandemic Lecture Series
Blog link: https://capbrei.blogspot.com/