In this special episode of Beating Sisyphus, Thomas Riveros sits down with Lourdes and Anne to discuss their incredible careers tracking the massive shift in global economic power. From the early days of studying developing nations at the UN and INSEAD, to tracking the explosive rise of Chinese and Latin American multinationals, they share the personal stories behind the macroeconomic data. They discuss why Western business models often fail in the Global South, the vital importance of humility in economic research, and why the next generation of business leaders must be bold enough to challenge the status quo.🎙️ About the Guests:Lourdes Casanova is the Director of the Cañizares Center for Emerging Markets at Cornell University, a member of the Future Councils of the World Economic Forum, and a globally recognized academic on emerging market multinationals.Anne Miroux is a Faculty Fellow at the Cañizares Center and spent decades at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where she led FDI statistics and the World Investment Report.📌 Chapters / Timestamps:(00:00) - Introduction & Turning the Tables(01:40) - Early Careers: Why Look South and East?(04:46) - Lourdes on Growing Up in Spain & The Rise of "Global Latinas"(08:32) - How Anne and Lourdes Built Their Legendary Partnership(11:00) - The 3 Ways to Look at Emerging Markets(18:25) - Why Western Business Models Fail in the Global South(22:15) - The Crucial Role of Humility in Economic Policy(24:45) - The Big Debate: Is Emerging Market Growth Inevitable?(32:45) - AI, Demographics, and the Future of the Global South(35:35) - Advice to Their Younger Selves: "Be Bold"(41:20) - Fieldwork Stories: High-Speed Rail in China & The Design of Brasilia(46:50) - A Hopeful Wish for MadagascarBeating Sisyphus is a production of the Cañizares Center for Emerging Markets in collaboration with the Cornell Emerging Markets Institute Club. We bring together leaders from across economics, technology, and policy to explore how innovation emerges under pressure.

In this episode of Beating Sisyphus, hosts Thomas Riveros and Lourdes Casanova welcome Salim Furth Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.Together, they explore the economic foundations of housing markets, comparing the rigid zoning laws of the United States with the sprawling informality of emerging markets like Nigeria and India. Salim explains why "master plans" often fail in rapidly growing cities, how utility bills can serve as property titles in Indonesia, and why high housing costs—not just individual factors—are the primary driver of homelessness.Key Topics:Why housing regulation is more economically damaging than trade tariffs.The concept of "Premature Imitation" in developing cities.Hernando de Soto, property rights, and unlocking "dead capital."Case studies from Brazil, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and upstate New York.

Timestamps:

(00:00) – Introduction: Welcome Salim Furth.(01:05) – From Macro to Micro: Why Salim pivoted to housing affordability.(02:30) – The Sugar Tariff Analogy: Why housing regulation hits wallets hardest.

(05:36) – Trumansburg vs. Lagos: How different regions handle unrealistic zoning.

(10:00) – The hidden costs of informal housing and lack of title.

(14:40) – "Premature Imitation": Why Western master plans fail in emerging markets.

(17:15) – The Porto Alegre Model: Moving from planning to "constant monitoring."

(21:15) – The Anglosphere Paradox: Why wealthy English-speaking nations have the highest prices.

(25:00) – Housing challenges in India: Colonial laws and caste discrimination.

(28:40) – Hernando de Soto and the importance of unlocking capital.

(30:40) – The Indonesian Kampung Solution: Using utility bills as property rights.

(37:00) – Homelessness: Distinguishing between individual risk factors and systemic housing costs.

(41:20) – "Doubling Up": How private social safety nets prevent homelessness.

(47:35) – Emerging Market Spotlight: Ethiopia’s urban expansion grid strategy.

Is the era of US Dollar dominance truly over? And why does the math on government debt rarely add up?In this episode of Beating Sisyphus, hosts Thomas Riveros and Lourdes Casanova sit down with Jon Hartley (Hoover Institution, Stanford PhD candidate, and host of the Capitalism and Freedom in the 21st Century podcast).They dive deep into Jon’s 2023 paper on the International Public Debt Valuation Puzzle, exploring the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level (FTPL) and why inflation is often a fiscal phenomenon rather than just a monetary one. Jon explains why credible fiscal commitments are the secret weapon to defeating hyperinflation, citing historical examples from Brazil to Poland.The conversation then shifts to the hot topic of De-Dollarization. Jon debunks the narrative that the Greenback is losing its status, explaining the concept of "safe asset" demand and why China’s RMB faces an uphill battle to compete. Finally, Jon shares his optimism for Argentina under Javier Milei’s market reforms.Key Topics Discussed:📉 The Debt Puzzle: Why real debt values often don't match future surpluses.💵 De-Dollarization: Why the USD share of global reserves remains sticky .🏛️ Fiscal vs. Monetary: How consolidated government balance sheets explain inflation.🇦🇷 Argentina's Future: Why Javier Milei’s shock therapy might work.About the Guest: Jon Hartley is an economist and Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution. A former employee of Goldman Sachs, the World Bank, and the Federal Reserve, he is currently a PhD candidate at Stanford University.

Timestamps:(00:00) – Intro: Jon Hartley (Hoover Institution & Stanford)(00:49) – From Goldman Sachs to Academia: Jon’s Journey

(05:26) – Why do Governments Borrow? (Keynes vs. Political Economy)

(08:30) – What is the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level (FTPL)?(10:45) – The International Public Debt Valuation Puzzle Explained

(14:16) – How to Defeat Inflation: Lessons for Emerging Markets

(18:59) – Monetary vs. Fiscal Policy: The Consolidated Balance Sheet

(23:19) – De-Dollarization: Is the Dollar Actually Losing Power?(28:22) – Why China Struggles to Internationalize the RMB

(31:10) – Does "Safe Asset" Demand Let the US Run infinite Deficits?

(34:33) – The Bull Case for Argentina & Javier Milei’s Reforms