Épisodes

  • S4 Ep1: Digital technologies in developing countries

    S4 Ep1: Digital technologies in developing countries
    Oct 16 2025
    Recorded at the 2025 annual conference of the Structural Transformation and Economic Growth Programme, held at the University of Oxford.

    When we think about digital technologies in business, we tend to think about payments and transactions. Throughout his career, Robert Townsend of MIT has studied the impact of financial systems, insurance and credit in development, especially in rural Thailand. He talks to Tim Phillips about how tech like blockchain can replicate and even improve on the social structures that sustain commerce in these settings.
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    20 min
  • S3 Ep4: Local employment impacts of industrial vs. artisanal mining in Liberia

    S3 Ep4: Local employment impacts of industrial vs. artisanal mining in Liberia
    Aug 6 2024
    In the 2024 season of the Conversations on Transformation series, recorded at the STEG Annual Conference in Abu-Dhabi NYU, Tim Phillips talks to some of the speakers about the challenges and opportunities of structural transformation, growth, and economic development.

    In the last episode of this year’s series, Tim talks to Melanie Gräser about her research on how Liberia’s growth depends on mining and how different types of mining contracts—industrial versus artisanal—can have different outcomes for local communities.
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    27 min
  • S3 Ep6: How will a new malaria vaccine shape Africa’s economic future?

    S3 Ep6: How will a new malaria vaccine shape Africa’s economic future?
    Jul 30 2024
    In the 2024 season of the Conversations on Transformation series, recorded at the STEG Annual Conference in Abu-Dhabi NYU, Tim Phillips talks to some of the speakers about the challenges and opportunities of structural transformation, growth, and economic development.

    The health benefits for children and adults of the recent malaria vaccination efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa are very clear. In the sixth episode, Tim talks to Minki Kim about the economic impact that this new vaccine will have on Africa’s future.

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    13 min
  • S3 Ep5: No Country for dying firms: evidence from India

    S3 Ep5: No Country for dying firms: evidence from India
    Jul 23 2024
    In the 2024 season of the Conversations on Transformation series, recorded at the STEG Annual Conference in Abu-Dhabi NYU, Tim Phillips talks to some of the speakers about the challenges and opportunities of structural transformation, growth, and economic development.

    Creative destruction is the process by which failing businesses are replaced by new, more entrepreneurial firms. In the fifth episode, Tim talks to Shoumitro Chatterjee about the effect on business and on the economy at large if those firms find it hard to go out of business.

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    15 min
  • S3 Ep4: How much is a formal job worth in Mexico?

    S3 Ep4: How much is a formal job worth in Mexico?
    Jul 16 2024
    n the 2024 season of the Conversations on Transformation series recorded at the STEG Annual Conference at NYU Abu Dhabi, Tim Phillips talks to some of the speakers about the challenges and opportunities of structural transformation, growth, and economic development.

    Informal employment in Mexico amounts to half of all employment. In the fourth episode, Tim talks to Brenda Samaniego de la Parra about the informal economy and her latest research on the value attributed to formal jobs.

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    31 min
  • S3 Ep3: Is the Industrial Revolution an inevitable development process?

    S3 Ep3: Is the Industrial Revolution an inevitable development process?
    Jul 9 2024
    In the 2024 season of the Conversations on Transformation series, recorded at the STEG Annual Conference at NYU Abu-Dhabi, Tim Phillips talks to some of the speakers about the challenges and opportunities of structural transformation, growth, and economic development.

    In the third episode, Tim talks to Felipe Sáenz about his latest research on the Industrial Revolution and the patterns of growth that began in Europe and the United States more than two centuries ago, which are now spreading globally.
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    26 min
  • S3 Ep2: Applying economic theory to empower Ghanian farmers

    S3 Ep2: Applying economic theory to empower Ghanian farmers
    Jul 2 2024
    In the 2024 season of the Conversations on Transformation series recorded at the STEG Annual Conference at NYU Abu Dhabi, Tim Phillips talks to some of the speakers about the challenges and opportunities of structural transformation, growth, and economic development.

    In the second episode, Tim talks to Yaw Nyarko, who set up a microcredit system and nano-commodity exchanges for maize farmers in Ghana.

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    22 min
  • S3 Ep1: Industrial policy: theory and evidence from the South Korean miracle

    S3 Ep1: Industrial policy: theory and evidence from the South Korean miracle
    Jun 25 2024
    In the 2024 season of the Conversations on Transformation series, recorded at the STEG Annual Conference 2024 at NYU Abu-Dhabi, Tim Phillips talks to some of the speakers about the challenges and opportunities of structural transformation, growth, and economic development.

    The focus of the first episode is industrial policy. Tim talks to Yongseok Shin, who, during his keynote at the conference, examined South Korea's economic growth in recent decades to identify a research agenda that could help better understand and potentially replicate such economic miracles.

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    28 min