The Social Science KLAI-doscope

This is the final episode of 2021 and what better way to wrap up than to unwrap one of the greatest gifts of my economics career in 2021. I walk through my experiences with publishing my first economics paper in the Journal of International Money and Finance. Tune in to hear the TLDR of the paper, my experiences working on the paper, and some really interesting stories that came from working on the paper. If you're interested in reading the paper, please visit Elsevier's website (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261560621000486?dgcid=coauthor) or the working paper version on the Peterson Institute for International Economics site (https://www.piie.com/publications/working-papers/capital-controls-and-international-trade-industry-financial).

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, Shivram Viswanathan is back as he talks about his Luce Scholar experience, all the way from the application process to what he's doing right now in Korea. Tune in to hear about how COVID has impacted his original proposed schedule, his experiences in Korea, what he learned about Korean history, politics, and economics, and some of the projects he is working on in Korea. We cap it off with a nice game to put his international knowledge to the test! Be sure to check out Episode 13 for part 1 of the interview! To keep up with Shiv's research activities and interests, follow him on Twitter (@vshivramv).

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

No matter what we do, we all have our "day one(s)". In this episode, I catch up with my "day one" from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Financial Intermediation Research Group and Luce Scholar, Shivram Viswanathan, who will be starting a Political Economy and Government PhD at Harvard University in the coming fall. There's a lot to unpack here, such as his enthusiasm in his undergraduate economics coursework, his breadth of research interests, his experiences as an Research Analyst at the New York Fed, his definition of political economy, and exciting working or upcoming projects (I may or may not be involved in one of them). Hear about how he thinks about research and our first impressions of each other! Be sure to check out Episode 14 to hear more about his Luce Scholar experience, along with a fun little game to test his worldwide knowledge. To keep up with Shiv's research activities and interests, follow him on Twitter (@vshivramv).

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, I catch up with a former colleague from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Research Group, Rachel Pomerantz, an aspiring economist soon to enter her Economics PhD Program at Harvard University. We talk about her interests in urban economics, her experiences working at major policy institutions such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Reserve System, the media's portrayal of economic policy, and her passion to promote economic literacy. She also offers some advice to those that are interested in pursuing higher education in Economics. Tune in to hear about what we mean when we say "don't get me started". To keep up with her research activities and interests, follow her on Twitter (@RachelPomerantz).

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, I catch up with one of my ultimate frisbee club teammates, Anjile An, a Programmer Analyst and Statistician at Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia MPH and UC Berkeley Alum. She is a person of many talents and interests, as we dive in and unpack her interests in design, public health, epidemiology, and statistics. We talk about her undergraduate and MPH coursework, transition from design to public health, research and career interests, and passion for teaching science. To keep up with what she is up to right now, follow her on Twitter (@anjile_an). Special shoutout to our club team Unlimited Swipes!

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, I catch up with... well myself! This is the 10th episode of the podcast during possibly the best time of the year (sorry those with seasonal allergies). While I have interviewed many people up to this point, I thought I'd take some times to catch up with what I've been up to recently. I talk about some personal updates in terms of my current research, volunteer, and extracurricular activities (yes, I did perm my hair again). Special shoutout to SASE, The Adult Table Podcast, and my co-authors. I also talk about my general impressions of the podcast up until now, potential content to come, and updates on future podcast uploading schedules. I just want to say thank you to all the listeners and guests on the show. This project would definitely not have been possible without you all. Your comments, follows, and shares are what help keep this thing going!

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, I catch up with a former colleague at the New York Fed RA program Karen Ni, a first year Economics/Public Policy PhD student at the Harvard Kennedy School. We dive into how she decided on pursuing economics, recounting our RA experiences at the New York Fed, how she developed her interests in education policy, labor economics, and peer effects/networks, and some future projects she hopes to work on. We discuss two research projects she is currently working on: (1) examining the effect of gender of professors on women pursuing STEM and (2) examining the effect of housing prices near U.S. Muslim religious buildings after 9/11. To keep up with her research activities or contact her, connect with her on LinkedIn.

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, I catch up with a former colleague at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Research Analyst Program Cindy Chung, a first-year Economics PhD student at Stanford GSB. We dive into her path to the Economics PhD, which went from considering studying pre-med to mathematics, statistics, and economics in undergrad, from management consulting to research after graduating. Hear about her research interests within economics, her passions for learning and constantly exploring new subjects, and how she ultimately decided on pursuing an Economics PhD. Check out her most recent work on Data and the Aggregate Economy with Laura Veldkamp. To learn more about her research work, please check out her Twitter (@Cindy__Chung) or her profile on the Stanford website.

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, Sonya Chen returns to talk about her personal experiences grappling with race and gender as a Political Science PhD Student, finding supportive academic communities, and research in diversity. I also introduce a research paper by Pascaline Dupas, Alicia Sasser Modestino, Muriel Niederle, Justin Wolfers and The Seminar Dynamics Collective that examines economics seminar behavior between male and female economists (https://www.nber.org/papers/w28494). 

If you haven't already, check out Episode 5 of the podcast to learn more about Sonya. Check out and interact with Sonya's book-stagram content on Instagram (@sonyareadsstuff)!

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, I talk about my reactions and a quick literature review of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes and Gun Violence in the United States. It has been a rough year for Asians in America, especially since COVID-19 first started, with all the news of increasing Anti-Asian hate crimes in Asian neighborhoods, and the struggle and frustration has reached a boiling point following the events of Atlanta on March 16, 2021. However, this has been an ongoing issue dating all the way back to the 1800's. In addition to my reactions, I offer some literature as starting points in tackling and understanding the events from the past year. I provide some numbers regarding Anti-Asian hate crimes from the New York Times and Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. I also dive into work being done on Gun Violence from data visualization websites such as the Gun Violence Archive, along with research from Dr. Jennifer Doleac from Texas A&M University on Gun Laws and other potential policy options to curb gun violence. 

My heart goes out to 1) those impacted by the acts of violence in Atlanta, their family, friends, and community, 2) those that have been impacted by acts of violence or verbal abuse across the entire United States, and 3) those, like myself, who are hurting at home feeling unsupported, upset, scared, angry, and frustrated. If you are able to, please consider donating to the Support the AAPI Community Fund on Gofundme. Check out other organizations that are speaking out and/or raising money to support those impacted by Anti-Asian Hate Crimes and Violence; to name a few: Welcome To Chinatown and Red Canary Song.

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, I catch up with a fellow Swarthmore classmate, Class of 2018, Sonya Chen, a third year Political Science PhD Student studying American Politics at Princeton University. We dive into her research interests and the current events in Asian-American Politics, her motivations for pursuing a Political Science PhD, teaching undergraduates, and her love for reading. Find out about what she's currently working on, a dream class she would teach, and her "book-stagram" (Book + Instagram) journey. Check out and interact with Sonya's book-stagram content on Instagram (@sonyareadsstuff)!

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

Please check out Welcome to Chinatown (welcometochinatown.com or @welcome.to.chinatown on Instagram), a grassroots initiative to support Chinatown business and amplify community voices to preserve one of NYC’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Consider buying merchandise from their shop or donating.

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

In this episode, I catch up with a former colleague at the New York Fed RA program Brendan Moore, a first year Economics PhD student at Stanford University. We dive into his personal stories of how he got into economics in the first place, his challenges along the way, the economists he looks up to (e.g. David Autor, Judy Scott-Clayton, Morris Kleiner, Stefanie Stantcheva, Miguel Urquiola, etc.), and his love of labor economics. Some of these facts may surprise you! Furthermore, he describes his current views of the labor economics research literature, along with sharing his current projects and papers on displaced workers. This conversation is filled with personal insights along with insightful takes and research that contribute to the larger labor economics literature. To keep up with his ongoing research or reach out via email, check out his website (https://www.bmooreeconomics.com/). 

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).

If you enjoy this podcast or want to stay up to date, make sure to follow and comment on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are found. Consider sharing the podcast as well so more people can jump in on the fun! Connect with me on Instagram (@klai.doscope), Twitter (@kmdlai), or LinkedIn (kevin-lai-772a60ba). Learn more about my projects or the podcast on my website (https://sites.google.com/view/kmlai1).