Clarity in a Messy World - Season 1

Welcome to CLARITY IN A MESSY WORLD, the podcast that looks at the causes behind some of the most confounding issues of our time, produced by Bocconi and intended for the general public as well as for its own community. Host David W. Callahan talks with experts who share their knowledge and insights in plain language and help us untangle a seemingly chaotic world.

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Episodes

#14 - How We Learn from Audio Stimuli

The power of voice is something we seldom think about. Yet voice is ubiquitous and can be extremely effective, as podcast listeners know very well. What makes speech unique, compared with images? What chords does it strike? And how can we harness the power of voice? Kurt Munz, assistant professor of marketing at Bocconi, unfolds for us the meaning of "auditory information processing" starting from his own experience as an officer in the US Navy.

Jun 16, 2021•31 min

#13 - Understanding Climate Change

The extent of climate change if not its very existence is a hotly contested topic. Scientists though have little doubt that this is happening now, and that action is urgently required. Economists are definitely doing their part, since a changing climate is bound to have a huge impact on world economy. But the effort towards limiting the damage is also a cost, which governments are reluctant to bear as the benefit is so hard to measure. Hear podcast host David Wayne Callahan as he talks to Valent...

Jun 09, 2021•28 min

#12 - Gender Equality

We all know that the so-called "glass ceiling" is still very real. Some progress notwithstanding, women are still generally underrepresented and underpaid. Paola Profeta, who teaches Public Economics at Bocconi University where she also leads the AXA Research Lab on Gender Equality, talks about what empirical evidence there is about policies that may help reduce the gender gap. The Covid crisis also shed light on the priorities set by women leaders and preliminary results seem to confirm that wo...

Jun 01, 2021•28 min

#11 - How to Spot a Resilient Firm

Resilience, usually defined as the ability to bounce back to the previous state after a shock, can be more accurately described as a process by which an organisation weathers a stressful event not just by returning to its original form but improving itself in a sort of dynamic adaptation close to the evolution of natural species. But what are the mental processes that enable this approach? Can we identify a "resilient mindset"? With Carlo Salvato, professor of business strategy at Bocconi....

May 26, 2021•30 min

#10 - The Backlash of Globalization

Globalization seemed poised to rule the world. Instead, it is now under attack by various protectionist and populist forces. We are therefore bound to accept that it was not unavoidable and it is not irreversible, as it is a political choice as opposed to a necessary historical process. Were people promised something that could not be delivered? Is the anger justified? Gianmarco Ottaviano, who holds the Achille and Giulia Boroli chair of European Studies at Bocconi, also addresses the effects of...

May 19, 2021•28 min

#9 - Offshore Secrets Revealed

What exactly is a “tax haven”? How does money end up in such a place, and how can it do so undetected? This merits a whole field of study, as we find out in this captivating podcast. With Hannes Wagner, Associate Professor of Finance at Bocconi.

May 12, 2021•28 min

#8 - Better Ways to Communicate Sustainability

Companies are increasingly keen on disclosing information about the responsible use of resources they make and in general about the sustainability of their operations. This is by no means just a marketing stunt, as stakeholders often take decisions based on this kind of information. For this reason, even non-financial data must be credible and transparent. Ariela Caglio, associate professor of Management Accounting at Bocconi, tells us how accounting is so much more than bookkeeping.

May 05, 2021•29 min

#7 - AI Beyond SciFi

Artificial intelligence has been the stuff of science fiction for a long time. But what does “Artificial Intelligence” actually mean in today’s world? Do we really face a future in which machines may turn on us? With Riccardo Zecchina, Vodafone professor of Machine Learning and Data Science at Bocconi.

Apr 28, 2021•31 min

#6 - Are There Winners in Brexit?

How did Brexit happen? Why have negotiations with the European Union been so bumpy? And, more importantly, can either party claim to have had the upper hand? Eleanor Spaventa, professor of European Union law at Bocconi, lines up the facts and provides a rare balanced view on such a hotly contested topic.

Apr 21, 2021•35 min

#5 - Why Entrepreneurs Should Act like Scientists

With Alfonso Gambardella, head of the Department of Management and Technology at Bocconi. Entrepreneurs who behave like scientists achieve better results. Success in business is all about having the right intuition and making good predictions, and you get the best predictions if you adopt a scientific approach.

Apr 14, 2021•29 min

#4 - Media as a Force for Social Change

Poverty and inequality are ubiquitous. A scientific approach to fighting poverty can yield impressive results, both as a way of efficiently allocating scarce resources and as a tool for determining what policies are most effective. Eliana La Ferrara, professor of development economics at Bocconi, describes how science can help disadvantaged communities both in the rich world and in developing countries. She has interesting stories to share involving how to use educational media for empowering wo...

Apr 08, 2021•33 min

#3 - The Potential Pitfalls of Algorithms

With Prof Dirk Hovy, whose research focuses on computational social science. Our life is increasingly influenced by algorithms, which decide not just what comes on top of every Google search but also many other things you don't even know. An algorithm is neither good nor bad in itself, but telling a machine how to perform certain functions is riddled with pitfalls which can result in very undesirable consequences.

Mar 10, 2021•34 min

#2 - Does the Pandemic Spell the End of Populism?

With Prof Catherine E. De Vries (Bocconi University) and Prof Sara B. Hobolt (London School of Economics). Populism has been challenging the established political order in many ways. Yet the pandemic has exposed some of the inconsistencies of populist leaders, prompting some analysts to predict the imminent demise of this trend in its current form. But things aren't quite so simple.

Mar 10, 2021•30 min

#1 - The Human Bias Behind Financial Crises

With Nicola Gennaioli, professor of Finance at Bocconi. This podcast explores the subtle (and unintended) ways in which human psychology has influenced a seemingly hyper-rational field: financial markets. More intriguing questions: what are stereotypes made of? And why was the 2008 crisis a "crisis of beliefs"?

Feb 25, 2021•32 min

#0 - CLARITY IN A MESSY WORLD: trailer

The podcast that looks at the causes behind the most confounding issues of our time, from Bocconi University. A series of talks with experts who share their knowledge and insights and help us untangle a seemingly chaotic world.

Jan 01, 2021•37 sec

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