Podcasts

The September 26 federal elections in Germany have been earmarked as one of its most important in the past two decades. For a start, it signals the end of Angela Merkel’s tenure as Chancellor, after 16 years at the helm of Europe’s largest economy. To comment on this landmark vote, its uncertain outcome, and economic outlook, we turn to Armin Steinbach, HEC professor in law and economics. Steinbach is ideally placed to comment: prior to his September arrival at our business school, he spent over a decade as a government official and adviser in the Ministries of Finance and of Economic Affairs and Germany’s Parliament.

On September 7, El Salvador became the world’s first nation to make the cryptocurrency bitcoin legal tender across the country. This bold initiative from the tiny Central American state is dissected by HEC Paris Professor in Finance Bruno Biais, who has written several top research papers on cryptocurrency.

Jean-Noël Barrot is an associate professor at HEC Paris and member of parliament for Yvelines in France’s National Assembly, combining his political work with his research in finance. On June 29, he submitted a report to the government in which he detailed proposals to help France recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview, Jean-Noël Barrot explains how he manages to combine his research and his role in parliament in an effective way.

For the 32nd Olympic Games, one of South Africa’s modern icons, 800-meter champion Caster Semenya, will not be making the trip northwards. She has been barred from the Tokyo Olympics where she had hoped to defend a crown she won in 2012 and 2016. We discuss with Professor Matteo Winkler the legal, sociological and ethical implications of the Caster Mokgadi Semenya v. IAAF (now World Athletics) case. World Athletics’ regulations target female athletes like Semenya who are born with naturally high levels of testosterone, a characteristic that was labelled first as “hyperandrogenism” and then as “difference of sexual development”. Winkler and fellow academic, Doctor Giovanna Gilleri from the European University Institute published a 40-page study deconstructing the narratives surrounding the case and reflecting on the relationship between the law of sports, politics, gender and bodies – and the West’s sometimes uncomfortable position on femininity in the Global South.

A year after the EU’s Court of Justice ruled that none of its member states can outlaw the sale of the non-psychotic compound cannabidiol (CBD), France’s highest appeals court overturned a decision banning its sale on French territory. Associate Professor Daniel Martinez analyses the June 26 decision in the light of his long research on cannabis-related questions in Colorado.

One month ago, Amazon swooped in spectacularly to purchase of Hollywood studio MGM for more than seven billion euros. What consequences are there for the world of cinema and its economy? Director of the MS/MSc Media, Arts and Creation at HEC Paris, Thomas Paris analyzes the scope of this event. He recently co-signed "The Economy of Cinema" (in French) with Philippe Chantepie, published by La Découverte.

The forced landing of a Ryanair airplane and the subsequent arrest of two Belarusians on May 23 has sparked a major diplomatic crisis between EU and US authorities and the Minsk government. This has led to calls for across-the-board sanctions by both Europe and the United States. But just how effective are these measures? HEC Paris Professor Alberto Alemanno shares his analysis of the stand-off and its reflections on EU foreign policy.

Who should I target? How to spread my content? Seeding is one of the most crucial questions in marketing today, according to Andreas Lanz, Assistant Professor of Marketing at HEC Paris, who focuses on this topic in most of his research. Professor Lanz and his colleagues answer these seeding questions at the annual ISMS Marketing Science Conference, which features several special sessions on influencer marketing this year – organized and co-chaired by Andreas Lanz. In this interview, Professor Lanz answers five questions on seeding, based on five research articles that will be presented at the conference.