If/Then

Only a third of the global population is financially literate. Why? Because most of us don’t learn the basics of personal finance in school — or elsewhere.  Treating financial literacy as an afterthought can have serious consequences, from personal calamities to economic crises, according to Annamaria Lusardi, a professor of finance and the director of the Initiative for Financial Decision-Making at Stanford Graduate School of Business.  On this episode of If/Then, Lusardi makes the case for treating financial education like preventative care: essential, cost-effective, and an enormous opportunity to improve people’s lives, boost workplace performance, and strengthen economic resilience.   “We should learn about money as soon as possible,” Lusardi says. “As soon as the tooth fairy comes.” Where do you go for financial advice? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu. This episode was recorded on November 5, 2024. Related Content:Annamaria Lusardi faculty profileOn a Mission to Teach the World the Basics of Personal Finance See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Susan Athey, the Economics of Technology Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business and founding director of the Golub Capital Social Impact Lab, studies the impact of technological innovations on workers, businesses, and society.  Will the world’s economies successfully adapt to a future defined by artificial intelligence? On this episode, Athey shares what the stories of 22,000 laid-off workers in Sweden can tell us about who recovers from economic turmoil, how small design changes and product features can have outsize societal impact, and how AI could transform the way we work, from hiring to healthcare.  What’s the best way to build a future that effectively integrates AI and supports workers? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu. This episode was recorded on December 16, 2024.  Related Content:Susan Athey faculty profileA Low-Cost, Scalable Way to Get More Women Into TechA.I. Can Help “Personalize” Policies to Reach the Right PeopleA/B Testing Gets an Upgrade for the Digital AgeEast Brother Light Station Chapters(00:00:00) - Modernizing a 150 Year Old Lighthouse(00:03:05) - Adapting to Advancing Technology(00:04:20) - Impact of Mass Layoffs(00:06:16) - Low-Cost Scalable Solutions(00:13:37) - AI’s Role in the Future of Work(00:19:45) - Managing Transitions in the Job Market See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brian Lowery, the Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the author of Selfless: The Social Creation of You, argues that identity is about much more than external characteristics, family history, or the collection of experiences that compose the chronology of our lives. In fact, Lowery argues, our identities are constantly being formed, shifted, and even co-created — by the people around us.  In this episode, Lowery breaks down how leaders, colleagues, and even casual acquaintances influence the people we are continually becoming — and why recognizing this can change our lives and how we experience the people we know. Understanding this social conception of the self helps us effectively navigate challenges at home and in the workplace, strengthen key relationships, and even bridge political divides. “All these constraints that you feel, maybe those are imaginary,” Lowery says. “The world opens to you, I think, if you believe this, but that is also what's terrifying about it. What's exciting is what's terrifying.” Has someone in your life changed how you see yourself? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu. This conversation was recorded on November 13, 2024. Related Content:Brian Lowery faculty profileA Provocative Theory of Identity Finds There is No “You” in SelfLet’s Make a Deal: Negotiation Tips from the ExpertsQuick Thinks: How Others Define UsJanet Varney Chapters:(00:00:00) - Improv is a Team Sport(00:04:20) - Rethinking the Self(00:05:16) - Leadership and Influence(00:07:30) - The Leadership Experiment(00:11:55) - Trust in the Workplace(00:14:24) - Polarization and Social Identity(00:18:33) - The Influence of Proximity(00:20:55) - Changing Identities(00:24:38) - Conclusion See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What’s one of the most powerful forces behind technological breakthroughs, business strategy, and job creation? The tax code. Rebecca Lester, an associate professor of accounting and one of three inaugural Botha-Chan Faculty Scholars at Stanford Graduate School of Business, studies how subtle tax incentives can trigger monumental business decisions, determining how companies invest, grow, and innovate. These incentives don’t just shape corporate strategy — they ripple across industries, economies, and markets. From advancing clean energy to catalyzing global competition, you might think of tax policy as a blueprint for the future. The big question: how to do it right.   Have tax incentives led you to make a personal or professional decision? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu. Related Content:Rebecca Lester faculty profileAmerican Innovation Got Slammed by the “Temporary” End of a Key Tax IncentiveWhy Some Countries Want Companies to Think Inside the “Innovation Box”Tax Cuts in the UK Gave an Unexpected Boost to African Economies This conversation was recorded on November 5, 2024. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The pen may be mightier than the sword — but the dollar beats them both. Economic leverage has long shaped the world order, and today global powers use financial networks, trade policies, and sanctions as tools of persuasion — or coercion.  In this episode, Matteo Maggiori, the Moghadam Family Professor of Finance at Stanford Graduate School of Business, outlines why he believes the U.S. dollar remains the world’s financial backbone, why China wants to create an alternative, and how global financial networks serve as both tools of economic statecraft and sources of financial instability in an increasingly multipolar world. This episode features Paula Findlen, the Ubaldo Pierotti Professor of History at Stanford University.  How do you feel about a future where the buck no longer stops with the U.S.?? Email us at ifthenpod@stanford.edu.  Related Content:Matteo Maggiori faculty profile“Geoeconomics” Explains How Countries Flex Their Financial MusclesQuick Study: China’s Plan to Challenge the DollarInside China’s Long March Toward Challenging the Dollar This conversation was recorded on September 5, 2024. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.