Warwick Econ Sounds
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Warwick Econ Sounds is a podcast series from the Department of Economics, University of Warwick, providing research-based discussion and expert analysis of key societal and economic issues. With contributions from leading academic and professional economists, the series discusses and debates the nature of the discipline itself, exploring how economists can help solve global problems and ultimately how economics impacts everyday life.
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How does infrastructure affect economic development?
16:11, Tue 20 Apr 2021
Dr Marta Santamaria discusses the role that transport infrastructure plays in economic development, and whether governments can and should adapt their transport networks to unexpected changes in the political and economic environment.
To answer this question, Dr Santamaria explores what happened to transport networks when Germany was divided after World War II, and how this affected economic prosperity. What are the lessons for countries today, in the context of challenges such as Brexit and climate change? How can governments design flexibility into infrastructure projects to ensure they can withstand future change?
Dr Santamaria is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick. She leads the undergraduate teaching module on Development Economics (Macroeconomics).
Find out more about Dr Santamaria’s research:
Reshaping Infrastructure: Evidence from the division of Germany. (2020) CAGE working paper 456.
(MP3 format, 19 MB)