- Economics
- Answering Challenges to Advanced Economies
When job loss leads to a long spell of unemployment, it causes a big blow to self-esteem, a lasting drop in living standards, and serious hardship for the job loser’s family. Is there a low-cost way to help job losers navigate the search process and find rewarding new work? Yes, say two economists at Cornell University, based on their insightful new study. Steve discusses the study and underlying thinking with the authors.
Recorded on March 23, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Michèle Belot is the Frances Perkins Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Professor of Economics at Cornell University. She held previous appointments in the United Kingdom (University of Edinburgh, Oxford University and the University of Essex) and at the European University Institute. She obtained her PhD in Economics from Tilburg University in 2003. She is the current president of the European Association of Labour Economists.
- Visit Michèle Belot’s website
Philipp Kircher is the Irving M. Ives Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. He held previous appointments at the European University Institute, University of Edinburgh, London School of Economics, and University of Pennsylvania. He obtained a PhD in Economics from the University of Bonn in 2006. He is the chairman and one of the directors of the Review of Economic Studies and a Fellow of the Econometric Society.
- Visit Philipp Kircher’s website
Steven Davis is the Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Senior Fellow and Director of Research at the Hoover Institution, and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). He is a research associate of the NBER, IZA research fellow, elected fellow of the Society of Labor Economists, and a consultant to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He co-founded the Economic Policy Uncertainty project, the U.S. Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes, the Global Survey of Working Arrangements, the Survey of Business Uncertainty, and the Stock Market Jumps project. He also co-organizes the Asian Monetary Policy Forum, held annually in Singapore. Before joining Hoover, Davis was on the faculty at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, serving as both distinguished service professor and deputy dean of the faculty.
RELATED SOURCES
- “Online Buddies for Job Seekers: A Field Experiment” by Bart K. de Koning, Paul Muller, Michèle Belot, Yvonne Engels, Didier Fouarge, Mario Keer, Philipp Kircher & Sandra Phlippen, NBER Working Paper 24912, February 2026.
- The Cornell ILR Job Search Lab
ABOUT THE SERIES
Each episode of Economics, Applied, a video podcast series, features senior fellow Steven Davis in conversation with leaders and researchers about economic developments and their ramifications. The goal is to bring evidence and economic reasoning to the table, drawing lessons for individuals, organizations, and society. The podcast also aims to showcase the value of individual initiative, markets, the rule of law, and sound policy in fostering prosperity and security.
For more information, visit hoover.org/podcasts/economics-applied.
