Beyond Unprecedented: The Post-Pandemic Economy

The past year has seen growing challenges to the independence of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Lev Menand, associate professor of law at Columbia Law School, discusses the Trump administration’s legal fight to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the U.S. Department of Justice’s probe of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and the implications of political pressure on the Fed.

The co-hosts kick off a fifth season of Beyond Unprecedented with Guggenheim Securities Co-Chairman Jim Millstein ’82. They preview notable political, economic, and technological shifts shaking up the corporate and legal landscapes, and dive into the federal government’s recent equity investments in the private sector as well as U.S.-brokered third-party investments with other countries.

Former chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and current Debevoise & Plimpton partner Mary Jo White ’74 discusses what to expect from the SEC in the second Trump administration—including the changes that a more conservative commission might make to existing rules and enforcement policies and the relationship between the SEC and U.S. Department of Justice.

At the intersection of law and finance, legal financial arbitrage (LFA) is an increasingly important field that focuses on pricing differences resulting from legal or regulatory uncertainties. Chas Cocke, founder and managing partner of LB Partners, discusses LFA in the context of Elon Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter.

The last decade has seen growing popularity of electric and self-driving vehicles. Xuan “Sharon” Di, an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University, discusses the current capabilities of, market for, and regulatory frameworks around electric and autonomous cars. Download a transcript.

The co-hosts kick off a fourth season of Beyond Unprecedented with Lauren Hirsch of The New York Times. They preview the season and discuss important economic and legal developments affecting companies, investors, and workers.

With advances in artificial intelligence and the emergence of generative AI, IBM Software Senior Vice President of Product Management and Growth Kareem Yusuf discusses what lies ahead—including regulatory ramifications and how the technology may affect workers and the economy.

Over the past 24 months, inflation has soared in the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere. Huw Pill, chief economist and executive director for monetary analysis and research for the Bank of England, discusses the factors driving high inflation and efforts to curb rising prices. (This episode was recorded on April 18, 2023.)

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently adopted rules mandating the use of universal proxy cards for electing directors to the boards of public companies. Broadridge Financial Solutions Chief Legal Officer Keir Gumbs discusses the new rules and the potential repercussions of universal proxy card voting for investors and corporations.

The corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) movement has come under fire. After many large corporations began to adopt specific ESG measures in response to shareholder pressure, other shareholder groups are trying to undo them. Inclusive Capital Partners co-founders Lynn Forester de Rothschild ’79 and Jeff Ubben discuss the rise in “anti-woke” shareholder activism, the politicization of ESG, and what lies ahead. Download a transcript.

With a growing crisis in the crypto financial system, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Matt Levine discusses key challenges and opportunities facing the crypto industry, the relevant regulatory framework, and what lies ahead for the space.

The co-hosts kick off season three of Beyond Unprecedented with the Financial Times’ Sujeet Indap to preview the season and map out key developments affecting workers, investors, companies, and communities.

In the venture capital industry, overwhelmingly white male investors provide funding to white male entrepreneurs. In Season 2 episode 4, Professor Eric Talley and Research Fellow Kate Waldock ’23 are joined by Columbia Law School professor Talia Gillis and co-founder of Act One Ventures Alejandro Guerrero to discuss how to build racial and gender equity into venture capital deals.

Shareholder activists are trying to force corporations to act on climate change and diversity. In S2 Ep3 Anne E. Robinson ’94 of Vanguard joins co-hosts Professor Eric Talley and Millstein Center Research Fellow Kate Waldock to discuss when and how institutional investors are willing to join proxy battles. 

Individual investors flooded into the market during the pandemic—with wild results. In S2 Ep2 Professor Josh Mitts joins co-hosts Professor Eric Talley and Millstein Center Research Fellow Kate Waldock to talk about the pandemic phenomenon of meme trading and what it means for market regulation.

Do Americans want to go back to work? And on what terms? In S2 Ep1 of "Beyond Unprecedented: The Post-Pandemic Economy," Professor Kate Andrias joins co-hosts Professor Eric Talley and Millstein Center Research Fellow Kate Waldock to discuss the Great Resignation and the future of work.

A new season of “Beyond Unprecedented: The Post-Pandemic Economy” examines law, business, and capital markets in a world changed by COVID-19. The hosts kick off the season with NPR’s Stacey Vanek Smith to discuss what constitutes the new normal in the current economy. Brought to you by Columbia Law School and the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership.

Can lawyers save the planet? In Columbia Law’s new limited-series podcast, Defending the Planet, Professor Michael B. Gerrard and leading experts go beyond the headlines and political ping-ponging to discuss combating the climate crisis using one of the most important and effective tools at our disposal: the law. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

In the sixth and final episode of Columbia Law School’s limited-series podcast, host Professor Eric Talley is joined by Professors Anu Bradford and Petros Mavroidis to discuss the effects of the pandemic on global trade and whether the World Trade Organization and the European Union can handle political upheavals exacerbated by the health crisis, Brexit, and the U.S.-China trade war.

In episode five of Columbia Law’s new limited podcast series, hosted by Professor Eric Talley, corporate governance experts Ira M. Millstein and Leo E. Strine Jr. discuss how companies must begin valuing their workers and their environmental impact as highly as their shareholders in order to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

In episode four of Columbia Law’s new limited podcast series, hosted by Professor Eric Talley, Professors Lynnise Pantin and Tim Wu discuss the obstacles and opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Columbia Law Professors Eric Talley and Ed Morrison and Millstein Center research fellow Kate Waldock talk about whether bankruptcy can be a lifeline for companies to survive the economic crisis, rather than a death knell—and if there is a coming surge of bankruptcy filings from businesses and individuals alike.

Columbia Law Professors Kathryn Judge and Eric Talley along with Visiting Professor Peter Conti-Brown explore the mechanisms the Federal Reserve Bank can use to help the U.S. economy recover from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Columbia Law Professors Michael Graetz, Katharina Pistor, and Eric Talley discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic lays bare the ways law and public policy favor the wealthy and fail to protect the vast majority of the 99 percent.

Listen to Columbia Law School’s new podcast on the post-pandemic economy with host Eric Talley, Sulzbacher Professor at Columbia Law School and faculty co-director of the Millstein Center. Produced by Columbia Law School in conjunction with the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership.