Dialogues économiques | AMSE | Aix-Marseille School of Economics

An online media outlet dedicated to making economics accessible, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and the general public. Dialogues économiques publishes articles, video interviews, and infographics, twice a month, providing information on a wide range of topics addressed by economic research. Available in both French and English, the content may be reproduced in its entirety, provided the authors and the source Dialogues économiques are credited (CC BY-NC-ND). Readers can subscribe to receive each new publication directly in their inbox.

Dialogues économiques

Are we all equal when it comes to weight?

Using a novel approach applied to the populations of France, the United Kingdom and the United States, economists explore inequalities in Body Mass Index and highlight a disparity between men and women.

APRIL 2, 2024

San Francisco par Mattia Bericchia sur Unsplash

Dialogues économiques

America's major cities: creating job inequalities

Large American cities are experiencing labor market polarization, characterized by a simultaneous increase in the employment share of both high-skilled and low-skilled jobs. Economists Fabio Cerina, Elisa Dienesch, Alessio Moro, and Michelle Rendal propose that this phenomenon can be attributed to technology shocks that enhance the productivity of highly skilled workers. As these skilled workers increase their participation in the labor market, they also intensify their consumption of personal services, thus generating greater demand for low-skilled jobs.

MARCH 27, 2024

Marché des célibataires, Shangaï © Reinhold Möller/ Wikimedia Commons

Dialogues économiques

Love is in the park: parents' marital preferences in China

In China, parents play a major role in finding a spouse for their children. Economists have studied parental preferences and how they match the wishes of their offspring.

MARCH 12, 2024

Dialogues économiques

Polygamy and education in Africa: an unusual couple

In the 1950s, West Africa was on the eve of decolonisation. In a last gasp of imperialism, the French and British opened up public services and developed mass education. Over the same period, polygamy declined throughout the region. Economic researchers are asking whether there is a link between the level of education and this marital status.

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Dialogues économiques

Are we getting used to terrorism?

Using data from French health centers from 2015 to 2016, years marked by terrorist attacks, a team of researchers found that depressive symptoms decreased as events unfolded.

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Dialogues économiques

Urbanization, source of ideas and growth

Urbanisation is usually viewed as the result of rising productivity that attracts workers to cities. Economists Liam Brunt and Cecilia García-Peñalosa argue that in order to understand the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, it is important to look at this phenomenon from the opposing perspective: productivity gains and growth are fostered by the exchanges of knowledge taking place within cities.

JANUARY 16, 2024

Dialogues économiques

Children's skills: the crucial role of interaction with parents

Although little studied in economics, the parent-child relationship is a crucial subject, intimately linked to fundamental socio-economic issues such as inequality, growth and education. Researcher Avner Seror looks at the nature of this interaction and the impact of screens within it.

DECEMBER 7, 2023

Dialogues économiques

Migrer quand les îles meurent

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Dialogues économiques

Microcredit in India, a response to the climate challenge?

In India, microcredit helps to cushion climatic shocks, finds economist Timothée Demont in his research on community-based economic Self-Help Groups in the eastern state of Jharkhand. His analysis focuses on the effects of these groups on the economic resilience of villages when droughts affect harvests.

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Dialogues économiques

Remittances: a boost to growth?

The amount of money sent by emigrants to their countries of origin often exceeds that of international development aid programs. But what impact do these huge remittances have on the economies of countries? The observations are often contradictory. To understand them, economists Nicolas Destrée, Karine Gente, and Carine Nourry propose a model that links remittances, growth and education.

OCTOBER 24, 2023