College Debt Explained: Education Pays When Students Choose Wisely

Hubwonk host Joe Selvaggi talks with American Enterprise Institute resident fellow and education economist Beth Akers about the American student debt crisis (totalling $1.6 trillion). They explore who borrows, who is in debt, and which policy choices might best serve the financial needs of every student.

Related: The Boston Globe op-ed: “A Truly Progressive Student Loan Policy”

Guest:
Beth Akers is an economist focusing on the labor market and higher education. She is currently a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Previously, she was a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and a staff economist with the Council of Economic Advisors under President George W. Bush. Akers is the author of Making College Pay: An Economist Explains How to Make a Smart Bet on College and coauthor of Game of Loans: The Rhetoric and Reality of Student Debt. Her writing and research have been featured in, among others, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Quartz, Newsweek, and The Hill. She has appeared on CNBC, ABC News, Bloomberg TV, C-SPAN, among other TV and radio networks. Akers received a B.S. in mathematics and economics from SUNY Albany and a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University.

Recent Episodes:

Hubwonk Ep. 6: COVID-19 and Commerce: Main Street’s Concerns with Governor Baker’s Course

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May 19, 2020

In this episode of Hubwonk, Host Joe Selvaggi & Pioneer Research Analyst Rebecca Paxton to get reactions to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s phased reopening, from the leaders of two statewide business organizations, NFIB and Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

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Hubwonk Ep. 5: COVID Calling: How answering the tracing phone call will move us forward

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May 12, 2020

In this episode, Host Joe Selvaggi and Co-Host Barbara Anthony speak with the heads of Partners in Health Drs. Sheila Davis & John Welch on how they are bringing their expertise battling Ebola in West Africa to defeating the COVID-19 epidemic in Massachusetts. They explore precisely how and why tracing is an essential element in battling the epidemic.

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Conquering COVID-19: When and From Where Will Vaccines and Therapies Emerge?

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May 5, 2020

This week on Hubwonk, Host Joe Selvaggi is joined by Pioneer’s Bill Smith, Visiting Fellow in Life Sciences, and Dr. Peter Kolchinsky, Harvard-trained virologist, biotech investor and author of the new book, The Great American Drug Deal, to learn how the SARS-CoV2 works, what a vaccine may look like, and how we might produce it to scale.

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A Tipping Point for Telehealth – Bringing Healthcare into Your Home

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April 28, 2020

This week on "Hubwonk," Joe Selvaggi and Josh Archambault talk with Dr. Roy Schoenberg, Chief Executive of Amwell, a global telehealth technology company headquartered in Boston, about the promise of telemedicine and how the COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed broader adoption.

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Coronavirus & Contracts – Protecting Massachusetts Attorneys & Clients from Risk

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April 21, 2020

In this episode of "Hubwonk," host Joe Selvaggi and Pioneer’s Chief Financial Officer & Director of Government Transparency, Mary Connaughton, speak with attorney and entrepreneur Kosta Ligris about how Massachusetts’ requirement for live attestation for many vital contracts is putting attorneys and clients at risk of exposure to coronavirus.

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Buoy Health – Intelligent Front Door to Optimized Healthcare

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April 21, 2020

In this first episode of Pioneer's new podcast, Hubwonk, host Joe Selvaggi and Pioneer Senior Fellow in Healthcare Josh Archambault talk with Dr. Andrew Le, cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of Buoy Health.

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Pioneer Institute Launches Its New Policy Podcast, “HubWonk”

April 14, 2020

Pioneer Institute is pleased to announce the launch today of a new, weekly podcast called “HubWonk,” covering timely topics, with insights and in-depth interviews on the issues that affect our quality of life, ability to prosper, and liberties. 

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