GP Columnists
Author - Philippe Bracke
Philippe Bracke studied Economics at Bocconi University in Milan. After obtaining his undergraduate degree, he moved to Frankfurt where he worked one year in the Statistics Department of the European Central Bank.
He then joined the LSE for an MSc in Economics, which he was awarded with Distinction. He is currently a PhD student at the Economics Department, and his research focuses on housing markets (with a special attention to housing bubbles) and entrepreneurship.
Philippe has taught Real Estate Finance to LSE Master students. He has been a visiting student at the Wisconsin Business School in Madison, Wisconsin, and a summer intern at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC.
During his time at the LSE, Philippe has engaged in a few extra-curricular activities. In 2007 he has been a LSE tutor volunteer, teaching math to 12 year-old kids in a London School. In 2009 he has been the president of the LSE Student Union Italian Society.
The goal of Philippe’s blog posts for Global Policy is to connect the dots between economic theory and real-world policy problems.
Latest Posts:
Three clues that China has created a housing bubble
When faced with the intimidating question “Is there a housing bubble in China?”, most of us would answer dismissively: “I have no clue.” This is unfortunate because the Chinese housing bubble is becoming a hot...
Who killed the middle class?
The last three decades have seen a rise in income inequality. “The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer” has been the mantra to describe this phenomenon. As all catchy phrases, this...
This recession has a human cost
We see the economy as proceeding in cycles: expansions and recessions alternate, good times follow bad times. When this recession is over, we think, things will get back to normal.
Mai Dao and Prakash Loungani, two economists from the...
Did income inequality contribute to the crisis?
The rise in income inequality in the US is one of the most important economic phenomena of the last 30 years. In 1965, the average CEO pay was 24 times that of the average worker; 40 years later, in 2005, the ratio was 250. These huge...
Financial innovation and its discontents
For many of us, this financial crisis has provided the opportunity to learn a plethora of new fancy terms. Expressions like subprime mortgages, asset backed security (ABS), and collateralized debt obligation (CDO) have become part of everyday...
The badly needed reform of rating agencies
Since the start of the financial crisis, public anger has focused mostly on bankers. Their huge bonuses have not gone down well with the general population. This is not surprising – think about losing your job and reading that most bank...
The century of cities
In 2007, for the first time in human history, people living in cities outnumbered people living in the country. Let’s celebrate.
Urbanization has always accompanied humanity’s major leaps forward....
How to fight petty corruption in emerging economies: an Indian example
Corruption is particularly bad for emerging economies: it hampers growth, exacerbates economic inequalities, and fosters a sense of frustration among citizens. What is to be done?
Scene 1: A...
