Podcasts

Podcasts July 27, 2023 Special Briefing: The Future of Mass Transportation as US Pandemic Aid Nears an End The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) invite you to join an online Special Briefing on the outlook for mass transportation across the US amid waning federal pandemic emergency aid and lagging ridership as metropolitan area commuters continue to work from home. The Special Briefing will include a remembrance of our great friend and colleague, Richard Ravitch, the former New York State lieutenant governor, Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman, Volcker Alliance director, and tireless advocate for fiscally sustainable state and local budgeting, who passed away on June 25. State & Local Finance

Podcasts June 15, 2023 Special Briefing: The Debt Ceiling Deal and its Impact on the US Economy, States, and Municipalities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on fallout for the US economy, states, and municipalities from the recent deal to raise the federal debt ceiling. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Matt Fabian Marcia Howard Annie Linskey Vikram Rai Torsten Slok State & Local Finance

Podcasts May 18, 2023 Special Briefing: Avoiding Municipal Distress The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research invite you to join an online Special Briefing on avoiding municipal distress. While the US unemployment rate is near a record low and $5 trillion in federal pandemic aid continuing to support the economy, American cities are enjoying healthy budget surpluses as COVID-19 recedes. But many of the underlying contributors to municipal distress and bankruptcy in the 2010s—underfunded pensions, deteriorating infrastructure, and population loss among them—still pose threats to many cities’ long-term fiscal health. Susan Wachter William Glasgall Richard Ratvich Stephanie A. Miner David N. Schleicher Rob Dubow Heather Gillers State & Local Finance

Podcasts April 27, 2023 Special Briefing: Managing Growth in America's Hottest States, Counties & Cities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research invite you to join an online Special Briefing on how America’s hottest growth cities and states are facing challenges as they deploy resources to handle the recent pickup of domestic and international immigration to the South and West. US Census data show that Texas and Florida showed a net gain of almost 1 million residents in 2022; they and the rest of the ten fastest-growing states added a total of 1.6 million people. Will this influx help keep these states out of recession? What are the budgetary demands on infrastructure, housing, public safety, education, and the environment, and how will governments tap into recent federal infrastructure legislation? William Glasgall Susan Wachter Matthew D. Chase Darryl Martin Anna Roach Steve Adler Alex Adams State & Local Finance

Podcasts March 30, 2023 Special Briefing: Revitalizing Downtowns by Turning Offices Into Homes With working from home persisting even as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, the Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on Revitalizing Downtowns by Turning Offices Into Homes. Attracting more people back to center cities to live as well as work is the key to increasing street life, bolstering commerce, and preventing further losses in municipal property and sales tax revenues. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Maria Torres-Springer Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh Amy Cotter Heather Long State & Local Finance

Podcasts February 16, 2023 Special Briefing: State and Local Budgets in Uncertain Times As governors and mayors announce their spending plans for fiscal 2024, the Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research invite you to join our panel of experts for an online Special Briefing on State and Local Budgets in Uncertain Times. Susan Wachter William Glasgall Shelby Kerns Eric Kim Lauren Larson Gabriel Petek State & Local Finance

Podcasts January 19, 2023 The Future of Downtowns The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the Future of Downtowns.Our panel of experts included Howard Cure, director of municipal bond research, Evercore Wealth Management; Steven J. Davis, senior fellow, Hoover Institution, and professor of business and economics, University of Chicago Booth School of Business; Tracy Hadden Loh, fellow, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking, Brookings Metro; Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, Earle W. Kazis and Benjamin Schore professor of real estate and professor of finance, Columbia University's Graduate School of Business; and Romy Varghese, politics editor, Bloomberg News. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Tracy Hadden Loh Howard Cure Steven J. Davis Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh Romy Varghese State & Local Finance

Podcasts December 15, 2022 Special Briefing: 2023 Outlook for States and Cities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing: 2023 Outlook for States and Cities. Panelists will discussed issues including inflation, employment, housing, jobs, and the possibility of a recession. Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Arizona, outlined how the city is using federal recovery dollars, focusing on housing projects; the impact of a growing population on the city’s tax base; and her outlook for the coming year. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Mark Zandi Kate Gallego Emily Brock Natalie Cohen Julia Coronado State & Local Finance

Podcasts November 17, 2022 Special Briefing: Big Cities, Big Challenges The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing: Big Cities, Big Challenges. The discussion focused on addressing inflation that has yet to be controlled and recession fears for big cities while federal COVID-19 budgetary aid will soon expire. Susan Wachter William Glasgall Greg David Shirley Franklin Heather Gillers Farhad Omeyr State & Local Finance

Podcasts October 22, 2022 Special Briefing: The Inflation Reduction Act: Investment Opportunities and Challenges The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on state and local budgets, focusing on the opportunities and challenges that are on the road ahead. William Glasgall Eugénie L. Birch Susan Wachter Ben Beachy Sarah Gimont Justin Marlowe Richard Prisinzano State & Local Finance

Podcasts September 15, 2022 Special Briefing: Stagflation Ahead? Inflation and Recession The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the likelihood of stagflation and recession as inflationary pressures continue to impact the US economy as well as the outlook for states and municipalities. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Mark Zandi State & Local Finance

Podcasts July 21, 2022 Vulnerable Cities Facing Work from Home Realities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the long-term outlook of the impact of working from home. Even as the US has recovered from the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many cities have continued to see substantial weakness in commercial office space utilization. The expert panel discussed research findings that reflect the slow return of employees to offices, which cities’ tax revenues may be most vulnerable, and what solutions are being deployed to adapt to the new workplace reality. William Glasgall Susan Wachter State & Local Finance

Podcasts June 23, 2022 Special Briefing on States Cutting Taxes: Relief Now, Shortfalls Later? The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the wave of proposed and enacted tax holidays, reductions, and rebates sweeping Red and Blue states as revenues surge amid trillions of dollars in federal relief to governments, companies, and individuals following the COVID-19-led economic shutdown. The expert panel discussed actions states and municipalities are taking, if they will provide inflation relief or spur economic growth—or whether they will lead to shortfalls if rising interest rates end in recession, just as much of the pandemic aid is set to expire. Susan Wachter William Glasgall Alex Adams Beverly Bunch Howard Cure Shelby Kerns State & Local Finance

Podcasts May 19, 2022 Special Briefing on the Deployment of the $1 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by States and Localities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted a Special Briefing on how states and localities are deploying the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). With the passage of the IIJA in November 2021, governments face the challenge of allocating more than $1 trillion of funding in a strategic manner that address both past neglected needs and paves the way for a sustainable future. Panelists discussed innovative solutions being pursued, roadblocks that are on the horizon, and the overall impact of this funding on the nation’s infrastructure and economy. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Lawrence Parks Lauren Larson Patrick Brett Jorge Elorza State & Local Finance

Podcasts April 21, 2022 Special Briefing on Inflation and Recession Risks for States and Cities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted a Special Briefing on the outlook for inflation, interest rates, the possibility of a recession, and what this means for state and local finance. The event began with Jerome H. Powell, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, delivering brief welcoming remarks in appreciation of Paul A. Volcker (1927-2019), former Federal Reserve Chair and founding Chairman of the Volcker Alliance. Mark Zandi William Glasgall Susan Wachter Jerome Powell Matt Gress Natalie Cohen Les Richmond State & Local Finance

Podcasts March 17, 2022 Special Briefing on Work from Home: What it Means for State and Local Economies and Revenues The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the implications of the emergence of permanent work from home or hybrid work models as state and local governments address fluctuations in their economies and revenues. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Tony Williams Ally Schweitzer Howard Chernick Jose Maria Barrero State & Local Finance

Podcasts February 17, 2022 Watch a Special Briefing on New York City: New Mayor, Federal Aid, Challenges to Recovery The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research co-hosted a Special Briefing on the challenges New York City faces in 2022 and beyond as its new mayor grapples with COVID-19, street crime, and the possibility of fiscal challenges as federal pandemic aid wanes in coming years. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Eugénie L. Birch Kathryn Wylde Richard Ratvich Ray McGuire Ronnie Lowenstein State & Local Finance

Podcasts January 20, 2022 Special Briefing: 2022 Outlook for States and Cities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research held a Special Briefing on the 2022 outlook for states and localities. Our panel of experts from government, Washington, and Wall Street included Lucy Dadayan, Senior Research Associate with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute; Larry Johnson, Commissioner, DeKalb County (Georgia) Board of Commissioners and President, National Association of Counties; Eric Kim, Senior Director, Fitch Ratings Inc.; Torsten Slok, Chief Economist, Apollo Global Management, and Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics. The panelists discussed the path of the US economy, inflation, interest rates, the impact COVID-19 continues to have, and whether state and local governments face a “fiscal cliff” as federal pandemic budget aid wanes. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Mark Zandi Lucy Dadayan Larry Johnson Eric Kim Torsten Slok State & Local Finance

Podcasts December 16, 2021 Special Briefing on State and City Spending of Federal Infrastructure Funds The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted a Special Briefing on state and city spending of federal infrastructure funds contained in the recent enacted infrastructure bill as well as the American Rescue Plan Act. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Patrick J. Brett Earl Blumenauer David Glick Rebecca Rhynhart State & Local Finance

Podcasts December 16, 2021 Special Briefing on State and City Spending of Federal Infrastructure Funds The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted a Special Briefing on state and city spending of federal infrastructure funds contained in the recent enacted infrastructure bill as well as the American Rescue Plan Act. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Patrick J. Brett Rebecca Rhynhart Earl Blumenauer David Glick State & Local Finance

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