Robert Solow famously said that computers are everywhere except for the productivity statistics. But does his 1987 statement still hold? And what impact has technology in a broader sense had on the labour market - on wages, on (gender) equality, on skills requirements?

That is the topic for this conversation with prof. Nick Deschacht, from KU Leuven's Economics department. Nick Deschacht is a labour economist and published repeatedly on the impact of technology on the structure of the labour market.

In this episode, professor Johan Eyckmans (KU Leuven – CEDON) discusses the concept of GDP and the degrowth discussions that surround it. However, if we are aware of the limitations of GDP as a measure, aiming for a form of GDP-reduction is as flawed as aiming for GDP-growth.

If the compass is broken, it doesn’t matter which direction you choose, you simply need a different compass.

Economics and Society aims to use the tools of economics to look at the whole of society. One part of that society that is often forgotten - or even neglected and ignored – are people who beg. Hidden in plain sight, visible but largely unseen. And often uncounted, until now.

Economic Sociologist Stef Adriaenssens and his PhD researcher Teodora Soare, both from KU Leuven’s Economic research group, have charted the lives and lived experiences of people who beg on the streets of Brussels. Moreover, they examined which so-called ‘deservingness criteria’ passersby employ to decide whether or not to give to people who beg.