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BREAKTHROUGHS

BREAKTHROUGHS

By: HEC Paris
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Summary

Grasp today’s economic, social and business issues with research and analysis brought to you by our HEC Paris Business School Professors. Widen your perspectives with recognized experts from different disciplines through a series of talks. Expanding knowledge, Enhancing responsibility: this is our engagement to our podcast listeners.


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HEC Paris Economics
Episodes
  • Top Finance Researcher Shows Why AI’s Hidden Bill Is About to Hit Everyone

    Top Finance Researcher Shows Why AI’s Hidden Bill Is About to Hit Everyone
    Apr 24 2026
    AI may feel weightless, but Olivier Darmouni argues that its real-world costs are anything but virtual. In this episode of Breakthroughs, the HEC Paris professor explains when and where the boom in data centers could raise electricity prices in the future; and how these centers could reshape investment in power infrastructure and force Europe to think much harder about energy security. Olivier also reflects on his recent hearing at France’s National Assembly, the difference between productive finance and financial extraction, and why overcoming the financial barriers to sustainability means finding credible ways to crowd in private capital.

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    59 mins
  • Have Banks Outsourced Financial Fragility?

    Have Banks Outsourced Financial Fragility?
    Mar 26 2026

    When credit markets seize up in crisis periods, most people still blame the banks. But new research suggests the bigger pullback may come from nonbanks like those in the syndicated loan market. These have grown fast but remain fragile, cutting lending harder in times of stress – with negative consequences on employment. That shift could reshape how we think about crises, jobs and financial resilience. HEC Assistant Professor in Finance Quirin Fleckenstein explores these issues as part of his research into macro-finance, financial intermediation, and corporate finance.

    Original research paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3629232 (open source), and the published article in the prestigious Review of Financial Studies (https://academic.oup.com/rfs/article/39/4/925/8114830)

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    28 mins
  • How Oscar Nominations Influence Our Choices - SHORT PODCAST

    How Oscar Nominations Influence Our Choices - SHORT PODCAST
    Mar 11 2026
    The 98th Academy Awards are just days away, six weeks after the Academy listed the nominees. But what do Oscar nominations really do to moviegoers? According to Marketing professor Michelangelo Rossi, they don’t just guide what we watch, they can also raise expectations enough to change how much we enjoy a film. Michelangelo joins Breakthroughs to unpack his latest research, cosigned by Hi! PARIS academic Felix Schleff.

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    9 mins
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