{
  "title": "Nationalizations Get Another Look: Nicholas Mulder",
  "publication": "IMF Podcasts",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2026/06/04/nicholas-mulder-on-nationalizations",
  "canonical": "https://www.imf.org/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2026/06/04/nicholas-mulder-on-nationalizations",
  "overlayPath": "/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2026/06/04/nicholas-mulder-on-nationalizations/index.md",
  "summary": "He's an award-winning audio producer and journalist who's covered armed conflicts, social unrest, and natural disasters from all corners of the world.",
  "authors": [
    "Nicholas Mulder"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Episode overview and central thesis",
      "content": "- The podcast episode explores a renewed interest in nationalizations amid rising geopolitical risks.\n- Core question examined: Are state-owned enterprises (SOEs) always inferior due to \"proven inefficiencies and mismanagement,\" or can government ownership of key resources and industries be a deliberate policy response to strategic risks?\n- Nicholas Mulder argues that \"governments are looking for ways to keep essential resources under their control\" in response to contemporary geopolitical pressures.\n- The conversation is based on Mulder's article \"The New Wave of Nationalization,\" published in the June issue of Finance & Development magazine."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Key findings and arguments presented",
      "content": "- Historical and economic skepticism: Economists have long viewed state-owned enterprises negatively because of \"proven inefficiencies and mismanagement.\"\n- Reconsideration of private-sector primacy: The episode questions whether \"handing over key resources and industries to the private sector really [is] the answer\" in a geopolitically fragmented world.\n- Policy trade-offs highlighted:\n  - Benefits of government ownership cited implicitly: enhanced control over \"essential resources,\" strategic independence.\n  - Costs of government ownership cited explicitly: risks of inefficiency and mismanagement associated with SOEs."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Participants, production, and publication details",
      "content": "- Guest: NICHOLAS MULDER — assistant professor of modern history at Cornell University; author of The Age of Confiscation: Making and Taking Property in the Creation of the Modern World.\n- Host/Producers:\n  - Bruce Edwards — produces the IMF podcast program; described as an award-winning audio producer and journalist.\n  - Rhoda Metcalfe — independent journalist and audio producer; co-host in the discussion with Mulder.\n- Publication and availability:\n  - Episode title: \"Nationalizations Get Another Look: Nicholas Mulder\"\n  - Date: June 4, 2026\n  - The episode notes the availability of a Transcript.\n  - Platforms listed for listening: Libsyn, Spotify, YouTube, Soundcloud, Apple."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Implications and considerations for policymakers",
      "content": "- Strategic rationale: Governments may pursue nationalizations to secure control over \"essential resources\" in the face of geopolitical risk.\n- Efficiency-risk trade-off: Policymakers should weigh the potential strategic benefits of public ownership against \"proven inefficiencies and mismanagement\" historically associated with SOEs.\n- Context sensitivity: Decisions on ownership structures should account for geopolitical environment, sectoral importance, and institutional capacity to manage state enterprises effectively."
    }
  ],
  "bullets": [
    "The podcast episode explores a renewed interest in nationalizations amid rising geopolitical risks.",
    "Core question examined: Are state-owned enterprises (SOEs) always inferior due to \"proven inefficiencies and mismanagement,\" or can government ownership of key resources and industries be a deliberate policy response to strategic risks?",
    "Nicholas Mulder argues that \"governments are looking for ways to keep essential resources under their control\" in response to contemporary geopolitical pressures.",
    "The conversation is based on Mulder's article \"The New Wave of Nationalization,\" published in the June issue of Finance & Development magazine.",
    "Historical and economic skepticism: Economists have long viewed state-owned enterprises negatively because of \"proven inefficiencies and mismanagement.\"",
    "Reconsideration of private-sector primacy: The episode questions whether \"handing over key resources and industries to the private sector really [is] the answer\" in a geopolitically fragmented world.",
    "Policy trade-offs highlighted:",
    "Guest: NICHOLAS MULDER — assistant professor of modern history at Cornell University; author of The Age of Confiscation: Making and Taking Property in the Creation of the Modern World.",
    "Host/Producers:",
    "Publication and availability:",
    "Strategic rationale: Governments may pursue nationalizations to secure control over \"essential resources\" in the face of geopolitical risk.",
    "Efficiency-risk trade-off: Policymakers should weigh the potential strategic benefits of public ownership against \"proven inefficiencies and mismanagement\" historically associated with SOEs.",
    "Context sensitivity: Decisions on ownership structures should account for geopolitical environment, sectoral importance, and institutional capacity to manage state enterprises effectively.",
    "[Nicholas Mulder Nationalization Mix (MP3)](/-/media/files/news/podcasts/mp3/english/2026/nicholas-mulder-nationalization-mix.mp3){rel=\"external\" type=\"audio/mpeg\"}"
  ],
  "related": [
    {
      "title": "Nicholas Mulder Nationalization Mix",
      "role": "other",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/news/podcasts/mp3/english/2026/nicholas-mulder-nationalization-mix.mp3",
      "binary": {
        "path": "/-/media/files/news/podcasts/mp3/english/2026/nicholas-mulder-nationalization-mix.mp3",
        "mime": "audio/mpeg"
      }
    }
  ],
  "alternates": {
    "markdown": "/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2026/06/04/nicholas-mulder-on-nationalizations/index.md",
    "json": "/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2026/06/04/nicholas-mulder-on-nationalizations/index.json",
    "bundleManifest": "/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2026/06/04/nicholas-mulder-on-nationalizations/bundle-manifest.json"
  },
  "generatedAtUtc": "2026-10-02T03:26:15.148Z"
}