Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/12/20/255839292/episode-505-a-locked-door-a-secret-meeting-and-the-birth-of-the-fed
Summary: An historical retelling of the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank
Original Air Date: December 20, 2013
Length: 15 min
Summary: Ed Glaeser, University of Harvard professor sheds light on why it is easy for politicians and marketers to sell green.
Original Air Date: October 24, 2013
Length: 25 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/09/21/140643696/operation-twist-explained-in-4-easy-steps
Summary: How does the Fed lower interest rates? This podcast gives a quick, four step process on how the Fed can lower interest rates in order to combat unemployment.
Original Air Date: September 21, 2011
Length: 4 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/09/16/140464797/a-slow-motion-bank-run-in-europe
Summary: What are the potential risks and negative spillovers of “big banks” failing? This podcast outlines why big banks, for example big French banks cannot default because of the havoc that would befall in an economy.
Original Air Date: September 14, 2011
Length: 3 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/12/13/167055503/why-legos-are-so-expensive-and-so-popular
Summary: Why are Legos so popular? How has this toy-construction behemoth survived and out-strategized competitors even after their 1989 patent expiration?
Original Air Date: December 13, 2012
Length: 5 min
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Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/09/30/227468495/one-key-thing-no-one-knows-about-obamacare
Summary: No one really knows who will sign up for the Affordable Health Care Plan (Obamacare) once it gets introduced. One potential risk of the program is that it will enter the insurance “death spiral,” or the inability for the program to attract healthy people. This could cause insurance premiums to skyrocket causing the whole system to fall apart.
Original Air Date: September 30, 2013
Length: 3 min
Summary: What would happen if the U.S. defaults? According to experts in the field, a U.S. default would lead to the inability for the government to pay back their loans which in turn could have damaging effects to the social security program, pension accounts and foreign direct investment in treasury bonds. Also considers the impact on China, as a U.S. bondholder.
Original Air Date: October 10, 2013
Length: 4 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/06/21/194326482/episode-467-tires-taxes-and-the-grizz
Summary: The prices of tires have been rising over the past five years primarily due to a rise in the price of inputs such as rubber. A tariff imposed by the U.S. government on Chinese tire imports has also contributed to the increase of tire prices. Planet Money outlines the negative impacts on U.S. tire companies resulting from the tariff.
Original Air Date: June 21, 2013
Length: 14 min
Summary: A discussion of the economic and business factors within the U.S. that complicate the question of whether the U.S. should be sending aid in the form of weapons to Egypt during its ongoing political crisis.
Length: 13:08 min
Original air date: August 23, 2013
Summary: As the health insurance market prepares for the changes brought about by implementation of Affordable Care Act, this podcast considers how insurance companies might begin to target their new consumers. Considers marketing and branding strategies as well as how insurers might think about using incentive schemes to retain customers.
Length: 4:04 min
Original air date: July 12, 2013
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