Archive for the ‘Government’ Category
Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/01/31/582224091/janet-yellen-s-mystery-story
Summary: Former head of the Federal Reserve of America, Janet Yellen, communicated about inflation, uncertainty, and monetary policy in one of her speeches last fall. With the current low inflation, the Fed hopes more consumers go out and purchase more goods to help reach the ideal inflation in the country. But as inflation remains low, the Fed is left puzzling over this mystery.
Original Air Date: January 31, 2018
Length: 6 minutes 48 seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/01/12/577710151/the-recession-predictor
Summary: There appears to be fear that another recession is approaching the United States, but what are the warning signs for the country’s economy? From talks about inflation, interest rates, and borrowing, the yield curve is known to be a powerful and the most accurate predictor of recessions.
Original Air Date: January 12, 2018
Length: 9 minutes 5 seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/01/30/581923542/weed-gdp
Summary: Ever wonder what goods and services contributes significantly to a country’s economy? GDP is the basic measure that does just that and, in this podcast, the director general of Statistics Canada goes on a journey to determine the figures that represent marijuana’s contribution to Canada’s GDP to see the economic effects of marijuana legalization within the country.
Original Air Date: January 30, 2018
Length: 6 minutes 4 seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/02/07/584032956/obama-trump-and-trade
Summary: THE INDICATOR discusses the Trump administration trade policy thus far regarding the tariffs on solar panels and washing machines that were implemented during Obama’s administration. How much of an impact do tariffs actually make on a country’s economy, if they do at all?
Original Air Date: February 7, 2018
Length: 5 minutes 18 seconds
Link: https://www.marketplace.org/2017/10/10/health-care/cost-military-transgender-care-in-spotlight
Summary: In light of the cost of transgender health care, President Trump has advised the Department of Defense to eliminate transition-related care for veterans and active duty transgender troops due to potential high costs that the U.S. can face. Though, in this podcast, one argues that the actual expenses will come from firing perfectly competent transgender troops and training future armed forces. Morality, gender issues, and politics are factors that clash together in this podcast.
Original Air Date: October 10, 2017
Length: 2 minutes 35 seconds
Link: https://www.marketplace.org/2017/10/06/economy/weekly-wrap/latest-jobs-report-reveals-hurricanes-harvey-irma-s-economic-costs
Summary: With significant damages caused by two major hurricanes that recently took place, it is no surprise that the road to recovery will be a long and an expensive one for the affected areas. This podcast considers the statements of President Trump and his stance on Puerto Rico’s debt, as well as Janet Yellen’s view on regulation. In addition, consider concerns whether the financial system of the U.S. itself has been stable and transparent.
Original Air Date: October 6, 2017
Length: 5 minutes 53 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/2017/10/13/557628589/equifax-hack-brings-renewed-attention-to-the-credit-reporting-industry
Summary: There are hundreds of millions of consumers who receive their credit reports from Equifax, but with the recent announcement of a cyber-security breach caused by hackers, what does that now mean for the agency? In this podcast, the Planet Money team discusses the roots of how the multi-billion-dollar industry came to be. One may think that the large hack will only pose a threat to individuals’ identities, but think about how it can negatively impact the economy as well.
Original Air Date: October 13, 2017
Length: 3 minutes 37 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/10/13/557645729/episode-800-north-koreas-capitalists?utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=bufferffd48&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Summary: Learn about a little group in North Korea, called the ‘donju.’ The economic prosperity that they developed went on to support the country’s nuclear program and contributed to the growth of their economy. This was all made possible when Kim Jong Un began allowing consultants from overseas to educate North Korean entrepreneurs on accounting, trade, and management. They did this without daring to actually call it a spread of capitalism, as North Korea still remains a strict socialist country.
Original Air Date: October 13, 2017
Length: 24 minutes 25 seconds
Discussion prompt (1): Having listened to this podcast, what type of economic system do you think North Korea has? What impact do you think this system has on people, businesses and the government. Use specific examples from the podcast to support your answer.
Discussion Prompt (2): The podcast points out that in N Korea’s economic system “the state technically owns everything.” How does this impact the ‘Donju’? Think particularly how it impacts the incentives they face to start and grow a business (contributing to economic development).
Discussion Prompt (3): Why would entrepreneurship not be something typically observed in a Centrally Planned/Socialist country? How are the economic incentives of this system related to this lack of entrepreneurship? According to this podcast, how did the economic actions of the Donju contribute to economic growth in N. Korea?
Link: https://www.marketplace.org/2017/10/09/tech/what-linkedin-tells-us-about-economy
Summary: Who says the Labor Department is the only thing that can measure the U.S. economy? LinkedIn keeps track of the U.S. workforce by viewing trends that they see on their members’ profiles and extracting specific data to construct monthly reports. From tracking skills to receiving live updates on when individuals get new jobs, LinkedIn can track certain data that the government cannot.
Original Air Date: October 9, 2017
Length: 6 minutes 24 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/09/13/550607440/organic-industry-sues-to-push-animal-welfare-rules
Summary: There is a thoughtful process behind the eggs that a consumer purchases from the grocery store. In this podcast, organic industries argue that meeting the basic needs of birds is crucial. This includes providing chickens the access to the outdoors where they can freely roam. As it is in everybody’s interest to shop for organic eggs from chickens that are “cage-free”, the organic industry demands the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement new rules regarding animal welfare.
Original Air Date: September 13, 2017
Length: 2 minutes 32 seconds
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