Summary: You may have heard lots about Barbie recently. But do you know the history of this doll can give us some intriguing insights into women’s labor force participation? The Indicator speaks with an economic educator who looked back into Census data and Mattel’s archive. Her exercise using these resources is our featured Teaching Idea.
Summary: Inflation in China hit zero last month. Should the world be worried about deflation and a potential recession? The Indicator speaks with an expert and takes a more nuanced look at the data. In the “Teaching Ideas,” students will look at this directly from the source– China’s National Bureau of Statistics. For those used to FRED or BLS, this is an interesting exploration down a less familiar path!
Summary: The central bank of Ukraine has been working hard to maintain macroeconomic stability in face of extreme conditions. One of their jobs is maintaining a stable currency (hryvnia) as the expensive war wages on. We see how the exchange rate impacts a woman trying to supply crucial medicine to Ukrainians. Students get practice with exchange rate conversions in this setting.
Summary: Chinese tourists account for a very large fraction of tourist dollars worldwide. As global travel picks up again, this episode highlights the substantial contribution Chinese tourists make to different economies and it explores what might drive their flow in the near future. Our companion exercise works through how tourism fits into the GDP expenditure approach.
California Ports were not prepared for the consumer purchasing patterns shift from the pandemic. Instead of vacations, families were buying a new refrigerator or couch. This unpredictable increase in demand combined with the ports’ fragile system caused a supply chain issue that is still affecting America today.
Carmen Reinhart, a professor of the International Financial Systems at Harvard Kennedy School discusses her life and economic experiences with Maria Hasenstab, senior media relations specialist at the St. Louis Fed. They cover a variety of topics from Reinhart’s childhood move from Cuba to the U.S., the male-dominated field of economics and how that impacts women, and how she analyzes economics almost like a detective would. As we continue through International Women’s Month, she leaves a motto for any women in the economic field: perseverance and consistency.
The United States used to lead the world in their percentage of college graduates. Today, the U.S is lagging behind countries like Japan and South Korea. Dr. Monge-Naranjo from the Federal Reserve Bank discusses how this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and how the United States can benefit from the ideas and technologies being produced elsewhere.
Original Air Date: August 31 2020
Length: 3 minutes 13 seconds
Discussion Prompt: What other ways can this idea benefit the United States? What ways could this be harmful to the United States? Is there any significance or advantage to being “number 1” in terms of college educated workers?
Rajagopalan, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center discusses the progress of India’s economy over the years. She compares the size of India’s economy compared the countries such as the U.S. and China, as well as how previous reforms have affected their economy and further reforms in their economy that could improve its development.
In the year 1000 Vikings were the first individuals from Europe to discover North America. Eventually, they discovered that indigenous individuals were already there and began exchanging goods with them. This is the first known example of a good from one area in the world was able to be traded for a good in another region. There is even evidence of some form of coin being exchanged between the two groups.
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