Summary: Presentation of the origins of the introduction of the Brazilian Real in 1994.
Original air date: October 1, 2010
Length: 29:56
Main story content begins: 3: 27
Archive for the ‘International economics’ Category
How Four Drinking Buddies Saved Brazil Leave a comment
The Cotton Wars 3 comments
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/01/26/130917279/the-friday-podcast-cotton-wars
Summary: Presentation of the trade war in the cotton market between Brazil and the U.S. Part of a series of podcasts inspired by Pietra Rivoli’s “Travels of the T-Shirt”
Original air date: October 29, 2010
Length: 31:28
Main story content begins: 1:45
Discussion Prompt: The US is the largest exporter of cotton—thanks to government subsidies—and is in direct competition with Brazil. Discuss how subsidies and protectionist acts by the government impact industries and consumers in the United States and in Brazil, and whether you agree with these policies by the U.S.
Written Assignment Prompt: In the podcast, Pedro describes the US as breaking the ‘rules’—which refers to a WTO agreement that Brazil, the US, and many other countries signed. Brazil fights back and wins! Sort of. Imagine you are a member of the WTO ruling on decisions such as these. Considering the outcome and impacts of this case in particular: how much power do you have over making rulings and forcing countries to follow them? Is there a way to make the US and others in violation of WTO rules comply?
Economics for Medieval Chinese Peasants 3 comments
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/09/podcast_economics_for_medieval.html
Summary: Discussion of the economics of life in pre-industrial China in the lower Yangtze River Valley. Also compares the experiences of living in China vs. in Europe in the middle ages.
Original air date: September 4, 2009
Length: 17:00
Main content story begins: 1:18
Do Sanctions Work? 3 comments
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/01/17/145361054/the-tuesday-podcast-do-sanctions-work
Summary: Interview with Economist Gary Hufbauer to consider the effectiveness of sanctions as a political tool, in the context of imposition of new sanctions to Iran. Includes a profile of life in Iran in the early 1990s under U.N. sanctions.
Original Air Date: January 17, 2012
Length 22:54
Main story content begins: 2:46
How Fear Turned a Surplus into Scarcity 3 comments
Summary: Story of the origins of the 2008 global rice shortage “that wasn’t”.
Original Air Date: November 4, 2011
Length: 24:33
Main story content begins: 2:12
In a Leaderless World, Who Wins? Leave a comment
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/05/04/152028558/in-a-leaderless-world-who-wins
Summary: Interview with Ian Bremmer discussing his book, Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World and issues of international politics and economics in a multipolar (or zero-polar) world.
Original Air Date: May 4, 2012
Length: 15:23
Main story content begins: 2:37
Buttons and Other Connectors 1 comment
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/10/08/130436221/the-friday-podcast-buttons-and-other-connectors
Summary: A profile of American manufacturing by visiting two U.S. factories, one struggling to compete in a global economy, and another thriving.
Original Air Date: October 8, 2010
Length 26:35
Main story content begins: 2:22
Discussion Prompt: Consider the two firms discussed in the podcast in the context of different types of market structures (ex. monopolistic competition, perfect competition, oligopoly, monopoly). What type of market structure do you think each firm is operating in? Explain why you think this using the characteristics of each market type and be sure to share your analysis.
Follow-up Prompt: Review your peer’s discussion posts. Try to come to a further developed and agreed upon idea of what type of market structure each firm might be operating. Here are some factors to consider: (1) number of firms – note that how we count the firms depends on how we’re defining the product/market. Note that many companies compete in a global market now, so location is not as important as the substitutability of the products of potential competitor firms. (2) type of product produced: note that in the oligopoly structure firms can be producing products that are identical to one another OR differentiated, that is not as important for oligopoly as is the fact that there are a few firms controlling the market; for monopolistic competition the products are differentiated, but relatively substitutable – so that they can be considered within one market; finally monopolists have a unique product with no close substitutes (substitutes that may exist are not close). (3) barriers to entry / ease of entry: one of the key things to consider here is the presence of patents, which serve as barriers to entry for a period of time. Note that in monopolistic competition there are low/no barriers to entry, with higher barriers in oligopoly and highest in monopoly. With patents we also have to think about whether they are making a product differentiated or making it completely unique.
India’s Economy Is Booming, But Not for Everybody 3 comments
Summary: Considers questions about economic disparity in benefits from economic growth by talking with a cobbler who lives on the streets and economic policy makers in India.
Original air date: June 4, 2010
Length 23:56
Main story content begins: 2:27
When BB+ is a Bad Grade Leave a comment
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/05/_after_the_downgrade_ap.html
Summary: Discussion of the rating agency process of providing country bond ratings, within the context of the Euro crisis.
Length 21:08
Original air date: May 7, 2010
Main story content begins: 8:00
Planet Money indicator discussion of NY Stock Exchange “circuit breaker’ and its backfire on May 6, 2010) 1:10 – 8:00
Did China’s Central Bank Take Your Job? 1 comment
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/03/podcast_why_chinas_central_ban.html
Summary: Discussion of the debate whether China manipulates is currency to impact exchange rate with U.S.
Original Air Date: March 19, 2010
Length 21:44
Main story content begins: 3:24
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