Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/05/20/136403092/the-tuesday-podcast-we-sold-gold
Summary: The Planet Money team sells the gold they purchased in October 2010. (Part I of the story is in the podcast “Gold“)
Original air date: May 17, 2011
Length: 17:53
Main story content begins: 3:10
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/02/07/130597201/the-friday-podcast-gold
Summary: The Planet Money team buys gold (Part II of the story is in the podcast “We Sold Gold“)
Original air date: October 15, 2010
Length: 15:40
Main story content begins: 2:35
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?
Summary: An illustration of Keynes’ explanation of the origin of asset bubbles using videos of cute animals.
Original air date: January 11, 2011
Length: 21:43
Main story content begins: 2:44
Original air date: April 12, 2011
Length: 21:43
Main story content begins: 3:10
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
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/07/hear_bloody_miserable_medieval.html
Summary: Discussion of the economics of a French village in the middle ages.
Original air date: July 27, 2009
Length: 21:55
Main story content begins: 3:18
Summary: Discussion of the development and production process for Rihanna’s song “Man Down”
Original air date: July 8, 2012
Length: 26:25
Main story content begins: 2:04
Discussion Prompt: This podcast discusses a variety of production costs. Give examples of specific types or categories of production costs that you identify in the podcast. Then pick one of these costs and discuss how a firm (such as a recording studio) might benefit from minimizing or expanding this production cost item.
In your second post later in the week, review the ideas of your peers and comment on their accuracy / expand on their ideas / give additional examples of that type of production cost, or give an example of a type of cost not discussed in posts so far, but which relates to the recording industry.
Follow-up Prompt: Can you take any of the costs you or your peers identified from the podcast and categorize them as: fixed vs. variable costs, as implicit vs. explicit costs, or even marginal costs? Explain your reasoning.
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/08/05/138934689/the-tuesday-podcast-the-patent-war
Summary: Discussion of how the U.S. patent system is not working for software and related technology.
Original air date: August 2, 2011
Length: 18:54
Main story content begins: 3:10
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/08/26/139972557/the-friday-podcast-norways-got-advice-for-libya
Summary: Discussion of how Norway’s unusual development of Norway’s oil industry and how it avoided the natural resource curse.
Original air date: August 26, 2011
Length: 21:44
Main story content begins: 3:27
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