Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/news-not-noise/id1585743634?i=1000550850554
New York Times bestselling author Alec Ross talks about his new book, The Raging 2020s, and explains how that restore the balance of power between the government, businesses, and citizens a new social contract is needed for modern America.
Discussion Prompt: After listening to the podcast, do you agree that America needs a new social contract for the economy to thrive? While answering this question, use your economic thinking and reflect on ideas like wealth inequality, taxes, and unions.
Original Air Date: February 12, 2022
Length: 32 minutes 28 seconds
If you use podcasts for teaching economics, you may find a new audioecon.com resource useful. Check out the new ‘Listening to Podcasts for Learning‘ page for tips to share with your students who may be used to listening to podcasts for pleasure, but could use some guidance in listening to learn. We also have a downloadable PowerPoint slide deck available for you to share in your classes or on your learning platform. Thanks to audioecon.com contributors and Emmanuel College students Olivia Fiorini and Eliana Falleur for putting these resources together.
Link: https://wordsandnumbers.libsyn.com/episode-264-should-cities-invest-in-sports-stadiums
James Harrigan and Antony Davies, hosts of the Words & Numbers podcast, discuss various topics from US sanctions on Russia. Lauren Heller, Associate Professor of Economics at the Campbell School of Business, then joins them to consider the public funding of sports arenas and the economics behind it. Lauren discusses false profit projections and how the actual payoff for say, the Super Bowl is really only about 10% of those hopeful projected profits. Politicians, fans, and the continued belief in false projections all play a part in the pushing for new stadiums, but in reality they don’t provide the huge economic benefits that cities are promised.
Original Air Date: March 2, 2022
Length: 34 minutes 6 seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/2021/11/16/1056299014/of-boats-and-boxes
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.
Original Air Date: November 17, 2021
Length: 24 Minutes 55 Seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/2022/02/19/1081948884/mexican-drug-cartels-are-getting-into-the-avocado-and-lime-business
On this episode of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, Scott Simon and Emily Green discuss the involvement and control that cartels have in the avocado and lime business in Mexico. Mexico exports about 80% of the US avocado supply and generates around $2.8 billion a year, giving cartels the incentive to get involved. They have been controlling farmers and sending threats to inspectors which caused the US to enforce a short-term ban of avocados from Mexico. With the entanglement of the cartels, you might have to start looking for a different alternative to put on your toast in the morning.
Original Air Date: February 19, 2022
Length: 5 minutes 4 seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/2021/12/01/1060610393/a-locked-door-a-secret-meeting-and-the-birth-of-the-fed-classic
On this episode from Planet Money, they discuss the events and people that led the creation of the Fed, relevant in 2022 in light of the pressure the Fed is facing in as inflation continues to rise. A quick guide to J.P. Morgan’ s influence and help with founding the Fed so big bailouts no longer had to fall on his pockets.
Original Air Date: December 20, 2013
Length: 17 minutes 10 seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2022/02/08/1078035048/price-controls-black-markets-and-skimpflation-the-wwii-battle-against-inflation
During World War II, when inflation was very high, the United States government took many different actions to fight it including implementing an income tax, rationing, and price ceilings. Today we have the Federal Reserve which means we will hopefully not have to resort to these drastic measures to fix inflation ever again.
Original Air Date: February 8, 2022
Length: 23 Minutes 24 Seconds
Link: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/compassion-rebroadcast/
Doctors Trzeciak and Mazzarelli talk about the compassion crisis in our healthcare system. In their book titled Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes A Difference, the doctors explain when healthcare workers show a little compassion it can decrease costs, improve medical outcomes, and even help with physician burnout.
Original Air Date: November 24, 2021
Length: 54 Minutes 28 Seconds
Economists Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson discuss insurance and risk and how it is related to economics.
Original Air Date: August 26, 2020
Length: 27 Minutes 27 Seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/2020/12/30/951460511/bitcoin-losers-classic
The people who lose their passkey to bitcoin have no way of accessing their possible fortune. Find out what this means for all the lost or untouched bitcoin.
Original Air Date: January 1, 2021
Length: 23 Minutes 29 Seconds
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