Archive for the ‘NPR’ Tag
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/09/11/160959685/episode-401-four-in-one
Summary: NPR visit Manhattan New York, Brooklyn New York, Germany and the moon in this four-story podcast to consider: the effect of taxis on the infrastructure of a city; the craftsmanship of a bespoke tailor; the complicated aspects of the employment sector in the European Union; and the clever life insurance strategies of the Apollo 11 crew before their launch to the moon.
Original air date: September 11, 2012
Length: 22:21 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/09/07/160748725/episode-400-what-two-pasta-factories-tell-us-about-the-italian-economy
Summary: NPR visits Southern Italy and a Barrila pasta plant in order to outline the importance of leadership and positive peer pressure in the workforce.
Original air date: September 07, 2012
Length: 26:15
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/09/04/160555540/episode-279-the-failure-tour-of-new-york
Summary: Economist Tim Harford, senior columnist for the Financial Times, argues that failure is necessary for success and that economic growth is a product of learning from mistakes.
Original air date: September 04, 2012
Length: 14:22 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/08/07/158376579/episode-273-when-the-u-s-paid-off-the-entire-national-debt
Summary: NPR outlines the history of the U.S. national debt, from the first decision to create a government debt to the first and only time of paying off the complete debt, to the $16 trillion debt that the U.S. is currently facing.
Original air date: August 07, 2012
Length: 20:03 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/06/22/155596305/episode-381-why-its-illegal-to-braid-hair-without-a-license
Summary: The podcast outlines the problems that small local businesses face when the state forces licensing restrictions on their practices. Jestina Clayton, a local hair braiding businesswomen in Centerville, Utah shares her experience with the limiting aspects that licensing places on the U.S. economy.
Original air date: June 22, 2012
Length: 12:53 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/07/03/156222428/episode-384-the-little-lie-that-rocked-the-banks
Summary: The Planet Money team analyzes the externalities of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) scandal and its effects on the international financial sphere.
Original air date: July 03, 2012
Length: 20:42 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/06/15/155135781/episode-379-does-medicaid-actually-help-people
Summary: NPR interviews Katherine Baicker, a health economist at Harvard University to discuss questions concerning the efficiency of Medicaid in relation to its cost and implementation.
Original air date: June 15, 2012
Length: 14:38 min
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/05/18/153004617/how-do-you-decide-who-gets-lungs
Summary: This podcast outlines the organ market or rather the non-existent, scarce organ market that doctors unfortunately have to face when they put their patients on an organ waiting list.
Original air date: May 18, 2012
Length: 15:11 min
Discussion Prompt (1): Consider the ten principles of economics that Mankiw discussions in Chapter 1. How do they relate to the situation in this podcast?
Discussion Prompt (2): This podcast gives examples of how different systems for allocating lungs create incentives (for doctors, for patients) and thus impact choice. How do you see that incentives, choices and outcomes are impacted if they allocation is based on: whoever is sickest? What if they allocation system is based on who is on the waiting list first? What if the system was a market-based system based on ability to pay? Use examples from the podcast or your own thinking that expands beyond the podcast content.
Follow-up Prompt: You all make some good observations here and lead me to think that it is also important to think about the goal of the system – is the goal to be fair? is the goal for patients not to have to wait? is the goal to have the most number of patients live ? Is the goal to save the sickest? How do you think that understanding the ‘goal’ helps us to see the problems and options for allocation?
Written Assignment Prompt: The podcast mentions doctors signing up patients for lung transplants before they need or are sick enough for them. What are the ethical issues associated with such a decision? Why don’t we see markets at work in this scenario? How might you create an alternate system for allocating this precious item?
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/05/15/152774525/where-dollar-bills-come-from
Summary: NPR visits Dalton, MA where the dollar bill paper mill is located. The podcast outlines the historical relevance along with the contemporary role of paper money in today’s society.
Original air date: May 15, 2012
Length: 19:03
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/04/25/151365350/how-to-make-it-in-the-food-truck-business
Summary: NPR sheds light on the competitive market economy of the food truck business in Manhattan,.
Original air date: April 27, 2012
Length: 14:24 min
Discussion Prompt: Restaurants are a common example of firms operating in a monopolistically competitive type of market structure. In what way do you think food trucks do or do not fall in that same market structure category? Explain using economic thinking.
Follow-up Prompt: The podcast discusses the particular strategies that food truck drivers might employ to be successful in their goal of maximizing profits. How do you think the type of market structure in which a firm operates impacts the strategic thinking and actions that firms engage in? You can make your comments relevant to the food truck example, or think more broadly and connect to other industries or examples.
audioecon 