Archive for the ‘Shortage’ Tag
Link: https://www.npr.org/2022/04/25/1094706897/you-should-probably-get-your-plane-tickets-soon
The Indicator this week discusses what is happening in the airline industry. After hard hits from COVID-19 they are finally expecting to make profits this year, but there are many factors that could crush those expectations. Limited staffing and picketing from fatigued pilots and higher jet fuel prices due to the limited supply of oil are just some of the major problems facing these airline companies. Ticket prices will go up as consumers bear the brunt of the oil shortage. Airlines are also cutting different flight paths as there is not enough incentive to keep servicing certain routes. The biggest take away is to book your tickets early and be prepared for rising prices.
Original Air Date: April 25, 2022
Length: 10 minutes 17 seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/2021/05/14/996921658/blood-money
The United States provides two thirds of the world’s blood plasma and incentivizes donors with money each time they donate. The more they donate, the more money they receive which is something the World Health Organization and many other countries are against. When discussing the moral issues of paying donors, a doctor from Brazil argues that moral implications are the least of our worries when a shortage of blood plasma could be a death sentence for his patients.
Original Air Date: May 14, 2021
Length: 26 minutes 46 seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/12/976569019/chips-cars-and-the-baby-bust
In 2020, everyone, no matter their involvement with economics, knew what a shortage was. Toilet paper was gone from the shelves before it was even able to be stocked in stores. In 2021, there are some new shortages the U.S. is facing: microchips, cars, and babies. The Indicator discusses the causes of the limited supply of microchips which in turn is limiting car production, as well as the declining birth rate that the U.S. will face as a result of the pandemic.
Original Air Date: March 12, 2021
Length: 9 minutes 33 seconds
Link: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/31/824886286/episode-987-the-race-to-make-ventilators
In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, the healthcare industry is experiencing a shortage of ventilators. Without increased production, hundreds of thousands of individuals will die. Now, companies that have little to no experience producing ventilators are beginning to help supply them.
Original Air Date: March 31, 2020
Length: 24 minutes 3 seconds
Discussion Prompt: In what ways does this policy align with economic thinking? In what ways is it ‘out of step’ with economic thinking? Is this the most efficient way to produce ventilators, at least for the time being? How can the government incentivize companies to stay open and help produce parts for ventilators during this time?
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2015/02/04/383830776/episode-601-the-chocolate-curse
Summary: This podcast explores the shortage in supply of cocoa around the world, as well as one man’s solution to the crisis. However, this solution comes at a price.
Original Air Date: February 5, 2015
Length: 18 minutes 12 seconds
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