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Planet Money The economy, explained, with stories and surprises. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, "Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy." Now imagine that's actually a fun evening. That's what we're going for at Planet Money. People seem to like it.
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Planet Money

The Economy Explained
Mailbag: Children Edition
Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images

The Indicator

Mailbag: Children Edition

by , Cardiff Garcia

On today's show, kids ask everything you were too afraid to admit you didn't know about money — what is it, where did it come from, what happens if a government goes bananas printing it.

Mailbag: Children Edition

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Saving Birds With Economics
California Rice

The Indicator

Saving Birds With Economics

The Pacific Flyway, one of the major bird migration routes in North America, has lost over 90% of its original wetland habitat in California. Purchasing and restoring these lands would cost a lot of money. But one economist had an idea: What if we paid rice farmers to flood their fields?

Saving Birds With Economics

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The Tequila Boom And Agave Bust
Maurico Palos/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

The Tequila Boom And Agave Bust

by , Jamila Huxtable

The demand for tequila is booming, but it wasn't always the case. We speak with a fifth generation tequila distiller and a tequila scholar on the history of tequila and what will happen with this current boom.

The Tequila Boom And Agave Bust

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Video Gaming The System

Amanda Aronczyk fights a giant rat while playing Old School RuneScape. NPR hide caption

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NPR

Planet Money

Video Gaming The System

Two groups of people who would never meet in real life collide in a world of wizards and dragons. They battle it out in a low-tech video game, and it shakes the lives of a lot of real people living in a collapsing economy. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Video Gaming The System

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Burnout, Poaching And Robots Taking Our Jobs: The Beigie Awards!
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

The Indicator

Burnout, Poaching And Robots Taking Our Jobs: The Beigie Awards!

The Beigie Award is out for July! This time our winner talks about employee burnout, increased talent poaching, and a special cameo from someone we all know and love.

Burnout, Poaching and Robots Taking Our Jobs: The Beigie Awards!

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The Untamed Rise Of Hospital Monopolies

Michigan's two largest hospital systems, Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health, announced last month they wanted to merge. Hospital mergers and monopolies are increasingly the norm in the United States — which drives prices. Elaine Cromie/Getty Images hide caption

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Elaine Cromie/Getty Images

Newsletter

The Untamed Rise Of Hospital Monopolies

America has seen decades of consolidation of its hospitals, raising prices for consumers. President Biden now wants to do something about it.

Should Business Mandate Covid Vaccines For Employees?
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The Indicator

Should Business Mandate Covid Vaccines For Employees?

by Sally Herships ,

Only 3 to 4 percent of small businesses in many states require workers to show proof of vaccination but in Puerto Rico, the number is 20 percent. Why? We speak with an economist and two business owners to find out.

Should Business Mandate Covid Vaccines For Employees?

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The Great Inflation (Classic)
Chick Harrity/AP

Planet Money

The Great Inflation (Classic)

by Kenny Malone , Jacob Gold , David Kestenbaum

For much of the 1970s inflation was bad. Prices rose at over 10 percent a year. Nothing could stop it — until one powerful person did something very unpopular. Today's show: How we beat inflation. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

The Great Inflation (Classic)

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In Tech We Antitrust: Indicators of The Week
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The Indicator

In Tech We Antitrust: Indicators of The Week

President Biden signed an executive order promoting competition and large technology firms came under fire. We speak with economists Luigi Zingales and Carl Shapiro on the history and implications of antitrust.

In Tech We Antitrust: Indicators of The Week

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The COVID Small Business Boom
Laura Chase de Formigny Photography

The Indicator

The COVID Small Business Boom

by Brittany Cronin ,

After millions of people lost their jobs during the pandemic, many of them started their own businesses. In June people started over 440,000 new businesses. We speak with a hot dog stand owner about his journey and an economist on this trend.

The COVID Small Business Boom

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100 Years Since Sadie Alexander
Courtesy Sadie Collective. Photo by Mathematica

Planet Money

100 Years Since Sadie Alexander

by James Sneed , Kenny Malone

In 1921, Sadie Alexander became the first Black person in America to receive a PhD in economics. Then, she was functionally shut out of economics jobs, got a law degree, and became an attorney instead. A century later, economics has made notably little progress bringing Black women into the field. We work with The Sadie Collective to bring you three stories from three eras of recent history that show us how the field has changed, where it still falls short, and the unique joys of being a Black woman and loving economics. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

100 Years Since Sadie Alexander

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Australian Wine: Political Football
Vision House Photography/Vision House Photography

The Indicator

Australian Wine: Political Football

Australian wine exports to China have gone from about $1 billion a year to nearly nothing overnight. Australia blames geopolitics, saying the Chinese government wants to send a message to the world.

Australian Wine: Political Football

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How Do You Measure Inflation?
Heritage Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images

The Indicator

How Do You Measure Inflation?

The Consumer Price Index helps to understand prices and inflation, but where do the numbers come from in the first place? We tagged along with an economist to find out the prices of socks, butter, and daycare.

How Do You Measure Inflation?

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Why Remote Work Might Not Revolutionize Where We Work

Apple's massive" spaceship" campus designed to centralize work and foster collaboration in 2017 may have to make way for satellite offices and other remote work. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Why Remote Work Might Not Revolutionize Where We Work

Apple joins the ranks of tech firms freeing many employees from Silicon Valley offices. What this might mean for the geography of the American economy.

Keeping Up With The Kandasamys
Cate Gillon/Getty Images

The Indicator

Keeping Up With The Kandasamys

by Sally Herships ,

Streaming services have changed how people consume films and TV shows, but they've also changed what viewers are able to consume. For example, a rom-com about two Indian families who live next to each other in South Africa, is now available to a global audience.

Keeping Up With The Kandasamys

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Of Memestocks and Milk Bags
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Planet Money

Of Memestocks and Milk Bags

We answer your questions about memestocks, milk in bags, the size of cereal boxes, and products exclusive to the rich, but not for long? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Of Memestocks and Milk Bags

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Used Car Silver Lining: Indicators Of The Week
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Indicator

Used Car Silver Lining: Indicators Of The Week

Used cars are expensive right now. Bloomberg writer Conor Sen thinks it might be a reason behind recent inflation. We explore how used cars got so expensive and used cars' relationship with the CPI.

Used Car Silver Lining: Indicators of the Week

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Shrinkflation: Inflation's Sneaky Cousin
Jeff Greenberg/Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Imag

The Indicator

Shrinkflation: Inflation's Sneaky Cousin

Inflation is the talk of the town recently, but some companies are shrinking the size of their products and charging the same price, aka "shrinkflation". Today we explore the booming market of inflation's sneaky cousin.

Shrinkflation: Inflation’s Sneaky Cousin

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Two Indicators: Clogged Ports And Corporate Vets
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Planet Money

Two Indicators: Clogged Ports And Corporate Vets

We bring you two stories from The Indicator on two industries that are undergoing rapid change: vets and container shipping. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Two Indicators: Clogged Ports And Corporate Vets

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How Do You Reduce Child Poverty?
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The Indicator

How Do You Reduce Child Poverty?

The Biden Administration and Congress have introduced expanded child tax credits for families in 2021. Senator Michael Bennet, the author of the original plan, hopes to make the bill permanent. We speak with him and economist Hilary Hoynes on the implications of child tax credits.

How Do You Reduce Child Poverty?

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Beach Reads For Econ Nerds
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The Indicator

Beach Reads For Econ Nerds

It's summer, which means time to read at the beach. We asked professor Tyler Cowen for his picks. His three books cover scientific progress, the rocket business, and how to cope with doomsday.

Beach Reads For Econ Nerds

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