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The Economy Explained
Jamaican Monetary Policy: Behind The Music
Robin Chin and Donovan Watkis/Bank of Jamaica

The Indicator from Planet Money

Jamaican Monetary Policy: Behind The Music

Jamaica's Central Bank has a unique way of explaining its policies: Reggae music videos. The Indicator talks with the Central Bank about why they've taken this unique approach.

Jamaican Monetary Policy: Behind The Music

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Downturn Start-Ups: A Conversation With Guy Raz
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The Indicator from Planet Money

Downturn Start-Ups: A Conversation With Guy Raz

Since the pandemic started, nearly 100,000 businesses have closed permanently. Opening a business now might seem crazy. But downturn start-ups have some advantages.

Downturn Start-Ups: A Conversation With Guy Raz

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DIY Firefighting
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The Indicator from Planet Money

DIY Firefighting

Emergency services are spread so thin in the West that some property owners are taking a D-I-Y approach to firefighting.

DIY Firefighting

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After The Plague
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Planet Money

After The Plague

The Black Death was one of the worst catastrophes to ever hit humanity. But it also helped upend feudal hierarchies, redistribute wealth, and make daily life better for a lot of medieval Europeans.

After The Plague

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How Immigration Is Changing The U.S. Economy
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The Indicator from Planet Money

How Immigration Is Changing The U.S. Economy

Nearly 17 percent of the U.S. labor force is made up of immigrants. That's up from 12.4 percent in 2000, and 6.7 percent in 1980. What that means for the economy.

How Immigration Is Changing The U.S. Economy

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A Smarter Approach To Lockdowns
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The Indicator from Planet Money

A Smarter Approach To Lockdowns

The coronavirus has put millions of people out of work. Greg Ip talks about his recent article in the Wall Street Journal and argues that lockdowns are "an overly blunt and economically costly tool."

A Smarter Approach To Lockdowns

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The Birth Of The Greenback
Johan Ordonez/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

The Birth Of The Greenback

In the mid-1800s, the US had 8,370 kinds of money. How that happened, and what it meant for the US economy.

The Birth Of The Greenback

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Waste Land

Plastic piles up at Garten Services in Salem, Oregon. Laura Sullivan/NPR hide caption

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Laura Sullivan/NPR

Planet Money

Waste Land

Recycling plastic has never worked very well. So who convinced us this was a good idea? In this episode, we might have the answer. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Waste Land

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The Science of Hoops
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The Indicator from Planet Money

The Science of Hoops

The three-point shot has revolutionized basketball, but its unintended consequences could mean trouble for the sport's future.

The Science of Hoops

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Making The Most Of Scarce Space
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The Indicator from Planet Money

Making The Most Of Scarce Space

Lockdowns, working from home, and remote learning have all made personal domestic space more scarce. Emily Anthes has some solutions.

Making The Most Of Scarce Space

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Parenting In The Time of Corona
Eva Marie Uzcategui/ Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Parenting In The Time of Corona

COVID, lockdowns and working from home made life complicated for parents. Trying to educate kids from home has made things even tougher, so tough many women are dropping out of the workforce.

Parenting In The Time of Corona

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We Buy A Junk Bond
Cardiff Garcia/NPR

Planet Money

We Buy A Junk Bond

Team Indicator buys Cardiff a surprise present. A terrible, extremely risky, but wildly interesting investment. Then it gets interesting. The company that issued the junk bond declared bankruptcy. But that wasn't the end of the story. | Subscribe to our daily podcast, The Indicator here.

We Buy A Junk Bond

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The Murderer, The Boy King, And The Invention Of Modern Finance
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Planet Money

The Murderer, The Boy King, And The Invention Of Modern Finance

John Law killed a man in a duel, brought the first paper money to France, and became one of the richest people in the world. Then it all collapsed.

The Murderer, The Boy King, And The Invention Of Modern Finance

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More Job Growth, But Slower
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The Indicator from Planet Money

More Job Growth, But Slower

The August unemployment numbers were better than expected. But doesn't mean the labor market is the picture of health.

More Job Growth, But Slower

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Overrated Or Underrated: The Nobel Edition
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The Indicator from Planet Money

Overrated Or Underrated: The Nobel Edition

Nobel economics prize winners Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee on whether foreign aid, french bread and dating an economist are overrated or underrated.

Overrated Or Underrated: The Nobel Edition

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Opening Schools: Mission Impossible
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The Indicator from Planet Money

Opening Schools: Mission Impossible

The question of whether to reopen schools or educate children at home is medically sensitive, logistically complicated and politically fraught. How one superintendent is handling it.

Opening Schools: Mission Impossible

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SUMMER SCHOOL: Graduation!

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Therrious Davis

Planet Money

SUMMER SCHOOL: Graduation!

by Robert Smith

Summer School graduates take the stage to show us how we can all see our everyday world through the beautiful lens of economics. | Take the final exam and get your diploma here.

SUMMER SCHOOL: Graduation!

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Your Brain On Retail Trading
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The Indicator from Planet Money

Your Brain On Retail Trading

Stock-picking retail traders have been jumping into the market this year. They may not understand the risks.

Your Brain On Retail Trading

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