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Episode 522: The Invention Of 'The Economy' : Planet Money If you asked someone on the street 100 years ago, "How's the economy doing?" They wouldn't have had any idea what you were talking about.
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The Economy Explained

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Episode 522: The Invention Of 'The Economy'

Episode 522: The Invention Of 'The Economy'

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They knew it was bad. But they didn't have any way to know just how bad it was.
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Wikimedia Commons
They knew it was bad. But they didn't have any way to know just how bad it was.
Wikimedia Commons

On today's show: How we started boiling down entire nations into a single number. And how that number made people think they could control everything.

Music: The Hours's "Ali in the Jungle." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/ Spotify/ Tumblr. Download the Planet Money iPhone App.

Planet Money

Planet Money

The Economy Explained