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Michael Munger on How Adam Smith Solved the Trolley Problem

In the original version of a now classic thought experiment, fivepeople are about to be killed by a runaway trolley. Wouldyou divert the trolley knowing that your choice will kill a single innocent by

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Anupam Bapu Jena on Random Acts of Medicine

Do marathons kill people who aren't in the race? Does when you're born make you more likely to get the flu? And what's the difference between a good doctor and a bad one? These are some of the questio

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Roland Fryer on Race, Diversity, and Affirmative Action

Can economics and help us understand racial disparities and suggest how to reduce or eliminate them? Economist Roland Fryer of Harvard University believes deeply in the power of data

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Vinay Prasad on Cancer Screening

Early detection of cancer seems like a very good idea. But it's a lot more complicated than it seems. Oncologist and epidemiologist Vinay Prasad of the University of California, San Francisco talks to

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Manufacturing is down in the dumps, but things may be looking up

Nearly every business had to pivot during the pandemic. But domestic manufacturing has been weak for a while now. On today's show, we hear how businesses in the sector are looking to pivot yet again.

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The things that keep economists up at night

The theme of this year's Federal Reserve symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is “Structural Shifts in the Global Economy.” Today, we ask a handful of economists who aren't sitting around the campfire

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Real wages rebound, while low-income earners play catch-up

Inflation is cooling and real wages are improving, which is good news. But after losing ground to rising prices for so long, low-income households are struggling to catch up financially, leaving them

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A barometer for the AI economy

Wall Street is zooming in on Nvidia, which reports quarterly earnings this week. The chipmaker's components power many of the generative artificial intelligence models that have surged in popularity,

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Walter Russell Mead on Innovation, Religion, and the State of the World

Historian and author Walter Russell Mead of Bard College and the Hudson Institute talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about how innovation and religion can help us make sense of the current state of th

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Houston’s heat wave is taking its toll

It's been a summer of heat. Today, we'll head to Houston to hear how a sizzling heat wave is impacting the health of its most vulnerable workers. Also on the show: The 10-year Treasury

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The most predicted recession … if it happens at all

Leading economic indicators are stubbornly pointing to a recession that hasn't shown up. They're normally a strong signal that a downturn is on the horizon. Could they be wrong this time around? Then,

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Say we achieve a soft landing. Then what?

If the Federal Reserve chills inflation without tipping the economy into a recession — known as the elusive soft landing — what will that look like and what happens when we get there? We dig into the

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When will the Federal Reserve start cutting interest rates?

Economists at Goldman Sachs predict that the Federal Reserve could begin to pare back interest rates by the middle of next year. So what kind of economic conditions would warrant such a change after a

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Life’s bananas. Let’s buy something!

American consumers keep on spending month after month — even as inflation and rising interest rates chip away at family finances and credit card debt mounts. But after several years of hardship and un

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Adam Mastroianni on the Brain, the Ears, and How We Learn

Psychologist and writer Adam Mastroianni says our minds are like the keep of a our deepest held values and beliefs from even the most skilled attacks. The only problem with this desig

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Don’t lose sleep over the uptick in producer prices

The cost of services helped push up the producer price index in July. But that increase likely isn't a lasting one. Today, we'll unpack the uptick. We'll also dig into new home sales and oil demand. P

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Would you trust AI for financial advice?

Many artificial intelligence tools seem designed to make the jobs of human financial advisers easier, not replace them. At least for now. Today, we'll map out how likely it is that AI

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Political economics, zero-COVID and China’s slowing recovery

China's economic miracle isn't going so well. Exports fell in July, and there are now fears of deflation. Could China’s political economy and the implementation of its zero-COVID policies be to blame

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The “slow burn” phase of the banking crisis

It's been nearly five months since the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank sparked upheaval in the banking industry. But this week, Moody’s cut the credit ratings of several regional b

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Why China’s economic rebound has fallen short of expectations

After China lifted its zero-COVID policy, economists expected the economy to come roaring back. That hasn't quite happened. Today, we zoom in on the reasons, including a pullback in consumer spending

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Zvi Mowshowitz on AI and the Dial of Progress

The future of AI keeps Zvi Mowshowitz up at night. He also wonderswhy so many smart people seem to think that AI is more likely to save humanity than destroy it. Listen as Mowshowitz talks with EconTa

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Can we let the economic good news be good news?

Is that a productivity boom we see on the horizon? It's too early to tell if that’s the case, but the economic mood has clearly improved. Our Weekly Wrap panel parses the changes. Also, labor shortage

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Bitcoin, election anxiety and second passports

Instead of buying another Porsche, some of the mega-rich are dropping $100,000 on new citizenship. These citizenship by investment programs have gained popularity since the 2020 election and pandemic,

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An economic vibe shift?

The economy seems pretty strong right now: Inflation is moderating and consumer sentiment is up. In other words, the vibes are good. So is it possible we've skirted a recession? Or that the vibecessio

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Is the current job market music to the Fed’s ears?

According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey for June, fewer workers are quitting their jobs and employers are hiring less. But is it all rock ‘n' roll for the Federal Reserve's infla

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The country’s newest test case for nuclear power

While extreme heat bakes much of the country, the first new nuclear reactor to be built from scratch in decades just came online in Georgia. But the project took much longer and cost much more than pl

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Daron Acemoglu on Innovation and Shared Prosperity

Economist and author Daron Acemoglu of MIT discusses hisbook Power andProgress with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Acemoglu argues that the productivity and prosperity that results from innovation is not

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Inside the Deadhead economy

It's the final tour of Dead & Company, the Grateful Dead’s offshoot band. But what's to come of the vendors and Deadheads who've followed the band for decades? Today, we hear about what a long, st

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What’s behind those annoying customer service hold times?

Call a customer service line and odds are you'll hear that “unusually high call volume” is making you wait. But automated messages and long wait times seem to have become the norm. We won't put you on

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Interest rates are high, but consumer confidence is up

Sure, today the Federal Reserve hiked its key interest rate to the highest level since 2001. But consumers are feeling much rosier about the economy lately, thanks to cooling inflation and a strong la

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A view of the post-peak housing market

The CoreLogic Case-Shiller index of existing home prices, which came out today, shows that values are down from the year before, but the price trends vary across the country. Today, we trace their ris

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The origin story of Friedman’s “long and variable lag”

Can economics and help us understand racial disparities and suggest how to reduce or eliminate them? Economist Roland Fryer of Harvard University believes deeply in the power of data3