Low pay is obviously terrible for workers, but a growing body of research proves that it’s bad for businesses, too. Smaller paychecks lead to higher turnover, decreased productivity, and poor sales. Will low-wage employers in the grocery, retail, and restaurant industries ever understand that their employees are their most important asset? Zeynep Ton hopes s ... Show More
Oct 6
Who Is Industrial Policy Really For? (with Isabel Estevez)
Industrial policy is back at the center of the economic debate. But tariffs, factories, and reshoring are only part of the story. In this 2023 conversation, development economist Isabel Estevez joins Nick and Goldy to argue that industrial policy is ultimately about choices: what ... Show More
35m 13s
Sep 29
When Companies Run the Courts: How Corporate Power Becomes Legal Power (with Brendan Ballou)
We like to think that if a company cheats us, steals our wages, or breaks the law, we can take them to court. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance you’ve already signed that right away. This week, Brendan Ballou returns to the podcast to explain how forced arbitration created wha ... Show More
31m 29s
Sep 22
Gouged: How Big Tech Reinvented the Rip-Off (with Lindsay Owens)
For 150 years, the price tag made a simple and universal promise: the price you saw was the price everyone saw. Now, that promise is disappearing. This week, Lindsay Owens, President and CEO of the Groundwork Collaborative returns to discuss her new book, Gouged: The End of a Fai ... Show More
46m 15s
Oct 2024
The case for good jobs — and why they're good for business too | Zeynep Ton
Many of the jobs that keep the world running — like cleaning bathrooms, picking up trash, caring for the elderly — pay so poorly that workers can barely make ends meet. Nonprofit leader Zeynep Ton is intent on changing that, showing why everyone wins when companies pay their peop ... Show More
17m 14s
Aug 2024
The case for good jobs — and why they're good for business too | Zeynep Ton
Many of the jobs that keep the world running — like cleaning bathrooms, picking up trash, caring for the elderly — pay so poorly that workers can barely make ends meet. Nonprofit leader Zeynep Ton is intent on changing that, showing why everyone wins when companies pay their peop ... Show More
15m 9s
Jun 2023
What Makes a Good Job, part 2, featuring Zeynep Ton
In this second installment of our Good Jobs series, Jessi sits down with Zeynep Ton, founder of MIT’s Good Jobs Institute and author of the new research-driven book, The Case for Good Jobs: How Great Companies Bring Dignity, Pay, and Meaning to Everyone's Work. Zeynep argues that ... Show More
34m 34s
Apr 2025
Boss Class 6 - Incentivising: Into the upside down
The Economist's Andrew Palmer asks how companies motivate employees to do their best work. He hears from Patty McCord, Netflix’s former head of HR, and Zeynep Ton, author of "The Case for Good Jobs". Sir John Timpson, a British retail boss, preaches the virtues of "upside down ma ... Show More
29m 26s
Jan 2023
Money, Flexibility, Development? Figuring Out What Employees Really Value
Even in a slowing economy, the battle to attract and retain talent persists. But employers need to look beyond what people are currently demanding — whether it’s higher salaries, more stock options or the flexibility to work from home. Studies show that, over the long term, emplo ... Show More
28m 2s