Stefanie Stantcheva’s approach seemed like career suicide. In fact, it won her the John Bates Clark Medal. She talks to fellow winner Steve Levitt about why she uses methods that most of the profession dismisses — and what she’s found that can’t be learned any other way.
Sep 5
38. Sendhil Mullainathan Explains How to Generate an Idea a Minute (Part 2)
Steve continues his conversation with his good friend, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, and fellow University of Chicago economist. Sendhil breaks down the hypothesis of his book Scarcity, explains why machines aren’t competition for human intelligence, and tells Steve why it’ ... Show More
36m 54s
Aug 29
37. Sendhil Mullainathan Thinks Messing Around Is the Best Use of Your Time
He’s a professor of computation and behavioral science at the University of Chicago, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, and author. Steve and Sendhil laugh their way through a conversation about the importance of play, the benefits of change, and why we remember so little about ... Show More
50m 31s
Jan 2022
We’re Bad at Measuring Inequality—Here’s Why That Matters
Stefanie Stantcheva, economist at Harvard University, founded the Social Economics Lab to study inequality, our feelings about it, and how policies influence it. She says when we estimate how much money our colleagues make or how much taxes impact us, we are often very far off fr ... Show More
22m 58s
Nov 2021
ReThinking: Esther Duflo wants you to think like a plumber
When Esther Duflo took her first economics class, she hated it. In 2019, she won a Nobel Prize in economics. Esther talks with Adam about her groundbreaking experiments to fight poverty, busts myths about what motivates people, and reveals how to make meaningful progress toward s ... Show More
57m 1s
Nov 2021
12. Where Do All the Bad Ideas Go?
Ideas are currency. This couldn't be more true in academia, where it's the job of researchers to think of questions and, hopefully, find answers. Bapu talks with economists Steve Levitt and Emily Oster about how they come up with ideas for studies, why most never make it off the ... Show More
34m 3s
Oct 2025
How Policy is Failing the American Workforce — ft. Kathryn Anne Edwards
Ed and Scott are joined by Kathryn Anne Edwards, PhD economist, economic policy consultant, and columnist for Bloomberg News, for a conversation about what happens to a $30 trillion economy when data goes dark. She also shares her take on alternative recession indicators, youth u ... Show More
1h 13m
Jul 2025
Zanny Minton Beddoes: What It Takes to Lead The Economist
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, has carved out a remarkable global career in journalism and economics — one that spans continents and cultures. In this special live episode recorded at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Zanny joins Emily for a conversation about he ... Show More
39m 24s
