In Oklahoma, one out of every six residents is poor. One in five children lives in poverty and faces food insecurity. In Hungry Oklahoma: Confronting Poverty and Food Insecurity (U Oklahoma Press, 2026), native son and sociologist Robert Lee Maril follows in the tradition of the national bestsellers Nickel and Dimed and Evicted&nb ... Show More
Yesterday
Joe Ngai and Nick Leung, "The Next China Is Still China: An Insider's Playbook for Winning in the New Era" (Scribner, 2026)
What’s going on in the Chinese economy? China reported GDP growth of just 4.3% last quarter. Consumption is sluggish, exports are booming, electronics manufacturers and chipmakers are reporting huge profits as car sales slump. Joe Ngai and Nick Leung dive into the Chinese econom ... Show More
56m 51s
Jul 28
Adam Y. Liu, "Authoritarian Markets: The Politics of China's Banking Explosion" (Cornell UP, 2026)
Authoritarian Markets explores the political foundations of China's banking boom and its far-reaching impact on the Chinese economy. In 1978 China had no commercial banks. Today it commands the world's largest banking system, with assets equal to 40 percent of global GDP. In Aut ... Show More
57m 13s
Jul 27
Lana Swartz on Digital Money and Digital Cultures of Money
Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Lana Swartz, Associate Professor of Media Studies and Shannon Mid-Career at the University of Virginia, where she runs the Digital Cultures and Economies Lab. Swartz is a creative and wide-ranging thinker and researcher. The pair focu ... Show More
1h 24m
Jul 2024
Cause and Effect on a Global Scale
Barry Ritholtz speaks to Brian Klaas, associate professor of global politics at University College London and affiliate researcher at the University of Oxford. He is the author of five books, including Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters and Corruptible: Who Ge ... Show More
1h 22m
Aug 2022
Talent Acquisition, the Recession, and Inflation — with Tyler Cowen
Tyler Cowen, an economist and professor at George Mason University, discusses his latest book, “Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World.” Tyler also shares his thoughts on macroeconomic trends including whether the US is heading for a recession ... Show More
26m 22s
Jun 2024
Daniel Scott Souleles et al., "People before Markets: An Alternative Casebook" (Cambridge UP, 2022)
People before Markets:: An Alternative Casebook (Cambridge UP, 2022) presents twenty comparative case studies of important global questions, such as 'Where should our food come from?' 'What should we do about climate change?' and 'Where should innovation come from?' A variety of ... Show More
1h 17m
Jul 2022
Macroeconomics 3: Booms, Busts & Us
Life has its ups and downs. Same for the economy. Today we ask, can the business cycle be tamed? Two stories of recession and techniques for moderating the ferocity of booms and busts. Plus, how bankruptcy is a secret weapon of the American economy. | Subscribe to Planet Money+ i ... Show More
32m 9s
Mar 2022
Economic Cycles, Investing in Education, and Working Through Grief — with Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio, founder and co-chief investment officer of Bridgewater Associates, joins Scott to discuss his latest book, “Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail.” Ray also shares his thoughts on where political leaders should focus their a ... Show More
52m 30s