Episodes

  • The story behind Cuba's economic dysfunction

    The story behind Cuba's economic dysfunction
    Nov 7 2024
    This week, a powerful hurricane hit Cuba, causing nationwide electricity outages — right after a string of power failures that have plagued the country in recent months. These power outages are a low point for a country that has struggled economically for years and is experiencing mass emigration.

    Today on the show, we explain why Cuba is struggling to keep the lights on and investigate the root causes of the Caribbean nation's dramatic fall.

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • America's economy is the envy of the world. Will it stay that way?

    America's economy is the envy of the world. Will it stay that way?
    Nov 6 2024
    Donald Trump's victory in this year's election had a lot to do with how many Americans feel about the US economy (surprise: not good). But Simon Rabinovitch, US Economics Editor for The Economist, argues that, despite the turmoil of the past few years, America's economy remains the envy of the world. Today on the show, Simon explains why that is, but also why he believes a Trump presidency puts America's 'economic exceptionalism' at risk.

    The envy of the World - The Economist

    Related episodes:
    How much do Presidents ACTUALLY influence the economy? (Apple / Spotify)
    Why are some nations richer? (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Why Midwest crop farmers are having a logistics problem

    Why Midwest crop farmers are having a logistics problem
    Nov 5 2024
    It's the most important day of the year for the country ... The Beigie Awards! The Beigie Awards are back to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Bank with the best Beige Book entry. This time, we shine a spotlight on one entry that speaks to a logistics problem affecting farms in the midwest.

    Related episodes:
    Using anecdotes to predict recessions (Apple / Spotify)
    The Beigie Awards: Why banks are going on a "loan diet" (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Why the US government is buying more apples than ever before

    Why the US government is buying more apples than ever before
    Nov 4 2024
    For the second year in a row, the U.S. government is buying the largest quantity of apples in its history because there are not enough consumers and processors who want to buy them. Today on the show, an abundance of apples and why some apple growers are getting out of the game altogether.

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Cool, cool, cooling jobs

    Cool, cool, cooling jobs
    Nov 1 2024
    The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1% and 12,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy during October. It's a lower-than-expected jobs number, from a period that saw two significant hurricanes in the southeast and a strike from workers at Boeing. Today on the show, we explain the complexities of calculating the monthly job numbers, and why the Bureau of Labor Statistics can be trusted.

    Related episodes:
    Behind the scenes of Jobs Friday (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    7 mins
  • The U.S. once banned Chinese immigrants — and it paid an economic price

    The U.S. once banned Chinese immigrants — and it paid an economic price
    Oct 31 2024
    In 1880, the Chinese were the biggest group of immigrants in the western U.S. But Sinophobic sentiments crystallized into racist policies and eventually the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The rationale was that banning Chinese laborers would boost job opportunities for U.S.-born workers. Today, an economist explains how the Chinese exclusion laws affected the economies of western states and what it says about our current debate over immigration and jobs.

    Read the working paper co-authored by Nancy Qian.

    A digital scan of the photo album in the California Historical Society's collections is available here.

    For more on this period of history, check out At America's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943 by Erika Lee.

    Related episodes:
    What's missing in the immigration debate (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • What's missing in the immigration debate

    What's missing in the immigration debate
    Oct 30 2024
    Immigration is a top concern among U.S. voters this election cycle. But Zeke Hernandez, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies immigration,thinks politicians and the media aren't giving the public the full story. Too often, he argues, they paint immigrants as objects of pity or fear, when the reality is much more complex — and positive. Today on the show, we look beyond the binary and explore the less talked about ways documented and undocumented immigrants shape the U.S. economy.

    Zeke's book is called The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers.

    Related listening:
    Is the border crisis really a labor market crisis? (Apple / Spotify)
    Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages? (Apple / Spotify)
    Welcome to the USA! Now get to work (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • What happens when Social Security runs out of money?

    What happens when Social Security runs out of money?
    Oct 29 2024
    Social Security has thus far been self-sustaining—payroll taxes go into this big fund, which then pays out monthly checks. But the problem we have now is the money coming into that fund is not keeping up with the money going out.

    The election hasn't been great for people concerned about the government's finances. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Donald Trump's election proposals will speed up the rundown in the Social Security fund by a few years.

    So, when Social Security runs out of money as it's projected to do ... could we just borrow more money? And if so, what would that mean for the already rising government's debt?

    Today on the show, how worried should we be about Social Security and the federal debt? We explain a fresh indicator to assess whether or not America's getting too far in the red.

    Related Episodes:
    What does the next era of Social Security look like?
    Iceberg ahead for Social Security

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins