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The billion dollar war behind U.S. rum
When you buy a bottle of rum in the United States, by law nearly all the federal taxes on that rum must be sent to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Is…
2 years, 1 month ago
Wind boom, wind bust (Two Windicators)
The wind power business is a bit contradictory right now. It's showing signs of boom and bust seemingly all at once.
The story of wind energy markets…
2 years, 1 month ago
On the Oscars campaign trail
When you sit down to watch the Oscars, what you are really watching is the final battle in a months-long war of financial engineering and campaign st…
2 years, 1 month ago
Is dynamic pricing coming to a supermarket near you?
Dynamic pricing is an increasingly common phenomenon: You can see it when Uber prices surge during rainy weather, or when you're booking a flight at …
2 years, 1 month ago
Shopping for parental benefits around the world
It is so expensive to have a kid in the United States. The U.S. is one of just a handful of countries worldwide with no federal paid parental leave; …
2 years, 1 month ago
The secret world behind school fundraisers
Fundraising is a staple of the school experience in the U.S. There's an assembly showing off all the prizes kids can win by selling enough wrapping p…
2 years, 1 month ago
A controversial idea at the heart of Bidenomics
Réka Juhász is a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, and she studies what's known as industrial policy.
That's the general …
2 years, 1 month ago
Two Indicators: Economics of the defense industry
The Department of Defense's proposed budget for 2024 is $842 billion. That is about 3.5% of the U.S.'s GDP. The military buys everything from pens an…
2 years, 1 month ago
How the Navy came to protect cargo ships
The Genco Picardy is not an American ship. It doesn't pay U.S. taxes, none of its crew are U.S. nationals, and when it sailed through the Red Sea las…
2 years, 1 month ago
It's giving ... Valentines
L, is for the way you Listen to Planet Money
O, is for the Only podcast I hear
V, is Very, very, fiduciary
E, is for... ECONOMICS!
Every February, we de…
2 years, 2 months ago