Podcast Episodes
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The Ghost Recession: A Brief Economic History of Now
Season 1 Episode 28
The economic pain that Americans experienced in 2022-23 was dubbed the “vibesession,” suggesting that negative public sentiment was out of sync with …
9 months, 1 week ago
The Cash-for-Kids Study: Misread and Misrepresented
Season 1 Episode 27
You might have heard recently that a years-long poverty study “found” that giving $333 monthly to kids with poor parents didn’t make a difference. Bu…
9 months, 2 weeks ago
The Case for Going Big on Paid Leave
Season 1 Episode 26
Paid family and medical leave is a confusing mess: only 27% of private-sector workers get paid leave from their employer. Some others are covered by …
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Aren’t Free School Meals a Conservative's Dream Policy?
Season 1 Episode 25
Free breakfast and lunch for every public school student — an idea associated more with countries like Sweden and Finland — should instead be viewed …
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Looking Beyond the Unemployment Rate
Season 1 Episode 24
The unemployment rate has been hovering around 4.2%. But in today’s highly unsettled economy, many people feel this headline number from the Bureau o…
10 months ago
GDP Was Never Going to Make You Happy
Season 1 Episode 23
Gross Domestic Product is the big dog of economic numbers. But this measure of the economy’s size has massive blind spots. It ignores income inequali…
10 months, 1 week ago
How to Actually Help Young Men Struggling in Our Economy
Season 1 Episode 22
The "boys and men crisis" conversation set in motion following the 2024 election is now shooting off in erratic directions, leading to a lot of hand-…
10 months, 2 weeks ago
What You Don’t Know About Poverty
Season 1 Episode 21
About 11% of Americans have a household income that puts them below the official government threshold for poverty. Is poverty a state of being, or a …
10 months, 3 weeks ago
Q&A Part 2: Working Two Jobs, Incentives vs. Handouts, the Gold Standard, and Government ROI
Season 1
Economist Kathryn Edwards is back with more answers. In Part 2, she talks more about student loans, who actually “lives off taxpayers,” why gold rese…
10 months, 4 weeks ago
Q&A Part 1: Tax Philosophy, Liberal vs. Conservative Economists, Marriage vs. Poverty and More
Season 1 Episode 20
In the first of two mailbag episodes, economist Kathryn Edwards answers questions from optimist listeners on taxation on wages vs. investments, wheth…
11 months ago