Most humans are significantly richer than their ancestors. Humanity gained nearly all of its wealth in the last two centuries. How did this come to pass?
In How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth(Polity, 2022), Mark Koyama and Jared Rubin dive into the many theories of why modern economic growth happened when and where it did. They discuss recently-advanced theories rooted in geography, politics, culture, demography, and colonialism. Pieces of each of these theories help explain key events on the path to modern riches. Why did the Industrial Revolution begin in 18th-century Britain? Why did some European countries, the USA, Canada, and Japan catch up in the 19th century? Why did it take until the late 20th and 21st centuries for other countries? Why have some still not caught up? Koyama and Rubin show that the past can provide a guide for how countries can escape poverty. There are certain prerequisites that all successful economies seem to have. But there is also no panacea. A society’s past and its institutions and culture play a key role in shaping how it may—or may not—develop.
Javier Mejia is an economist teaching at Stanford University, whose work focuses on the intersection between social networks and economic history. His interests extend to topics on entrepreneurship and political economy with a geographical specialty in Latin America and the Middle East. He received a Ph.D. in Economics from Los Andes University. He has been a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at New York University--Abu Dhabi and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Bordeaux. He is a regular contributor to different news outlets. Currently, he is Forbes Magazine op-ed columnist.
What to know about live, public hearings where lawmakers plan to reveal their findings from the Capitol riot investigation for the first time.
Also, a potentially historic heatwave will impact tens of millions of Americans this week.
Plus, a big turnaround in the housing market and new steps to make it easier for some to buy a home, which big-name businessman could be spending more than anyone ever has on an American sports team, and what's being called the Airbnb for pools: swimming pool owners are making a killing renting out their backyard spaces.
The January 6th House committee finally begins its hearings tonight. The committee intends to lay out what happened on the day of the insurrection, the larger effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and future elections. Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America, joins us to discuss what to expect and look out for.
And in headlines: the House voted to advance stricter gun control measures, Moderna is seeking FDA approval for an Omicron-specific COVID booster, and San Francisco voters recalled progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin.
As Americans watch their government leaders spend more and more, the average citizen is struggling to pay for food and gas. It seems that the Biden administration is more concerned with placating a base of radical leftists than crafting a federal budget designed to help everyday Americans.
To Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., the government needs to focus on balancing its budget, especially as it continues to spend exorbitant amounts of money.
"The only place in America without a balanced budget has been the federal government, and we're seeing the ramifications of that with high inflation, skyrocketing fuel prices, skyrocketing food prices," Hern says. "The list goes on and on."
Hern says the out-of-control government spending under President Joe Biden has dire consequences for the safety of the nation.
"I think if we don't start now, we're never going to get our federal spending under control," the Oklahoma Republican says. "Interest on our debt is going to be higher than our defense budget in just five years. Much of that interest is going to go to China, where they're going to use their money to build a defense to come after us."
Hern joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss House Republicans' budget proposal and what the consequences of Biden's budget would be.
We also cover these stories:
An armed man from California is arrested near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house in Maryland and says that he came to murder the justice.
Fourth grader Miah Cerrillo speaks about her experience surviving the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Biden admits that voters have sent a clear message that politicians need to be tougher on crime, after the successful recall election for San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin.
Paris Marx is joined by Ben Tarnoff to discuss why the problems with the modern internet, including its excessive concentration in the hands of a few companies and the way its dominant firms shape our interactions to generate profit, find their root in the decision to privatize the network. To fix them, that needs to be changed.
Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The House hearings to examine the events of Jan. 6, 2021, begin this week and the party lines are drawn. Republicans are calling the hearings a distraction from issues that voters care about—inflation, rising prices of gas and food. Democrats are trying to remind voters which party tried to override American democracy. Will it be enough to stem the “red tide” projected for fall midterms?
Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer at Slate.
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Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Elena Schwartz, Carmel Delshad, Anna Rubanova and Sam Kim.
Gorillas. These chest-beating, salad-munching, communal living, thick-furred beauties have so many surprises for you. Gorillaologist (IT’S A WORD) Dr. Tara Stoinski has been a gorilla scientist for nearly 3 decades and dishes on everything from fieldwork in cloudy mountains to dick facts, forest farts, banana flim-flam, the intersection of animal conservation and community investment, night-time nesting, grief, what those big teeth are for, gorilla musk, the legacy of primatologist Dr. Dian Fossey and the Gorilla Fund, and why our closest relatives need and deserve our protection. Also some weird asides about jaw exercises and online dating, because I want to.
As a kid, Ariana Remmel had a hard time figuring out where they fit in. They found comfort in the certainty and understanding of what the world was made of: atoms and molecules and the periodic table of elements.
Years later, Ari went on to become a chemist and science writer. On today's show, Ari talks with host Maddie Sofia about how chemistry has helped them embrace their mixed identities.
For more, read Ari's recent essay in CatapultMagazine: https://catapult.co/stories/ariana-remmel-essay-mixed-identities-organic-chemistry
