Category: 3-EconSometimeCommentary

It’s a haphazard way of paying workers, and yet it keeps expanding. With federal tax policy shifting in a pro-tip direction, we revisit an episode from 2019 to find out why.

The post Why Does Tipping Still Exist? (Update) appeared first on Freakonomics.

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Performing for passersby takes more than talent. Buskers have to cope with hecklers, civic regulations, aggressive competitors — and uncertain pay. Zachary Crockett passes the hat.

 

• SOURCES:
  • Brett Dallas, professional street performer.

 

• RESOURCES:
  • "Differentiating busking from begging: A psychological approach," by Robbie Ho and Wing Tung Au (PLOS One, 2021).
  • "Freeing Buskers’ Free Speech Rights: Impact of Regulations on Buskers’ Right to Free Speech and Expression," by John Juricich (Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law, 2017).
  • Street Arts and Buskers Advocates.

Trust in experts is down. In all kinds of institutions and professions - in government, in media, in medical science... and lately, economists are feeling the burn acutely. In fact, President Trump just fired the economist who ran the Bureau of Labor Statistics, accusing her – with no evidence – of faking a jobs report that showed fewer gains than expected.

In decades past, economists whispered in the ears of presidents. Now, many politicians and voters are disenchanted with the field.

On today's show, we speak with economists about how distrust is messing with their minds and interfering with their work. Can they build up trust again?

Today's episode was hosted by Amanda Aronczyk. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and edited by Marianne McCune with help from Jess Jiang. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

Support Planet Money, get bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening and now Summer School episodes one week early by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

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They should have died out when the lightbulb was invented. Instead they’re a $10 billion industry. What does it mean that we still want tiny fires inside our homes?

The post Why Do Candles Still Exist? appeared first on Freakonomics.

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LIVE SHOW: August 18th in Brooklyn. Tickets here.

There are occasional incentives in business that make it very profitable to do bad things; maybe cheat at the game and steal other people's ideas, or cut some corners on safety. In theory, the government as referee steps in to make the rules and enforce them, and manage competition in a way that hopefully makes things better for us all.

But you have to ask... When is the government protecting you and when is it protecting the already rich and powerful?

We'll meet a man trying to corner the market for frozen meat, with the help of patents. And then we'll head to the salon, and ask — Should the government really require dozens of hours of training for a license to braid hair?

Get tickets to our August 18th live show and graduation ceremony at The Bell House, in Brooklyn. (Planet Money+ supporters get a 10 percent discount off their tickets. Listen to the July 8th bonus episode to get the code!)

The series is hosted by Robert Smith and produced by Eric Mennel. Our project manager is Devin Mellor. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark and fact-checked by Sofia Shchukina.

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Derek Fisher talks about the N.B.A.’s global reach. To get subscriber-only episodes, sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

The post Off the Court appeared first on Freakonomics.

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They’ve long been associated with crime and blight. Now, the investors are moving in. Zachary Crockett follows the trail.

 

• SOURCES:
  • Paul Bradley, president of ROC USA.
  • Blaer Roberts, former chef and mobile home resident.
  • Frank Rolfe, co-owner of Mobile Home University.
  • Cheryl Streberger, retired nurse and mobile home resident.

 

• RESOURCES:
  • "‘We’re All Afraid’: Massive Rent Increases Hit Mobile Homes," by Abha Bhattarai (The Washington Post, 2022).
  • "Investors Are Buying Mobile Home Parks. Residents Are Paying a Price," by Sophie Kasakove (The New York Times, 2022).
  • "Mobile Home Parks Move From Mom-and-Pop to Corporate," by Jennifer Brown and Kevin Simpson (A.P. News, 2019).
  • "The Cold, Hard Lessons of Mobile Home U," by Gary Rivlin (The New York Times, 2014).
  • "Goldman Alum Gives Up Funds to Become Trailer-Park Mogul," by Anthony Effinger and Katherine Burton (Bloomberg, 2014).
  • "Carlyle Jumps Into Niche Space," by Dawn Wotapka (The Wall Street Journal, 2013).

 

LIVE SHOW ALERT: August 18th, NYC. Get your tickets here.

When news broke that a Japanese company, Nippon Steel, was buying the storied American steel company U.S. Steel, it was still 2023, just before an election.

And right away, politicians from both sides of the aisle came out forcefully against the deal, saying the company should remain American. Before leaving office, President Biden even blocked the sale.

But in a dramatic twist a few weeks ago, President Trump approved it. With a caveat: the U.S. would get what Trump called 'a golden share' in U.S. Steel.

On our latest show: what even is a "golden share"? When has it been used before, and why? And, could deals like this be a good way to get foreign investment in American manufacturing...or is it government overreach?

Related episodes:
- When Uncle Sam owned banks and factories
- How Big Steel in the U.S. fell

This episode was produced by Willa Rubin and edited by Marianne McCune. Research help from Emily Crawford and Emma Peaslee. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

Support Planet Money, get bonus episodes, sponsor-free listening and now Summer School episodes one week early by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

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The former secretary of state isn’t a flamethrower, but he certainly has strong opinions. In this wide-ranging conversation with Stephen Dubner, he gives them all: on Israel, Gaza, China, Iran, Russia, Biden, Trump — and the rest of the world. The former secretary of state isn’t a flamethrower, but he certainly has strong opinions. In this wide-ranging conversation with Stephen Dubner, he gives them all: on Israel, Gaza, China, Iran, Russia, Biden, Trump — and the rest of the world.

The post How to Wage Peace, According to Tony Blinken appeared first on Freakonomics.

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On this episode, Peter Boettke chats with Mark Pennington on Mark's latest book, Foucault and Liberal Political Economy: Power, Knowledge, and Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2025). Pennington argues that Foucault's ideas on self-creation, disciplinary power, and biopolitics align with key liberal concerns about social control and individual agency. He critiques how both liberals and Foucauldian critics have misunderstood or ignored these connections, and drawing on thinkers like Hayek, Buchanan, and Ostrom, he calls for a liberalism that emphasizes pluralism, resists technocratic overreach, and engages more deeply with the insights of the humanities.

Dr. Mark Pennington is Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Pennington is currently director of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society.

If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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