Category: 3-EconSometimeCommentary

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.

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CC Music: Twisterium

Although it seems like the government can spend an endless amount of money, it cannot actually do all the things it wants to do. So the big question in this week's lesson is: How do we decide? Why does the government spend so much money on some things and not on others? And honestly, is there any limit?

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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 Emily Crawford.

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Until recently, Delaware was almost universally agreed to be the best place for companies to incorporate. Now, with Elon Musk leading a corporate stampede out of the First State, we revisit an episode from 2023 that asked if Delaware’s “franchise” is wildly corrupt, wildly efficient … or both?

The post Why Does One Tiny State Set the Rules for Everyone? (Update) appeared first on Freakonomics.

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What goes into creating an episode of The Economics of Everyday Things? And how do shows like this one make money? Zachary Crockett turns the mic on himself.

 

• SOURCES:
  • Gabe Tartaglia, vice president of podcast and satellite monetization at SiriusXM.
  • Gabe Roth, editorial director of the Freakonomics Radio Network.
  • Sarah Lilley, senior producer of The Economics of Everyday Things.
  • Jeremy Johnston, audio engineer at the Freakonomics Radio Network.
  • Daniel Moritz-Rabson, fact-checker at the Freakonomics Radio Network.

 

• RESOURCES:
  • "Digital Ad Revenue Surges 15% YoY in 2024, Climbing to $259B, According to IAB," (International Advertising Bureau, 2025).
  • "Cost per Thousand (CPM) Definition and Its Role in Marketing," by Will Kenton (Investopedia, 2024).
  • "Podcast Statistics You Need To Know," (Backlinko).

 

• APM Music — Licensing

 

 

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It seems like politicians cannot agree on a lot. But many seem to agree on... manufacturing. Leaders of both political parties have been working to try and make the U.S. a manufacturing powerhouse again.

On today's show, what is so special about manufacturing? Is it particularly important for the economy? And if manufacturing jobs are so great, then why have companies been struggling to fill the manufacturing jobs we already have?

For more on manufacturing in the U.S:

- Made in America, an episode about what manufacturing work in the U.S. can be like for garment workers and how much they're paid to make each piece of clothing "made in the U.S."
- Why aren't Americans filling the manufacturing jobs we already have?
- What makes manufacturing jobs special? The answer could help rebuild the middle class
- Can bringing back manufacturing help the heartland catch up with 'superstar' cities?
- And, for more, check out the Planet Money newsletter's manufacturing series at npr.org/manufacturing

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For years, the playwright David Adjmi was considered “polarizing and difficult.” But creating Stereophonic seems to have healed him. Stephen Dubner gets the story — and sorts out what Adjmi has in common with Richard Wagner.

The post What Does It Cost to Lead a Creative Life? appeared first on Freakonomics.

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We all know the government uses taxes to pay for things. But what about using taxes to control behavior? This week on Summer School, Professor Darrick Hamilton of The New School, helps us explore the true power of the tax code. Can taxes help lift people out of poverty? What about saving the planet?

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 discount 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 Emily Crawford and Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Robert Rodriguez.

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We send 10 billion of them every day. Where do they come from? Zachary Crockett hearts this topic.

 

• SOURCES:
  • Jennifer 8. Lee, co-founder of Emojination.

 

• RESOURCES:
  • "Apple Removes The Gun Emoji, Replaces It With A Squirt Gun," by Carl Franzen (Popular Science, 2021).
  • "Ford’s secret fight for a pickup truck emoji," by Mark Dent (The Hustle, 2019).
  • "The WIRED Guide to Emoji," by Arielle Pardes (WIRED, 2018).
  • "How the iPhone won over Japan and gave the world emoji," by Sam Byford (The Verge, 2017).
  • "About Emoji," (Unicode Consortium).

 

What people might picture when they think of "Made in America" ... might not look like the "Made in America" we have today.

The U.S. does have a domestic manufacturing industry, including a garment manufacturing industry.

In today's episode: We buy a garment made by factory workers in the U.S. – a basic purple sports bra – and learn how many people it took to make it, how much workers got paid to work on it ... and whether garment manufacturing is a job Americans want, or even know how, to do.

Plus: why domestic garment manufacturing exists at all in the U.S., and whether the industry can grow.

Other episodes:

- What "Made in China" actually means

This episode was reported and hosted by Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Willa Rubin with production help from Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Marianne McCune, and it was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez who also helped with research. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

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

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