Category: News

If you ask an economist to explain what is happening in a country?s economy. They rely on economic data points to describe what is happening ? they might talk about the unemployment rate, average wages, and the numbers of people in poverty. They pull together the information available for thousands or millions of people to work out trends.

But are we getting the whole picture?

We speak to Rachel Schneider, co-author of the book, ?The Financial Diaries?. It?s based on a large study in the USA. Over a period of a year from 2012 to 2013, researchers interviewed several families about how they were managing their money to find out the personal stories behind economic data.

Presenter and Producer: Charlotte McDonald

(Photo: A couple looking at their finances. Credit: Wayhome Studio/Shutterstock)

With more discretion given to U.S. Attorneys to enforce federal marijuana laws, what effects will it have on states that have legalized? Trevor Burrus discussed various elements of cannabis prohibition on #CatoConnects.

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Gender Pay Gap This week the Office for National Statistics has published analysis trying to find out why it is that on average women are paid less than men in specific industries and occupations. We examine their findings, as well as taking a look at the current discussion about equal pay at the BBC.

Alcohol reaction times We take a look at a study that suggests that people's reaction speeds are affected over time by regular drinking. It recommends that official guidelines for the amount of alcohol consumed a week should be lowered. But what does the evidence show?

Bus announcements - when is too many? Transport for London has introduced a new announcement on its buses to warn travellers that the bus is about to move. We discuss the benefit of such messages.

How many words do you need to speak a language? Ein bier bitte? Loyal listener David made a new year's resolution to learn German. Three years later, that's about as far as he's got. Keen to have something to aim for, he asked More or Less how many words you really need to know in order to speak a language. We find out with help from Professor Stuart Webb, and put Tim through his paces to find out how big his own English vocabulary is.

Producer: Charlotte McDonald.

(Photo: Man and woman working on a car production plant. Credit: SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images)

Clearly understanding what’s driving the rise in drug overdoses is critical if we want to craft a credible policy response. Jeff Singer is author of the forthcoming Cato paper, "Abuse-Deterrent Opioids and the Law of Unintended Consequences." We spoke at the Cato Institute's State Health Policy Summit.

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Do libertarians misunderstand the opponents of free speech on campus? Wolf von Laer is President of Students for Liberty.

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How do state legislatures obfuscate, trick, and leave the public in the dark? Jack McHugh watches state legislatures for the Mackinac Center.

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A forgotten French mathematician is the focus of our programme. He anticipated both Einstein's theories and the application of maths to the stock market. Born in the 1870s, his work was unusual at the time. With the help of Alison Etheridge, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, we explain how his ideas were rediscovered decades after his death.

(Photo: Pocket watch. Credit: Kanyapak Lim/Shutterstock)

What role did governments play in the segregating of America? Richard Rothstein describes the explicit policies that separated black and white America in The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.

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