The Indicator from Planet Money - A lesson in Barbie labor economics (Classic)

*This episode originally aired on July 24th, 2023*

After a stunning box office opening of more than $300 million worldwide for the new Greta Gerwig film, the Barbieverse is having its moment. So what better time to examine what Barbie's 200-plus careers over the decades—from fashion model to astronaut to teacher—tell us about real-life women in the workforce. Today on the show, a former economics educator gives us a Barbie pink-colored lens on the labor market.

You can find the St. Louis Fed's Barbie curriculum here.

Related episodes:

Want more Barbie-nomics? Check out our episode on how Mattel turned the Barbie brand around.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - The echo of the bison (Classic)

*This episode originally aired on August 21st, 2023*

For over 10,000 years, many peoples in what's now known as North America relied on bison. Thirty million of these creatures stretched from modern Canada all the way down to Mexico.

But in the late 1800s hide-hunters and the U.S. military annihilated the bison, bringing them to the brink of extinction. And that had consequences for the people who relied on the bison. Consequences that we still see today.

Today, we hear from an economist who revealed the shocking numbers telling this story, and one member of the Blackfeet Nation who is trying to bring back the bison.

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Can chocolate be better than salad?

We investigate a nutritional conundrum ?can chocolate ever be better for you than salad? Today we dive in to one of our listener?s family debates and try to find an answer, with the help of nutrition experts Dr David Katz and Professor Bernadette Moore.

Reporter: Paul Connolly Researcher: Perisha Kudhail Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

(Picture: A pyramid made of chocolate and salad Credit: Gandee Vasan / Getty Images)

The Indicator from Planet Money - Predicting next year’s economic storylines

It's time for another intra-Family Feud! The friendly game-show competition where our hosts from Planet Money and The Indicator duke it out over which indicator will be the leading economic story in 2024. Will interest rates decline? Will 'Bidenomics' catch on? Will junk fees get taken out with the garbage?

Tell us who won by submitting your vote to Planet Money's Instagram or email us with "Family Feud" in the subject line. Voting ends Dec. 31 at midnight, and we'll announce the winner(s) on our Jan. 5 episode.

Related Episodes:
The Indicator of the Year: 2023 (Apple / Spotify)
The 'physics' behind potential interest rates cuts (Apple / Spotify)
Junk fees, unfilled jobs, jackpot? (Apple / Spotify)
We grade Fed Chair Jerome Powell (Apple / Spotify)
Industrial policy, the debate! (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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