The Indicator from Planet Money - How Medicare fraud became Miami’s vice

In 2019, Philip Esformes went on trial for one of the biggest Medicare fraud cases in history. His longtime family rabbi said Philip Esformes was an upstanding citizen ... when he lived in Chicago.

Malcolm Gladwell was fascinated by this case and the prospect of a city changing a man. He covers this in his forthcoming book Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering.

Today on the show: How Miami became known as the capital of Medicare fraud. We learn what went wrong in South Florida and what it says about how places may change our behavior.

Related Episodes:
Book drama, NVIDIA hype, and private equity Football
How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Who pays when trade wars heat up?

Donald Trump wants new tariffs on goods coming into the US, describing them as a tax on other countries. The Democrats are no stranger to trade tariffs themselves, with Joe Biden having added them to numerous goods coming into the US from China.

We talk to Erica York from the Tax Foundation about how tariffs work and who ends up paying for them.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Kate Lamble and Beth Ashmead Latham Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound mix: Steve Greenwood Editor: Richard Vadon

The Indicator from Planet Money - Why aren’t more people taking on the trades?

There is expected to be a lot of demand for manufacturing jobs in the coming decade, but many of those positions will be left unfilled. So Darnell Epps set out to close that gap by connecting employers with workers and showing potential workers what's appealing about these jobs. Today, we dig into Darnell Epps journey through both law school and trade school.

Related episodes:
One of the hottest jobs in AI right now: 'types-question guy' (Apple / Spotify)
Why it's so hard to mass produce houses in factories (Apple / Spotify)

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The Indicator from Planet Money - How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium

Recently, singer/rapper/entrepreneur Pitbull agreed to pay $6 million to Florida International University for the naming rights to its football stadium ... an unusual move for both parties: a musician paying for their name on a stadium, and for a college to name their stadium after a musician.

How does this move benefit the college? How does this move benefit Mr. Worldwide?

In today's episode, what Pitbull and FIU's deal tell us about the fast-changing economics of college sports.

Related Episodes:
The monetization of college sports
The Olympian to influencer pipeline

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The Indicator from Planet Money - How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking villages

The once-thriving Japanese hamlet of Nanmoku was known for its silk and timber industries. Today, it is the country's most aged village, with two-thirds of residents over age 65. On today's show, how the Japanese government is trying to address rural depopulation and attract younger residents to villages like Nanmoku.

Related listening:
Japan had a vibrant economy. Then it fell into a slump for 30 years (Apple / Spotify)
Japan's ninja shortage

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Exclusions, black holes and dividing by zero

Do half of children in Wales have special educational needs? Are permanent exclusions at the highest ever level in England? Labour are talking about a ?22bn black hole. Is that a new black hole in the finances? Are there more Ghanaian nurses in the UK than in Ghana? Can you divide one by zero?

Tim Harford looks at some of the numbers in the news.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporters: Kate Lamble and Nathan Gower Producer: Beth Ashmead Latham Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound mix: Andy Fell Editor: Richard Vadon