Category: Series

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Are Afghan nationals more likely to be convicted of sexual offences?

Tim Harford looks at some of the numbers in the news. This week:

Is it true that interest payments on the UK’s national debt are equivalent to £240 per month for everyone in the country?

Reform UK claim that Afghan migrants are 22 times more likely to be convicted of sex offences. Is that number correct?

We try to make sense of a claim that one in 10 women are being driven to leave work by their menopause symptoms.

And we investigate a claim comparing the speed of a snail and the war in Ukraine.

If you’ve seen a number you think we should look at, email the team: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Lizzy McNeill Producer: Nicholas Barrett Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Can shareholders influence Elon Musk’s trillion dollar pay package?

Tesla’s board of directors recently proposed  a pay package for CEO Elon Musk that could pay him about a trillion dollars if he meets certain goals. It’s not a done deal yet—Tesla shareholders will vote on the proposal at the company’s annual meeting in November. But just how much of a say do shareholders actually have in that decision? Or any decision?

Today on the show, we look at what it takes for a shareholder to get their voice heard and how this may be changing under the Trump administration. Plus we talk to one Tesla investor agitating for changes at the company.

Related episodes: 

An epic proxy battle comes to Hasbro

Elon Musk and the fear of the activist investor

Impact investing, part 1: Money, meet morals

Impact investing, part 2: Can money meet morals?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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Cato Podcast - Cato Cage Match: Monetary vs. Fiscal Policy

Norbert Michel and Dominic Lett square off over whether fiscal or monetary policy is the bigger mess. Lett highlights how entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare are driving unsustainable debt levels, while Michel explains how post-2008 Federal Reserve changes have created risks of “fiscal dominance,” where monetary policy is increasingly shaped by government borrowing needs. Both stress that without structural reforms and political restraint, the U.S. faces uncertain and potentially catastrophic economic consequences.


Show Notes:

https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/comprehensive-evaluation-policy-rate-feedback-rules#

https://www.cato.org/books/crushing-capitalism

https://www.cato.org/blog/medicaid-driving-deficits-republicans-are-scarcely-tapping-brakes

https://www.cato.org/news-releases/senate-bill-could-increase-debt-6-trillion-cato-analysis#

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The Indicator from Planet Money - The cost of saving a species

Animals are going extinct at an alarmingly fast rate, largely due to human activity. Same for plants. This is bad for all kinds of reasons, not least of which is that breakthrough drugs often come from nature. But there isn’t consensus on how to save these species. 

Part of the debate asks the economic question: with limited money going to the work, where will it have the most impact? Today on the show, the cost-effective plan to maximize biodiversity that asks ecologists to approach the question more like economists. 

Related episodes: 
The Habitat Banker 
The echo of the bison 
Savings birds with economics 

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Teamwork actually does make the dream work

Behavioral scientist Jon Levy’s new book — Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius — argues that, in the workplace, leadership is overrated and teamwork is underrated. Today on the show: How super chickens and NBA All-Stars demonstrate the perils of individual performance.

Related episodes:
Why women make great bosses 
The Virtual Office 
The Science of Hoops

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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