In my last podcast-related post, I wrote about how listening to the spoken word re-awakened my love of history and good storytelling (when done properly, these are one and the same). In this post, I’ll have a look at what could be a really dry subject: economics.
I have generally been ignorant of economics, both the personal and the global. It seemed dry, uninteresting, disconnected from my personal experience, and impossible to understand. Over time, several things have drawn me toward this once-impenetrable subject: owning a home (home prices affect some very big decisions); learning more about the business world and how it’s affected; and a general interest in systems and how they work. The more I learned about history, the more economics seemed to surface as a character in every big story. And, most pointedly of late, the global economic crisis made me intensely curious: what the heck is going on? How did it come to this? How will it affect me, my relatives, my friends? How bad will it get?
In addition to some occasionally good reporting in the media, some of the podcasts I’ve come across have a done a really good job of unraveling the mess for the average person. Here’s a few that helped my education tremendously.
The Economist
While the cover of this mag looks pretty dry, the writing inside is of high quality if a bit academic in flavor. The podcasts seem a little more accessible. They’ve also made the jump to full-length overviews of the text of many articles - longer but more in-depth. Listening to the Economist has really helped explain some of the bigger factors influencing the economies around the world, and also dives into culture and politics as a matter of course. If you want to read what the heads of state worldwide are reading, pick up the mag or the podcast.
NPR: Fresh Air & All Things Considered
I’ve mentioned my love for All Things NPR. While they’re not explicitly about economics, it’s certainly covered well by these and other NPR podcasts. Fresh Air with Terry Gross ranges across an incredibly broad range of topics (one reason I love it!). The interviews are longish and very in-depth. I found the interview with nobel laureate Paul Krugman on the value of public spending in the financial crisis interesting. There was another one (can’t recall which) which delved into the twin deregulations of the oil and financial industries, and the vast implications of both in recent events.
My history can beat up your politics
Bruce Carlson’s podcast is devoted to examining the relationships between history and politics, specifically American political history. So, yes, I’m cheating a bit by putting it the “economics” category, but there was a supremely educational episode on the Great Depression and the history around it. When asking the question, “how bad is it?”, this episode helps give us perspective and draw parallels to today’s problems (short answer: not even close). While it’s not as professionally produced as Dan Carlin (room echo and a lack of editing), the insights are fascinating. There is simply no better tool than an examination of history to understand current events and what possibilities might unfold in the future.
Now that I’m through looking at those, I’m struck by how the lines between economics, politics, culture and history barely exist. They’re simply facets of the same study of human experience.
Up next: Politics, or technology? Tune in to find out.
Posted in Politics, Reading & Listening
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