Economics Explained

Latest Episodes:

There Will Never Be Another Singapore Sep 25, 2023

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Singapore, once a poor nation, rose to the 33rd largest economy in 50 years, inspiring other countries globally. Yet, its unique journey, often misunderstood to be solely based on glamorous industries, is not easy to replicate, and many economists forget the draconian measures it took to build Singapore into the wealthy country it is today.

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Why Top Investors Are Betting Against The USA Sep 19, 2023

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Michael Burry, the investor made famous when he shorted the US housing market before the crash of 2008, has recently bet against the US Bond market. Why would he do that and what relationship between the economy and the stock market made him think this would work?

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Could An Economy On Mars Ever Be Viable? Sep 13, 2023

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With billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos setting their sights on space exploration and development, there must be some commercially viable industries in space and on Mars, right? Well, it's a little more complicated than just mining the asteroids that contain trillions of dollars of value, or building heavy things in micro-gravity, and certainly a base on Mars might cost more than it's worth. Making Mars a viable economy might not even be possible.

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The Game Theory Of Military Spending Sep 08, 2023

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Is $2.2 trillion per year wasted on the military, or is this massive spending necessary to defend the freedoms we enjoy? In this video we explain why military spending may be a necessary evil using the prisoner's dilemma and reframing some narratives about military spending you may have heard.

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Should The US Default On Its Debt To Save Its Economy? Sep 07, 2023

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It might sound absurd, but some economists are talking about the possibility of the US defaulting on its debts, closing off to global trade and using its own domestic industries and energy production to save its economy, which currently is tipping further and further into unsustainable national debt (Fitch just downgraded the US credit rating from AAA to AA+).

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When Economic Policies Go Wrong | Economics Explained Sep 05, 2023

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Unfortunately for theoretical economists, we are not allowed to run economics experiments on the whole of society to see definitively whether or not certain economic policies or systems work in practice. Millions of lives hang in the balance, so this is an ethical non-starter. But we can study countries that have experimented with socialism, communism, and laissez faire capitalism to see what the outcomes are. And the experiments have been done.

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Something Weird is Happening in California Sep 01, 2023

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California, the US's third largest state, ranks as the world's 4th or 5th economy all by itself. With an output over $3.5 trillion, Californians are among the globe's top producers. But despite its growth, the state faces challenges: global pressures, population decline, and social problems.

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Global Inequality - Interview with Francisco Ferreira (London School of Economics) Aug 10, 2023

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Global inequality is one of the biggest economic issues facing the world today. Global wealth is now thousands of times what it has been for the vast majority of human history, and yet a lot of that wealth is being hoarded by a smaller and smaller group of people. We were lucky enough to speak to Francisco Ferreira from the London School of Economics, an expert on global inequality and its impacts on developing countries, which have the potential to be the economic powerhouses of the future.

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Indonesia: The Fastest Growing Major Economy In The World Aug 08, 2023

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Indonesia's economy has been growing rapidly, and thanks to a younger population it could be on track to become one of the biggest economies in the world. There are a few things holding Indonesia back, such as Jakarta sinking into the ocean, but with their natural resource wealth and access to the world's oceans, it could become a huge player in making the goods we all use every day.

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Mexico, The Economic Miracle That Never Happened Aug 02, 2023

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Despite Mexico's strategic advantages and booming manufacturing sector due to global trade shifts, they haven't taken opportunities to replace China as a major manufacturer for the US. What factors stifle Mexico's growth and are there drawbacks to its proximity to the US?

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