Words & Numbers - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Words & Numbers — Education
Words & Numbers

Words & Numbers is one of the highest-rated economics podcasts in the world. Each episode, Antony Davies and James R. Harrigan dig into economics, political science, and current events to explain what’s actually happening and why it matters.

Copyright: © Creative Commons

Latest Episodes:

Episode 172: Listener Special #5 May 27, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, we answer listener questions.

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick Hits

Doordash

https://themargins.substack.com/p/doordash-and-pizza-arbitrage

Joe Biden

https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/amazon-joe-biden-taxes

Foolishness of the Week

Biden Aims at Charter Schools

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgVbi0oD8uM

Topic of the Week

Your Questions!

Join the Conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let Us Know What You Think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 171: Are Social Distancing Violations the New Stop and Frisk? May 20, 2020

Show notes

In New York City, stop and frisk was controversial because it was a violation of the Fourth Amendment. As implemented, police would stop and frisk people without showing probable cause that the people were committing, or might be committing, a crime. The courts subsequently required that police demonstrate probable cause. But social distancing laws appear to be poised to take the place of stop and frisk, creating the opportunity for police to violate people’s Fourth Amendment rights.

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick Hits

Microsoft Wrong about Open Source

https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/18/21262103/microsoft-open-source-linux-history-wrong-statement

Elon Musk

https://www.chron.com/news/article/As-it-prepares-to-fly-humans-Elon-Musk-s-SpaceX-15275155.php]

Foolishness of the Week

Don’t Swim in New York

https://www.the-sun.com/news/847367/bill-de-blasio-anyone-swim-nyc-beach-taken-right-out/

Bonus Material Links

LA Mayor Says LA Won’t Reopen

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/05/13/coronavirus-covid-los-angeles-la-county-mayor-health-reopen-vaccine/

Another Source

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/12/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html

Topic of the Week

Judicial Scrutiny

https://reason.com/2020/05/06/supreme-court-justices-in-texas-and-pennsylvania-emphasize-that-covid-19-lockdowns-require-judicial-scrutiny/

A Confederacy of Dunces

https://www.amazon.com/Confederacy-Dunces-John-Kennedy-Toole-ebook/dp/B008UX2UIO

Join the Conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let Us Know What You Think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Clark Neily on Twitter

https://twitter.com/ConLawWarrior

https://www.amazon.com/Terms-Engagement-Enforce-Constitutions-Government/dp/1594036969

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 170: John Stossel Joins Words and Numbers Pt. 2 May 13, 2020

Show notes

This week is part two of Stossel in the Classroom meets Words & Numbers. We continue the conversation with John Stossel about economics, politics, and society.

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick Hits

Peer to Peer Charging

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339350758_P2C2_Peer-to-Peer_Car_Charging

Baseball!

https://apnews.com/6195fbe572aa83a0616053e9133a8551

Foolishness of the Week

Lorena Gonzalez

https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2020/05/10/san-diegos-lorena-gonzalez-slams-elon-musk-over-tesla-threat-to-leave-california/

Topic of the Week

Stossel in the Classroom

https://stosselintheclassroom.org/

Join the Conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let Us Know What You Think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 169: John Stossel Joins Words and Numbers Pt. 1 May 06, 2020

Show notes

John Stossel joins us this week to talk about economics, politics, and society. This is part one of two, so be sure to tune in next week for more exciting discussions!

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick Hits

Naomi’s Potato

https://twitter.com/khaleesi_101/status/1255817022551863296/photo/1

Glass in the Soviet Union

https://www-jstor-org.authenticate.library.duq.edu/stable/4202738?seq=7#metadata_info_tab_contents

South Korean Baseball

https://www.thewrap.com/espn-finds-a-sport-will-air-south-korean-baseball-games/

Foolishness of the Week

Students Sue Colleges for Their Money Back

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/angry-undergrads-are-suing-colleges-for-billions-in-refunds/ar-BB13t6wd

Topic of the Week

Stossel in the Classroom

https://stosselintheclassroom.org/

Join the Conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let Us Know What You Think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 168: Not Your Great-Grandfather's Depression Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

A depression differs from a recession in both the severity of the downturn and the duration. Recessions typically last months; the Great Depression lasted a decade. Importantly, the Great Depression started as an economic phenomenon, but the current “Great Suppression” started as a policy phenomenon. State governments deliberately shut down an otherwise vibrant economy. As we prepare to restart our economic engine, we consider things the government did right and did wrong in attempting to restart the economy during the Great Depression.

Live with Stossel May 1st, 2020 @12 pm ET

http://sitc.org/live

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick Hits

Disincentives of Unemployment Benefits

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/21/838879361/bitter-taste-for-coffee-shop-owner-as-new-600-jobless-benefit-closed-her-busines

Forgivable Loan Backfire

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/she-got-a-paycheck-protection-loan-her-employees-hate-her-for-it.html

Smokers Less Likely to Get COVID?

https://news.yahoo.com/smokers-four-times-less-likely-151203823.html

Foolishness of the Week

Parents are Authoritarians

https://nypost.com/2020/04/23/harvard-professor-wants-to-ban-authoritarian-homeschooling/

Topic of the Week

Harold L. Cole

https://economics.sas.upenn.edu/people/harold-l-cole

History of the Great Depression

https://fee.org/media/37305/deppod.pdf

The Path to Growth Documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hd_j9OX43g

Join the Conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let us know what you think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 167: Viewing the World Through Panic-Tinted Glasses Apr 22, 2020

Show notes

In times of crisis, humans develop a dangerous, asymmetric view of events. We readily see the damage the crisis causes, but we don’t readily see the potential damage that proposed solutions can cause. And when information is uncertain, we tend to believe the worst about the crisis while tending to believe the best about proposed solutions. There is mounting evidence that this is playing out right now with the decision to shut down the economy in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick Hits

How We Deal with Lockdowns

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/04/15/coronavirus-police-maryland-town-urge-residents-wear-pants/5140750002/

Ghosts

https://www.indy100.com/article/indonesia-ghosts-terrifying-coronavirus-lockdown-stay-home-9462511

Australia Trend

https://www.sadanduseless.com/bin-isolation-outing/

Italian Toast

https://www.facebook.com/MagnificentItaly/videos/178130129869702

Llama Rentals

https://futurism.com/the-byte/rent-goats-llamas-zoom-meetings

Pet Skype Calls

https://www.themarysue.com/the-new-york-times-is-wrong-about-pets-on-video-conferences/

CO2 Supplies Diminishing

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ethanol-beer/beer-may-lose-its-fizz-as-co2-supplies-go-flat-during-pandemic-idUSKBN2200G3

Foolishness of the Week

Covid Scam

https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/do-not-click-the-link-police-warn-of-scam-covid-19-text-messages

Topic of the Week

Flu Index

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html

United State Corona Cases

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html

Santa Clara County Case Study

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.14.20062463v1

Boston’s Homeless Testing

https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/04/14/coronavirus-boston-homeless-testing

Corona’s Reach

https://spectator.us/covid-antibody-test-german-town-shows-15-percent-infection-rate/

Quarantined Cruise Ship

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1099517/japan-coronavirus-patients-diamond-princess/

Economic Outcome

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/us/politics/coronavirus-economy-recession-depression.html

Intervention Cost Breakdowns

http://econ.ucsb.edu/~tedb/Courses/UCSBpf/readings/interventions.pdf

Cardiovascular Disease Spending

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3495132/

Join the conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let us know what you think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 166: The Economics of Optimism Apr 15, 2020

Show notes

Vernon Smith, winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in economics joins us on this episode to talk about the economic impact of the coronavirus and why, though we will have to push through some pain, we can be optimistic about the future.

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick Hits

Sweden’s Approach to Coronavirus

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/10/europe/sweden-lockdown-turmp-intl/index.html

Non-essentials

https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-walmart-target-stop-selling-non-essential-items-select-states-2020-4

Michigan Governor

https://dailycaller.com/2020/04/11/gretchen-whitmer-gardening-seeds-non-essential/

Foolishness of the Week

Pope Francis – On Universal Wage

https://www.businessinsider.com/pope-francis-it-might-be-time-to-consider-universal-basic-wage-2020-4

On “Nature’s Response”

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/491734-pope-says-coronavirus-outbreak-may-be-one-of-natures-responses-to

Topic of the Week

Vernon Smith – USA Today & WSJ

https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/vernon-smith

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/03/23/coronavirus-economy-lives-suspense-not-wall-street-crash-column/2898448001/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-economy-will-survive-the-coronavirus-11586103392 Join the conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let Us Know What You Think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 165: Constitutional Crisis Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

In response to the virus, state and city governments are exercising powers that they wouldn’t have in normal times. State and local governments are ordering businesses to close, restricting people’s right to travel, and talking about legally suspending rent and debt payments. This week, Clark Neily joins us to discuss the black, white, and gray constitutional areas of governmental powers in times of crisis.

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

https://isi.org/cooperation-and-coercion-preorder/

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick Hits

Math Teacher

https://twitter.com/DakSt8Football/status/1243687140799766532/photo/1

Venezuelan Warship

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-52151951

Earliest Recorded Use of the F-Word

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8189047/Worlds-earliest-record-F-word-discovered-manuscript-written-bored-Scottish-student.html

Foolishness of the Week The Social Distancing Police

https://www.forsythnews.com/news/government/cumming-officials-sign-social-distancing-order-will-swear-150-residents-special-policemen/

Topic of the Week Clark Neily

https://www.cato.org/people/clark-neily

Join the Conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let us know what you think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 164: The Future of Public Schooling Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

In the debate over the future of public schooling in the U.S., charter schools may show the way forward. Similar to public schools, charter schools are open to all students and are funded by and answerable to state and local governments. Like private schools, charter schools are free to experiment with curricula and teaching styles, unencumbered by state and local government meddling. Pinnacle Classical Academy, in Shelby, NC, is one example of educational experimentation made possible by charter schools.

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick Hits

Coronavirus and Subsidiarity

https://reason.com/2020/03/25/despite-coronavirus-sweden-refuses-to-shutter-businesses-and-limit-gatherings/

Sweden’s Response

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/world/europe/sweden-coronavirus.html

Baby Chickens

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/style/chicken-eggs-coronavirus.html

Foolishness of the Week

Virginia Locked down for More Than 2 Months

https://www.richmond.com/special-report/coronavirus/update-northam-issues-statewide-stay-at-home-order-effective-through/article_67dbe141-da92-504b-b74d-e7c9ed8a118c.html

Bonus Foolishness: Mayor de Blasio

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/mar/30/bill-de-blasio-churches-caught-holding-services-du/

Topic of the Week

Pinnacle Classical Academy

https://www.pinnacleclassicalacademy.com/

Join the Conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let Us Know What You Think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 163: Interview with Lincoln Chafee Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

Lincoln Chafee is possibly the only politician in US history who has served as mayor, governor, and US Senator and been elected as a Republican, a Democrat, and an Independent. Now Gov. Chafee is running to be the Libertarian Party’s candidate for President of the United States. Gov. Chafee brings the broadest of perspectives on American politics to this week’s Words & Numbers.

Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!

http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com

Quick Hits

People Being Nice to Each Other

https://lithub.com/big-hearted-strangers-turn-little-free-libraries-into-little-free-pantries/

IHOP to Go

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/westmoreland-restaurant-helping-out-churches-organizations-impacted-by-fish-fry-cancellations/

Best Buy’s Employee Solution

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akwq8a/best-buy-employees-work-voluntary-coronavirus-paid-two-weeks T-Mobile & Sprint Providing Unlimited Data https://www.tomsguide.com/news/t-mobile-and-sprint-providing-unlimited-data-to-all-customers-for-coronavirus-relief

Conference Calls by Zoom

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/03/14/zoom-is-helping-schools-closing-due-coronavirus-fo.aspx

U-Haul for College Students

https://www.uhaul.com/Articles/About/20625/College-Students-U-Haul-Offers-30-Days-Free-Self-Storage-amid-Coronavirus-Outbreak/

Employees over Rent

https://www.kait8.com/2020/03/18/property-owner-tells-restaurants-pay-employees-instead-rent/

Americans Stranded Abroad

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/thousands-of-americans-stranded-abroad-as-money-patience-run-out/ar-BB11vJu2

Disaster Relief Guides and Resources

https://medium.com/@kittystryker/collective-care-is-our-best-weapon-against-covid-19-851e29568656

Foolishness of the Week

Trillion-Dollar Coins

https://www.businesstelegraph.co.uk/minting-basic-income-us-lawmaker-asks-treasury-to-issue-two-1-trillion-coins-with-no-debt/

Topic of the Week

Lincoln Chafee

https://www.lincolnchafee.com/

Join the Conversation

Words & Numbers Backstage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/

Let us know what you think

mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com

Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Related Podcasts