NPR: Planet Money
Money makes the world go around, faster and faster every day. On NPR's Planet Money, you'll meet high rollers, brainy economists and regular folks -- all trying to make sense of our rapidly changing global economy.
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#485: What's Your Major?
Sure, some college degrees lead to higher paying jobs than ...
Sure, some college degrees lead to higher paying jobs than others. But what's shocking — at least, it was shocking to us — is just how big the gap can be.The most lucrative majors typically lead to jobs with salaries over $100,000 a year. The least lucrative lead to salaries of around $30,000.On today's show, we run the numbers. We talk to people who majored in the most- and least-lucrative subjects. And we hear from an economist who says, when it comes to income, choosing a major is more important than choosing a college.
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#484: Inside The T-Shirt Factory
On today's show, we check in with our reporters in ...
On today's show, we check in with our reporters in Bangladesh. We hear what it was like inside the factory where the Planet Money men's T-shirt was knit, dyed, cut and sewn. And we ask: Will Bangladesh be able to move beyond making T-shirts?Music: Alex King's "Like A Sewing Machine." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/Spotify/ Tumblr. Download the Planet Money iPhone App. #seedtoshirt
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#483: Putting The Planet In The Planet Money T-Shirt
The cotton for the Planet Money men's T-shirt was spun ...
The cotton for the Planet Money men's T-shirt was spun into yarn in Indonesia and knit, cut and sewn into shirts in Bangladesh. Last week, we had teams of reporters and photographers in both countries — and we managed to get almost everybody on the phone at once. On today's show, we listen in on that call. Today's special bonus guest: Pietra Rivoli, the author of the book that inspired our T-shirt project. Music: Daft Punk's "Around The World" Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/Spotify/ Tumblr. Download the Planet Money iPhone App.
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#433: Holding A Rainforest Hostage? (Update)
Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, a pristine corner of the Amazon ...
Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, a pristine corner of the Amazon rainforest, is home to jaguars, giant otters, and the golden-mantled tamarin. The park also sits on top of hundreds of millions of barrels of oil, worth billions of dollars.The government of Ecuador faces a choice: Should it protect the park, or go for the money?Until very recently, the country was trying to do both. The government said it would leave the rainforest untouched — if rich countries gave billions of dollars.We reported on the story earlier this year. Today, we find out how the story ends.Note: This is an update of an episode that was originally posted in February. Note #2: Starting next week, podcasts will be posted on Wednesday and Friday, rather than on Tuesday and Friday.Download the Planet Money iPhone App. Music: Mumford & Sons's "Below My Feet." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/ Spotify/ Tumblr.
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#421: The Birth Of The Dollar Bill
Before the Civil War, there were 8,000 different kinds of ...
Before the Civil War, there were 8,000 different kinds of money in the United States.Banks printed their own paper money. And, unlike today, a $1 bill wasn't always worth $1. Sometimes people took the bills at face value. Sometimes they accepted them at a discount (a $1 bill might only be worth 90 cents, say.) Sometimes people rejected certain bills altogether.On today's show, we figure out how this world worked. And explain how the Civil War — and the Union's need for money — changed everything.Note: This episode was originally posted last year. Note #2: Starting next week, podcasts will be posted on Wednesday and Friday, rather than on Tuesday and Friday.
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#482: Why The U.S. Keeps Sending Weapons To Egypt
As the Egyptian military cracked down on protesters last week, ...
As the Egyptian military cracked down on protesters last week, U.S.-made Apache helicopters flew overhead. The Egyptian military also uses American made tanks, fighter jets and bullets. This is the product of the $1.3 billion in military aid the U.S. provides to Egypt every year. In polls, a majority of Egyptians say they want that aid to end. And it's become unpopular among some powerful Americans as well. Yet, so far, the aid hasn't stopped flowing. On today's show: Why it's so hard for the U.S. to stop sending military aid to Egypt.
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#481: The Economist's Guide To Drinking While Pregnant
On today's show, we meet a woman who is trying ...
On today's show, we meet a woman who is trying to bring nuance and subtlety to a world of black-and-white rules: pregnancy. Emily Oster is an economist and the author of a book called Expecting Better. Like our own Chana Joffe-Walt — who takes a break from maternity leave to host today's show — Oster found herself confused and frustrated by all the rules of pregnancy. Unlike Chana, Emily Oster decided to read almost every study that had every been conducted on pregnancy and risk. Today, we talk to Oster about what she discovered. (Spoiler: A glass of wine is Ok.)
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#480: The Charity That Just Gives People Money
GiveDirectly is a charity that just gives money to poor ...
GiveDirectly is a charity that just gives money to poor people. The people who get the money can spend it on whatever they want. They never have to pay it back. On today's show, we hear from someone who got money from GiveDirectly, from one of the founder's of the group, and from a few other people in the charity world. But, really, today's show is just a quick introduction. For the complete Planet Money experience, allow us to direct your attention to This American Life, where our full story about GiveDirectly is airing this weekend. For ways to listen, see This American Life's aptly named Ways To Listen page.
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#479: Behind The Label
On today’s show, three stories about what how products and ...
On today’s show, three stories about what how products and people get branded and what happens when you peel back the label, and try to get the full story.
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#478: Rocky Pipkin, Private Eye Vs. The Raisin Outlaw
In most industries, competitors getting together to restrict the supply ...
In most industries, competitors getting together to restrict the supply of a good would be illegal. But in the raisin world, it's the opposite. Competitors have to work together. They all decide as a group how many raisins to release to the public. What can get you in trouble in raisins, is going against that group. Raisin farmer, Marvin Horne, is a raisin rebel, a raisin outlaw. He refused to follow the rules of the Raisin Administrative Committee and found himself under surveillance by Rocky Pipkin's detective agency. Now he's being sued by the federal government for hundreds of thousands of dollars. On today's show, the upside-down world of raisins.
