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Shelly Lundberg – How Economics Discovered Women

    Bringing Gender Economics into the Twenty-First Century

    New Books in Economics | 25 August 2026 | 0h 47m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify

    Interview with Shelly Lundberg about her book How Economics Discovered Women: Bringing Gender Economics into the Twenty-First Century. Explains how economics, initially focused on male labour, began to include women in the 1970s due to new econometric techniques. Discusses how the ‘motherhood wage penalty’ is a key driver of gender inequality, influenced by care work assignment and social norms. Highlights that educational gaps are significantly shaped by differing socialisations for boys and girls. Advocates for rethinking persistent assumptions in economics, including discrimination, to provide a more nuanced understanding of complex societal issues.

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    Stephen B. Young on Adam Smith and Modern Economics

      New Books in Economics | 29 April 2026 | 1h 09m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
      Interview with Stephen B. Young about his book Adam Smith and Modern Economics: Reclaiming the Moral High Ground. Reclaims the moral foundations of capitalism by revisiting Adam Smith as a moral philosopher. Argues for integrating Smith’s “invisible hand” with the “impartial spectator” – an internal conscience that balances self-interest with social responsibility. Explores the pin factory’s role in wealth creation and critiques Marx’s views on money. Promotes decentralised, bottom-up capitalism and the Caux Round Table’s ethical principles, emphasising that market success requires trustworthy human capital and mutual respect between stakeholders.

      See also other episodes about Adam Smith.

      Ruixue Jia & Hongbin Li – The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China

        New Books in Economics | 15 February 2026 | 0h 49m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
        Interview with Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li about their book The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China. Discusses how the Gaokao exam system shapes Chinese schooling, serves state interests, inspires individualistic attitudes, and has lately become a touchstone in US education debates.

        Richard Ruback & Royce Yudkoff – HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business

          New Books in Economics | 24 November 2025 | 0h 53m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
          Interview with Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff about their book HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Think Big, Buy Small, Own Your Own Company. Discusses entrepreneurship through acquisition, where individuals buy and run established small businesses. Suggests targeting enduringly profitable companies with high margins and recurring revenue, emphasizing mitigating risk, managing the emotional search process, and advising new owners to wait 6–12 months before making significant changes to learn the business’s fundamentals.

          Allen B. Downey – Probably Overthinking It

            New Books in Economics | 10 October 2025 | 1h 02m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
            Interview with Allen B. Downey about his book Probably Overthinking It: How to Use Data to Answer Questions, Avoid Statistical Traps, and Make Better Decisions. Argues that understanding data is crucial to avoiding statistical traps and making better decisions, noting how statistical lenses can distort reality. Covers concepts like the Gaussian curve and lognormal distributions, the Inspection Paradox (recidivism), Berkson’s paradox (medical studies), and Simpson’s Paradox (vaccine efficacy). Highlights the importance of correctly interpreting data, citing examples where errors, such as those in analysing the effects of maternal smoking or long-tail disaster probabilities, severely impact societal outcomes.

            David Lynch – The World’s Worst Bet

              New Books in Economics | 5 September 2025 | 0h 58m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
              Interview with David Lynch about his book The World’s Worst Bet: How the Globalization Gamble Went Wrong (And What Would Make It Right). Discusses the rise and fall of globalization, the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known, explaining what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to change to preserve the benefits of global integration and to build prosperity for all. Argues that America gambled on enjoying the benefits of globalization while ignoring its costs: dislocated workers, vulnerable supply chains, and the rise of a powerful rival.

              Yong-Shik Lee on Law and Development: Theory and Practice

                New Books in Economics | 30 August 2025 | 1h 13m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
                Interview with Yong-Shik Lee about his book Law and Development: Theory and Practice. Describes his General Theory of Law and Development, which explains the mechanisms by which law and institutions impact economics development, using examples mainly from South Korea.

                Edward Berenson on Perfect Communities: Levitt, Levittown, and the Dream of White Suburbia

                  New Books in Economics | 13 August 2025 | 1h 02m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
                  Interview with Edward Berenson about his book Perfect Communities: Levitt, Levittown, and the Dream of White Suburbia. Describes the rise and fall of William J. Levitt, who innovated to produce inexpensive mass-produced single-family suburban housing for veterans returned from WW2. Discusses his refusal to sell to Black people, contributing to the enduring wealth disparity between white and Black families.