Planet Money
A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
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4.4 • 9 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A New York Times Bestseller
From the world’s leading economics podcast comes an irresistible guide to the hidden world of everyday economics.
Hello, and welcome to Planet Money! Millions of listeners trust the world’s leading economics podcast to explain the mysterious inner workings of the global economy and the forces that affect nearly every decision we make. Through expert research and delightful stories the Planet Money hosts help everyone see the world like an economist.
For their first-ever book, longtime contributor Alex Mayyasi and the hosts of NPR's Planet Money present brand new stories and insights gathered from more than a decade of reporting that reveal ways AI might help you or replace you, demystify dating markets, and show how pro sports’ "dumbest" contract holds the secret to building wealth. Taking readers on adventures to a smartphone factory in Patagonia, a raisin cartel in California, and an Indigenous reserve in Canada that might just have a solution for the housing crisis, Planet Money shows how economics shapes our world, and how we can harness key principles to make our own lives a little richer.
Customer Reviews
Best Podcast I’ve Ever Read!
There is probably no other topic that affects our lives so much yet us understood by so few. For decades, the Planet Money crew has been bringing this usually arcane subject to life and revealing how relevant it is to our lives. Plus, they have a unique way of doing it in a genuinely fun way whenever they can.
The Planet Money book takes on the style of the podcast to lead us through all the basics of the field in a way that makes sense and is enjoyable to read. Sure, the concepts can be challenging to understand, but doing it with imaginatively chosen stories from the real world (and they are *great* at that), they sparkle with clarity.
I found the book full of Ah-ha! moments where a topic that has puzzled me suddenly becomes crystal clear. Also, there were times that I discovered why something heretofore strange in our culture is the way it is. Oh, that’s economics at work.
Years ago, the folks at Planet Money triggered a late-in-life interest in the field for me. I must confess that now, I not only am a fan of their podcast (and this book), I subscribe to The Economist, both for its great world news coverage and regular coverage of world and national economics at work.
As with any humble, middle-class individual, there isn’t much I can do about the current state of the economy. But at least, thanks to Planet Money, I can better understand what is actually happening and sometimes even, find better ways to cope.
Econ for Lefties
A snappy and breezy walk through basic economic concepts with interesting real world examples. Yet it is massively skewed left, with nearly all the examples highlighting (North) America’s warts (racism in Chicago banking, supply and demand lessons taught via food pantries, housing choices from Indian discrimination in Canada, etc.) Milton Friedman barely gets a mention, and then it’s to highlight that Reagan didn’t redistribute enough wealth. I could go on.
It’s short, easy to read, and written in an accessible way, but absolutely lacking in any balance. No wonder it’s been assigned in my child’s public HS AP Econ class.