EconoFact Chats

This week, EconoFact Chats features an abridged version of an Ask Me Anything webinar co-hosted with The Journalist's Resource on the economic consequences of the war in Iran. Panelists Binyamin Applebaum (New York Times), Nicholas Bloom (Stanford), Michael Klein (EconoFact) and David Victor (UC San Diego) discussed the energy market disruptions stemming from the war, how increased uncertainty has...

The COVID pandemic and the war with Iran highlight the vulnerabilities associated with international supply chains. But sourcing from low-cost producers and from countries that have an advantage in providing key inputs also contributes to greater productivity and a wider range of available goods. Chris Miller joins EconoFact Chats to discuss the economic security challenges associated with a depen...

The price of oil has risen by over 40% since the start of the war with Iran, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz -- which sees roughly 20 million barrels of oil transit daily -- has come to a virtual halt. Past oil price spikes have driven inflation higher, and weakened economies worldwide. What do the current disruptions portend for oil markets, and global economic growth? How might these d...

Much has changed since the EconoFact Chats panel of journalists last met in late 2025; the bombing of Iran and its effects on oil prices and shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz, the Supreme Court’s decision on the illegality of tariffs enacted by IEEPA and the possibility that the government may have to repay tariff revenues, and the nomination of a new Chair for the Federal Reserve, and t...

The United States has about 2 million people behind bars at any given time -- an incarceration rate more than twice that of any other economically advanced country. There are significant costs to this -- in terms of the resources needed to run prisons and jails, the losses associated with having so many people not participating in the economy, and the price paid by individuals themselves when they...

This week, EconoFact Chats features an abridged version of an Ask Me Anything Webinar held on January 16th, 2026, featuring Heather Long of the Navy Federal Credit Union (formerly at The Washington Post), and John Hilsenrath of Serpa Pinto Advisory (formerly at The Wall Street Journal). The webinar touched on a wide range of issues including the uneven economic recovery since COVID, America's tran...

Economic policy in the second Trump administration continues to undergo significant change. Many of these changes have been enacted through executive orders. What effect have these policies had on economic growth, scientific research, and on American institutions thus far? How might they impact U.S. leadership over the long-term? Simon Johnson joins EconoFact Chats to discuss these questions, draw...

Homeownership has been part of the traditional American dream. But increases in home prices, borrowing costs, and home insurance are making it harder for many Americans to buy a home. The cost of renting is also rising. These increases have recently been more widespread across the country. What's driving the higher cost of housing? What policies could help alleviate the challenge of housing unaffo...

In a recent article, The Economist Magazine noted that “talk about affordability mixes phantom concerns with real ones.” In this episode of EconoFact Chats, Jason Furman argues that “affordability,” which is not well defined, is not necessarily worse now than a year or two ago, or even decades ago. But he notes that there are real concerns as well -- especially with the costs of housing, childcare...

It's been nearly ten years since Britain voted to leave the European Union. The run-up to the referendum was marked by competing claims regarding the consequences of Brexit, with Leave supporters claiming Brexit would restore British sovereignty over economic and social policies, while Remain advocates warned of self-inflicted economic harm. What have the actual consequences of Brexit been? And wh...

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has been the subject of very public attacks by President Trump, and a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice. These are seen as efforts to influence the Fed to lower interest rates for short-run political advantage. But there has been widespread pushback to these efforts. Kenneth Kuttner joins EconoFact Chats to discuss how and why central banks are...

New technologies often result in significant change. Perhaps the most salient effect of automation has been labor displacement. At the beginning of the 20th century, agricultural employment gave way to more productive, and higher paying, manufacturing jobs. The growing middle class generated demand for new products and new industries. But more recent technological changes have shrunk manufacturing...

For many Americans, episodes of stress are often temporary. But for marginalized communities -- especially black people, and those living in poverty, stress is, too often, an ongoing part of life. And this has dire consequences on health and well-being. Our guest on EconoFact Chats this week, Arline Geronimus has done pioneering work in understanding the consequences of chronic stress, especially...

In a new article in Foreign Affairs, 'The New Economic Geography: Who Profits in a Post-American World?,' Adam Posen, the President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, argues that the policies and institutions the US has helped put in place over the past eight decades have not only bolstered its own economic fortunes, but have helped much of the world thrive. Adam joins EconoFac...

Trade restrictions are a common theme on campaign trails, and the general public is often suspicious of the net benefits of trade. Are these suspicions warranted? This week on EconoFact Chats, Michael Klein, and Kadee Russ of the University of California at Davis discuss the current landscape of international trade. Note: This podcast was first published on 5th October, 2020.

The US economy has faced many challenges in 2025: the direct effects of a government shutdown and the associated uncertainty because of the unavailability of economic statistics; the imposition of high, and varying, tariffs; concerns about affordability; and plunging consumer confidence. But, as Mark Zandi points out in this episode of EconoFact Chats, the economic fortunes of people vary across i...

John Cassidy joins EconoFact Chats to discuss his latest book, 'Capitalism and its Critics.' In the book, and in the conversation, Cassidy argues that capitalism has proven to be a remarkably protean system, able to adapt through numerous crises, and discusses the ways in which widening inequality, the ecological crisis, technological transformation, and resurgent authoritarian politics could forc...

EconoFact Chats regularly hosts a panel of distinguished economic journalists to take stock of key issues affecting the U.S. economy. Since the panel last met in September, the U.S. has been through the longest government shutdown on record, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments on the legality of the Trump administration's tariffs, and the Democrats outperformed expectations in a few election...

It's been over six months since the so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs -- a 10% baseline tariff on all US imports, and additional country-specific tariffs determined by their trade surplus with the US -- came into effect. The Trump administration argued these tariffs would result in a stronger economy, and a revival of American manufacturing. Have they? Chad Bown joins EconoFact Chats to discuss t...

In a new report 'Measuring Access to Opportunity in the United States: A 10-Year Update,' The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) notes that child poverty reduction has proved readily responsive to federal and state policy choices. The percentage of children living in poverty fell to a historic low of 5% in 2021, even as COVID slowed the economy, because programs like the expanded Child Tax Credit su...

The United States fostered a post-World War II rules-based international economic order that benefitted both itself and many other countries. But recent changes in United States’ policies have altered trade relationships and the international role of the dollar. Oleg Itskhoki joins EconoFact Chats to discuss the sources and consequences of these shifts in the international economic order, discussi...

In their new book 'Fixed: Why Personal Finance is Broken and How to Make It Work for Everyone,' John Campbell and Tarun Ramadorai highlight how personal finance markets in the US and across the globe often benefit the wealthy and more educated at the expense of those with fewer advantages. This feature of financial markets, along with the inherent difficulty in making financial decisions, makes it...

While it is often thought that adolescence begins and ends with puberty, new research shows that the development of cognitive skills, emotional development, and social skills that starts in the early teen years continues into the mid-twenties. In her new book 'Thrive,' Lisa Lawson, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, points out that failure to build on investments throughout this l...

This week, EconoFact Chats features an abridged version of an EconoFact Ask Me Anything Webinar held on September 17th featuring Tara Watson, Director of the Center for Economic Security and Opportunity at the Brookings Institution. The AMA focused on the role of immigrants in the U.S. labor force, the extent and types of deportations seen currently, the economic effects of stepped-up immigration...

The post-war international economic order was based on two fundamental pillars: American leadership and multilateralism. Both of those are, to some extent, under threat today. The United States is on a different path with respect to international economic relations, than had been the case over the past decades. Increasing tariffs are just one example of a reversal of prior efforts aimed at greater...