Econ To Go

Why do people with similar incomes and education levels end up with vastly different financial outcomes?  In this episode of Econ To Go, Neale Mahoney sits down with Stanford economist Annamaria Lusardi to explore what people actually understand about money, and why financial literacy has become an essential skill in today’s increasingly complex economy. A pioneer in the field, Lusardi explains ho...

What should — and shouldn’t — be for sale? In this episode of Econ To Go, Neale Mahoney sits down with Stanford economist and Nobel laureate Alvin Roth to explore “moral economics,” the subject of his new book and the idea that markets are not just driven by prices, but shaped by human values. From debates over “repugnant transactions” like surrogacy and prostitution to the real-world design of ki...

What’s the untold story of immigration in the United States? Are our beliefs misconceptions or truths?  In this episode of Econ To Go, Neale Mahoney sits down with Stanford economist Ran Abramitzky to unpack some of the most persistent myths about immigration — and what the evidence shows instead. Drawing on decades of data, Abramitzky breaks down how immigrants and their children fare over time,...

Are we entering a new era of globalization? In this episode of Econ To Go, Neale Mahoney sits down with Stanford trade economist Stephen Redding to unpack the sharp escalation of U.S. tariffs in 2025 and 2026, and what it signals for the global economy. Redding explains why the scale of recent changes stands out historically, and how trade policy is becoming more persistent and more weaponized, sh...

How does trust — or the lack of it — shape who gets care, and what outcomes they experience? In this episode of Econ To Go, Neale Mahoney sits down with Stanford physician-economist and MacArthur Fellow Marcella Alsan to explore how trust and representation shape the U.S. health care system. Her research shows that historical events like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study continue to affect healthcare us...

How do we know what’s really happening in the economy? In this episode of Econ To Go, Neale Mahoney sits down with labor economist Erika McEntarfer, former head of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to explore the public data system behind the numbers we hear every day, like inflation, unemployment, and GDP. McEntarfer explains why America’s statistical system is widely considered the global gol...

What makes money… money? And who should we trust to issue it? In this episode of Econ To Go, Neale Mahoney sits down with Stanford finance professor Amit Seru to explore the tug-of-war over the future of money. Stablecoins promise fast, low-cost digital payments, but Seru explains why they function much like narrow banks — vulnerable to runs if confidence erodes. The conversation examines the GENI...

How has remote work changed the way we live and work? And what’s here to stay?  In the first episode of Econ To Go, Neale Mahoney sits down with Stanford economist Nick Bloom, one of the world’s leading experts on work-from-home, to unpack how the pandemic reshaped work almost overnight. From productivity and profitability to housing, health, and the future of cities, this conversation looks past...

Welcome to Econ To Go, where Stanford economics meets your everyday life. Hosted by Neale Mahoney, director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), the show takes you on a walk across campus for smart, curious conversations about the forces shaping our economy. From AI and productivity to inflation and college sports, it’s Stanford economics, to go. Subscribe on Spotify , A...