Economics Happy Hour Podcast

Matt and Jadrian are joined by Wayne Geerling, a Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas in Austin. They discuss their experiences at the JET SET Conference and the importance of the social aspect of conferences. Wayne shares his insights on teaching in Australia versus the United States, highlighting the differences in resources and campus culture. They also talk a bit about teaching...

How much do you know about the AP Economics exam? We doubt you know as much about it as Austin Green, award-winning Georgia AP Economics instructor and AP exam grader. Austin joins us to share insights into teaching AP Economics and his experience grading AP exams. Teaching the course involves covering a broad range of economic concepts, often requiring instructors to balance depth and breadth in...

Matt and Jadrian explore the role of economic councils in shaping financial literacy among educators and students. They welcome thanks to their guest, Chris Cannon, Chief Program Officer at the Georgia Council for Economic Education, and learn how councils for economic education help teachers by providing a collection of resources, professional development opportunities, and curriculum support, al...

Join Matt and Jadrian with guest Brian O'Roark as they react to key economic statements from the first presidential debate of 2024 between Joe Biden and Donald Trump on June 27th. The debate has had a lot of commentary - but how did the candidates do in their economic analysis? The three of them break down economic concepts and macroeconomic conditions discussed during the debate. In this episode,...

The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the most commonly used inflation indicator in the United States. In this episode, Matt & Jadrian talk with an economics educator from Kansas State University who helps his students develop a price index specifically for college students, akin to the CPI. Dan Kuester explains how this index tracks the cost of goods and services relevant to students, such as tuit...

Matt and Jadrian spent a few days in Atlanta with some amazing economics educators at the Conference on Teaching and Research in Economic Education . While we were there, we took some time to chat with some economists about what they do in their professional lives. First up was Emily Marshall, who has done some work recently on how different universities are changing their curriculum to become STE...

Matt and Jadrian unveil their summer book recommendations for listeners! Get ready to expand your horizons with their picks spanning economics and beyond. Each of them shares an economics book to add to your reading list, but they also offer up a non-economics selection in case you need a break for some reason. Whether lounging by the pool or enjoying a sunny day outdoors, our recommendations will...

Matt and Jadrian are joined by Brian O’Roark to discuss the implications of the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates higher for a longer period. They explore how elevated interest rates impact mortgages, car loans, and the real estate market while examining inflation expectations and economic growth. Through their conversation, they find the economics of interest rates involves a nice...

In this episode, Matt and Jadrian discuss the significant issues surrounding the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), its impact on students, and broader implications for higher education. Both agree that it’s a mess right now, but we can’t go back in time and fix that. What’s more interesting to think about is what this means for students who are thinking about going to college, but...

The NCAA tournament is over, and the NFL Draft is still a few weeks away. Matt and Jadrian look at how Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) regulations on college athletes have reshaped their behavior and influenced their decisions regarding their careers. They discuss the significant changes brought about by allowing athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness while still in school. They high...

Matt & Jadrian tackle the Principal-Agent Problem, where one party entrusts another to act on their behalf. From CEO decision-making to waiting tables to real estate transactions, they examine how the interests of principals and agents can diverge and what people can do to possibly fix it. Tune in for an insightful discussion on potential solutions, like aligning incentives and changing contract s...

In this week’s episode, we talk about some of the intricacies of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), particularly in its role as a tax credit for low to moderate-income individuals or couples. Unlike traditional welfare programs, the EITC has an automatic qualification process, and the potential refund acts as an incentive to work. As a result, the EITC largely receives bipartisan support each ti...

We're joined by Tim Dye, an amazing high school economics teacher from Indiana and a long-time listener of the show. Together, the three of us discuss the essential topics for high school graduates, ranging from understanding trade-offs in decision-making to mastering effective time management skills. We also talk about how important it is for high school and college educators to collaborate, high...

🛳️⚓ Get ready to set sail on an economic adventure where we explore the bustling world of cruise ships and uncover the intricate economic principles that drive this multi-billion dollar industry. From pricing strategies and demand dynamics to the impact of global events on cruise tourism, we look at a lot of fascinating concepts behind multiple aspects of the cruising experience. The next time yo...

With Super Bowl Sunday just around the corner, we’ve got a touchdown-worthy episode for you! Join us as we break down a popular behavioral economics concepts that might explain why Super Bowl tickets as so pricey. We ask ourselves how much we'd be willing to pay to catch the game live, and on the flip side, how much we'd want for a ticket if we had one to sell. Get ready for a thought-provoking di...

As the United States steps into the heart of "primary season," Matt and Jadrian are here to untangle all the different ways that economic concepts interact with the democratic process. We’ll try to shed some light on the crucial decisions taking place in the political arena. From rational choice theory to the median voter theorem, we dive into the economic frameworks that underpin electoral decisi...

🎉 Welcome to 2024 and Season 2 of Economics Happy Hour! 🌟 In this episode, we set the stage for the year ahead. We'll discuss our goals, both personally and for the podcast, share insights about the ASSA conference (the "Comic-Con" of economics), and more. Join us for a fantastic new season! In this episode, we discuss: * Personal, professional, and podcast goals * What we learned from launching...

'Tis the season for a spirited debate! Matt and Jadrian have donned their Santa hats and decided to tackle the age-old question: Was Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol good or bad for the economy? Join us as we unwrap the implications of Scrooge's penny-pinching ways. Matt argues that his frugality may have contributed to economic growth, while Jadrian contends that his miserly behavior had b...

We're thrilled to welcome Brian Hollar from Marymount University to dive into the economic lessons hidden within Biblical stories. In this episode, Brian highlights some captivating stories from the first few books of the Bible (The Torah) and demonstrates how economic concepts are embedded in these ancient tales. From tales of sunk cost and scarcity to lessons in decision-making and game theory,...

We recorded this episode in early November, on election days of all days, but this episode isn’t about voting. It’s also a few days after the time change, but we didn’t talk about that. Instead, we wanted to focus on Black Friday shopping since the episode will be released on Thanksgiving Day in the United States. We mostly hopped on to talk about whether this particular day does much to help the...

This week, Brian O’Roark joins the show again to help Matt & Jadrian discuss the economic concepts behind war and conflict. With the Russia-Ukraine war ongoing and the renewed conflict in the Middle East, the three of us decided it was time to talk about various concepts related to war and conflict. Most of the discussion focused on a concept known as the broken window fallacy, but we also venture...

Matt and Jadrian are back in the studio and discussing a controversial topic: Universal Basic Income. The previous few episodes have all centered around the JET SET conference in Northern Kentucky, and this was our first chance back to normal on Zoom. You’re catching both of us at the start of the semester, so spirits are high. We opted to channel that energy into a controversial topic. We talked...

On November 9th, 2023, Claudia Goldin won the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2023. Matt and Jadrian decided to have a drink that evening in honor of the announcement and chat about the prize in general and Dr. Goldin’s win in particular. Every year there tends to be some grumbling over the winner, but this year’s winner was a great pick. In this episode, we...

Jadrian and Matt recorded their final episode from the JET SET conference - this one with Eric Dunaway from Wabash College . During the conference, we learned that Eric teaches a really interesting class on poker at Wabash, and he was gracious enough to sit down with us for a half hour to talk about his class and poker more broadly. He has some fascinating insights on how we can use poker to teach...

Matt and Jadrian aren’t physically in Northern Kentucky anymore, but they are back with another episode they recorded during the Journal of Economics Teaching ’s Symposium on Economics Teaching . This is the third episode from that weekend and features a conversation with John Kruggel. John is the Director of the Center for Economic Education at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia....