Economics Happy Hour Podcast

Matt and Jadrian are back again with another guest from their weekend at the Journal of Economics Teaching ’s Symposium on Economics Teaching . We recorded multiple episodes during the weekend, but we’re rolling them out more slowly so that you can enjoy them. This week’s episode features a chat with Chris Clarke from Washington State University and at @EconChrisClarke on TikTok . Jadrian and Chri...

Matt and Jadrian spent the weekend with some amazing economics educators at the Journal of Economics Teaching ’s Symposium on Economics Teaching . While we were there, we took some time to chat with other economics educators about what they do in their professional lives and their favorite topics to teach. Our first guest is a Senior Economic Education Specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St....

The school choice movement, often called the school voucher movement, has taken off in the past few years. Coming into this conversation, Jadrian didn’t know as much about it while Matt taught about it in his classes. It turns out that there were a lot more pros and cons to discuss on the topic and the conversation introduced some interesting perspectives. In this episode, we discuss: * What is me...

The summer is a great time to catch up on movies, especially ones about economics! Matt and Jadrian share two of their favorite movies. It’s only after they’ve shared their favorites that they realize just how similar the storylines are even though the topics are very different! They also highlight some of the top movies recommended by economics educators. Through this conversation, it seems Matt...

We’re in peak summer, and the year is halfway over, which means it’s time to crack open a good book and enjoy the nice weather if you have it in your area. What better way to spend a nice weekend at the beach or lake than with a good book on economics? A few years back, Jadrian surveyed a handful of economic educators about what books they would recommend to curious students. In this episode, Matt...

Taylor Swift has been all over the news the past few months, so it seemed only appropriate that Matt and Jadrian dedicate an entire episode to the pop star. The idea for this episode was sparked after a recent news article about it being cheaper to travel to Argentina to see Taylor Swift than to see her domestically in the United States. We tried to keep our discussion focused on her tour, but we...

In this episode, Matt was curious about Jadrian’s favorite topic to teach. The two have already covered Matt’s favorite topic in a previous episode, which means it’s Jadrian’s turn to share. Even though he knew this question would come eventually, he wasn’t ready to pick a single topic. It turns out that once he settled on game theory, it was easy for the two of them to talk about why it’s such an...

In this episode, Matt and Jadrian explore the fascinating relationship between college education and higher pay. While the conventional belief suggests that obtaining more knowledge and skills through education leads to increased earning potential (known as the human capital model), we delved into an alternative explanation: the signaling effect. This economic concept suggests that a college degre...

In this episode, Matt and Jadrian are trying a couple of new things. First, they’re doing this episode on a very quick turnaround. The BLS’s monthly inflation report came on Wednesday, May 10th and this episode was posted Thursday, May 11th. As a result, you may see a delay coming soon so that Matt and Jadrian can catch up on some other things. On top of that, they’ve invited Brian O’Roark to join...

In this episode, Jadrian wanted to know about Matt’s favorite topic to teach students. Much to Jadrian’s surprise, Matt landed on: poverty, inequality, and discrimination. These topics are serious - and often terrible - but the economic insights are fascinating. We talk about all the weird ways that the U.S. measures poverty and how it becomes tough talk to about poverty and solutions to poverty....

In this episode, we explore a few of the economic concepts that come into play during sports drafts, particularly the NFL Draft. The conversation revolves around the misaligned incentives of teams during the draft process, where the objective of selecting the best player clashes with the desire to remain cost-efficient. We discuss some challenges of valuing talent accurately and explain the "winne...

In this episode, we discuss different economic concepts related to income taxes. Taxes are a fundamental part of our society, and understanding how they work is crucial for making informed decisions about public policy. We explore several key concepts in taxation: regressive and progressive taxes. We'll also take a closer look at marginal tax rates, which play a critical role in determining the am...

In this episode, we explore the hotly debated topic of paying college athletes. We try to analyze it from both sides and shed some light on what arguments are the strongest for each side. We will also discuss the new Name, Image, and License (NIL) rules, which allow college athletes to profit from their own name, image, and likeness. We consider how these rules impact might impact college sports,...

In this episode, we dive into all things ChatGPT. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot that was dropped in November 2022 and can be found here . As an AI language model, ChatGPT may indirectly affect various industries such as customer service, healthcare, education, and more. Neither of us is an expert in the economics of artificial intelligence, but we have both been in awe of what it d...

In this podcast, we delve into the economic impacts of population decline. We talk about the broad trend (and general concern) around declining birth rates, aging populations, emigration, and shrinking workforces. We cover many of the concerns that people hold, but we also try to highlight potential benefits in various sectors of the economy, such as labor markets, housing, and healthcare. It turn...

In this episode, we discuss the economic impact of the Super Bowl and how impact studies that claim to measure its economic benefits are often exaggerated. Politicians love to talk about the ways in which mega-events bring in a significant amount of money, but most of the benefits go to large corporations rather than the local economy. We chat about the methodology of these impact studies, discuss...

In this episode, we’re diving into the hotly contested topic of the minimum wage and its effectiveness as a tool for helping low-wage workers. It is certainly one of the most contentious issues economists debate. Some economists argue that raising the minimum wage provides extra pay for workers or may generate the same pay with more time off. Others believe it limits firms from innovating and caus...

In this episode, we debate whether the economy was in a recession this past year. We first define what a recession is according to traditional economic textbooks, but then most of our chat will focus on our thoughts on whether we believe there was a recession based on various economic indicators and our own analysis. It is important to have a clear understanding of what a recession is and to be ab...

We dive into the fascinating world of how human behavior influences economic decision-making. We discuss the New Year's resolutions and the role that commitment devices can play in helping us stick to our goals. If you're someone who has struggled to follow through on your resolutions in the past, this episode is for you. We'll be exploring the psychological factors that can make it difficult for...

Introducing the brand new podcast by Matt and Jadrian - two busy bees who have taken on yet another project! But why? Tune in to the pilot episode to hear them discuss the reasons behind starting a podcast, the efficiency of gift-giving, and the intersection of pop culture and economics. Don't miss out on this exciting new addition to your listening lineup! In our first episode, we cover the follo...