PODCAST · business
The Economists
by ABC listen
The Economists uses the tools of economics to shine a light on life.
Episodes
-
“Mugged by reality”: COVID choices that are hard to make
Economics is called the dismal science in part because it is about hard choices — situations where we can't have our cake and eat it too. Last year it seemed as if COVID wasn't one of them. Keeping the virus at bay gave Australia one of the world's lowest death tolls and one of its shortest...
-
Richard Thaler on "Nudging" the pandemic, climate change and retirement saving
Professor Richard Thaler has spent his career investigating how people really behave – how we save for retirement, what we choose to eat, how we use energy. Through understanding the many reasons for human misjudgement, such as being too optimistic, or facing too many choices, Richard Thaler's…
more -
GDP figures strong but difficult days ahead
The underlying strength in the Australian economy has again beat many expectations; the nation's economy rose 0.7 per cent in the June quarter. However, the figures are like a look in the rear-view mirror and do not capture the full pain of the latest lockdowns. Is the latest economic news set to...
-
Big data
Huge amounts of information, known as administrative data, are being used by government and researchers to know what you need, even before you need it. How are linkages between data sets, and tracking types of people and businesses over time helping to improve decision making? Guests: Dr David...
-
Valuing nature
A landmark report has urged the world's governments to come up with a better form of national accounting from GDP, to reflect the value and depletion of nature. Plus, an update on carbon markets and the emerging field of biodiversity offsets. Guests: Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public…
more -
Why are home prices soaring?
House prices in Australia are climbing at rates we’ve seldom seen. In all age groups, there is more renting and less home ownership than there used to be. Is housing supply part of the problem? Guests: Peter Tulip, Chief Economist, Centre for Independent Studies and former senior research manager...
-
Australia’s trade tensions with China
China has argued the tariffs on Australian goods such as wine and barley, are justified by Australia “dumping” products at low cost on the Chinese market and propping up the sectors with unfair subsidies – claims Australia denies. What’s behind the complaints and is there an exit strategy to...
-
Is the inflation dragon coming back?
Australia's annual inflation rate has jumped to 3.8%, up from just 1.1%. Inflation is also rising in the United States – but is it really a worry? Plus, the Australian-led innovation to bring the Consumer Price Index into the 21st century. Guests Professor Kevin Fox, Director, Centre for Applied...
-
How is the immigration pause affecting Australia's economy?
The closure of Australia’s border to immigration has provided a rare chance to assess in stark terms how important immigration is to Australia. So far, unemployment is at record lows and we’re spending money at home. While there may be short term benefits – what are the longer-term implications?...
-
Unemployment: How low can we go?
Australia's unemployment rate has fallen to 4.9 per cent, with almost 30,000 jobs created in June according to the official Bureau of Statistics data. The last time it was this low was a decade ago. Can Australia get even more people into work? Guests: Emeritus Professor Sue Richardson, Flinders...
-
The decline of high school economics
What is the Reserve Bank of Australia doing to taper its economic support as it becomes more confident about Australia’s recovery? Plus, fewer high school students, and fewer girls are choosing to study economics. A school is three times more likely to offer the subject if it is in a well-off…
more -
Australia 2061: older, smaller and more in debt
Over the next 40 years, Australia’s population is expected to age and become smaller than expected. What are the implications and is it really a problem? Guests: Professor John Piggott, Director, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), UNSW…
more -
Lockdowns and the path forward
How do we measure the costs and benefits of lockdowns and how can we move forward to fully open the economy? Plus, the "statistical" value of a human life – how this measure underpins government decision making. The Economists are back on RN! Guests: Bob Gregory, Emeritus Professor, Australian...
-
Economic 'Armageddon' as we head towards recession. Now what?
GDP figures say that Australia is heading towards recession for the first time in 29 years. Now what? As 2020 brought bushfires, drought and floods, we were already in financial trouble. But the measures taken to save lives in the face of COVID-19 have pushed the economy over the edge. Nicki...
-
Why you shouldn't need a degree to understand economics
If economics was made more relatable, it would be easier to understand. Justin Wolfers says we should start by teaching it differently. He says that although the guiding principles have largely remained, they need to be pulled apart and used in everyday decision-making to be useful. And if you...
-
Who will suffer the most from the COVID shutdown?
The hardships caused by the COVID-19 shutdown are not evenly distributed. In the US, 40% of the workforce who earn just $40,000 a year, have lost their jobs. Australians in a similar position will also face harsher conditions than higher earners. But it goes beyond employment into…
more -
A recession like no other
The COVID-19-induced recession will be nothing like any recession, indeed depression, we have seen before. The difference this time is that the government is not reacting to poor market performance. Rather, it has actively directed business across Australia to close its doors. Bob Gregory is a...
-
After the COVID-19 shut down, what will work look like?
As the dust starts to settle on the Australian economy, what will work look like? Many of us hope to still have jobs but wonder how they will change. Jessica Mizrahii from Deloitte Access Economists assures us not to worry, that the future of work is still human. But when we have money in our...
-
Finding the right incentives to navigate COVID-19
Pandemics require individuals to contribute to the greater good. Behavioural economist, Stephen Whyte says that it is possible to 'nudge' people towards actions that improve their lives. Staying at home, social- distancing and downloading the COVIDSafe app are pro-social behaviours we can…
more -
Will market co-operation lead to post-pandemic collusion?
Competition in the free market is best for everyone. Except when it's not. In the time of COVID-19, it most definitely is not. Rod Sims is chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. He says that when we are fighting a pandemic-induced war, the economy is flipped on its head.…
more -
Why young people will struggle the most in the COVID-19 recovery
Young people are most at risk as the global economy recovers from the coronavirus. Unlike the crises before it, the COVID-19 catastrophe is different. The speed at which it erupted and the magnitude of its reach have shocked the world. But Jeff Borland professor of Economics at the University of...
-
War chest or treasure chest? Is the answer to COVID-19 more debt?
It's raining money. How much more should the government spend on cushioning the economy? Stephanie Kelton is a professor at Stony Brook University, a senior economic advisor to Bernie Sanders and author of The Deficit Myth: Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy. She says that yes...
-
Surviving COVID-19: how much is a human life 'worth'?
Planning for the management of health during the coronavirus requires more than solely a death toll. Measuring the costs of human suffering must also include mental illness, physical pain and a loss of quality of life that will follow this global crisis. This is where numbers play a role. Not to...
-
As the coronavirus marches on, can wartime measures save us from a depression?
Pandemics are not new but the way the world has responded is unprecedented. As country after country calls time-out on their daily lives, the global economy is in free-fall. Carmen Reinhart says it's wartime and we need to be better soldiers. Professor Gigi Foster agrees. We must aggressively...
-
It's not about the debt, it's the way that you pay it: economic survival in the age of coronavirus
Small business is just one of the victims of COVID-19. What if there is a way to hold off debt repayment until there is money in the bank to pay it? Bruce Chapman, professor at the ANU College of Business and Economics, says we can learn a lot from the HECS loan system he helped to implement in…
more -
The contagious recession — Will coronavirus cause a global financial crisis?
While the world responds to the health risks of COV19, no amount of hand sanitiser can protect the economy from what is ahead. Will Scott Morrison's stimulus package save us from the downward spiral of our trading partners?
-
Dissecting the GDP 'sausage'- what do financial growth numbers actually mean?
If you think the numbers that make up the GDP are slippery, you are right. Terry Rawnsley wades through the jargon to help us understand what the Gross Domestic Product is and why those numbers matter. Nicki Hutley interprets the financial growth results just handed down by Australian Treasurer...
-
How coronavirus is damaging the dollar and the 'wage theft' hot potato
Coronavirus is scaring the economy. How can we plan for financial fallout if we don't know how bad it's going to be? And although nobody wants to take responsibility for wage theft there are several persons of interest. It's time to name and shame.
-
Australia's post-election economic outlook: how to remain recession-free
How is Australia's historically robust economy slowing? What can be done to support the economy given global realities? And after a record three decades without a recession, can Australia make it to four?
-
Productive ideas for the new government
What are some of the practical things the returned Morrison government could do to make Australia better?
-
Where's my pay rise? The economics of wages
Why is wage growth low and why is Australia's wage setting system so unusual? The Economists examine the wage and working policies of the major political parties.
-
Climate policy and Australia's energy future
What are the major political parties planning to do about the hot-button issues of climate change and energy?
-
Immigration nation
Immigration is a major part of our economic success, but, fairly suddenly, it has become unpopular. Among the concerns are low wage growth, high house prices and overcrowded cities. Peter and Gigi search out what complaints are justified, what the parties are offering and what economics tells us...
-
Debt, deficits and good housekeeping: what's the fuss about?
Why being back in the black isn’t all it's cracked up to be.
-
The joy of tax
Tax seems to be the go to topic for election campaigns, but why? Peter Martin and Gigi Foster find out why politicians get so much joy from arguing about tax.
-
Elections and economics
Peter Martin and Gigi Foster return to The Economists to guide you through all things economic during the federal election campaign. This week - the economics of politics and policies.
-
The economics of expectations and norms
Social conventions or expectations have economic consequences. Gigi Foster and Peter Martin discuss the hidden forces of norms.
-
When it comes to spending money, do we care what other people think?
Nudge expert and behavioural economist Bob Slonim on the economics of motivation.
-
Can we be happy without money?
The economics of happiness.
-
Why we will never solve inequality
Why inequality is on the rise and why that matters.
-
The economics of love and loyalty
How behaviour can be explained by mainstream economics.
-
The tyranny of measurement
Is the unavoidable need to measure leading us astray in our personal choices or in our economies?
-
Ageing Australia
Australia’s population is set to rapidly age. What are the implications and what will have to change?
-
Today or later? Time preference economics
How we value the future has economic implications - especially when it comes to caring for the future of the planet.
-
A nudge is all we need
A nudge that's useful, timely, and easy may be all we need to make better decisions.
-
The economics of expectations and norms
Social conventions or expectations have economic consequences. They can also cause people to make choices that seem contrary to their best individual interests. Gigi Foster and Peter Martin discuss the hidden forces of norms.
-
What is money?
From cold hard cash, precious metals, shells or an IOU or Bitcoin - what is money? How is it made and trusted?
-
When it comes to spending money, do we care what other people think?
Is greed the engine of the market place? Traditional economists believe so.
-
Is Medicare really 'unsustainable'?
If healthcare for one person has positive 'spillovers' for everyone, why is government arguing the toss of how much we spend on Medicare?
-
Why we will never solve inequality
When the rich look after the rich, how can the poor improve their lives?
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Economists have?
The Economists currently has 55 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Economists about?
The Economists uses the tools of economics to shine a light on life.
How often does The Economists release new episodes?
The Economists has 55 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Economists?
You can listen to The Economists on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Economists?
The Economists is created and hosted by ABC listen.
URL copied to clipboard!