PODCAST · education
Upset Patterns
by Upset Patterns
Discover the economics of everyday life through topics like prostitution, Harry Potter, parking, and locavorism. Hosted by Will Compernolle at Radio Free Jerome Studios in New York, New York.
Episodes
-
Trade Wars Are Class Wars
Antagonism towards global trade imbalances has become a big political issue, from US-China relations to the Euro Zone. Are trade imbalances appearing because some countries are just more responsible with their money than others? Do they have such productive industry that they just keep selling…
more -
Golden Gates: Housing Affordability in California
Conor Dougherty of the New York Times discusses his recent book "Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America." Want a chance at getting a free copy of the book? For a chance to win, email [email protected] with the tv show Conor says resembles the town hall meetings he writes about.
-
Democracy From Above
At their best, democracies hold public officials accountable and reflect the will of the people. For countries with less mature democracies, national governments will sometimes mandate that local and state governments provide institutions that allow for citizen participation. Can this top-down...
-
Gender Differences in Work-Home Spillover
Work life and home life have a synergistic relationship. A good day at work can lead to better relationships at home and vice versa. Because the demands of parenthood change throughout the stages of a child's life, it only makes sense that this synergy changes as well. Katherine Lin of Dartmouth...
-
The Free Market Welfare State
We often see economic policies being bundled together: one political party likes more regulation, high social spending, and overall government intervention in the economy; the other party favors less regulation and less government presence in the economy. But these different choices don't need to...
-
The Empiricists Strike Back
There's a perception that economics has shifted away from theoretical work and more towards empirical research. New volumes of available data and increased computational power seem to have ushered in a new era of empiricism. But evidence shows that this is a false dichotomy and there is much more...
-
Silent Revolution
The Benevolent Dictators recently released their album "Silent Revolution" - 8 songs inspired by the works of 18th century Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith. Will joins bandmate Fraser Thompson to discuss the story behind each song's lyrics and how they fit into Smith's overall...
-
The Opioid Crisis and Household Availability
The United States has seen an increase in opioid use and abuse the last few decades. Spurred on by changing economic conditions and prescription standards, the country is in the midst of what is being called an "opioid crisis." What are the signs that the US has reached crisis levels? What are…
more -
The Captured Economy
Brink Lindsey and Steven Teles argue in their new book "The Captured Economy" that the last few decades have been characterized by an increase in political rent-seeking. Focusing on the financial sector, intellectual property laws, occupational licensure, and land use, they show how legislation…
more -
Vernon Smith on Adam Smith and Experimental Economics
Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith pioneered the use of experimental economics - using laboratory settings to better understand decision-making and economic behavior. Some of his experiments suggested more to human behavior than is typically modeled by modern economic methodology. In this episode…
more -
Stylized Facts and Inequality Discourse
Generalized trends in real world observations can be boiled down to what are sometimes called "stylized facts," empirical regularities in search of theoretical and causal explanations. Simple statements like "democracies rarely go to war with each other" or "the share of income going to the top…
more -
Nepalese Migration and Family Outcomes
Political discourse on migration tends to focus on how the wages of natives in the receiving country respond to long-term migrants. In the case of Nepal, the story is a little different: a significant number of Nepalese men migrate temporarily to Gulf countries, sending remittances home but…
more -
The Ethics of Locavorism
Consumers who "buy local" often cite the environmental benefits of reducing food miles, the economic effects of keeping money in the area, and the fostering of community ties through in-person commerce. Do the perceived benefits of buying local match up to the realities? When it comes to ethical...
-
The Euro's Growing Pains
Bringing areas together under a common currency can increase labor mobility and decrease transaction costs. However, currency unions also bring with them a loss of monetary autonomy and difficulty regarding political, cultural, and legal integration. As the Euro Zone struggles to get back onto a...
-
Pedagogy and Homer Economicus
We know economics is all around us, but spotting everyday examples and understanding the intricacies aren't always immediately obvious. Could economics be more effectively taught if the "invisible hand" has four fingers? Is there such thing as a free Duff? We talk with Joshua Hall of West…
more -
Harry Potter and the Laws of Muggle Economics
Despite the amazing abilities of the witches and wizards in Harry Potter, the characters are still bound by many of the fundamental economic principles we observe in the muggle world. But would Harry be better off facing Voldemort on his own rather than hanging around characters like Ron and...
-
Droughts, Olympics, and Wilt Chamberlain
Can water shortages like those in California be left in the hands of the market? Is it beneficial to host the Olympics? Where does the name Upset Patterns come from? We reach inside our mailbag and answer listener-submitted questions in this special episode covering three mini-topics.
-
Bitcoin
Our concept of money is so engrained in our day-to-day life that it's hard to imagine money in any other form. Unlike fiat paper currency, Bitcoin is a virtual currency that instead of being printed by a central bank like the Federal Reserve exists only on an electronic ledger of transactions.…
more -
Aparkalypse Now
We have become accustomed to free or cheap parking in American cities. Rather than letting prices coordinate how to use scarce land, governments set seemingly arbitrary mandates dictating how much space businesses and residences must devote to parking. This causes cities to become largely...
-
The Economics of Festivus
In a season 9 episode of Seinfeld, George's father Frank resurrects a holiday from George's childhood called Festivus. Among other traditions, Festivus refuses to participate in the commercialization common in other gift-giving holidays this time of year. Although gift-giving generates important...
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...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Discover the economics of everyday life through topics like prostitution, Harry Potter, parking, and locavorism. Hosted by Will Compernolle at Radio Free Jerome Studios in New York, New York.
HOSTED BY
Upset Patterns
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Upset Patterns have?
Upset Patterns currently has 20 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Upset Patterns about?
Discover the economics of everyday life through topics like prostitution, Harry Potter, parking, and locavorism. Hosted by Will Compernolle at Radio Free Jerome Studios in New York, New York.
How often does Upset Patterns release new episodes?
Upset Patterns has 20 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Upset Patterns?
You can listen to Upset Patterns 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 Upset Patterns?
Upset Patterns is created and hosted by Upset Patterns.
URL copied to clipboard!