Everyday Economics (Video): Recent Episodes
Marginal Revolution University
While globalization has helped lift over a billion people out of extreme poverty in the last 20 years alone, some of the world has seen little to no movement—most notably the working- and middle-classes in developed economies like the USA, Canada, Europe...
Creative destruction is one of the most important concepts of economics. Creative destruction is the continual process of innovation in which new products and services replace outdated ones. This is a boon for consumers—that's the creative part—but many...
How can Avengers: Infinity War help us better understand globalization? Economist Tyler Cowen and political scientist Ian Bremmer examine the four different stages of globalization, and what each stage has meant for the world. The progressively faster...
Everyone knows that pollution is bad. But new economics research now shows it’s even worse than we thought—pollution is making us sick and stupid! Professor Alex Tabarrok overviews recent research that examines how pollution negatively affects employment...
Economic progress is not continual and inevitable. It can be disrupted with short downturns and, as we’ve seen in this series, periods of stasis. If we continue on this trajectory, there is the possibility of a “great reset” and there are some strong...
We’re going to paint a not-so-pretty picture of the current U.S. labor force: Millions of working age (25-54) American men do not have jobs and, because they are not actively seeking work, do not count towards our primary unemployment statistic. Many of...
Disruption. This is the big buzzword when it comes to startups and Silicon Valley. Many of the top tech businesses today have caused major disruptions in their industries – from Uber, to Airbnb, and even Facebook, these tech giants are changing the game...
Do you live in a “bubble?” There’s a good chance that the answer is, at least in part, a resounding “Yes.” In our algorithm-driven world, digital servants cater to our individual preferences like never before. This has caused many improvements to our...
Restlessness has long been seen as a signature trait of what it means to be American. We've been willing to cross great distances, take big risks, and adapt to change in ways that have produced a dynamic economy. From Ben Franklin to Steve Jobs,...
What do you really want for the holidays? And how can you be sure you’re giving the perfect gift to someone else? Of course, you want to get your loved ones something they will appreciate, but you face a knowledge problem: you don’t know everything about...
What can a small, isolated island economy teach the rest of the world about the nature and causes of the wealth of nations? When Tasmania was cut off from mainland Australia, it experienced the miracle of growth in reverse, as the reduction in trade and...
In this video, Professor Boudreaux explains how the specialization of knowledge helped his two-year old son overcome a life-threatening illness. The science of medicine has enjoyed significant progress since the 19th century thanks to the vast size of...
A simple example of hamburgers being made at home versus at a restaurant can help illuminate the explosion of prosperity since the Industrial Revolution. The story of the division of labor and development of specialized tools is not a new one — Adam...
In this series, Professor Don Boudreaux explores the question economists have been asking since the era of Adam Smith – what creates wealth? On a timeline of human history, the recent rise in standards of living resembles a hockey stick – flatlining for...
Elizabeth, an Everyday Economics viewer, asks: “How does the purchase of fair-trade goods affect wages in developing countries?” Great question! The “fair trade” movement has become popular as a proposed way to increase living standards in developing...
A very poor country turned modern economy, China is now facing economic hardship. How did this happen? What led to its astonishing economic growth and what’s fueling its current woes? Join Tyler Cowen as he dives into the rise and fall of China’s economy...
In this Everyday Economics video, Don Boudreaux addresses one of your viewer-submitted questions: “Is everyone better off if we buy local?” In a modern economy, it’s hard to say that anything is truly “local.” Even an apple grown at a nearby farm isn’t a...
The economic historian Deirdre McCloskey coined the term “innovationism" to describe the phenomenal rise in innovation over the past couple hundred years. While there have always been inventors and innovators, that number exploded after the eighteenth...