All Episodes
Hope VI's Lasting Impact: Social Integration Drives Child Mobility
Growing up in revitalized neighborhoods boosts children's adult earnings by 50% through social integration, not just better housing.
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Psychedelic Churches Leverage Religious Freedom for Sacrament Distribution
Psychedelic churches legally distribute controlled substances as sacraments by demonstrating sincere religious practices. Discover how this model navigates legal gray areas and challenges drug laws.
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Name and Theme Crucial for Retail Game Success
Capture attention in seconds: A game's name and theme are critical for retail success, driving impulse buys by resonating with millennial women.
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Venezuela's Petrostate Model: Resource Curse and Chevron's Geopolitical Strategy
Venezuela's oil wealth created a "Dutch disease," devaluing other industries and concentrating power, illustrating how resource abundance can become a "curse" when mismanaged.
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Trump Family Leverages Presidency for Nearly $4 Billion in Business Gains
President Trump and his family amassed nearly $4 billion by leveraging the presidency for unprecedented business deals, from crypto to hospitality, that likely would not have occurred otherwise.
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AI Boom: Bubble Characteristics, Uncertain Economic Impact, and Societal Benefits
Bubbles may offer unexpected benefits by correcting market failures and accelerating R&D, even as policymakers debate how to manage their potential fallout.
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Johnson Products: Black Entrepreneurship, Market Shifts, and Ownership Challenges
Johnson Products built a Black-owned empire by understanding community needs, pioneering viral marketing, and fostering economic empowerment, yet its story reveals ongoing challenges for Black entrepreneurs.
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Venezuela's Economic Collapse: Policy, Oil, and Dollarization
Venezuela's economic collapse reveals how over-reliance on oil, fixed exchange rates, and price controls created hyperinflation and shortages, with dollarization now stabilizing the economy but deepening inequality.
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2025 Diverging Economy: Tariffs, Low Sentiment, High Markets, Rising Costs
Tariffs surge to 16.8%, the highest since 1935, while consumer sentiment plummets. Discover how concentrated spending and an overheated stock market mask growing economic fragility.
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China Shock Devastated Localized Communities, Challenging Economic Models
The "China Shock" devastated manufacturing communities, causing prolonged joblessness and social damage that mainstream economic models failed to predict or address.
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Ongoing Consequences of Economic and Regulatory Shifts
Subscription cancellations are complex, lab-grown diamonds disrupt pricing, and Gaza faces severe economic hardship despite a ceasefire.
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Binge Drops Increase Churn; Drip Models Boost Retention
Weekly episode releases reduce subscriber churn by 50%, fostering longer subscriptions and content discovery, a stark contrast to binge-drops that exhaust viewers and drive cancellations.
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AI Data Center Demand Strains Deregulated Electricity Markets
AI data center demand is doubling residential electricity prices by straining grids and exploiting deregulated markets, forcing consumers to subsidize tech growth.
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1999 Pop Culture Reveals Economic Principles and Societal Shifts
1999 pop culture reveals surprising economic truths, from *Blair Witch*'s massive ROI to Napster's industry disruption and *House Hunters*' housing market influence.
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Chicago Parking Meters: Privatization's Long-Term Cost
Chicago drastically undervalued its parking meters, selling 75 years of revenue for $1.16 billion. This deal cost the city an estimated $1 billion, highlighting privatization's long-term pitfalls for immediate cash.
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Military Influence Shapes Civilian Apparel Design, Market, and Innovation
Military innovation shapes your wardrobe. Discover how WWII layering systems and surplus economics forged modern outdoor gear and fashion trends.
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Catastrophe Bonds Shift Disaster Risk From Insurers to Investors
Catastrophe bonds shift disaster risk to investors, providing rapid rebuilding funds and diversifying portfolios with higher yields, even covering pandemics.
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AI Transforms Hiring: Less Bias, More Offers
AI is transforming hiring, with an AI interviewer proving more effective than humans, leading to more job offers and better retention. This shifts the recruiter role to analytical tasks.
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Taylor Swift's Variant Strategy: Superfans Buy Multiple Albums
Swift’s record-breaking sales reveal a sophisticated strategy of releasing numerous album variants, incentivizing superfans to buy multiple copies, a tactic now prevalent across the music industry.
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Giving Less, Saving More: GiveWell's Data-Driven Aid Crisis
GiveWell rapidly deploys $1.9 million to a vital Cameroon healthcare project facing closure, balancing urgent need with data-driven due diligence in a world of shrinking aid.
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K-Shaped Economy: Wealth Fuels Spending Amidst Pessimism
Consumer sentiment plummets, yet spending soars, revealing a K-shaped economy where only the wealthy truly thrive, creating a precarious illusion of prosperity.
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Tariffs Quietly Surge, Raising Prices For Everyday Shoppers
Tariffs dramatically inflate imported goods by 6% and domestic prices by 3.5%, significantly contributing to inflation and impacting everyday shoppers, not just premium buyers.
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Slush Fund Bailout: US Treasury's Argentina Gamble Revisited
The U.S. Treasury's opaque "slush fund" deploys $20 billion to Argentina, echoing a risky 1995 Mexico bailout and raising concerns about transparency and future crisis capacity.
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Buy Now, Pay Later: Hidden Merchant Fees Fuel Consumer Debt
Buy Now, Pay Later's hidden merchant fees fuel consumer debt cycles, especially for younger demographics, as financial institutions scramble to adapt to this disruptive payment trend.
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