Adam and Cameron discuss the common pencil—both a must-have back-to-school item and a metaphor for the free-market economy.
Also on the show: The economics of Mongolia.

The Pencil as Economic Metaphor

Foreign Policy economics columnist Adam Tooze, a history professor and a popular author, is encyclopedic about basically everything: from the COVID shutdown, to climate change, to pasta sauce. On our new podcast, Tooze and FP deputy editor Cameron Abadi will look at two data points each week that explain the world: one drawn from the week’s headlines and the other from just about anywhere else Tooze takes us. Check out Adam Tooze’s column at https://foreignpolicy.com/author/adam-tooze/.

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With students at Columbia and other universities across the country demanding that their schools divest from Israel over the war in Gaza, Adam and Cameron discuss the economic angle: endowments, investments, and billionaire donors.

The Columbia Protests and the Economics of Divestment

The new film Civil War, which follows a group of journalists making their way across a swath of fractured and war-torn America, is a box-office hit. It’s also an opportunity for Adam and Cameron to speculate on the economic implications of a real civil war in the United States.

For more podcasts, check out the latest episode of Disorder, 'How Small States Can Save the World,' featuring Former President of Armenia Dr Armen Sarkissian: https://linktr.ee/disorderpod

The Speculative Economics Rising From the Film ‘Civil War’

This episode features a live taping Adam and Cameron did at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC—covering the possible impact of a wider war in the Middle East and the economics of a future Biden or Trump administration.

For more podcasts, check out the latest episode of Disorder, 'How Small States Can Save the World,' featuring Former President of Armenia Dr Armen Sarkissian: https://linktr.ee/disorderpod

Live From DC

As the Israel-Hamas war drags on, about half of the Palestinians in Gaza are on the brink of famine, and the other half are experiencing acute food insecurity. Adam and Cameron discuss how humanitarian aid works in a crisis zone and what it would take to rebuild Gaza.

Famine in Gaza

It will cost up to $3 billion to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the U.S. city of Baltimore, Maryland, which collapsed last month after it was struck by a container ship. Adam and Cameron discuss the implications for the city of Baltimore, the insurance industry, and global shipping.
Also on the show: The economics of Tajikistan.

The Pencil as Economic Metaphor

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