Emily Oster is not a doctor. She’s an economics professor at Brown University, and for years she’s been applying her economics lens and ability to read studies and analyze data to help decode health research. Her conclusions sometimes produce runaway hits – as in Expecting Better, her book upending the “conventional pregnancy wisdom” – and at other times are wildly unpopular – as with her recommendation to re-open schools while the pandemic was still raging. Emily tells us about the gaps that open up as science progresses, and how people jump into those gaps with theories, political agendas, and grifts. We talk about why we tend to make health and science a political team sport, if we can learn to parse data ourselves, and how to practice living with uncertainty.Further reading:<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/expecting-better-why-the-conventional-pregnancy-wisdom-is-wrong-and-what-you-really-need-to-know-emily-oster/ebdbad5fdd15dbf8?ean=9780593833209&affiliate=2186&prhc=PRHEFFDF5A7F1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Expecting Better</a>, by Emily Oster<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/10/schools-arent-superspreaders/616669/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Schools Aren’t Super-Spreaders</a> by Emily Oster<a href="https://slate.com/technology/2020/10/thanksgiving-coronavirus-safety-decisions-emily-oster.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Safety Turducken</a> by Emily Oster<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/pandemic-covid-education-test-scores-schools-students" rel="noopener noreferrer">Can America’s Students Recover What They Lost During the Pandemic?</a> by <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/alec-macgillis" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alec MacGillis</a><a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/7934" rel="noopener noreferrer">Transformative Experience</a> by L. A. Paul<a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w35425" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Rise of Female Autonomy and the Decline of Fertility: The Role of Mismatch</a>, by Claudia Goldin<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3154031/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Earthing the Human Body Influences Physiologic Processes</a>  
Subscribe to the show! <a href="youtube.com/@maryinamerica">YouTube</a> <a href="instagram.com/maryinamerica">Instagram</a> <a href="tiktok.com/@maryinamerica">TikTok</a> <a href="maryinamerica.com">Website</a>

Emily Oster is not a doctor. She’s an economics professor at Brown University, and for years she’s been applying her economics lens and ability to read studies and analyze data to help decode health research. Her conclusions sometimes produce runaway hits – as in Expecting Better, her book upending the “conventional pregnancy wisdom” – and at other times are wildly unpopular – as with her recommendation to re-open schools while the pandemic was still raging. Emily tells us about the gaps that open up as science progresses, and how people jump into those gaps with theories, political agendas, and grifts. We talk about why we tend to make health and science a political team sport, if we can learn to parse data ourselves, and how to practice living with uncertainty. Further reading: Expecting Better, by Emily Oster Schools Aren’t Super-Spreaders by Emily Oster The Safety Turducken by Emily Oster Can America’s Students Recover What They Lost During the Pandemic? by Alec MacGillis Transformative Experience by L. A. Paul The Rise of Female Autonomy and the Decline of Fertility: The Role of Mismatch, by Claudia Goldin Earthing the Human Body Influences Physiologic Processes Subscribe to the show! YouTubeInstagramTikTokWebsite

Emily Oster is not a doctor. She’s an economics professor at Brown University, and for years she’s been applying her economics lens and ability to read studies and analyze data to help decode health research. Her conclusions sometimes produce runaway hits – as in Expecting Better, her book upending the “conventional pregnancy wisdom” – and at other times are wildly unpopular – as with her recommendation to re-open schools while the pandemic was still raging. Emily tells us about the gaps that open up as science progresses, and how people jump into those gaps with theories, political agendas, and grifts. We talk about why we tend to make health and science a political team sport, if we can learn to parse data ourselves, and how to practice living with uncertainty.Further reading:<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/expecting-better-why-the-conventional-pregnancy-wisdom-is-wrong-and-what-you-really-need-to-know-emily-oster/ebdbad5fdd15dbf8?ean=9780593833209&amp;affiliate=2186&amp;prhc=PRHEFFDF5A7F1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Expecting Better</a>, by Emily Oster<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/10/schools-arent-superspreaders/616669/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Schools Aren’t Super-Spreaders</a> by Emily Oster<a href="https://slate.com/technology/2020/10/thanksgiving-coronavirus-safety-decisions-emily-oster.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Safety Turducken</a> by Emily Oster<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/pandemic-covid-education-test-scores-schools-students" rel="noopener noreferrer">Can America’s Students Recover What They Lost During the Pandemic?</a> by <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/alec-macgillis" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alec MacGillis</a><a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/7934" rel="noopener noreferrer">Transformative Experience</a> by L. A. Paul<a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w35425" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Rise of Female Autonomy and the Decline of Fertility: The Role of Mismatch</a>, by Claudia Goldin<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3154031/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Earthing the Human Body Influences Physiologic Processes</a> &nbsp;
Subscribe to the show! <a href="youtube.com/@maryinamerica" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube</a> <a href="instagram.com/maryinamerica" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> <a href="tiktok.com/@maryinamerica" rel="noopener noreferrer">TikTok</a> <a href="maryinamerica.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Website</a>

Emily Oster Doesn't Mind the Haters

Bonds around the world have been selling off, kind of a lot. And that selloff has sent interest rates on government debt to or near their highest in decades— for US government debt, but also debt from the UK, Germany, France, Japan. What gives? We pulled in one of the people who buys and sells those bonds, Ed Al-Hussainy, at Columbia Threadneedle, which manages a lot of money for other people and institutions. Ed reads the market tea leaves for us about why this is happening, what it means for participants in the US economy, and how much we need to worry. Further Reading:Harper’s: <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2025/08/debt-reckoning-mary-childs-treasury-market-bonds/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Debt Reckoning</a>, by Mary ChildsWSJ: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/the-bond-market-issues-world-leaders-a-failing-grade-621cf4dc?mod=author_content_page_1_pos_2" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Bond Market Issues World Leaders a Failing Grade</a>, by Greg IpGoldman Sachs: <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/why-global-bond-yields-are-expected-to-stay-elevated" rel="noopener noreferrer">Why Global Bond Yields Are Expected to Stay Elevated</a>
Subscribe to the show! <a href="youtube.com/@maryinamerica">YouTube</a> <a href="instagram.com/maryinamerica">Instagram</a> <a href="tiktok.com/@maryinamerica">TikTok</a> <a href="maryinamerica.com">Website</a>

Bonds around the world have been selling off, kind of a lot. And that selloff has sent interest rates on government debt to or near their highest in decades— for US government debt, but also debt from the UK, Germany, France, Japan. What gives? We pulled in one of the people who buys and sells those bonds, Ed Al-Hussainy, at Columbia Threadneedle, which manages a lot of money for other people and institutions. Ed reads the market tea leaves for us about why this is happening, what it means for participants in the US economy, and how much we need to worry. Further Reading: Harper’s: Debt Reckoning, by Mary Childs WSJ: The Bond Market Issues World Leaders a Failing Grade, by Greg Ip Goldman Sachs: Why Global Bond Yields Are Expected to Stay Elevated Subscribe to the show! YouTubeInstagramTikTokWebsite

Bonds around the world have been selling off, kind of a lot. And that selloff has sent interest rates on government debt to or near their highest in decades— for US government debt, but also debt from the UK, Germany, France, Japan. What gives? We pulled in one of the people who buys and sells those bonds, Ed Al-Hussainy, at Columbia Threadneedle, which manages a lot of money for other people and institutions. Ed reads the market tea leaves for us about why this is happening, what it means for participants in the US economy, and how much we need to worry.&nbsp;Further Reading:Harper’s: <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2025/08/debt-reckoning-mary-childs-treasury-market-bonds/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Debt Reckoning</a>, by Mary ChildsWSJ: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/the-bond-market-issues-world-leaders-a-failing-grade-621cf4dc?mod=author_content_page_1_pos_2" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Bond Market Issues World Leaders a Failing Grade</a>, by Greg IpGoldman Sachs: <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/why-global-bond-yields-are-expected-to-stay-elevated" rel="noopener noreferrer">Why Global Bond Yields Are Expected to Stay Elevated</a>
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The Bond Market Rules Everything Around Me/You/Us

Making educational content for kids is fun, but also really hard to do well. Kids are not an ideal audience: they are prone to wandering away, getting distracted, not remembering the plot. Scott Cameron is the head of content & IP strategy at Sesame Workshop, which makes the beloved and long running show Sesame Street. We were curious what makes kid’s content good, what it can achieve, and what Sesame’s history can tell us about how we live today.
Further Watching:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVlXbiP4x2E" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andrew Garfield and Elmo Explain Grief - Sesame Workshop</a>
 
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Making educational content for kids is fun, but also really hard to do well. Kids are not an ideal audience: they are prone to wandering away, getting distracted, not remembering the plot. Scott Cameron is the head of content & IP strategy at Sesame Workshop, which makes the beloved and long running show Sesame Street. We were curious what makes kid’s content good, what it can achieve, and what Sesame’s history can tell us about how we live today. Further Watching: Andrew Garfield and Elmo Explain Grief - Sesame Workshop Subscribe to the show! YouTubeInstagramTikTokWebsite

Making educational content for kids is fun, but also really hard to do well. Kids are not an ideal audience: they are prone to wandering away, getting distracted, not remembering the plot. Scott Cameron is the head of content &amp; IP strategy at Sesame Workshop, which makes the beloved and long running show Sesame Street. We were curious what makes kid’s content good, what it can achieve, and what Sesame’s history can tell us about how we live today.
Further Watching:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVlXbiP4x2E" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andrew Garfield and Elmo Explain Grief - Sesame Workshop</a>
&nbsp;
Subscribe to the show! <a href="youtube.com/@maryinamerica" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube</a> <a href="instagram.com/maryinamerica" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> <a href="tiktok.com/@maryinamerica" rel="noopener noreferrer">TikTok</a> <a href="maryinamerica.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Website</a>

How to Get to Sesame Street

Being a country’s central banker is a technical job. But, just like high school, if you are a popular central banker, it pays off. Aditi Sahasrabuddhe is a political scientist at <a href="https://www.brown.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brown University</a>, and has researched just how much it pays to be popular. It’s the kind of question that the field of economics largely neglects. Aditi looks at central-bank-likeability through the manifestation of swap lines, currency exchanges made available between two economies. These become especially important in a moment of crisis, and a close connection between central bankers can mean the difference between an economy that sinks and one that swims. Further Reading:Aditi Sahasrabuddhe:<a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/bankers-trust-how-social-relations-avert-global-financial-collapse-aditi-sahasrabuddhe/f8226cb8bd04a765" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Banker’s Trust</a>Liaquat Ahamed: <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/lords-of-finance-1929-the-great-depression-and-the-bankers-who-broke-the-world-liaquat-ahamed/4fb3ed4970dac761?ean=9781847943002&bkshp-astro=t" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lords of Finance</a>Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/615dc4c4-70c4-40e9-b927-2e2324c1f8a3" rel="noopener noreferrer">Swap lines are geopolitical infrastructure</a>Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2ba80e1f-5959-4a9e-88ce-107ec5fecb63" rel="noopener noreferrer">A less independent Fed raises risks to a key crisis tool</a>Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4ed9edc2-cdfe-43c5-8d95-e1842adc9e62" rel="noopener noreferrer">Will the Fed continue to assume its global responsibilities?</a>  
Subscribe to the show! <a href="youtube.com/@maryinamerica">YouTube</a> <a href="instagram.com/maryinamerica">Instagram</a> <a href="tiktok.com/@maryinamerica">TikTok</a> <a href="maryinamerica.com">Website</a>

Being a country’s central banker is a technical job. But, just like high school, if you are a popular central banker, it pays off. Aditi Sahasrabuddhe is a political scientist at Brown University, and has researched just how much it pays to be popular. It’s the kind of question that the field of economics largely neglects. Aditi looks at central-bank-likeability through the manifestation of swap lines, currency exchanges made available between two economies. These become especially important in a moment of crisis, and a close connection between central bankers can mean the difference between an economy that sinks and one that swims. Further Reading: Aditi Sahasrabuddhe: Banker’s Trust Liaquat Ahamed: Lords of Finance Financial Times: Swap lines are geopolitical infrastructure Financial Times: A less independent Fed raises risks to a key crisis tool Financial Times: Will the Fed continue to assume its global responsibilities? Subscribe to the show! YouTubeInstagramTikTokWebsite

Being a country’s central banker is a technical job. But, just like high school, if you are a popular central banker, it pays off. Aditi Sahasrabuddhe is a political scientist at <a href="https://www.brown.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brown University</a>, and has researched just how much it pays to be popular. It’s the kind of question that the field of economics largely neglects. Aditi looks at central-bank-likeability through the manifestation of swap lines, currency exchanges made available between two economies. These become especially important in a moment of crisis, and a close connection between central bankers can mean the difference between an economy that sinks and one that swims.&nbsp;Further Reading:Aditi Sahasrabuddhe:<a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/bankers-trust-how-social-relations-avert-global-financial-collapse-aditi-sahasrabuddhe/f8226cb8bd04a765" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Banker’s Trust</a>Liaquat Ahamed: <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/lords-of-finance-1929-the-great-depression-and-the-bankers-who-broke-the-world-liaquat-ahamed/4fb3ed4970dac761?ean=9781847943002&amp;bkshp-astro=t" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lords of Finance</a>Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/615dc4c4-70c4-40e9-b927-2e2324c1f8a3" rel="noopener noreferrer">Swap lines are geopolitical infrastructure</a>Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2ba80e1f-5959-4a9e-88ce-107ec5fecb63" rel="noopener noreferrer">A less independent Fed raises risks to a key crisis tool</a>Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4ed9edc2-cdfe-43c5-8d95-e1842adc9e62" rel="noopener noreferrer">Will the Fed continue to assume its global responsibilities?</a> &nbsp;
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Why Being Unpopular is Expensive for Countries

Gold was on a tear in August. People, investors, and central banks around the world were buying more and more, in large part because it’s seen as a stable alternative to the dollar, or to any currency. But…why? Why gold? What makes it so special? Friend of the show Jacob Goldstein wrote a book called Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing, and he explains the real, physical reasons why we love gold so much, and the long history of our collective obsession.
Further Reading
<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/money-the-true-story-of-a-made-up-thing-jacob-goldstein/8fc6e2dfed78dc27" rel="noopener noreferrer">Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing</a>, by Jacob Goldstein
<a href="http://thepollennation.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">ThePollenNation.com</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nQhvVZzBS8&t=1s" rel="noopener noreferrer">America Is Having A Fiscal Midlife Crisis</a>
Subscribe to the show! <a href="youtube.com/@maryinamerica">YouTube</a> <a href="instagram.com/maryinamerica">Instagram</a> <a href="tiktok.com/@maryinamerica">TikTok</a> <a href="maryinamerica.com">Website</a>

Gold was on a tear in August. People, investors, and central banks around the world were buying more and more, in large part because it’s seen as a stable alternative to the dollar, or to any currency. But…why? Why gold? What makes it so special? Friend of the show Jacob Goldstein wrote a book called Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing, and he explains the real, physical reasons why we love gold so much, and the long history of our collective obsession. Further Reading Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing, by Jacob Goldstein ThePollenNation.com America Is Having A Fiscal Midlife Crisis Subscribe to the show! YouTubeInstagramTikTokWebsite

Gold was on a tear in August. People, investors, and central banks around the world were buying more and more, in large part because it’s seen as a stable alternative to the dollar, or to any currency. But…why? Why gold? What makes it so special? Friend of the show Jacob Goldstein wrote a book called Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing, and he explains the real, physical reasons why we love gold so much, and the long history of our collective obsession.
Further Reading
<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/money-the-true-story-of-a-made-up-thing-jacob-goldstein/8fc6e2dfed78dc27" rel="noopener noreferrer">Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing</a>, by Jacob Goldstein
<a href="http://thepollennation.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">ThePollenNation.com</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nQhvVZzBS8&amp;t=1s" rel="noopener noreferrer">America Is Having A Fiscal Midlife Crisis</a>
Subscribe to the show! <a href="youtube.com/@maryinamerica" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube</a> <a href="instagram.com/maryinamerica" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> <a href="tiktok.com/@maryinamerica" rel="noopener noreferrer">TikTok</a> <a href="maryinamerica.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Website</a>

Why do we love gold so much?

Mary in America, a new show from journalist Mary Childs about why we are the way we are. Out now. Join us. Subscribe to the show!
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Mary in America, a new show from journalist Mary Childs about why we are the way we are. Out now. Join us. Subscribe to the show! YouTube Instagram TikTok Website

Mary in America, a new show from journalist Mary Childs about why we are the way we are. Out now.&nbsp;Join us. Subscribe to the show!
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
Website

Introducing Mary in America

Mary in America is a weekly conversation about how the machine of society works. Journalist and author Mary Childs jumps into the minds of the greatest, most interesting people who are shaping the world we live in, to understand the structures we build, the stories we tell, the games we play, and the choices we make.

Why is it like that? Who made it that way? Should we change it? Can we?

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Mary in America is a weekly conversation about how the machine of society works. Journalist and author Mary Childs jumps into the minds of the greatest, most interesting people who are shaping the world we live in, to understand the structures we build, the stories we tell, the games we play, and the choices we make. Why is it like that? Who made it that way? Should we change it? Can we?

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