Planet Money

#453: What Causes What?

We try to tell the difference between correlation and causation.

#534: The History of Light (Nobel Edition)

Bill Nordhaus just won the economics Nobel. In this show: He shows how history of light is the history of economic growth — of things getting faster, cheaper, and more efficient.

#680: Anatomy Of A Scam

Ever seen one of those signs asking if you want to work from home? We find out what happens when you call.

#866: Modern Monetary Theory

We rethink everything we know about government spending, taxes, the nature of money... All of it.

#657: The Tale Of The Onion King

How one man took the onion market hostage.

For Our 10th Anniversary, Episode #1

In honor of our 10th anniversary, we revisit our very first episode.

#836: The 13th Hole

What a hole-in-one gone awry says about the state of charity.

#862: Big Government Cheese

That time we accidentally created a cheese surplus so large it had to be stored in a ginormous cave.

#861: Food Scare Squad

When food makes people sick all around the country, an army of germ detectives jumps into action.

#860: The World's Longest Yard Sale

Six states. Three days. One ugly cookie jar. Today on the show: Yard sale!

#859: You Asked For Even More

You have a lot of questions... about tariffs, unemployment rates, and RV dealerships, to name a few. We have answers.

#858: Venezuela's Fugitive Money Traders

The Venezuelan government doesn't want you to know the real value of its currency. But Ruben and Mila figured it out. Now they're on the lam.

#856: Yes In My Backyard

There's a simple way to solve the housing crisis in U.S. cities. Only problem is, almost everybody hates it.

#854: The New Socialists

Socialism was political poison in the U.S. for decades. Now it's gaining ground. Who are these new socialists? And what do they want?

#853: Peak Sand

Sand. It's in buildings, windows, your cell phone. But there isn't enough in the world for everyone. And that's created a dangerous black market.

#852: Two Summer Indicators

Two stories from our Indicator team. There's a province in China that makes many of the world's flags. It's a unique window on global trade right now. And we find out why so few teenagers are working summer jobs these days.

#851: The Rest Of The Story Summer 2018

A pesticide wreaks havoc. A listener needs a bitcoin detective. And the search for the rarest economic good continues.

VIDEO: The Chicken Tax

Which came first, the frozen chicken or the tax on foreign trucks? Just kidding, it was the frozen chicken — then came the American tax that helped shape the domestic market for trucks.

#849: It Takes Two To Make A Trade War Fight

President Trump says China is stealing U.S. technology. So we looked into one case. And things got a little complicated.

#847: Inventing Accidents

The medical world has been trying to cure color blindness for centuries. Then a glass scientist figured it out. By accident.

#660: The T-Rex In My Backyard

Meet Sue, the dinosaur who sparked a gold rush for fossils buried in the badlands of North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

#844: Nice Game

In game theory, sometimes the best way to win, is to lose.

#643: The Taxi King

Gene Freidman built a taxi empire. We visited him before he was in legal trouble.

#696: Class Action

Class actions run from big civil rights cases to arguments about pepper. Are they noble, or silly?

#840: Fixing Chicken

Today on the show: A chicken index, some Wall Street investors, and an unlikely whistle-blower.