Words & Numbers

By Free the People

Words & Numbers is one of the highest-rated economics podcasts in the world. Each episode, Antony Davies and James R. Harrigan dig into economics, political science, and current events to explain ... more

· Education

4.8

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How many episodes does Words & Numbers have?

The podcast currently has 601 episodes available.

Best of Words & Numbers

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: Episode 524: The Ratchet Effect
Ant and James dissect the constant involvement of government in "emergencies," which seem to happen once a decade. For some reason. 0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 0:50 The Ig Nobel Prize: Are Rich People More Selfish? 5:13 Rising Oil Prices and the Real Cost of Policy Decisions 7:20 Trump’s $5,000 Checks and the Inflation Problem 10:22 The Lindsay Clancy Trial and a Bizarre Jury Split 12:22 Foolishness of the Week: A Five-Year-Old, a Pond, and CPS 15:32 Foolishness of the Week: Punished for Stopping a Mass Shooter 18:17 The Affordability Crisis and Government Intervention 19:58 The Ratchet Effect: Why Government Power Never Shrinks 21:15 From the Great Depression to COVID: A Century of Expanding Government 24:14 The 2030s: Social Security and the Coming Wealth Tax 25:50 The 2040s: The Debt Crisis and a Digital Dollar 32:27 The 2050s: Population Decline and Universal Basic Income 34:11 How Temporary Government Powers Become Permanent 35:27 Socialism, the Berlin Wall, and North vs. South Korea 40:11 Social Security Insolvency and America’s Growing Debt 42:11 Property Taxes, Ownership, and the Erosion of Economic Freedom 47:01 How Young People Can Prepare for Social Security’s Future 50:21 Retirement Savings and the Coming AI Bubble 54:32 AI Regulation, Government Protection, and the Ratchet Effect
September 17, 202658min
Number 2: Episode 523: It’s Always 9/11
Ant and James reflect on 9/11, both the day and its legacy. 0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 0:24 Citizens United, Super PACs, and Money in Politics 6:48 Corporate Donations, Trump, and Political Influence 10:50 AI Is Putting an Entire Industry Out of Business 13:56 AI, College Cheating, and the Future of Education 17:28 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Threatens to Halt Trade 20:48 Why Trade Deficits Aren’t What Politicians Think 22:24 25 Years Later: Remembering 9/11 25:25 Where We Were When the Attacks Happened 29:03 How 9/11 Changed America Overnight 31:39 Fear, Terrorism, and the Wars That Followed 9/11 34:22 How 9/11 Changed the Nature of War 35:17 The War on Terror and America’s “Wars on Nouns” 42:28 TSA, Security Theater, and the Post-9/11 Surveillance State 44:30 The Militarization of American Law Enforcement 46:06 Did Americans Trade Freedom for Security? 48:31 Fear, Crime, and the Lasting Legacy of 9/11 50:32 Closing Thoughts: Have Some Charity in Your Heart
September 10, 202655min
Number 3: Episode 522: Disinteresting Rates
What's the deal with bonds and interest rates? Find out on Words & Numbers, where we will use both words and numbers to get to the bottom of things. 0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 0:42 Free Speech and the First Amendment 7:45 Rutgers Dean Caught Recording Students 09:55 Renaming the Great Lakes “Lake America” 11:41 Foolishness of the Week: George Santos Gets Banned From Kalshi 14:27 Is the Government Running Out of Places to Borrow? 20:24 Why Treasury Investors Are Demanding Higher Returns 22:10 The Federal Debt and the Interest Rate Spiral 24:06 Can the Government Tax Its Way Out of the Deficit? 26:24 Will the Government Eventually Monetize the Debt? 27:43 The Federal Reserve vs. the Treasury 33:05 Scott Bessent’s Plan to Push Interest Rates Down 36:42 Is the Treasury Gambling on Short-Term Debt? 41:37 Is the Treasury Trying to Conduct Monetary Policy? 44:38 Are We Seeing the Beginning of a U.S. Debt Crisis? 49:03 Can Social Security Force Congress to Confront the Debt? 51:35 Closing Thoughts: Find an Excuse to Be Nice
September 03, 202654min
Number 4: Episode 521: A Priest Walks Into a Podcast
A priest shows up. Antony doesn’t confess, James doesn’t convert, but they all talk about human dignity. Checkout Fr. James Martin, SJ 's book, 'Work in Progress.' https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062694480 0:00 Introduction and Overview 0:29 The Ultimate Quiet Quitting Story 4:32 Scott Bessent’s $950 Billion Bond Buyback Plan 8:05 Is the Treasury Conducting Its Own Monetary Policy? 12:14 Foolishness of the Week: American Airlines Does It Again 16:57 Father James Martin on Pope Leo, AI, and Human Dignity 20:50 What Happens When AI Meets Humanlike Robots? 22:48 AI, Loneliness, and Replacing Human Relationships 24:57 Can Free Markets Serve the Common Good? 29:22 Property Rights, Poverty, and the Role of the Church 34:53 Who Gets to Define the “Common Good”? 36:17 Subsidiarity, Data Centers, and Local Decision-Making 41:18 Human Rights vs. Human Flourishing 43:38 Wealth, Profit, and the Morality of Capitalism 48:00 What Did Jesus Mean by “The Poor Will Always Be With You”? 51:22 Individual Charity vs. Community Responsibility 55:15 Social Media, Human Dignity, and the Loss of Community 1:00:09 Father James Martin’s Work in Progress
August 27, 20261h 3min
Number 5: Episode 520: The Death of Data
When government statistics are under question, it gets pretty hard to know what the hell is actually going on. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 00:32 Civil Disobedience, Crime, and Flock Cameras 06:17 License Plate Tracking and the Surveillance State 10:52 Rising Treasury Yields and Federal Borrowing 12:20 Surge Pricing, Markets, and Government Intervention 15:48 Monopolies, Standard Oil, and De Beers 20:01 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Tariffs on Brass Instruments 24:02 The Death of Reliable Government Data 27:00 Why Politicizing Economic Data Matters 30:21 Immigration Data, Jobs, and the Economy 33:01 Immigration and Social Security 36:39 Migrant Workers, Business Planning, and Regulation 41:39 Why Reliable Data Keeps Prices Lower 44:06 Final Thoughts on Kindness and Grace
August 20, 202648min