Episodes

  • Protesters want schools to divest from Israel. How would that work?

    Protesters want schools to divest from Israel. How would that work?
    May 2 2024
    College campuses nationwide are erupting with protests against Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza. A consistent theme among these actions: a call for university endowment "divestment."

    Today, we unpack what that means and how divestment would work. Plus, we hear from an expert who explains why divestment might not have the effect that many believe.

    Related episodes:
    Why Israel uses diaspora bonds (Apple / Spotify)
    How much of your tax dollars are going to Israel and Ukraine (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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    9 mins
  • What a cabinet maker can teach us about interest rates

    What a cabinet maker can teach us about interest rates
    May 1 2024
    The Beigie Awards are back to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Bank with the best Beige Book entry. This time, we shine a spotlight on one entry that explains how some businesses are feeling the impacts of higher for longer interest rates.

    Related episodes:
    The interest-ing world of interest rates (Apple / Spotify)
    The Beigie Awards: Why banks are going on a "loan diet" (Apple / Spotify)
    Where are interest rates going?

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Is the federal debt REALLY that bad?

    Is the federal debt REALLY that bad?
    May 1 2024
    Sandwiched between a burger joint and an oyster bar in New York City hangs a daunting image: The National Debt Clock. And that debt number? It just keeps ticking up. How deep in the hole are we? Nearly a hundred percent of gross domestic product. And counting. Today on the show, the federal debt. Is it time to freak out? Or is there nothing to see here?

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    9 mins
  • Taxing the final frontier

    Taxing the final frontier
    Apr 29 2024
    Launches by commercial space companies are becoming more frequent. Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration licensed 117, an all-time high. But these spaceflight companies aren't paying for all of the FAA's services that they use.

    Today, we explore why the government is looking to change that and dig into the larger debate over whether human activity in space is a public or private project.

    Related episodes:
    Economics in space
    Planet Money goes to space
    Space economics

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Video Game Industry Week: The Final Level

    Video Game Industry Week: The Final Level
    Apr 26 2024
    We wrap up our series on the economics of the video game industry with a triple roundup. Today, how the new ban on noncompete contracts could affect the gaming industry, whether young men are slacking off work to play games and the ever-controversial world of loot boxes.

    Related episodes:
    Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify)
    Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible (Apple / Spotify)
    The boom and bust of esports (Apple / Spotify)
    Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees

    Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees
    Apr 25 2024
    Employees at video game companies are known for working long hours to meet product launch deadlines. This pressure, known in the industry as crunch, has only gotten more intense as games have grown more complex. Mounting layoffs in the growing industry have only made things worse on the labor front, inspiring some workers to take matters into their own hands.

    Today, in the next installment of our series on the business of video games, we speak to several workers in the industry about their experiences with crunch and why they feel unionization is the key to preserving their careers.

    Related episodes:
    Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify)
    Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible (Apple / Spotify)
    The boom and bust of esports (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • The boom and bust of esports

    The boom and bust of esports
    Apr 24 2024
    The origins of competitive gaming are rooted in college campuses going back to the early 1970s. Now a globally popular industry, esports is at the center of many questions about long-term financial viability.

    Today, we dive deep into the hype surrounding esports and why the luster seems to be rubbing off the industry that was once seen by some as the next NBA.

    Related episodes:
    Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify)
    Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible

    Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible
    Apr 23 2024
    Gaming provides entertainment and community for billions of people worldwide. However, video games haven't always been accessible to those with disabilities. But this is changing.

    Today, in the next installment of our series on the business of video games, we explain how accessibility has become an increasingly important priority for game developers and how advocates pushed them to this point.

    Related episodes:
    Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins