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The Economics of Everyday Things

Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth

Episodes

Total: 83

It’s unreactive, lighter than air, and surprisingly important to the global economy. Zachary Crocket

How did Florida International University’s new football stadium come to be named after the rapper an

Mannequins may be made out of plastic or fiberglass, but for retailers they’re pure gold. Zachary Cr

Incarcerated people grow crops, fight wildfires, and manufacture everything from motor oil to prescr

It takes millions of giant green placards to make America navigable. Where do they come from — and w

When a zoo needs an elephant, or finds itself with three surplus penguins, it doesn’t buy or sell th

Tow-truck drivers: roadside rescuers or car confiscators? Zachary Crockett gets hooked. SOURCES:Bill

66. Stradivarius Violins

2024/10/14

Why are these 300-year-old instruments still coveted by violinists today? And how do working musicia

Card Counting (Replay)

2024/10/7

Casinos think they can stop skilled gamblers from eking out a tiny edge at blackjack. Is that a losi

65. Stock Photos

2024/9/30

Making money in the stock image business requires a sharp eye for trends, a very specific type of mo

64. Sushi Fish

2024/9/23

How does a fresh tuna get from Japan to Nebraska before it goes bad? And how does its journey show u

63. Botox

2024/9/16

Why do millions of people pay to have one of the world’s deadliest toxins injected into their faces?

62. Title Insurance

2024/9/9

Almost everyone who buys a home spends thousands of dollars on title insurance. Most of them don’t u

Truffles (Replay)

2024/9/2

It takes fungi-sniffing dogs, back-room deals, and a guy named “The Kingpin” for the world’s most co

61. Pigeons

2024/8/26

Once considered noble and heroic, pigeons are now viewed as an urban nuisance — one that costs citie

60. Money Laundering

2024/8/19

How do criminals turn their ill-gotten gains into taxable income? And how does law enforcement stop

Thanks to online booking platforms, the way we make reservations has changed — but a table at a hot

58. Firefighters

2024/8/5

There are more firefighters than ever — and fewer fires for them to fight. So the job has changed. Z

Romance Novels (Replay)

2024/7/29

How did love stories about vampires, cowboys, and wealthy dukes become the highest-grossing fiction

57. Strippers

2024/7/22

Performing at a strip club can be lucrative, but it requires financial and psychological savvy — and