Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss the rise in pseudoscience, the “administrification” in America, the trillion-dollar non-profit sector, and more. Daffy is offering Econ 102 listeners a free $25 for the charity of their choice when they join: https://www.daffy.org/econ102

Check out Erik's new show Request for Startups featuring a rotating cast of founders and investors (including Dan) sharing their requests for startups they want to exist in the world, and also their stories of navigating the idea maze in different sectors so founders don’t have to reinvent the wheel anymore. The first episode is out now - we over better dating apps, references as a service, and WeWork for productivity

Watch and Subscribe on Substack: https://requestforstartups.substack.com/p/receipt-based-dating-reference-checks
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/request-for-startups-with-erik-torenberg/id1728659822
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/739L1LR32QI2XyoZlRh5nv

–

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

–

Sponsors: GIVEWELL | DAFFY | NETSUITE

Have you ever wondered where your donation could have the most impact? GiveWell has now spent over 15 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to the highest impact opportunities they’ve found in global health and poverty alleviation. Make informed decisions about high-impact giving. If you’ve never donated through GiveWell before, you can have your donation matched up to $100 before the end of the year, or as long as matching funds last. To claim your match, go to https://givewell.org and pick “Podcast” and enter Econ 102 at checkout.

Daffy is the most modern and accessible donor-advised fund, making it easier to put money aside for charity. You can make your tax-deductible contributions all at once or set aside a little each week or month. And you don’t just have to donate cash, you can easily contribute stocks, ETFs, or crypto. Plus, you never have to track receipts from your donations again. It’s free to get started and Econ 102 listeners get $25 towards the charity of their choice. Daffy is offering Econ 102 listeners a free $25 for the charity of their choice when they join Daffy https://www.daffy.org/econ102

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite http://netsuite.com/102 and download your own customized KPI checklist.

–

Econ 102 is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

–

X / TWITTER:

@noahpinion (Noah)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

–

Timestamps

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:21) New Release Day

(01:35) Q&As

(02:43) The politicization of science

(16:51) SPONSORS: GIVEWELL & DAFFY

(18:17) Is Academia Primarily Left?

(21:58) The Administrator Boom

(25:59) SPONSORS: NETSUITE & ODD LOTS

(29:13) The Trillion Dollar Non-profit sector

(31:06) Special Interest Groups

(32:42) Nonprofit vs Government

(43:24) Politicians on Nonprofits

(46:23) Global productivity slowdown

(53:09) Charter Schools

(55:17) Accelerating those at the bottom

(59:24) A.I. Tutors

Breaking down the 2025 Lions draft class