The podcast explores the intersection of economics and military spending, using game theory to analyze its necessity. It discusses the positive economic contributions of military spending, such as technology development and government stimulus programs, while also highlighting the destructive consequences of conflicts. The application of game theory to global military spending, including the prisoner's dilemma and alliances, is explored. Additionally, the podcast delves into how military spending affects global geopolitics and highlights disparities in purchasing power between countries.

The podcast explores the possibility of the US defaulting on its debts to save its economy, the rise of China and India as economic powerhouses, winners and losers of globalization, infrastructure development in developing economies, and the extreme solution of closing off the US from the world.

This podcast explores the challenges of running economic experiments and discusses the outcomes of countries that have tried different economic systems. It compares capitalist free markets with centrally planned economies using case studies like North and South Korea and East and West Germany. The podcast also delves into the impact of natural resource exports on a country's economy and examines Norway's successful economic policies, including their sovereign wealth fund.

Exploring the economic dominance of California, its rise as the entertainment capital of the world, and the factors contributing to its economic success. Analyzing California's impressive GDP per capita and consistent growth, despite challenges of population decline and global pressures.

Francisco Ferreira from London School of Economics talks about global inequality and its impacts on developing countries. They discuss the Kuznetz curve, income inequality in big tech companies, tax deductibility of global philanthropy, migration's political repercussions and tax systems for migrants.

Indonesia's rapid economic growth and potential as a major player in global manufacturing. The challenges in managing resources, such as Jakarta sinking and corruption. The impact of oil facilities on employment and the economy. Challenges of becoming an advanced economy, including low English proficiency and geographical difficulties. Examination of Indonesia's economy, GDP ranking, stability, vulnerability to shocks, and projected growth.

Despite Mexico's strategic advantages and booming manufacturing sector due to global trade shifts, they haven't taken opportunities to replace China as a major manufacturer for the US. What factors stifle Mexico's growth and are there drawbacks to its proximity to the US? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When people think of Taiwan, they mostly think of tensions with China and the fact that Taiwan is a major manufacturing centre for the world's semiconductors. But Taiwan's leaders actually made some big bets decades ago that are paying off now, with a GDP per capita roughly 3 times that of mainland China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The global wealth disparity has been greatly exacerbated by the pandemic, and there is a concentration of wealth among the top 1.2% of people. We explore factors causing inequality, the role of debt, and finding an optimal level of inequality (because you do need some). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Global debt has now topped $300 trillion USD, or three times total global economic output.This is a number that is going to have very real consequences for billions of people around the world, but as scary as the number sounds there is still reason to be optimistic and there are still reasons why most economists handling this issue are not too worried just yet.To help us understand this issue in the course of our research we were lucky enough to speak to Dr. Jason Furman an economics professor at Harvard University and a former economic policy director for the Obama Administration.His understanding of an issue as large as global debt is truly valuable not only because of his impressive academic background but also because he is one of only a handful of people in the world that has ever had their hands on the proverbial controls of economic policy at this scale.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices