Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

How Accountability Shapes National Borrowing Rates | The Professor Is In

What's the relationship between journalism and borrowing costs? When a local paper shuts down, something surprising happens: the town starts paying higher interest on it

Sep 25
24 min

Why Trump's Diesel Export Ban Could Raise Gas Prices | Diving In

#15 trending · Education

The White House is floating a temporary ban on U.S. diesel exports, and the pitch sounds simple: keep the diesel here, and prices fall for farmers and truckers. In this

Sep 24
17 min

What Would It Take to Eliminate Poverty? | The Professor Is In

#7 trending · Courses

In this episode of the Professor Is In, Justin Wolfers answers your questions about poverty in America. Justin walks through the official poverty measure ($32,649 for two

Sep 23
23 min

The Economic Cost of Trump's War on The Press | Diving In

#20 trending · Courses

When the White House pulled the press badges of CNN, MS Now, and Politico, most of us reached for the First Amendment. Justin Wolfers asks a different question: what does

Sep 22
18 min

What If We Just Gave Poor People Money?

#46 trending · Courses

Official poverty fell to 10.2% — so why does the better measure show almost no change? The new poverty numbers are out, and the headline looks like good news: official p

Sep 21
26 min

The Fed Raised Rates. Here's What It's Fighting. | Off The Clock

The Fed just raised rates unanimously — and Justin Wolfers explains why that 12-0 vote matters more than the rate itself. Joined by Bloomberg Businessweek's Stacey Vanek-

Sep 19
58 min

The Hawk Behind The Hike | The Professor Is In

The Fed just raised its target rate by a quarter of a percentage point, the first hike since 2023 — but Justin Wolfers argues the number on the front page isn't the real

Sep 18
18 min

Understanding The Fed’s Rate Hike Decision | Diving In

Understanding The Fed’s Rate Hike Decision | Diving In The Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday by a quarter of a percentage point. It’s the first time the

Sep 16
13 min

The Canadian Boycott is About More than Economics | The Professor Is In

Why an "infinity percent" tariff on Canada may hurt Americans more than Canadians. The U.S.–Canada trade war just got weirder, and Justin Wolfers walks through what actu

Sep 14
20 min

The Hidden Link Between Government Debt and Everyday Credit | Off the Clock

Why does the bond market matter more than the stock market for your wallet? Justin Wolfers and Bloomberg Businessweek columnist Stacey Vanek Smith take on August's inflat

Sep 12
50 min

What August’s Inflation Report Means for You

Inflation is stuck at 3.4% and prices are outrunning your paycheck. Here's what August really showed. The August inflation report just landed, and Justin Wolfers walks y

Sep 11
14 min

Vote Republican, Get $5,000? | Diving In

Is the promise real, and who actually pays for it? At a midterm campaign rally Wednesday night, President Trump promised every adult American citizen a $5,000 check, but

Sep 10
17 min

How Governments Manipulate Statistics Without Lying | Professor Is In

Can you still trust the jobs numbers after Commerce dropped its ban on political interference? In August the Commerce Department quietly crossed out the rules that shiel

Sep 10
19 min

Hidden Ways the Government Manipulates Data | Diving In

How the government can rig official statistics without ever faking a single number. A few sentences vanished from a Commerce Department directive — and almost no one no

Sep 9
21 min

The U.S. Canada Trade War Casts a Much Longer Shadow | Diving In

Canada just retaliated against President Trump's latest tariffs, and everyone wants to know how big the hit will be. Economist Justin Wolfers walks you through the whole

Sep 8
26 min

Why Tariffs Can't Rebuild American Manufacturing | The Professor Is In

Why did Trump's tariffs fail? It's a competence problem, not just a trade-theory problem. Economist Justin Wolfers answers your questions about why the Trump administrat

Sep 5
22 min

The Jobs Report Beat Expectations. Will The Fed Care?

The economy added 162,000 jobs in August — far above the 50,000 to 60,000 Wall Street expected — and Justin Wolfers is smiling, because this is genuinely good news. Unemp

Sep 4
13 min

The Bond Sell-Off Isn’t the Scary Part | Diving In

Everyone's talking about the bond market, and Justin Wolfers is here to explain what's actually going on — without the panic. In this episode of Diving In, he strips the

Sep 2
13 min

Who Actually Paid for the Trade War? | Diving In

Trump’s tariffs were supposed to do five things. So how did they actually score? Justin Wolfers grades the tariff agenda against the administration’s own goals. Did tar

Sep 2
23 min

Can You Sanction a Country That's Already Cut Off? | The Professor Is In

In this episode of the Professor Is In, Justin answers your questions about "Operation Economic Outcast," the White House plan to squeeze Iran by threatening its trading

Sep 1
20 min

Chart trend

Position in the Courses chart (US), last 90 days.

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Where Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 25, 2026).

#1 — Courses US

#27 ▼ 2 Education US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Justin Wolfers is the Carl Sagan of economic communicators. He has a singular ability to explain complex economic concepts in terms that are relatable to everyone.

CCI_Grampaw · Aug 2026

I honestly love Justin Wolfers, when I see/hear him interviewed by others he is engaging and a wonderful teacher; sometimes I listen to his segments again because he can explain things with such technical, and refreshingly moral, clarity. But this podcast has not found its footing. Strangely, it's as if I can't "hear" him - the rhythms are way off - someone is editing out the natural rhythms of human speech - don't do that, please! Spoken English has powerful rhythms of stress and phrasing, essential for clarity of expression, and also human beings, dontcha know, take breaths at appropriate phrase breaks while they're speaking. Sometimes I find my self gasping, as my whole body can feel that the editing has turned Justin into a robot that doesn't breathe, so I subconsciously try to breathe for him! It also makes the thoughts and builds of arguments unintelligible. A skilled editor would not allow that to happen. Similarly, when you start a commercial in the middle of a conversation with nary a knife's blade between, you've again disrupted the flow of thought, in such a destructive way it will make us 1) forget what was being said, 2) loathe the sponsor of the obnoxiously interrupting message, thereby negating the point of the ad, and 3) generally irritate and cause resentment and frustration in your listeners - who want to hear what you have to say, and don't want to be punished for trying to do so! Also, please, don't put anyone in front of a mic if they don't have decent voice/speech and a basic level of poise. Megan's speech (articulation) is fine, but she really needs voice (sound, resonance) training. The amount of tension in her throat makes her sound harshly pinched and lacking authority, plus she has the too-common profusion of "like"s and upglides and generally sounds embarrassed to speak. She also probably needs a better mic & mixing. Look, I know you're on a shoestring, I'm not talking a fancy studio - just needs a level of professionalism, thoughtfulness and some standards; a good producer would help. For me, I've tried, because I respect Justin so much. But this has been a hard to listen, every episode, and I'm not sure I will stay with it.

Stilph · Jul 2026

I’ve heard Justin before and am glad he is back to podcasting. He has great insight and a talent for easily communicating complex ideas and information.

Denunzi0 · May 2026

Professor Justin Wolfers explains complex economic topics in such clear terms I can finally a) understand them and b) see how they impact my daily life. Great show!

amazing!!!!!$$! · May 2026

These are 2 very highly regarded economists but this podcast is just a flop. Dull and basic, it’s almost as if they are reciting an old econ textbook for children. The moderator Nes doesn’t add much value to the conversation. If you want engaged, insightful, nuanced dialogue on econ and society, listen to the Freakononics podcast.

APhysicist · Dec 2020

Very informative, but way too many advertisements.

Buntu · Mar 2021

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.