Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

The Latest Inflation Report, Explained | Diving In

#5 trending · Education

The latest inflation report just dropped, and Justin Wolfers digs into why it's worse than Wall Street expected. Headline inflation came in at an eye-popping 3.7% — well

Oct 14
15 min

The Hidden Force Dragging Down Consumer Sentiment | Diving In

#7 trending · Courses

Americans feel almost exactly as gloomy today as they did in 1980 — when inflation was near 14% and unemployment was close to 8%. Today those numbers are a fraction of th

Oct 12
19 min

The Nobel-Winning Insight That Made Spending Hard to Predict | Diving In

#15 trending · Courses

Why Robert Hall and Michael Woodford won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics — explained simply. This morning Robert Hall and Michael Woodford won the 2026 Nobel Prize in

Oct 12
24 min

The G7’s 100 Million Barrel Announcement Changes Nothing | The Professor Is In

Justin Wolfers takes apart a headline that circled the globe: the G7 announcing it will release 100 million barrels of oil it had already promised to release back in Marc

Oct 9
26 min

Trump's Red Diesel Order, Explained | Diving In

Justin Wolfers digs into President Trump's new executive order letting truckers fill up with red diesel — the tax-free fuel normally reserved for farmers, construction cr

Oct 8
19 min

This Oil Deal Sounds Huge. Until You Do the Math | Diving In

Trump calls it a massive win: 100 million barrels of emergency oil and fuel released to bring diesel prices down. In this episode of Diving In, Justin Wolfers reads the G

Oct 7
25 min

Why the Jobs Report Keeps Changing | The Professor Is In

The September jobs report landed weak, and the numbers for July and August got quietly revised downward. Economist Justin Wolfers takes your questions on what that actual

Oct 5
23 min

Trump Wants Cheap Money. Why Are Rates Going Up Anyway?

What happens when a president wants lower interest rates—but the economy, inflation, and bond markets are all pushing the other way? In this episode of What Next with Ma

Oct 4
24 min

Why Workers Are Getting Less of What the Economy Produces | Off The Clock

Justin Wolfers and Bloomberg columnist Stacey Vanek Smith slow down to unpack the one number that quietly shapes your paycheck: labor's share of income. For most of moder

Oct 3
45 min

What September's Employment Numbers Really Say | Diving In

The September jobs report landed with a thud: just 29,000 jobs created, well short of the 80,000–90,000 forecasters expected, with July and August both revised down and u

Oct 2
18 min

Are Your Financial Mistakes Making Someone Else Rich? | The Professor Is In

Every dollar you spend having your money actively managed by someone in a sports car is paying for that sports car. In this Professor Is In episode, Justin Wolfers takes

Oct 1
33 min

Why Good Money Advice Fails to Land | Diving In

Most of us wash our hands even though we've never seen a germ. But when it comes to personal finance, hardly anyone "washes their hands" — and the mistakes are expensive.

Sep 30
19 min

What Airbags Teach Us About Artificial Intelligence | The Professor Is In

AI safety fears are in the news, so Justin Wolfers sits down with producer Augusta to work through the economics — and the ethics — of building guardrails into AI. Using

Sep 28
14 min

How Much Should We Spend to Prevent an AI Catastrophe? | Diving In

The people building the most powerful AI see faster science, better medicines, and explosive economic growth. Others see catastrophe. Justin Wolfers steps into that argum

Sep 26
29 min

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

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

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

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?

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

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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, Oct 15, 2026).

#1 — Courses US

#47 ▼ 15 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.