Holiday Special: My favourite economics podcasts

Podcasts can be a great, informative and entertaining way to learn about economics and stay up to date with current world events. Here’s some of the best econ podcasts of the last year:

1. Planet Money

You’re likely to find NPR’s Planet Money to be at the top of any economics podcast rankings – and for good reason. Planet money offers a lighthearted and entertaining view on economics phenomena surrounding our everyday life: from buffets to supermarkets, Planet Money uncovers their intricate economics. P.M. also delves into current world events and discusses their potential economic implications.

With compact 15-30 minute episode published twice a week, you can certain that your daily economics fix is not too far away. P.M. offers additional episodes to Planet Money + subscribers for anyone who just can’t get enough of their episodes – myself included. If you are just getting started with econ podcasts, Planet Money is the place to start.

2. The ECB podcast

What better way to stay in the loop of European macroeconomics than through the ECB itself. The ECB podcast offers updates on monetary policy changes, speeches made by Lagarde and different analyses from in-house economists, making it an indispensable tool for any up-and-coming economist. Episodes are, however, only published a couple of times a month; making every new episode that much more exciting.

3. The Indicator

Yet another NPR podcast! This time, The Indicator. Brought to us by our beloved Planet Money, The Indicator follows its host show’s format by providing economic analyses on everyday – and larger scale – events. The episodes are published every weekday, but are only 5 to 10 minutes long – an even trade-off. Nevertheless, The Indicator is always there to fulfill my economics craving on the lonely days P.M. is nowhere to be seen. To get started with The Indicator, I suggest giving the recent episode “The Indicator of the Year” a listen: trust me, you won’t regret it!

4. Economist Podcasts

To finish off: Economist Podcasts. The fittingly named series is a fantastic podcast to learn about world events and economics. Updated every weekday, The Economist “provides a fresh perspective to the events shaping your world”. From (geo)politics, pop culture and, of course, everything related to economics, The Economist is my go-to news source that helps me learn about world events. Each 25-40 minute episode is centered around one main topic, followed by other interesting themes.

Macroeconomic indicators, such as inflationary pressures, are strongly related to geopolitical events – having a strong grasp on the world around us is hence incredibly important. For instance, the Economist Podcasts released an episode a few days ago titled “Red (sea) alert”, referring to the recent attacks on shipping containers in the Red Sea that have lead to major companies withdrawing from the region. This same event was cited by the ECB’s chief economist Philip Lane for its unclear implication on inflation in domestic markets.

The Economist also offers additional content under a paid subscription (i.e., a subscription to The Economist) with a wonderful series called “Money Talks” that focuses solely on economics.

P.S. Students can access these additional episodes (along with all of The Economist’s publications) for a 75% discount; you’ll thank me later ;).