We all know the government uses taxes to pay for things. But what about using taxes to control behavior? This week on Summer School, Professor Darrick Hamilton of The New School, helps us explore the true power of the tax code. Can taxes help lift people out of poverty? What about saving the planet?
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The series is hosted by Robert Smith and produced by Eric Mennel. Our project manager is Devin Mellor. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark and fact-checked by Emily Crawford and Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Robert Rodriguez.
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The billion dollar war behind U.S. rum
When you buy a bottle of rum in the United States, by law nearly all the federal taxes on that rum must be sent to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It’s an unusual…
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Wind boom, wind bust (Two Windicators)
The wind power business is a bit contradictory right now. It’s showing signs of boom and bust seemingly all at once. The story of wind energy markets in two acts today. First, the Gulf of…
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On the Oscars campaign trail
When you sit down to watch the Oscars, what you are really watching is the final battle in a months-long war of financial engineering and campaign strategy. Because in Hollywood, every year is an election…
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Is dynamic pricing coming to a supermarket near you?
Dynamic pricing is an increasingly common phenomenon: You can see it when Uber prices surge during rainy weather, or when you’re booking a flight at the last minute or buying tickets to your favorite superstar’s…
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Shopping for parental benefits around the world
It is so expensive to have a kid in the United States. The U.S. is one of just a handful of countries worldwide with no federal paid parental leave; it offers functionally no public childcare…
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The secret world behind school fundraisers
Fundraising is a staple of the school experience in the U.S. There’s an assembly showing off all the prizes kids can win by selling enough wrapping paper or chocolate to their neighbors. But it’s pretty…
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A controversial idea at the heart of Bidenomics
Réka Juhász is a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, and she studies what’s known as industrial policy. That’s the general term for whenever the government tries to promote specific sectors of…
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Two Indicators: Economics of the defense industry
The Department of Defense’s proposed budget for 2024 is $842 billion. That is about 3.5% of the U.S.’s GDP. The military buys everything from pens and paper clips to fighter jets and submarines. But the…
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How the Navy came to protect cargo ships
The Genco Picardy is not an American ship. It doesn’t pay U.S. taxes, none of its crew are U.S. nationals, and when it sailed through the Red Sea last month, it wasn’t carrying cargo to…
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L, is for the way you Listen to Planet MoneyO, is for the Only podcast I hearV, is Very, very, fiduciaryE, is for… ECONOMICS! Every February, we dedicate a show to the things in our…