What's THAT got to do with economics?

Key takeaways

Planet Money's strong promise challenges hosts to find economic connections in even the most obscure topics.
The rise of polyamory may be influenced by economic circumstances, including high living costs and labor market demands.
Dark matter serves as an effective metaphor for unseen economic forces, showcasing the mysteries that exist within economic theory.
Art history holds economic significance; works by historical artists like Bosch not only express culture but also impact market dynamics in art.
Economic lessons can be unearthed from unconventional subjects, demonstrating that almost anything can relate back to the economy.

Summary

The Bold Promise of Planet Money

In this episode of Planet Money, co-hosts Sally Helm and Keith Romer explore the show's tagline: 'Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy.' They reflect on how they’ve made good on this promise through challenging subjects suggested by listeners and set up a new challenge for themselves.

Embracing Listener Suggestions: A Fun Challenge

Sally Helm takes on bizarre topics submitted by listeners in a quest to find economic connections. The trio of topics chosen includes polyamory, dark matter, and the symbolism in the art of Hieronymus Bosch. For each, they delve into relationships, science, and art to uncover economic lessons.

Exploring Polyamory's Economic Aspect

Sally discusses how polyamorous relationships can have significant economic implications. She interviews a polyamorous trio who reveal financial entanglements in their shared life, highlighting how cohabitation can ease financial burdens, especially in high-cost living areas. Economic expert Mindy Marks elaborates on how rising living costs and labor market dynamics may be contributing to the rise of polyamory.

Dark Matter: Linking Physics to Economics

Sally successfully navigates the complex idea of dark matter in astrophysics, using its invisibility and the concept of gravity's influence to metaphorically link it to unquantified forces in economics. She discusses how economists sometimes invoke 'dark matter' to explain phenomena within financial markets, paralleling the challenge of observing invisible forces that impact the economy.

Economics through the Lens of Hieronymus Bosch

Tackling the symbolism in Bosch's works, Sally first discusses the historical context of economic conditions and patronage in the art world. She connects the work of Bosch with modern market influences in art, demonstrating how themes in Bosch's paintings created an enduring impact on the art economy.

Show notes

"Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy."

That is the bold promise in Planet Money's tagline. And we believe the show does live up to it. Over the last year, we've told stories about breakdancing, rum, pagers, buffets, colors, and heartbreak.

But then one host wondered: what if we really held ourselves to that promise? What if we challenged ourselves to find economic meaning in the most esoteric and far-flung topics imaginable?

That's when we turned to you, our listeners. And boy did you deliver. You sent in ideas so obscure, so banananas, so guaranteed to stump and bamboozle that our host maybe started to regret her life choices...but she was resolved to give it a try.

This episode was hosted by Sally Helm and Keith Romer. It was produced by James Sneed. It was edited by Molly Messick and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Kwesi Lee. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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