• "Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg

  • By: Turpentine
  • Podcast

"Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg

By: Turpentine
  • Summary

  • Economist and Substack writer Noah Smith and investor Erik Torenberg make sense of what’s happening in the news, technology, business, and beyond, through the lens of economics. Econ 102 is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co
    2023
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Episodes
  • A Debate with Scott Sumner: Industrial Policy, China, and National Security
    Jan 15 2025
    In this episode, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg are joined by Scott Sumner, an American economist and previously the Director of the Program on Monetary Policy at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, examine the impact of U.S.-China relations on economic and industrial policies, discussing topics such as tariffs, manufacturing capabilities, technologies like drones and batteries, climate change, defense strategies, and the evolving role of neoliberalism. -- 🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Modern Relationships Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod -- Highlights from the Episode: Neoliberalism vs. Industrial Policy: The world is moving away from neoliberalism toward industrial policy and authoritarian nationalism. Chinese manufacturing of green technology has supported global climate efforts, sparking debate over whether US trade barriers on Chinese green tech are counterproductive, alongside a discussion of carbon taxes versus other climate policies. China now matches US and allies combined in manufacturing capacity. Trump's tariffs are seen as ineffective for reindustrialization, while Biden's CHIPS Act and IRA are viewed as more successful in specific sectors, prompting a discussion on targeted versus broad industrial policies. Housing and healthcare costs are significant barriers to living standards. -- SPONSORS: Notion 📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at https://notion.com/upstreampod NetSuite More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102 AdQuick The easiest way to book out-of-home ads (like billboards, vehicle wraps, and airport displays) the same way you would order an Uber. Ready to get your brand the attention it deserves? Visit https://adquick.com/ today to start reaching your customers in the real world. -- SEND US YOUR Q's FOR NOAH TO ANSWER ON AIR: Econ102@Turpentine.co -- FOLLOW ON X: @ScottSumnerTMI @noahpinion @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- LINKS: Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/ The Pursuit of Happiness: https://scottsumner.substack.com/
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    58 mins
  • Canada After Trudeau, Immigration Debate, and China's Economy
    Jan 9 2025
    This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg explore the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, Xi Jinping's political future, U.S.-China tensions, Trump's and Biden's policies, the 2019 global protests, China's economic troubles, and the challenges facing Western nations, while also emphasizing the need for bipartisan cooperation on U.S. industrial policy. -- 🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Modern Relationships Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod -- Highlights from the Episode: China faces significant economic headwinds with deflation and productivity challenges, requiring major policy interventions including potential bailouts to address their real estate crisis. Justin Trudeau's legacy in Canada is marked by criticism of his economic management, the country's ongoing productivity challenges, an overreliance on the oil sector as a temporary fix for deeper economic issues, and stagnant business investment despite partial recovery in oil prices. The conservative coalition in America has evolved to become more diverse, with Latino and Asian voter shifts playing a crucial role in recent electoral outcomes. Biden's industrial policy has shown success in areas like solar panel manufacturing and chip production, despite implementation challenges around DEI and union requirements. Elon Musk's involvement in European politics is analyzed in terms of how Europe could counter his influence through market access, with an observation that his focus on the region may be part of rebuilding a coalition after disputes over immigration. -- SPONSORS: Notion 📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at https://notion.com/upstreampod NetSuite More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102 -- SEND US YOUR Q's FOR NOAH TO ANSWER ON AIR: Econ102@Turpentine.co -- FOLLOW ON X: @noahpinion @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- LINKS: Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/ The Players on the Eve of Destruction: https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-players-on-the-eve-of-destruction How do we measure whether China's economy is "ahead" of America's?: https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/how-do-we-measure-whether-chinas Biden's tarnished industrial legacy: https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/bidens-tarnished-industrial-legacy Trudeau was a poor steward of Canada's economy: https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/trudeau-was-a-poor-steward-of-canadas
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Trump, Tariffs, and the New 80s: America's Next Cultural Reset
    Jan 2 2025
    This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss Silicon Valley's cultural influence, Marc Andreessen's predictions, what comes after wokeness, tariffs on China, Reaganomics, the 'polycrisis,' the future of industrial policy, and political dynamics involving Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Paul Krugman. -- 🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Modern Relationships Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. Founders Fund's Delian Asparouhov and researcher Nadia Asparouhova kick off the series with an unfiltered conversation about their relationship evolution. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod -- Highlights from the Episode: The decline of "wokeness" follows historical patterns of social movements, with San Francisco leading both adoption and abandonment of cultural trends. Industrial policy and targeted tariffs are crucial for American manufacturing competitiveness, particularly in relation to China. The challenges of implementing meaningful austerity measures in the US government and the necessity of making difficult policy choices. The complex relationship between Trump and Elon Musk's competing visions for America's economic and foreign policy future. Paul Krugman's legacy: Reviving Keynesian economics during Great Recession. -- SPONSORS: GiveWell GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to make sure they know you heard about them from us. -- SEND US YOUR Q's FOR NOAH TO ANSWER ON AIR: Econ102@Turpentine.co -- FOLLOW ON X: @noahpinion @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- LINKS: Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/ Marc Andreessen on Trump, the vibe shift, and what’s after wokeness: https://youtu.be/l8X8jecivWw?si=ZKfdrvEetz8sZ6Hi The Wokeness series: https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-wokeness-series Ready Player One: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one We Have Never Been Woke: https://www.amazon.com/Have-Never-Been-Woke-Contradictions/dp/0691232601 Musa al-Garbhi Substack: https://musaalgharbi.substack.com/ Akira: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094625/ The Big Chill: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085244/
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    1 hr and 2 mins

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