The best economic ideas from around the world — Planet Money Summer School is back
Global Economic Wisdom Returns for Another Summer Season
A Worldwide Journey Through Economic Innovation
Ecorescuezone.com – Forget about ice cream, sunscreen, or beach days—there is a far more rewarding way to spend your summer. Planet Money Summer School has officially returned, bringing its signature blend of accessible economics and compelling storytelling to audiences once again. This year's edition takes listeners on an ambitious global expedition, hunting down the most valuable economic concepts from every corner of the world so they can be brought back home.
For over fifteen years, the Planet Money team has been packing up their recording equipment and traveling across continents to uncover the human stories behind economic principles. They have established themselves as one of the rare podcasts that actively ventures into the field rather than simply discussing economics from a studio. This summer's format builds on that tradition by revisiting beloved destinations and pairing original field reporting with fresh conversations featuring economists who specialize in unpacking the complex ideas behind each story.
Listeners who missed previous seasons can catch up through archived episodes covering economic history, investment strategies, and fundamental micro- and macroeconomic concepts among numerous other subjects.
What to Expect This Season
New episodes arrive every Wednesday leading up to Labor Day, making this the perfect weekly ritual for summer learning. The opening episode explores Australia's innovative approach to managing scarce water resources through market mechanisms. While this system helped allocate water to its most valuable uses, it also opened the door for speculators seeking to profit from water trading. The episode examines who ultimately benefits from this arrangement.
Listeners also meet a remarkable New Zealand economist who happens to be a jazz musician and is credited with developing inflation targeting—one of the most significant contributions to modern central banking practice.
Upcoming episodes will transport audiences to Norway, where the nation successfully navigated what economists call the paradox of plenty, also known as the resource curse. Rather than letting natural resource wealth lead to economic decline, Norway managed to grow rich and maintain that prosperity while exporting surplus resources globally. The series will then travel to China to examine what happens when an economy is designed and managed with engineering precision, including the potential dangers of excessive infrastructure construction.
Collecting Ideas Worth Sharing
At each destination, the team gathers innovative economic concepts that other nations might want to adopt—or perhaps avoid. While the series concludes in late August without claiming to solve every global economic challenge, the goal is to compile enough compelling ideas to spark meaningful conversations and potentially inspire listeners to question their elected officials about policy improvements.
The team has already received numerous suggestions from engaged listeners. Timothy, who spent time living in Taiwan, shared his experience with the country's remarkably straightforward tax system.
You simply used a downloadable program provided by the government to complete your taxes — no complex loopholes, deductions, etc. It took me maybe 30 minutes to complete it.
Timothy expressed enthusiasm for the United States adopting a similar approach, noting that while the lucrative tax preparation industry would likely resist such changes, accountants could simply transition to new career paths.
Another listener, Kate, wrote about Rotating Savings and Credit Associations, commonly known as ROSCAs. These informal savings groups operate across West Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia, with millions of people relying on them rather than traditional banking institutions.
At first glance they seem irrational. Why would you hand your money to a group when you could just save it yourself? But once you dig in, they become a fascinating story about economics, trust, commitment devices, social capital, and financial inclusion.
Planet Money invites readers to share their own encounters with interesting economic ideas discovered while traveling or residing abroad. Submissions should be sent to planetmoney@npr.org with "Summer School" included in the subject line. The team plans to highlight some of the most compelling contributions during the final episode of the series.