Summer School 6: When the markets need a designer
Planet Money
2025/08/06
Summer School 6: When the markets need a designer
Summer School 6: When the markets need a designer

Planet Money
2025/08/06
Shownote
Shownote
LIVE SHOW: August 18th in Brooklyn. Tickets here. (PM+ supporters get a 10 percent discount off their tickets. Listen to the July 8th bonus episode to get the code!) In economics, a market is a place (even virtual) where buyers and sellers meet to exchang...
Highlights
Highlights
Markets are everywhere, shaping how we buy, sell, and trade everything from fish to television spectrum. But when markets aren't designed well, they can lead to dangerous conditions, unfair practices, or even collapse. This episode dives into the concept of market design—how economists create systems to make markets more efficient, safer, and more equitable. From Alaskan fisheries to high-stakes spectrum auctions, the episode reveals how the rules of the game can change outcomes dramatically.
Chapters
Chapters
When Markets Go Wrong: The Hidden Dangers of Poor Design
00:00Fishing for Solutions: How Alaska Transformed Its Deadly Industry
13:29Who Gets What? The Struggle to Divide Natural Resources Fairly
16:21Selling the Airwaves: Inside the High-Stakes Spectrum Auctions
22:02Building Better Markets: The Rules That Make Markets Work
34:06Transcript
Transcript
Speaker 5: This message comes from Instacart. It's that time of year again, back-to-school season. And Instacart knows that. The only thing harder than getting back into the swing of things is getting all the back-to-school supplies, snacks, and essentials...