The Universal Basic Income experiment in Keny...

Squishy, slimy, fidgety toys are having a moment. But it’s more than just an anxiety-soothing, social-media fueled trend – these toys are reshaping how toys get made.Today on the show, we have the story of the once-humble squishy dumpling and what it teaches us about how to make ...  Show more

Let’s call it the luxury of restraint. This is what enabled Norway to avoid the fate of so many other countries when they discovered oil and it changed the mix of their economy overnight.Norway! It’s expensive, wealthy, and abundant in resources. We’re going to compare two of the ...  Show more

Here's a thought experiment: You want to spend a reasonably large sum of money providing assistance to a group of people with limited means. There's a lot of ways you might do that with a lot of strings and saf ...

What’s the best way to help people in need? In the past, humanitarian aid has focused on providing shelter and food, but there’s a growing move towards direct cash payments. We'll take you to Syria, Egypt and Kenya to find out how it works and why it's being embraced.We speak to ...  Show more

For many, the logic seemed unassailable: Giving poor families money would measurably improve the lives of their children. And so a few years ago, social scientists set out to test whether that assumption was right.

The results of the experiment have shocked them.

The idea of giving poor people cash, no strings attached, is "very unappealing" for most donors, admits economist Michael Faye -- but it's still one of the best ways to help the poor. Michael and Julia discuss the philosophy behind his organization (GiveDirectly), the evidence we ...  Show more