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Planet Money

The Economy Explained
Episode 737: 17 Deals In 17 Minutes

Deals, we got 'em. Richard Baker/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

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Richard Baker/Corbis via Getty Images

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Episode 737: 17 Deals In 17 Minutes

We go on a madcap dash through discounts, bargains and tough tradeoffs. Like the headline says: We bring you stories of 17 deals in just 17 minutes (not counting the intro, the ad, or the credits).

Episode 737: 17 Deals In 17 Minutes

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Episode 736: Messy Nobel

Oliver Hart, winner, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Michael Dwyer/AP hide caption

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Michael Dwyer/AP

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Episode 736: Messy Nobel

What happens when a creativity guru meets the winner of this year's Nobel Memorial Prize in economics? You get life lessons in making art, and negotiating contracts.

Episode 736: Messy Nobel

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Episode 574: The Buffalo Talk-Off
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Podcast

Episode 574: The Buffalo Talk-Off

The story of a guy who tried to make something of himself by getting into a rough business. And the story of a time when the world went wild for debt.

Episode 574: The Buffalo Talk-Off

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Episode 735: President Trump
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Podcast

Episode 735: President Trump

Candidates promise all kinds of things. But once they get into office, it's not always possible to carry through on them. We ask, can Trump do the things he's pledged to do?

Episode 735: President Trump

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Episode 733: A Trunk Full of Truffles
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Podcast

Episode 733: A Trunk Full of Truffles

Truffles are a lumpy, smelly fungus. They're also one of the most coveted foods in the world. Why are they so expensive? And why are people willing to pay so much for them?

Episode 733: A Trunk Full of Truffles

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Episode 413: Our Fake Candidate Meets The People
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Episode 413: Our Fake Candidate Meets The People

On today's show, Planet Money's economist-approved fake candidate makes his first ads. Then we nervously watch to see what a focus group thinks of them.

Episode 413: Our Fake Candidate Meets The People

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Episode 387: The No-Brainer Economic Platform
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Government

Episode 387: The No-Brainer Economic Platform

Behold the Planet Money economic platform, crafted by brilliant economists of all stripes, and pure poison to any politician who embraces it.

Episode 387: The No-Brainer Economic Platform

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Episode 731: How Venezuela Imploded
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Podcast

Episode 731: How Venezuela Imploded

Venezuela has just about every economic advantage a country could ask for: fertile land, good climate, educated population, and oil, lots and lots of oil. So how did it go so wrong?

Episode 731: How Venezuela Imploded

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Episode 730: Self Checkout
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Episode 730: Self Checkout

A doctor treating psychiatric patients in an emergency room created the first self-checkout machine in his spare time. Now he can't stand self checkout. So we take him shopping.

Episode 730: Self Checkout

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Episode 729: When Subaru Came Out
Courtesy of John Nash

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Episode 729: When Subaru Came Out

Subaru's sales had been slumping for years. So the car company took a big risk and targeted a group of consumers that just about everyone else was ignoring.

Episode 729: When Subaru Came Out

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Episode 627: The Miracle Apple
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Podcast

Episode 627: The Miracle Apple

How we got from mealy, nasty apples to apples that taste delicious. The story starts with a breeder who discovered a miracle apple. But discovering that apple wasn't enough.

Episode 627: The Miracle Apple

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Episode 728: The Wells Fargo Hustle
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Episode 728: The Wells Fargo Hustle

We take you inside the headquarters of Wells Fargo bank. It's a place where a bunch of young, stressed-out workers were rewarded for doing some very bad things.

Episode 728: The Wells Fargo Hustle

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Episode 521: The Town That Loves Death
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Episode 521: The Town That Loves Death

On today's episode, we'll take you to a place where dying has become acceptable dinner conversation. A place that also happens to have the lowest healthcare spending of any region in the country.

Episode 521: The Town That Loves Death

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Episode 555: Why Is The Milk In The Back Of The Store?
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Episode 555: Why Is The Milk In The Back Of The Store?

We test two competing theories, from a food writer and an economist. Are customers being forced to walk through the store or is it just practical to keep the milk at the back?

Episode 555: Why Is The Milk In The Back Of The Store?

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Episode 573: Why Textbook Prices Keep Climbing

Textbooks. Richard Baker/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

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Richard Baker/Corbis via Getty Images

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Episode 573: Why Textbook Prices Keep Climbing

Prices of new textbooks have been going up like crazy — faster than food, cars, even healthcare. On today's show: Why textbooks have gotten so expensive.

Episode 573: Why Textbook Prices Keep Climbing

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