Sports bets, romance novels and tech in the public sector

05/11/18 • 48 min

Why is it harder for the government to innovate in the world than for the private sector? We ask a former White House tech expert. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court is about to rule on sports betting. And booksellers and authors in the romance novel industry are pushing for more diverse representation in the traditional publishing world.

Previous Episode

Luck, law, large trade fairs — and lots of allergies

How much of our lives do we actually control? We dive into that question this week and look at seasonal allergies and their financial burden, how one writer got more than lucky at poker and landed in the big bucks, and a peek behind the scenes at who really makes rules for what happens on the internet. Plus, how import and export businesses adapt to the threats of tariffs, and how one police department uses mindfulness to address concerns around aggression in its ranks.

Next Episode

Trade Off Revisited: Stories of tariffs, trade and globalization

Globalization has been touted as this inevitable, unstoppable force. But as the U.S., China and other major economies flex their muscles over trade, is this assumption all wrong? America has a long history of global trade and a varied one. Our economy has swung widely from protecting our very first industries with subsidies and imports to brokering global deals that open borders and lift trade barriers. It’s not pure economics that dictates our trade relationships; it’s politics and social context, too. Who’s gained from open borders and who’s lost? Who are tariffs designed to protect, and have they worked? Trade Off offers stories of work, reward and American attitudes toward the rest of the world. Scott Tong and Sarah Gardner explore the topic across time and geography, from America’s first industrial park in New Jersey — envisioned by Alexander Hamilton — to a growing community of tech workers from India in Kansas City.