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Optimist Economy

Kathryn Anne Edwards and Robin Rauzi

Optimist Economy is the anti-doomscroll economics podcast. Work rules, tax fairness, healthcare, housing costs, retirement security — the economic forces shaping American life have real problems. But also real solutions. Each week, economist Kathryn Anne Edwards and editor Robin Rauzi break down one problem and solution with data, history, humor, and a belief that tools to build a better economy exist. We just haven't tried them. New episodes on Tuesdays.

✨ Support the podcast at: optimisteconomy.com ✨

Ask questions or share your economic worries with us at: optimist.economy@gmail.com

Optimist Economy 2026

Optimist Economy is the anti-doomscroll economics podcast. Work rules, tax fairness, healthcare, housing costs, retirement security — the economic forces shaping American life have real problems. But also real solutions. Each week, economist Kathryn Anne Edwards and editor Robin Rauzi break down one problem and solution with data, history, humor, and a belief that tools to build a better economy exist. We just haven't tried them. New episodes on Tuesdays.

✨ Support the podcast at: optimisteconomy.com ✨

Ask questions or share your economic worries with us at: optimist.economy@gmail.com

Optimist Economy 2026
46hr 31min
Thumbnail for "Can the U.S. Go ‘Cashless?’".
May 12, 202644min 19sec106.4 MB
Thumbnail for "Inflation Risk is the Wrong Recession Lesson".
June 16, 202649min 38sec119.14 MB
Thumbnail for "Make the Economy Work for Freelancers, Too (#askingforafriend)".
June 9, 202648min 9sec115.57 MB
Thumbnail for "About That College Grad Who Can’t Find a Job…".
June 2, 202658min 49sec141.18 MB
Thumbnail for "Should We Cherish the Ultra-Wealthy? (a.k.a. ‘The Cornfield’)".
May 26, 202642min 35sec102.24 MB
Thumbnail for "No Overtime for the Supervisor of Sandwiches".
May 19, 202648min 53sec117.34 MB
Thumbnail for "The 2026 Economy: Make it Make Sense".
May 5, 202658min 12sec139.69 MB
Thumbnail for "Progress is a Long Game".
April 28, 202649min 53sec119.75 MB
Thumbnail for "The Great Wage Stagnation".
April 21, 202646min 54sec112.57 MB
Thumbnail for "Tax Reform Gone Wild".
April 14, 202645min 36sec109.47 MB
Thumbnail for "Nobody's Pulling Up Stakes Anymore".
April 7, 202645min 49sec109.99 MB
Thumbnail for "The Optimists Have Questions…".
March 31, 202654min 24sec130.57 MB
Thumbnail for "Corporate Profits Are Up. Their Tax Bill Should Be Too.".
March 24, 202642min 22sec101.69 MB
Thumbnail for "If AI Gets Hired, America Can Handle It".
March 17, 202651min 21sec123.28 MB
Thumbnail for "Boomers Didn’t Ruin Everything. Really.".
March 10, 202649min 38sec119.14 MB
Thumbnail for "Can $1,000 at Birth Make Us a Country of Savers?".
March 3, 202648min 48sec117.13 MB
Thumbnail for "Social Security Upgrades for Retirement's Realities".
February 24, 202657min 59sec139.17 MB
Thumbnail for "What The Actual Fed.".
February 17, 202652min 45sec126.63 MB
Thumbnail for "We Don't Have a Housing Shortage. We Have a Paycheck Shortage.".
February 10, 202645min 7sec108.3 MB
Thumbnail for "Affordability vs. the Poverty Line".
February 3, 202648min 10sec115.64 MB
Thumbnail for "$79 Trillion Worth of Income Inequality".
January 27, 202649min 15sec118.22 MB
Thumbnail for "We're Back with a Backlog of Optimism".
January 20, 202655sec2.22 MB
Thumbnail for "What’s the Skinny on Laws that Make Salaries Public?".
What’s the Skinny on Laws that Make Salaries Public?
December 10, 202515min 59sec15.36 MB
Thumbnail for "Thanksgiving Prep: An Optimist’s Guide to Dinner Table Debate".
Thanksgiving Prep: An Optimist’s Guide to Dinner Table Debate
November 20, 202553min 9sec51.03 MB
Thumbnail for "Retcon on Season One (+ Executive Orderpalooza)".
Retcon on Season One (+ Executive Orderpalooza)
October 21, 202541min 28sec39.82 MB
Thumbnail for "How Health Insurance Got Shackled to Jobs".
How Health Insurance Got Shackled to Jobs
October 14, 202551min 1sec48.98 MB
Thumbnail for "Optimist Q&A: Evidence for UBI, What to Do About Billionaires, and Where Will the U.S. Economy Be After Trump?".
Optimist Q&A: Evidence for UBI, What to Do About Billionaires, and Where Will the U.S. Economy Be After Trump?
October 7, 202552min 29sec50.39 MB
Thumbnail for "Can We Fix America's Broken Unemployment Insurance System?".
Can We Fix America's Broken Unemployment Insurance System?
September 30, 20251hr 8min65.23 MB
Thumbnail for "The Ghost Recession: A Brief Economic History of Now".
The Ghost Recession: A Brief Economic History of Now
September 23, 20251hr58.18 MB
Thumbnail for "The Cash-for-Kids Study: Misread and Misrepresented".
The Cash-for-Kids Study: Misread and Misrepresented
September 16, 202549min 47sec47.8 MB
Thumbnail for "The Case for Going Big on Paid Leave".
The Case for Going Big on Paid Leave
September 9, 202554min 37sec52.44 MB
Thumbnail for "Aren’t Free School Meals a Conservative's Dream Policy?".
Aren’t Free School Meals a Conservative's Dream Policy?
September 2, 202554min 10sec52.01 MB
Thumbnail for "Looking Beyond the Unemployment Rate".
Looking Beyond the Unemployment Rate
August 26, 202557min 37sec55.32 MB
Thumbnail for "GDP Was Never Going to Make You Happy".
GDP Was Never Going to Make You Happy
August 19, 202553min 21sec51.22 MB
Thumbnail for "How to Actually Help Young Men Struggling in Our Economy".
How to Actually Help Young Men Struggling in Our Economy
August 12, 202559min 45sec57.38 MB
Thumbnail for "What You Don’t Know About Poverty".
What You Don’t Know About Poverty
August 5, 202547min 34sec45.68 MB
Thumbnail for "Q&A Part 2: Working Two Jobs, Incentives vs. Handouts, the Gold Standard, and Government ROI".
Q&A Part 2: Working Two Jobs, Incentives vs. Handouts, the Gold Standard, and Government ROI
July 31, 202531min 58sec30.71 MB
Thumbnail for "Q&A Part 1: Tax Philosophy, Liberal vs. Conservative Economists, Marriage vs. Poverty and More".
Q&A Part 1: Tax Philosophy, Liberal vs. Conservative Economists, Marriage vs. Poverty and More
July 29, 202543min 9sec41.44 MB
Thumbnail for "A Million Reasons to Raise the Minimum Wage".
A Million Reasons to Raise the Minimum Wage
July 22, 202558min 24sec56.07 MB
Thumbnail for "Collective Bargaining Without the Unionization Battles".
Collective Bargaining Without the Unionization Battles
July 15, 202552min 31sec50.86 MB
Thumbnail for "The Tax We’re 99.93% Sure That You Will Never Pay".
The Tax We’re 99.93% Sure That You Will Never Pay
July 8, 202554min 59sec52.79 MB
Thumbnail for "About That College Grad Who Can’t Find a Job…".
About That College Grad Who Can’t Find a Job…
July 1, 202555min 12sec53 MB
Thumbnail for "Simple Immigration Economics: Bigger is Better".
Simple Immigration Economics: Bigger is Better
June 24, 202550min 44sec48.72 MB
Thumbnail for "Work Requirements Don’t Work".
Work Requirements Don’t Work
June 17, 202553min 44sec51.59 MB
Thumbnail for "The U.S. is in the Hole. Will We Stop Digging?".
The U.S. is in the Hole. Will We Stop Digging?
June 10, 202550min 43sec48.7 MB
Thumbnail for "College Rules! But Student Loans are a Hot Mess!".
College Rules! But Student Loans are a Hot Mess!
June 3, 202558min 57sec56.6 MB
Thumbnail for "OE Lightning Round: Kathryn Edwards Takes Your Economy Questions".
OE Lightning Round: Kathryn Edwards Takes Your Economy Questions
May 27, 202549min 34sec47.6 MB
Thumbnail for "The Invisible Hand Doesn’t Want to Change Diapers".
The Invisible Hand Doesn’t Want to Change Diapers
May 20, 202558min 47sec56.44 MB
Thumbnail for "A Family Bill for a Shrinking U.S.".
A Family Bill for a Shrinking U.S.
May 13, 202551min 32sec49.48 MB
Thumbnail for "Progress is a Long Game".
Progress is a Long Game
May 6, 202551min 4sec49.04 MB
Thumbnail for "Paid Sick Days for Lady Gaga (and Everyone Else Too)".
Paid Sick Days for Lady Gaga (and Everyone Else Too)
April 29, 202542min 31sec40.83 MB
Thumbnail for "AI Suggested Five Horrible Titles for This Episode".
AI Suggested Five Horrible Titles for This Episode
April 22, 202545min 43sec43.9 MB
Thumbnail for "Work Rules for the Modern World".
Work Rules for the Modern World
April 15, 202538min 28sec36.94 MB
Thumbnail for "Robin Loves a Tax Story".
Robin Loves a Tax Story
April 8, 202533min 27sec32.12 MB
Thumbnail for "Social Security Don’t Miss".
Social Security Don’t Miss
April 1, 202552min 45sec50.64 MB
Thumbnail for "Is This a Recession or Not?".
Is This a Recession or Not?
March 28, 202547min 20sec45.45 MB
Thumbnail for "An Elegy for the DEI Boogeyman".
An Elegy for the DEI Boogeyman
March 25, 202530min 34sec29.35 MB
Thumbnail for "All We've Tried is Nothing!".
All We've Tried is Nothing!
March 18, 202518min 29sec17.76 MB
Thumbnail for "Welcome to Optimist Economy".
Welcome to Optimist Economy
March 17, 20251min 5sec1.05 MB

Can the U.S. Go ‘Cashless?’

Thumbnail for "Can the U.S. Go ‘Cashless?’".
May 12, 202644min 19sec

Cash is dirty, inconvenient, and so last century. Some 70% of Americans under age 50 think its days are numbered. But we still need those greenbacks, if as an alternative to banks. More than 4% of households are “unbanked,” and three times as many are “underbanked,” meaning bank services mostly don’t work for them, so rely on services like check cashers or payday lenders. And that's before you get to the racial disparities in who banks approve for credit. Reviving banking services at the post office might be one way to help the unbanked and keep from handing yet more power to the finance sector. 


Chapters:

00:00:48 Announcements

00:02:30  Retcon: Semiquincentennia 

00:03:35 Terms & Conditions: ChexSystems, Unbanked

00:05:46  Big Pilcrow: What’s keeping the U.S. from going cashless?

00:38:28  Executive Orders: Regulate youth sports schedules; Airline baggage fees by weight.

00:40:56  Spiritual Sponsors: Artemis splashdown; Friends with season tickets.

Have a questions for our next Q&A? Send it to optimist.economy@gmail.com

Thumbnail for "Can the U.S. Go ‘Cashless?’".
Can the U.S. Go ‘Cashless?’
00:00
44:19