The economy could use more storytellers

Bennett Purser and Kai Ryssdal Oct 21, 2019
HTML EMBED:
COPY
English majors in University are down 25.5% since the financial crisis. Win McNamee/Getty Images

The economy could use more storytellers

Bennett Purser and Kai Ryssdal Oct 21, 2019
English majors in University are down 25.5% since the financial crisis. Win McNamee/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

College degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) are seen as lucrative, reliable path to a career. But an uptick in STEM majors since the financial crisis means English majors are down 25.5%, which appears to be worrying some economic leaders.

That’s because a number of prominent economists are concerned they aren’t doing a good enough job telling economic stories. The governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Philip Lowe, recently urged economists to spend less time on numbers and more time on storytelling. The Federal Reserve Board here, meanwhile, is currently searching for a senior speech writer.

Heather Long, economics corespondent at The Washington Post, spoke to “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal about her reporting on this idea.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.