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Erika Soderstrom

"Marketplace Morning Report" Associate Producer

SHORT BIO

Erika works with a group of extraordinary producers to chase business and economic stories heard on “Marketplace Morning Report.”

Latest Stories (264)

How much is the U.S. investing in apprenticeship programs?

The infrastructure bill that recently passed in the Senate highlights a disturbing and long-neglected shortage in apprenticeship investments.
While the U.S. invests a lot of money in public higher education, investments in employment training are comparatively slim.
andresr via Getty Images

Who is going to provide funding to Afghanistan under the Taliban?

With the Taliban in control, the business picture there could look foggy to the rest of the world, especially when it comes to how much money the government will actually have.
Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul on August 17, 2021, as the Taliban moved quickly to restart the Afghan capital following their stunning takeover of Kabul and told government staff to return to work.
Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

It checks out — libraries are an "investment that's well worth it"

Marketplace senior economics contributor Chris Farrell discusses how these social institutions continue to give back to communities.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Study underlines the economic importance of early childhood education

Marketplace’s Chris Farrell says research based on the Perry Preschool Project shows broad, long-term benefits of early investment.
K and Pre-K students gather for a class portrait at Yung Wing School in New York City.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Admission by lottery: A proposal to reimagine college acceptance

Jul 2, 2021
Harvard's Michael Sandel says a lottery conveys "what is true in any case: that luck matters as much as effort in admission."
"College is not the engine of upward mobility we assume it to be," says Harvard professor Michael Sandel. He says a lottery for admissions would change that.
Glen Cooper/Getty Images

What challenges face Amazon without Bezos at the helm?

Brad Stone, author of “Amazon Unbound,” explains how Bezos shaped Amazon’s business and culture.
Bezos' personal dedication to innovation and obsession with preventing stagnation at Amazon influenced many of the company's successful projects, but also its failures and its problematic workplace culture.
David Ryder/Getty Images

Banks should have capital set aside to cover crypto losses, regulators say

Regulators want banks to have cushions of capital when it comes to cryptocurrency investments.
Ozan Kose/Getty Images

China's 3-child policy met with tepid public reception

There's skepticism about whether the policy change will actually address China's shrinking workforce and older population.
One reason? "The work of raising a child, like in many countries, falls disproportionately on women, and women in China have complained of being penalized at workplaces for being a mother," says Marketplace China correspondent Jennifer Pak.
Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

Hedge fund Engine No. 1 wins at least 2 Exxon board seats in climate push

It's the first time climate change activists have succeeded in challenging a big oil company, says business professor Erik Gordon.
The activist hedge fund Engine No. 1 yesterday won enough support from other shareholders to get at least two seats on the board of the oil company Exxon Mobil.
Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images

COVID unemployment is causing a serious funding issue for Medicare

Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund is projected to become insolvent sooner than expected — within three to five years.
The pandemic recession has pushed so many people out of work that funding for Medicare Part A, via payroll taxes, is down.
FG Trade via Getty Images