Jan 19, 2021
Rigging a game of Monopoly to illustrate economic inequality
A psychology experiment using a rigged Monopoly game reveals how inequality replicates itself.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
An academic study featuring the board game shows that random success goes to our heads, with implications for widening economic inequality. Plus, Biden's pick to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And, Janet Yellen's confirmation hearing to become the next secretary of the treasury begins.
Segments From this episode
President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Rohit Chopra to be the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Marketplace’s Jasmine Garsd reports.
Janet Yellen begins her confirmation hearing in the Senate to become the next secretary of the treasury
“Her prepared testimony is basically a pitch for the $1.9 trillion stimulus proposed by President-elect Biden last week,” said Christopher Low, chief economist at FHN Financial. “So she will be in the Senate chamber, pitching this new stimulus, which, of course, is partly COVID relief, but also a down payment on the incoming president’s vision for spending in his first term.” Low also said Yellen is on the side of expansive spending right now. “And the reasoning is that even though we have a fairly large deficit, interest rates are so low, it makes sense to spend money now,” Low said. “Which, interestingly enough, right, is a message that we’ve also heard from officials at the Fed.”
Music from the episode
Stressed Out Twenty One Pilots
The team
David Brancaccio
Host
Victoria Craig
Host, BBC
Stephen Ryan
Senior Producer, BBC
Jonathan Frewin
Producer, BBC
Daniel Shin
Producer
Jay Siebold
Technical Director
Brian Allison
Engineer
Meredith Garretson Morbey
Senior Producer
Erika Soderstrom
Producer
Rose Conlon
Producer
Alex Schroeder
Producer
