Shock Values: Prices and Inflation in American Democracy Cover
Podcast Mentions

Shock Values Prices and Inflation in American Democracy

Carola Binder

How inflation and deflation fears shape American democracy. Many foundational moments in American economic history—the establishment of paper money, wartime price controls, the rise of the modern Federal Reserve—occurred during financial panics as prices either inflated or deflated sharply. The gov...

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Freakonomics Radio

Podcast

Freakonomics Radio

Jason Zinnamon's book, 'Shock Value', was discussed in relation to the horror films of the 1970s, particularly in the context of the impact of 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' on the decline of hitchhiking.

"

Jason Zinnamon is a theater critic for The New York Times and he's the author of a book called Shock Value, which is about the horror films of the 1970s.

— Episode: 68. The Power of the President -- and th...

Episode: 68. The Power of the President -- and the Thumb

Jason Zinnamon's book, 'Shock Value', was discussed in relation to the horror films of the 1970s, particularly in the context of the impact of 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' on the decline of hitchhiking.

"

Jason Zinnamon is a theater critic for The New York Times and he's the author of a book called Shock Value, which is about the horror films of the 1970s.

Marketplace

Podcast

Marketplace

The book was brought up to give listeners historical context on how the government has intervened in price stabilization, especially the extensive price controls of World War II and the politicization of monetary policy during crises. The host said it helped fill a gap in their understanding of inflation and highlighted the massive state effort required for price controls, noting the limited popular support for such measures.

Episode: The complexity of succession planning 

Binder explores the history of government intervention in price stabilization, specifically focusing on the World War II era's price controls and the politicization of monetary policy during emergencies like the pandemic.

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In her new book, Shock Values, Prices and Inflation in American Democracy, she looks back at the history of how the government, through the Fed and policy, has tried to stabilize prices.

The book really looks at the different ways that the government has tried to either stabilize or manage prices, and monetary policy is only one part of that.

The price controls really involved a massive state effort, right? Because you had to have surveillance to make sure that they were being complied with.

But I don't think that there was anywhere near the popular support that would have been needed for a really broad based system of price controls like that.

I felt like there was something missing in what I knew about inflation and I wanted to learn it.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.