May 9th, 2009 · Richard Posner is one of the county's leading libertarian thinkers. He and his compatriots at the University of Chicago have put their trust in free, unfettered and barely regulated markets. But Posner's had a recent change of heart. You get clue in the title of his new book, A Failure of Capitalism.
May 3rd, 2009 · The upcoming retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter gives President Barack Obama his first chance to name someone to the nation's highest court. For anyone who's been a constitutional law professor — as the president was at the University of Chicago — getting to reshape the court is the ultimate fantasy. But with the opportunity comes a dizzying array of choices and complications. Guest host Lynn Neary speaks with NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg about how Obama will approach the choice and who he might nominate.
Apr 9th, 2009 · Federal officials are trying to convince people that the economy is improving. They hope to get consumers to start spending again. Ari Shapiro talks to Richard Thaler, a behavioral economist at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, about economic cheerleading and the effect it might have on the economy.
Feb 5th, 2009 · It took a crisis on Wall Street to turn a nation of spenders into a nation of savers. How do events in American history impact changes in financial behavior? Christie Pearson Wohlwend, a San Diego resident, talks about being debt free for the first time in 27 years. Richard Thaler, a professor at the University of Chicago, discusses economic behavior.
Dec 28th, 2008 · Host Liane Hansen speaks with John Cochrane, a finance professor at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, about what the dip in mortgage rates means for the individual consumers and the economy as a whole.
Oct 9th, 2008 · The idea that the government would move in to take over some banks in the U.S. goes against the principles of many free market economists. University of Chicago economic professor Anil Kashyap discusses the government's plan to possibly buy up parts of U.S. banks.
Oct 7th, 2008 · A University of Chicago professor has won a share of the Nobel Prize in physics. Yoichiro Nambu, a Tokyo-born U.S. citizen, shares the prize with two Japanese scientists.
Jan 17th, 2008 · Do minorities spend more on indulgences like cosmetics than other groups? Kerwin Charles, Steans Family Professor at the University of Chicago, considers the numbers behind an urban myth.