Today on The Gist, ExxonMobil Chief Economist Tyler Goodspeed discusses his new book, Recession: The Real Reasons Economies Shrink and What to Do About It. Goodspeed argues that we fundamentally misunderstand economic busts. Because we are "pattern-seeking mammals," we try to frame recessions as the inevitable, moral punishments for greedy economic booms. But historically, economic downturns are actually driven by random, unpredictable shocks—from the 2001 dot-com bust to a literal plague of locusts in the 1870s. Plus, breaking down the recent federal court ruling striking down Donald Trump's executive order aimed at defunding NPR, and the painful irony of winning a First Amendment battle while still losing the cash.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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