Smarter in Ten Podcast

The Lindy Effect

in this episode, we’re exploring a concept that helps you predict what’s going to last — not just in books and technologies, but in habits, institutions, and even personal decisions.
It’s called the Lindy Effect — and it offers a surprising insight:
The longer something has survived, the longer it’s likely to keep surviving.
Let’s get smarter.
What Is the Lindy Effect?
The Lindy Effect comes from a blend of observation and mathematics. The core principle is this:
For non-perishable things — like books, ideas, or technologies — their future life expectancy is proportional to their current age.

Veblen Goods — When Higher Prices Increase Demand

Today, we are dealing with a concept that flips conventional wisdom upside down.
In most cases, higher prices reduce demand — that’s Econ 101. But what if, in some markets, raising the price actually increases desire?
That’s the paradox of the Veblen Good — a product that becomes more appealing the more expensive it gets.
Let’s get smarter.

Baumol’s Cost Disease

Today, we’re digging into a concept that helps explain why certain services — such as college tuition, healthcare, or live theater — continue to increase in cost, even when their quality doesn’t appear to change.
It’s called Baumol’s Cost Disease, and while the name sounds medical, it’s really about the economics of labor, productivity, and pricing.
Let’s get smarter.
What Is Baumol’s Cost Disease?
Baumol’s Cost Disease is a theory developed by economists William Baumol and William Bowen in the 1960s. Their original question was:
Why do costs rise so quickly in performing arts, like live orchestras and theater, even when productivity doesn’t improve?
 

Say’s Law — Supply Creates Demand

Today we’re tackling a principle that once dominated economic thinking — a phrase you’ve probably heard boiled down to: “Supply creates its own demand.”
This is Say’s Law, a foundational idea in classical economics — and also one of the most hotly debated.
Let’s get smarter.

The Law of Supply and Demand — Basic Market Forces

This is the Law of Supply and Demand — the invisible force behind price changes, market movements, business strategy, and even what you pay for eggs.
Let’s get smarter.
What Is the Law of Supply and Demand?
At its core, the Law of Supply and Demand explains how prices are determined in a market economy through the interaction of two forces:
Demand: How much of a good or service people want at different prices
Supply: How much of that good or service producers are willing to offer at those prices
When these two forces meet, they create a market equilibrium — a price and quantity that balances what buyers want with what sellers are willing to provide.
Prices aren’t random. They’re signals — constantly adjusting to match supply and demand in real time.
Let’s Break It Down

Theory of Comparative Cost

Today we’re revisiting a cornerstone of international economics. It’s a concept so simple in logic yet so powerful in implication that it underlies the entire modern global trading system.
This is the Theory of Comparative Cost — and it explains why countries, companies, and even individuals should specialize in what they do best, even if they’re better at everything.
Let’s get smarter.
What Is the Theory of Comparative Cost?
The Theory of Comparative Cost, more commonly known as Comparative Advantage, was developed by the British economist David Ricardo in the early 19th century.
Here’s the core idea:
A country (or person) should specialize in the goods or services for which it has the lowest opportunity cost, and trade for everything else — even if it could produce all of them more efficiently.

What Is the Solow Model?

Today we’re exploring a foundational model that tries to answer a huge question: What drives long-term economic growth?
It’s called the Solow Growth Model, and it’s one of the most important tools economists use to understand why some countries grow rich, while others stay poor — and what it takes to sustain prosperity over time.
Let’s get smarter.
Why Study Growth?
In economics, we care a lot about GDP growth — the rate at which an economy produces goods and services.

Kuznets Curve

today we’re looking at a concept that’s as provocative as it is controversial — a theory that asks: Does inequality get worse before it gets better?
It’s called the Kuznets Curve, and it’s been central to debates about growth, fairness, and whether rising prosperity naturally leads to a more equal society.
Let’s get smarter.
What Is the Kuznets Curve?
The Kuznets Curve is a graphical hypothesis that suggests there’s a predictable relationship between a country’s level of economic development and its level of income inequality.
The shape of the curve is an inverted U:
At the early stages of development, inequality rises.
At later stages, inequality falls.

Nash Equilibrium

Today we’re diving into a concept that transformed not only economics, but also political science, business negotiations, and military planning.
It’s called the Nash Equilibrium, and it explains why — in many strategic situations — people don’t necessarily choose the best overall outcome… but instead settle on a stable one, even if it’s suboptimal.
Let’s get smarter.
What Is a Nash Equilibrium?
A Nash Equilibrium occurs when each player in a game chooses their best strategy given what everyone else is doing — and no one has anything to gain by changing their own choice alone.
In simpler terms: once everyone has chosen their strategy, no one wants to move — because moving makes them worse off unless others move too.
It’s a state of mutual best responses — a kind of strategic ceasefire.
 

The Phillips Curve

What Is the Phillips Curve?
The Phillips Curve is a graphical representation of the inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment.
In its original form, it suggests that:
When unemployment is low, inflation tends to rise.
When unemployment is high, inflation tends to fall.
The idea is that tight labor markets drive up wages, which in turn push up prices — leading to inflation. Conversely, during periods of high unemployment, wage growth slows, reducing inflationary pressure.
So the curve suggests a trade-off: if you want lower unemployment, you might have to accept higher inflation — and vice versa.