Uploaded January 2024 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss the resignation of Harvard's President Claudine Gay as well as the issues surrounding academic research such as plagiarism, peer review, academic incentives, and more. Match a donation up to $100 for your favorite charity with GiveWell by going to givewell.org and pick “Podcast” and enter Econ 102 at checkout.
❗️ We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.
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Sponsors: GIVEWELL | NETSUITE
🤲 Have you ever wondered where your donation could have the most impact? GiveWell has now spent over 15 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to the highest impact opportunities they’ve found in global health and poverty alleviation. Make informed decisions about high-impact giving. If you’ve never donated through GiveWell before, you can have your donation matched up to $100 before the end of the year, or as long as matching funds last. To claim your match, go to givewell.org and pick “Podcast” and enter Econ 102 at checkout.
💫 NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite netsuite.com/102 and download your own customized KPI checklist.
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📈 Econ 102 is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: turpentine.co
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LINKS:
- Noahpinion on Substack: https://www.noahpinion.blog/
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X / TWITTER:
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@noahpinion (Noah)
@Econ102_Podcast (Econ 102)
@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)
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TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Episode Preview
(02:35) The Claudine Gay Controversy
(05:59) Bill Ackman's Role
(07:35) Plagiarism's Prevalence in Academia
(10:59) Need for External Scrutiny
(12:24) Universities in the Private Sector
(17:39) The Need for External Scrutiny in Universities
(18:05) SPONSOR: GIVEWELL
(19:44) The Impact of Incentives
(23:08) Issues with Peer Review
(25:19) The Importance of Relevant Research
(26:10) SPONSOR: NETSUITE
(28:48) Research Across Different Fields
(29:42) Theory Papers in Economics
(31:58) Defining 'Waste' in Academic Research
(34:32) Value of Seemingly-Useless Research
(36:14) Incentive in Academia
(36:19) Fields That Refuse to Die
(46:01) Aging Population's Impact on Research
(52:45) Future of Academia
Music License:
BNN6WAKWU10GZYRQ
CTR47RU2EFUIVZFM
IK8SJ0W1THQRWDPA
Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss the resignation of Harvard's President Claudine Gay as well as the issues surrounding academic research such as plagiarism, peer review, academic incentives, and more. Match a donation up to $100 for your favorite charity with GiveWell by going to givewell.org and pick “Podcast” and enter Econ 102 at checkout.
❗️ We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.
--
Sponsors: GIVEWELL | NETSUITE
🤲 Have you ever wondered where your donation could have the most impact? GiveWell has now spent over 15 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to the highest impact opportunities they’ve found in global health and poverty alleviation. Make informed decisions about high-impact giving. If you’ve never donated through GiveWell before, you can have your donation matched up to $100 before the end of the year, or as long as matching funds last. To claim your match, go to givewell.org and pick “Podcast” and enter Econ 102 at checkout.
💫 NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite netsuite.com/102 and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
📈 Econ 102 is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: turpentine.co
–
LINKS:
- Noahpinion on Substack: https://www.noahpinion.blog/
–
X / TWITTER:
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@noahpinion (Noah)
@Econ102_Podcast (Econ 102)
@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)
–
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Episode Preview
(02:35) The Claudine Gay Controversy
(05:59) Bill Ackman's Role
(07:35) Plagiarism's Prevalence in Academia
(10:59) Need for External Scrutiny
(12:24) Universities in the Private Sector
(17:39) The Need for External Scrutiny in Universities
(18:05) SPONSOR: GIVEWELL
(19:44) The Impact of Incentives
(23:08) Issues with Peer Review
(25:19) The Importance of Relevant Research
(26:10) SPONSOR: NETSUITE
(28:48) Research Across Different Fields
(29:42) Theory Papers in Economics
(31:58) Defining 'Waste' in Academic Research
(34:32) Value of Seemingly-Useless Research
(36:14) Incentive in Academia
(36:19) Fields That Refuse to Die
(46:01) Aging Population's Impact on Research
(52:45) Future of Academia
Music License:
BNN6WAKWU10GZYRQ
CTR47RU2EFUIVZFM
IK8SJ0W1THQRWDPA
