This week, I am featuring one of my favorite episodes of This American Life! I listen to most of my podcasts while walking and/or jetting off to the next location, and This American Life always provides me with both entertainment and food for thought. This episode in particular really got me thinking as I made my way to the coffee shop that morning, so I hope you enjoy it as well.
Otherwise known as “How to Create a Job,” this episode is about job creation and how much involvement the government really has in the process. The podcast dissects the idea that government can create jobs by first asking the seemingly innocent question: how does one create a job?
This American Life shows that the answer is more complicated than you might think, and not just from the perspective of government officials. They explore job training programs and conventions of professional economic developers in order to show all sides of the issue. Ultimately, this episode caught my eye (and ear) because it was informative and honest – although it did present a pretty unsatisfying answer to how a job is created. I’ll leave it to you to be the judge of how effective our leaders are at keeping their promises to workers in the US.
Any fans of This American Life already out there? What’s your favorite episode?
Also, I am always looking for new podcasts to listen to, so share yours in the comments! Your favorite ones, ridiculous ones, even very specific ones (I listened to one about the history of knitting fibers before) are all welcome.
Check out more media with the ongoing Caught My Eye series.
You may also be interested in listening to my audio posts Pressing the Record Button and Is Blogging “Giving It Away For Free”?