This week on Econ 102, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss the pros and cons of Biden's tax plan based on Noah's recent essay. They also answered listener questions on the German economy's success, Japan's government debt management, and strategies for staying well-informed on economic issues. Recommended Podcast: Company Breakdowns Each episode of Company Breakdowns dives into S-1s and series B-and-beyond companies, interviewing founders and investors to break down the companies. First episodes are on Reddit, Klaviyo and Rubrik - which just IPO'd. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0epyYBAxLeF0PsNagdDJAJ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/company-breakdowns/id1743119197 -- SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | HARMONIC Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 https://beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months 🧲 Learn why Craft, Bedrock, NEA and 100s more trust Harmonic’s data to source deals. Harmonic is the most complete startup database, finding new companies as soon as they incorporate and tracking them through IPO. Head to https://bit.ly/harmonicturpentine (and make sure to mention Turpentine VC during your demo.) _ SEND US YOUR Q's FOR NOAH TO ANSWER ON AIR: [email protected] _ LINKS: Noahpinion: Biden is Right https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/biden-is-right-that-we-need-to-raise Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/ -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:51) Biden's Tax Plan: A Critical Analysis (10:45) Argument for and Against Tax Increases (15:41) Sponsor: Beehiiv (16:57) Exploring Capital Gains and Inheritance Taxes (23:07) Impact of Inherited Wealth and Productivity (28:17) Potential Impact of Taxing Unrealized Gains (30:02) Sponsor: Harmonic (31:08) Progressive Wage Subsidies vs. UBI (33:12) Political Activism: Then and Now (43:21) Germany's Success in Manufacturing (45:35) Japan's Government Debt and Deflation (47:45) Discrepancy between S&P 500 Growth Rate and GDP Growth Rate (50:42) Effects of Algorithmic Pricing on Competition (53:45) Noah's News Consumption (56:36) Wrap