303. Why Larry Summers Is the Economist Everyone Hates to Love

Freakonomics Radio

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Documentary, Society & Culture

4.6 • 32K Ratings

🗓️ 28 September 2017

⏱️ 50 minutes

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Summary

He's been U.S. Treasury Secretary, a chief economist for the Obama White House and the World Bank, and president of Harvard. He's one of the most brilliant economists of his generation (and perhaps the most irascible). And he thinks the Trump Administration is wrong on just about everything.

Transcript

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0:00.0	We'll start today with a quiz.
0:05.0	First, name a former president of Harvard.
0:09.0	Okay, now name a secretary of the Treasury under President Clinton.
0:14.0	Now name a chief economist in the Obama White House.
0:18.0	Now name a one-time chief economist for the World Bank.
0:23.0	Now name a White House economic advisor under President Reagan.
0:28.0	And now name one of the most outspoken policy critics of President Trump.
0:33.0	How'd you do?
0:34.0	What's that?
0:35.0	Too easy?
0:36.0	All right, let's make it a little harder.
0:38.0	Name a former Harvard president Clinton Treasury Secretary Obama,
0:42.0	chief economist World Bank, chief economist Reagan advisor and Trump critic
0:46.0	who are all the same person.
0:49.0	Hello.
0:51.0	Hey, it's Stephen Dubner. Is that Larry Summers?
0:53.0	Hi, Stephen. How are you?
0:55.0	Larry Summers, or Lawrence H. Summers,
0:59.0	that's how he signed your money when you ran Treasury,
1:01.0	is considered one of the most brilliant, opinionated,
1:04.0	and influential economists of his generation.
1:07.0	Summers' reputation is that he's so smart that if you have a huge position open,
	...

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