You don’t need to be paying too much attention to be aware that economic growth matters. Growth is central to economics. And growth of the last 60 years has delivered. We’ve seen a rise in prosperity, and developments in health and education. But the pursuit of growth has also had consequences. In his new book Growth: A Reckoning, Daniel Susskind explores the tension between the positives and negatives created by the pursuit of growth. Guest: Daniel Susskind, Research Professor in Economics at King’s College London ..read more

Research shows loneliness costs the Australian economy $2.7 billion per year or $1565 per person. The World Health Organisation has also declared loneliness to be a global health concern. And it’s estimated loneliness has an equivalent health impact on the body to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Before the pandemic older Australians were found to be the loneliest in the nation. But now the data now shows this has shifted and younger Australians are the feeling the effects of being alone and isolated. Technology has allowed us to be more connected than before, but has all this left us lonelier tha ..read more

The growth of cyber-crime is considered to be the biggest challenge facing Australian businesses. Collectively cyber-attacks cost the economy $42 billion dollars last year, with ransomware the most disruptive type of hack, costing $3 billion. So what is the government doing? And what can organisations do, both to lower their risk of attack, and if the hackers succeed in accessing their systems? Guests Nick Espinosa, Chief Security Fanatic, Security Fanatics Dr Jay Jeong, Senior Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Dr David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security, Griffith Universit ..read more

New research suggests that the increase in vaping across Australia will cost the health system an extra $180 million each year and that’s a conservative figure. Vaping has been framed as a way to stop smoking tobacco, however it can also be a gateway to taking it up. It’s estimated that 13 per cent of people who vape transition to cigarettes. The Australian government has called vapes a public health menace and introduced restrictive anti-vaping policies. But are these policies intended to drive positive change giving rise to a dangerous black-market? Guests: Professor Louisa Collins, QIMR Ber ..read more

Twice a year most Australians are made to deliberately mess with our body clocks. When we go into daylight saving and when we come out. Many of us love the longer summer evenings. What we don’t love is the sleep adjustment that makes us feel tired, fuzzy and out of sorts. There are plenty of arguments about whether daylight saving is a good or bad thing. So in this episode we look at the costs and benefits and whether it’s time to rethink the concept. Guests: Dr Thomas Sigler, Associate Professor, University of Queensland Allison Schrager, Economist & Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institu ..read more

As we head into Easter you may have noticed the price of your seasonal sweet treats like chocolate bunnies and eggs are a bit higher than last year. The main reason is the price of cocoa beans or actually, the price of cocoa futures. They’ve skyrocketed by more than 100% in 2024 alone and tripled over the past year. But why is that and will we be prepared to keep paying higher prices for the sweet stuff? Guests Tina Angelidis: Co-Owner, Adora Chocolates Pia Piggott: Associate Analyst, Rabobank Professor John Dumay: Accounting & Finance, Macquarie Business School Paul Zahra: CEO, Australian ..read more

In the country’s most expensive housing markets, family help and the ‘bank of mum and dad’ is increasingly necessary for younger people to buy homes. But could this entrench and perpetuate lasting advantage for those already part of the property-owning class? Guests Dr Julia Cook: Senior lecturer, Sociology, University of Newcastle Dr Laurence Troy: Senior lecturer in Urbanism, University of Sydney Dr Monique McKenzie: Post doctoral research associate, University of Sydney Sophie Renton: Managing Director at social research firm, McCrindle ..read more

Innovation sparks thoughts of tech giants, inventions and Silicon Valley. While those companies in Cupertino may be good at generating extreme wealth, they’re not so good at spreading it across the communities they benefit from. Other places do better, particularly Switzerland, Sweden and Austria. What can we learn from them? Guest: Neil Lee, Author, Innovation For The Masses: How To Share The Benefits Of The High-Tech Economy ..read more

Wage theft costs Australia’s workforce at least a billion dollars a year. Some industries, like retail, hospitality and horticulture are renowned for it. But the practice is widespread across many sectors. There’s been wage theft cases against franchises like 7 Eleven and Bakers Delight, institutions like universities and the ABC, and corporate giants like Coles and the Commonwealth Bank. So which workers are most vulnerable and what can be done to protect them? Guests: Giuseppe Carabetta, Associate Professor of Workplace and Business Law at the University of Technology, Sydney Business School ..read more

The market concentration of the beer industry.  ..read more