In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi and guest Severin Borenstein discuss regulatory punishments for “energy hogs.” Borenstein is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley; faculty director of Berkeley’s Energy Institute in the Haas School of Business; and chair of the board of governors for the California Independent System Operator. These “energy hogs”—households perceived as consuming wasteful and excessive amounts of electricity—may incur higher energy costs as states strive to meet economic and environmental goals. However, Borenstein’s work reveals that benign or even desirable factors, such as having more people in the household, can lead to higher energy use. Borenstein cautions regulators about charging certain households more than is needed to offset the social costs of electricity use. Together, Borenstein and Raimi talk about ways that US states can reach their policy goals without penalizing households that use more energy.

References and Recommendations:

“Energy Hogs and Energy Angels: What Does Residential Electricity Use Really Tell Us about Profligate Consumption?” by Severin Borenstein; https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pandp.20251111

“Infrastructure: A Guide to the Industrial Landscape” by Brian Hayes; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393349832

Hunting for Energy Hogs, with Severin Borenstein

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of October 20, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) following up on recent comments by House Speaker Bryce Edgmon about the situation in western Alaska, we ask whether it could be the final straw that breaks the PFD (2:18); 2) we use a recent op-ed from House Minority Leader Mia Costello to demonstrate that it's not just Ds that push spending without saying how they will pay for it (17:44); and 3) having read the second in his series on the Permanent Fund, we ask whether MustRead Alaska's Jon Faulkner should just start over (37:07).

The Weekly Top 3 (10.20.2025)

What if the labor market is turning a corner? This week on Basis Points, Kevin Flanagan discusses the “other side of the trade” asking whether the Fed and bond market may be underestimating the strength of the jobs picture. With recent Fed commentary focused on labor market risk, Kevin considers the possibility that we’ve already seen the softest prints and how that could shape the path forward for rates and investor expectations. 

Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent. 

Please see the WisdomTree Glossary for additional definitions of terms and/or indexes: https://www.wisdomtree.com/investments/glossary

What If: The Other Side of the Trade

In this episode of the Human Action Podcast, Bob unpacks Lerner’s Symmetry Theorem—the classic result that, under tight conditions, an import tariff is equivalent to an export tax. He applies the framework to recent 100% China‑tariff headlines, explaining why the dollar might strengthen in theory yet sometimes weakens in practice once retaliation and policy signaling are factored in.

The Human Action Podcast on Trump's Tariff Strategy: https://Mises.org/HAP522a 
The Lerner Symmetry Theorem: https://Mises.org/HAP522b

Yes, Tariffs Reduce Imports, but They Also Reduce Exports

This is the latest in my series of podcasts explaining how economics works in the credit crunch and now virus pandemic era. This week I give my thoughts on how the AI stock market boom compares to the dot com one? What did we learn from UK Retail Sales? What about Euro are debt maturities? Have we seen the peak in UK bond yields? Will sanctions on Russia affect the oil price?

Notayesmanspodcast351

This week on TrendsTalk, Taylor St. Germain from ITR Economics breaks down the current labor market conditions and what they mean for your business strategy. With just over one unemployed person per job opening, there’s slight slack in the market, but not for long.

Find out why the next 6 to 9 months may be your best window for hiring before tightening conditions and wage pressures hit hard. Taylor also covers workforce demographics, rising labor costs, and how AI and automation can help offset the people problem.

Slight Slack in the Labor Market Before Tightening Returns

Boomtown
Sitting in Boomtown Kitchen
Just watching the trains go by
Colors of graffiti swirl past my eye

Imagination at the speed of overdrive
Where are they going?
Where have they been?
Can I go too?
Are ya going to the zoo?

These banks used to host the
Ohio River waterways 
Plate glass sent all over the place
Replaced by the steam engine 
and modern transportation 

The rhythmic movement and sound of rail wheel, hitting steel, gives a relaxing thrill

Thinking of all of the possibilities 
If there was an open side door,
Would I jump onboard?
©️Suzyzoo
Picture by Me.

Boomtown

Jesus weeps because He longs for people to experience the peace, purity, and presence of God— but when we harden our hearts or misplace our priorities, we miss the very Savior who came to save us. 

The Savior Who Weeps

In Capitalism and Its Critics: A Battle of Ideas in the Modern World, John Cassidy offers a multi-century history of global capitalism, told through the eyes of its dissenters.

Cassidy is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. His new book blends biography, history, and economic analysis to reveal the roots of urgent debates the business world and society face today, as AI, climate change, and inequality are forcing us to reexamine the economic system.

In his conversation with Nikolaus Lang, global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, Cassidy discusses the main historical themes of capitalism critique, why the system continues to endure, how it is being, and what its future may be in the current context of assaults on the system from both the political left and right.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:44] The main themes of capitalism critique
[04:17] Why capitalism endures
[09:15] The paradox of state capitalism
[14:21] The misunderstood Luddites
[19:09] Trade tensions and global economic asymmetry
[24:45] The role of unpaid domestic labor in driving the capitalist system
[28:50] The most surprising insights in writing the book
[31:33] The future of capitalism

***

About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Capitalism and its Critics with John Cassidy

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of October 27, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain why Legislators should ask those pushing for more spending to clarify at the same time how the proponents propose to pay for it(2:09); 2) we explain why one of the most prominent champions of PFD cuts is the very definition of hypocrisy (19:34); and 3) we discuss why, after taking some odd turns, MustRead Alaska's Jon Faulkner seems to be coming to the right conclusion on the ill-advised proposal to consolidate the two Permanent Fund accounts into one (39:02).

The Weekly Top 3 (10.27.2025)

The Mises Institute, founded in 1982, is an educational institution devoted to advancing Austrian economics, freedom, and peace in the classical-liberal tradition. Our website offers many thousands of free books and thousands of hours of audio and video, along with the full run of rare journals, biographies, and bibliographies of great economists.

Located in Onalaska, Wisconsin, Onalaska Church of Christ is a congregation where people are welcomed as visitors and quickly become friends and family. OCC is dedicated to the spiritual and educational growth of all ages. Our church is deeply rooted in scripture. If you are looking for a church home or spiritual guidance, we would love to help you find answers! We can't wait to meet you!

This is my series of podcasts explaining how economics works in the credit crunch era.

Resources Radio is a weekly podcast by Resources for the Future. Each week we talk to leading experts about climate change, electricity, ecosystems, and more, making the latest research accessible to everyone.

Inspiring and thought-provoking conversations with leading thinkers about influential ideas on business, technology, economics, and science. Hosted by Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, and Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Global Chief Economist of BCG.

For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Macro commentary and expert-led discussions highlight what’s happening now in fixed income investing, so you can prepare for what’s next.

Investing involves risks including loss of principal. This material represents the opinions of the participants at a specific time and is not intended to forecast future events or guarantee future results and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Kevin Flanagan is a registered rep of Foreside Fund Services, LLC.

Our mission: We provide the best economic intelligence to reduce risk and drive practical and profitable business decisions.

New tracks tagged #ECONOMICS