About this episode
Economists don’t usually talk about “culture.” But Joel Mokyr argues that it’s the engine of innovation — and the Nobel Prize committee agreed. Stephen Dubner sits down for a thousand-year conversation (including advice!) with the new Nobel laureate. SOURCES: Joel Mokyr , economic historian at Northwestern University. RESOURCES: Two Paths to Prosperity: Culture and Institutions in Europe and China, 1000–2000 , by Avner Greif, Joel Mokyr, and, Guido Tabellini (2025). " The Outsize Role of Immigrants in US Innovation ," by Shai Bernstein, Rebecca Diamond, Abhisit Jiranaphawiboon, Timothy McQuade, and Beatriz Pousada (NBER, 2023). A Culture of Growth: The Origins of the Modern Economy , by Joel Mokyr (2016). Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty , by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson (2012). " The Economics of Being Jewish ," by Joel Mokyr ( Critical Review, 2011 ). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.