The price of policy

Education, Skills, and the Productivity Illusion

Why doesn’t more education automatically lead to higher productivity? This episode argues that rising qualifications often function as signals in job competition rather than true drivers of value creation. We examine how credential inflation, misaligned incentives in education systems, and institutional structures can suppress productivity growth. Drawing on data and case studies, it shows why economies can stagnate despite higher levels of formal education. The uncomfortable conclusion: it’s not more education, but better incentives that determine economic progress.

Inheritance, Capital, and the Quiet Destruction of Continuity

Inheritance is often framed as a moral question about inequality — but economically it is also a mechanism that transfers businesses and productive capital across generations. When companies pass from parents to children, what is inherited is not only wealth, but also knowledge, relationships, and jobs. Yet when succession becomes a liquidity event through taxation, profitable firms may be forced to sell, take on debt, or break apart. In Europe, where family businesses form the backbone of the economy, successful succession determines the future of millions of jobs. This episode explores why inheritance policy is not just about fairness — but about who ultimately owns the productive foundation of an economy.

Growth, Wealth, and the Dangerous Romance with Envy

Episode one explores why economic growth is often politically undervalued and socially misunderstood. It examines the tension between wealth creation and the growing suspicion toward success in modern politics. Through research, examples, and economic reasoning, the episode explains how incentives shape investment, risk-taking, and opportunity. It also shows why redistribution without growth eventually turns prosperity into conflict over scarcity. Hosted by Matthias Rieger, The Price of Policy looks at what happens when political ideals collide with economic reality.

Trailer

The Price of Policy explores the hidden economic consequences of political decisions. Each episode examines how incentives, institutions, and trade-offs shape growth, wealth, and the welfare state. Instead of outrage or ideology, the podcast focuses on calm analysis and empirical evidence. It asks a simple question: what actually happens when political ideas meet economic reality? Hosted by Matthias Rieger, economics teacher and political commentator.