The Spin Podcast

Taha Rashid and Gina Washington
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Education
  • Updated Monthly

Is AI a creativity multiplier or an optimization trap? Why do markets act like they’re pricing in emotion rather than rationality? If our decisions are shaped by invisible cognitive biases, can we ever truly call them our own? And when nations invoke a “rules-based order,” whose rules are they really enforcing? Each week, we chase the questions that sit just beneath the obvious, exploring where technology, policy, and culture collide—with depth, curiosity, and a sly wink. Because big ideas deserve both rigor and mischief.

Episodes

  1. Feb 2

    How To Think About Entrepreneurship And Economic Development

    Samir Mayekar has built a battery startup, helped run Chicago’s economic development strategy, and now leads innovation at the University of Chicago. We talk about what startups teach you about the limits of policy, what city hall reveals about power and implementation, and why the Midwest keeps getting innovation wrong — and right.

    How To Think About Entrepreneurship And Economic Development

  2. Jan 11

    Unforgiving Places: The Geography of Violence in Urban America

    Violence feels inevitable. Cities seem increasingly dangerous, moments spiral, and we assume it’s all rational. Planned, organized, premeditated. Jens Ludwig’s research shows that’s not the case. Most crime is fast, emotional, and hyper-local. We talk about why some blocks turn deadly while others stay calm, what actually reduces violence, and the hidden costs of gunfire in America. This is a conversation about the moments, places, and policies that shape urban life.

    Unforgiving Places: The Geography of Violence in Urban America

  3. 12/03/2025

    Make America Poor Again? Rethinking Growth, Debt, and the Fed

    The data looks good. Growth is steady. Markets are high. Yet beneath the headline numbers, Professor Thomas Coleman sees an economy drifting toward deeper structural risk. We talk tariffs, immigration, fiscal credibility, and policies that Make America Poor Again (MAPA). This is a conversation about the policies we see, the risks we don’t, and the economic future we may be drifting toward.

    Make America Poor Again? Rethinking Growth, Debt, and the Fed

  4. Season 1 Trailer

    Apparently, We Like to Talk.

    We said we’d start in June. It’s November. Close enough.

    Apparently, We Like to Talk.

Trailer

About

Is AI a creativity multiplier or an optimization trap? Why do markets act like they’re pricing in emotion rather than rationality? If our decisions are shaped by invisible cognitive biases, can we ever truly call them our own? And when nations invoke a “rules-based order,” whose rules are they really enforcing? Each week, we chase the questions that sit just beneath the obvious, exploring where technology, policy, and culture collide—with depth, curiosity, and a sly wink. Because big ideas deserve both rigor and mischief.

Information

  • Creator
    Taha Rashid and Gina Washington
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Taha Rashid and Gina Washington
  • Show Website
    The Spin Podcast