Author Marina Krakovsky on the Value of Middlemen
January 25, 2016
Products of the Mind Episode 17: Author Marina Krakovsky on the Value of Middlemen
Welcome to Episode 17 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with reporter and author of The Middleman Economy Marina Krakovsky.
“I noticed that people have this very conflicted, often ambivalent attitude toward middlemen; we need them but we often resent them.”
“What is a fair price of a snow shovel after a snowstorm?” Today we chat with Marina Krakovsky, a reporter, researcher, and author. We chat about behavioral economics, or what happens the intersection of psychology and economics. Marina tries to answer the question, “How do people behave in economic situations?”
What is the true role of those “wheelers and dealers” known as economic middlemen? Do middlemen profit fairly; what value do they provide? How is Craigslist both a middleman and a platform for other middlemen? Why is eBay’s “power seller” award a highly coveted middleman status?
Also: Why we use Amazon; why your cable company might be the most reviled middleman; friction-free capitalism; and the six categories of middlemen.
All this and more today with Marina Krakovsky.
- Marina’s Homepage
- Twitter: @marinakrakovsky
- Marina’s Book on Amazon: The Middleman Economy
- The Middleman Economy Site
Honorable mentions from this Episode:
- “Famous” paper on fairness in selling
- Bill Gates’ “The Road Ahead”
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The Credits
Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.
The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.
The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud!
This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram
