The Economy by Decade: The 2000s and The Great Recession

Economics Happy Hour Podcast · Jul 30, 2026 · 1h 7m

The 2000s were so important, we needed a Part 2 to tackle the Great Recession. We unpack how easy credit, soaring housing prices, risky lending, and the financial system combined to create the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Along the way, we debate whether the government bailouts were the right call and talk about the long-term effects that still shape housing, lending, higher education, and personal finance today.

In this episode, we talk about:

* What caused the Great Recession and why there wasn’t one single culprit

* The housing bubble, subprime mortgages, and why…