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"Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik TorenbergAuthor: Turpentine
Economist and "Noahpinion" writer Noah Smith and investor Erik Torenberg make sense of whats happening in the news, technology, business, and beyond, through the lens of economics. Language: en Genres: Business, Business News, Investing, News Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Immigration Debate w/ Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry and Noah Smith
Episode 116
Friday, 5 December, 2025
In this episode of Econ 102 originally aired on the Sphere Podcast, Noah Smith and Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry sit down for a debate on immigration. They cover the philosophical underpinnings of their arguments, where they find common ground, border enforcement, deportation, public opinion, and more.-Sponsors:NotionAI meeting notes lives right in Notion, everything you capture, whether that's meetings, podcasts, interviews, conversations, live exactly where you plan, build, and get things done. Here's an exclusive offer for our listeners. Try one month for free at https://www.notion.com/lp/econ102.NetSuiteMore than 42,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://www.netsuite.com/102Found Found provides small business owners tools to track expenses, calculate taxes, manage cashflow, send invoices and more. Open a Found account for free at https://found.com/-Shownotes brought to you by Notion AI Meeting Notes - try one month for free at https://www.notion.com/lp/econ102Noah Smith and Pascal Emmanuel Gobry (PEG) engaged in a debate about immigration policy, focusing primarily on illegal immigration and enforcement approaches.The conversation centered on philosophical positions about borders, practical enforcement strategies, and the societal impacts of immigration policies.Both agreed that nations should have borders and control who enters, though they differed on enforcement methods.Noah advocated for employer-focused enforcement through company audits and fines rather than deportations.PEG supported stronger deportation measures and argued for the value of deterrence.They debated whether deportations would reduce crime affecting legal residents.Both agreed on the fiscal costs of illegal immigration as a significant issue.They discussed the political challenges of passing immigration reform.-Timestamps:00:00 Introduction05:00 – Philosophical Foundations: Borders, Nations, and Policy09:00 – “No Human is Illegal” & Historical Context13:25 – Sponsors: Notion | Netsuite15:30 – Enforcement, Detention, and Public Perception24:00 – Asylum Law, Legislative Gridlock, and Political Realities28:10 – Sponsor: Found41:00 – Mass Deportation: Crime, Economics, and Evidence56:00 – Trust, Public Sentiment, and Policy Limits1:10:00 – Final Thoughts & Outro-Listen to the Sphere Podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/48eWEcxSYDyrgjC3lO0EJZYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB2gs2TBXeP7vyn9QUaaxjQ-FOLLOW on X:Pascal - https://x.com/pegobry_enNoah - https://x.com/Noahpinion-Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details, please see https://a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.








