Wealth of Nations

Wealth of Nations

Top of Mind with Julie Rose - Radio Archive, Episode 18 , Segment 3

Episode: Invasive Species, Wealth of Nations, Stepdads, Hostile Bosses

Mar 4, 2015 10:00 pm
22:50 mins

(51:57) Guest: Grant Madsen, Political Science Professor at BYU Time now for another episode of “Our American Heritage.” This is the weekly appointment we have with BYU history professor Grant Madsen. In the same year that Americans declared their Independence, Adam Smith published his massive inquiry into why some nations seemed to be doing better economically than others. Popularly called the Wealth of Nations, Smith provided a thoughtful meditation on the nature of economic growth, its consequences, and why it might make the world a better place. Smith had more than an economic agenda, though. He also wanted to change politics. Ideally he hoped to bring peace to Europe. Thus, much of his explanation of what we call economics today had to do with social organization and moral reform. In the end, he hoped that free markets might bring people together rather than tear them apart. “Obviously it’s about wealth,” says Madsen, “but a lot of what he’s writing about is how to find a solution to the perpetual problem of war.” “If you want to be wealthy, you have to have a division of labor,” says Madsen. “But Smith is saying wealth is not money—it’s not gold, it’s not silver… you’re wealthy as a nation if you produce more stuff.”

Other Segments

Other Segments

Eat 'Em to Beat 'Em

Guest: Matt Barnes, Assistant Professor in Natural Resources Management at Texas Tech University. Co-founder of invasivore.org

Guest: Matt Barnes, Assistant Professor in Natural Resources Management at Texas Tech University. Co-founder of invasivore.org

G Proteins

Guests: Rebecca Plimpton, PhD. Candidate in Biochemistry at BYU Barry Willardson, Faculty Advisor in the Biochemistry Department at BYU Your ability to react fast – and without having to think “Okay, I need adrenaline” – is a result of a special class of protein that has long mystified scientists. So-called “G” Proteins are like the switchboard operators in your cells, telling various processes when to turn on and off. “We were actually looking for something that happens with G proteins before its attached to the cell membrane. All proteins when they are made start out as a long string of atoms all connected together and in order for the G protein to perform its function that string has to fold into a 3-dimensional, precise shape. Our research looks at how the proteins fold into this shape,” says Plimpton.

Guests: Rebecca Plimpton, PhD. Candidate in Biochemistry at BYU Barry Willardson, Faculty Advisor in the Biochemistry Department at BYU Your ability to react fast – and without having to think “Okay, I need adrenaline” – is a result of a special class of protein that has long mystified scientists. So-called “G” Proteins are like the switchboard operators in your cells, telling various processes when to turn on and off. “We were actually looking for something that happens with G proteins before its attached to the cell membrane. All proteins when they are made start out as a long string of atoms all connected together and in order for the G protein to perform its function that string has to fold into a 3-dimensional, precise shape. Our research looks at how the proteins fold into this shape,” says Plimpton.

Parenting and Depression

Guest: Kevin Shafer, Assistant Professor of Social Work at BYU

Guest: Kevin Shafer, Assistant Professor of Social Work at BYU

Hostile Bosses

Guest: Marie Mitchell, Associate Professor of Management at the University of Georgia The old saying goes that you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. But according to a study published in the journal of Personnel Psychology last month, employees who strike back against their abusive bosses fared better psychologically than those who cowered. “By and large a primary reaction is 3rd party employees get pretty angered by it… abusive supervision is not cool behavior.” Abusive behaviors are “incredibly financially costly to the work environment. These are not productive behaviors for the work environment.”

Guest: Marie Mitchell, Associate Professor of Management at the University of Georgia The old saying goes that you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. But according to a study published in the journal of Personnel Psychology last month, employees who strike back against their abusive bosses fared better psychologically than those who cowered. “By and large a primary reaction is 3rd party employees get pretty angered by it… abusive supervision is not cool behavior.” Abusive behaviors are “incredibly financially costly to the work environment. These are not productive behaviors for the work environment.”

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