Episode
11. Paul Romer: “I Figured Out How to Get Myself Fired From the World Bank.”
People I (Mostly) Admire · Mar 7, 2026 · 34 min
For many economists — Steve Levitt included — there is perhaps no greater inspiration than Paul Romer, the now-Nobel laureate who at a young age redefined the discipline and has maintained a passion for introducing new ideas to staid debates. Levitt finds out what makes Romer a serial “quitter,” why you can’t manufacture big ideas, and what happened when Romer tried to start a charter city. This…