About this episode
A famous essay argues that “not a single person on the face of this earth” knows how to make a pencil. How true is that? In this 2016 episode, we looked at what pencil-making can teach us about global manufacturing — and the proper role of government in the economy. SOURCES: Caroline Weaver , creator of the Locavore Guide. Matt Ridley , science writer, British viscount and retired member of the House of Lords Tim Harford , economist, author and columnist for the Financial Times Jim Weissenborn , former CEO of General Pencil Company Thomas Thwaites , freelance designer and associate lecturer at Central Saint Martins. RESOURCES: " When ideas have sex ," by Matt Ridley (TED, 2010). " How I built a toaster — from scratch ," by Thomas Thwaites (TED, 2010). " Look on this toaster, ye mighty, and despair! " by Tim Harford (Financial Times, 2009). " I, Pencil ," by Leonard Read (Foundation for Economic Education, 1958). EXTRAS: “ Fault-Finder Is a Minimum-Wage Job ,” by Freakonomics Radio (2025). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.