Are recessions normal?

Recessions are on lots of people’s minds these days, including Jerome Powell’s. The Federal Reserve chief told Congress on Wednesday that a recession is a “possibility” as the Fed tries to tame inflation. So today, a listener wonders whether recessions are inevitable in our modern economy. We’ll break it down. Plus, we take more of your questions about the effectiveness of gas boycotts, why the Sunshine State — Florida — isn’t leading on solar energy and Kimberly’s favorite cocktail ingredient, bitters! Here’s everything we talked about today: FAQs on recessions from the National Bureau of Economic Research “Odds of a recession rising but vary widely” from Marketplace “Why isn’t the Sunshine State the leader in using solar power?” from The Sun-Sentinel “Would a Gas Boycott Actually Lower Prices at the Pump?” from Money magazine “< Oil: Less Than Zero” from Marketplace alum Stacey Vanek Smith at NPR “How new job-search technologies are affecting the U.S. labor market” from the Washington Center for Equitable Growth Keep sending us your questions. Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voice message at (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.