Like Popsicles, sunscreen and swimming holes, it has become a summer tradition. Planet Money Summer School is back. (You can listen to past seasons here. We've explored topics like economic history, investing and the basics of micro- and macroeconomics.)

This season, our free economics course for your ears tries to answer the question that has been captivating economists since the dawn of the field: What role can or should the government play in shaping the economy?

We hear a lot about the invisible hand of the free market. But what about the visible hand of the government? We're diving deep into the waters of political economy. How big does a government have to be before you can call it "big government," and where should the market end and the public sector take over?

Every Wednesday this summer, we'll hear stories of how the decisions from inside political institutions can make us all richer … or can completely bungle everything and hold back economic growth.

In case you missed it, in our first episode, we asked: Why are some nations rich and others poor? We travel to Jamaica and Peru to find examples of when the government can help and when it doesn't. We talk with Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist Simon Johnson, the former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund and a winner of the 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

In the coming weeks, we'll ask how governments can use taxes to change our collective behavior and improve society. And we'll find out how to tell the difference between the taxes that are a drag on economic dynamism and the taxes that repair a market failure.

We'll have a whole class on how government regulations affect every little part of our lives, sometimes for good and sometimes for reasons that no one can figure out. Should you need a license to be a dentist? A dental hygienist? How about to cut hair? Or braid hair? Has occupational licensing gotten out of control?

We'll look at how the government can help encourage innovation through protection of property rights. We've got a meaty case study sure to heat up class debate: whether you should be able to patent a cut of steak.

And we'll explore the track record of "industrial policy " — when governments try to reengineer the economy and boost particular sectors. This one takes us on an international journey to the literal ends of the earth, where we watch a radical attempt to remake the international supply chain.

Plus, this season we'll be taking Planet Money Summer School live! You can buy tickets here!

On Aug. 18, at the Bell House in New York City, join us for a live recording of Planet Money Summer School! Host Robert Smith and special guests will host an evening of storytelling for the ages as well as a graduation ceremony, economic trivia, games and a totally not-stressful night of politics, economics and solving the world's problems. Note: In this graduation ceremony, the degree is very literally worth only what you put into it.

VIP tickets include early access to the Bell House and a meet and greet with Planet Money staff.

Planet Money+ supporters get early access to each episode of Planet Money Summer School all summer long and 10% of tickets to the event. Sign up here.

Supporting PM+ is the best way to show you value our journalism and to help us keep doing ambitious reporting and rigorous fact-checking on the economy right now.