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Erika Soderstrom

"Marketplace Morning Report" Associate Producer

SHORT BIO

Erika works with a group of extraordinary producers to chase business and economic stories heard on “Marketplace Morning Report.”

Latest Stories (297)

Why it's important we interact with strangers

Journalist Joe Keohane's book, "The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World," examines the advantages of connecting with people we don't know.
There are various advantages and dynamics of interacting with strangers, according to journalist Joe Keohane's book.

Improving the restaurant industry could mean higher prices for diners

The pandemic has revealed some of the long-standing issues within the restaurant industry.
A sign is viewed at a restaurant in New York's Upper West Side on Aug. 17, 2021.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Investing like the super rich doesn't mean top returns

Even with access to private equity and hedge funds, investors won't get the same returns as their wealthier counterparts, a study indicates.
"When you have a lot of money, you get access to the best," says Chris Farrell, Marketplace’s senior economics contributor. And the wealthiest can build up infrastructure to monitor and analyze their investments, he added.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

How much is the U.S. investing in apprenticeship programs?

The infrastructure bill that recently passed in the Senate highlights a disturbing and long-neglected shortage in apprenticeship investments.
While the U.S. invests a lot of money in public higher education, investments in employment training are comparatively slim.
andresr via Getty Images

Who is going to provide funding to Afghanistan under the Taliban?

With the Taliban in control, the business picture there could look foggy to the rest of the world, especially when it comes to how much money the government will actually have.
Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul on August 17, 2021, as the Taliban moved quickly to restart the Afghan capital following their stunning takeover of Kabul and told government staff to return to work.
Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

It checks out — libraries are an "investment that's well worth it"

Marketplace senior economics contributor Chris Farrell discusses how these social institutions continue to give back to communities.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Study underlines the economic importance of early childhood education

Marketplace’s Chris Farrell says research based on the Perry Preschool Project shows broad, long-term benefits of early investment.
K and Pre-K students gather for a class portrait at Yung Wing School in New York City.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Admission by lottery: A proposal to reimagine college acceptance

Jul 2, 2021
Harvard's Michael Sandel says a lottery conveys "what is true in any case: that luck matters as much as effort in admission."
"College is not the engine of upward mobility we assume it to be," says Harvard professor Michael Sandel. He says a lottery for admissions would change that.
Glen Cooper/Getty Images

What challenges face Amazon without Bezos at the helm?

Brad Stone, author of “Amazon Unbound,” explains how Bezos shaped Amazon’s business and culture.
Bezos' personal dedication to innovation and obsession with preventing stagnation at Amazon influenced many of the company's successful projects, but also its failures and its problematic workplace culture.
David Ryder/Getty Images

Banks should have capital set aside to cover crypto losses, regulators say

Regulators want banks to have cushions of capital when it comes to cryptocurrency investments.
Ozan Kose/Getty Images