PBS NewsHour - Making Sen$e

A Fulbright scholar studying in China found an unusual calling for his language skills and economics knowledge: writing and performing bilingual raps about Chinese development and inequality in Beijing comedy clubs. With songs like “Mo Money, Mo Fazhan” and “Laowai Style,” Jesse Appell’s “macro-raps” became a standup sensation. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

2014 was the best year for job growth since 1999, pushing the unemployment rate to 5.6 percent, according to the Labor Department. What does that mean for interest rates in the coming year? Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on the task of the Federal Reserve to maintain growth while keeping inflation at bay and whether the new numbers are as rosy as they appear.

Do you struggle with slouching, overeating or oversleeping? This holiday season, there’s a gift for that. Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks to Sendhil Mullainathan about consumer innovations that promise to improve your life through behavioral economics.

From retail to e-tail, is Cyber Monday the new Black Friday? Indoor malls have been in decline ever since consumers discovered online shopping, and many retail spaces are either closing or being repurposed as shopping habits evolve. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on the fate of America’s malls from Akron, Ohio.

How do small farms, competing against factory farms, gobble up their share of business? The family-run Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Connecticut relies on Thanksgiving sales for nearly half of their yearly income, selling high-quality birds raised in a free-range environment. Economics correspondent Paul Solman looks at how small businesses struggle in an economy dominated by big business.

Casinos have been Atlantic City’s lifeblood. Now, they’re bottoming out at alarming rates -- four have already closed this year, leaving thousands unemployed. Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores the gamble that elevated Atlantic City in its prime, and how residents and businesses are trying to cope with its decline as a capital of the gambling industry.

After six years of financial stimulus to mitigate the fallout from the 2008 collapse, the Federal Reserve is ending its money creation programs. But the country is still in economic recovery and the role of the Federal Reserve is still being debated. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on the dual nature of its mission to keep inflation in checking while creating jobs.

Recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado and Washington state, and though it’s still illegal under federal law, more states are considering the move, setting the stage for a potential gold rush that could conceivably rival the repeal of prohibition. Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks to entrepreneurs looking to cash in on the cannabis industry.

American employment now exceeds pre-recession levels, but most of the jobs created have lower wages. That's according to May’s government labor data, which shows that despite gains of 200,000 jobs, the unemployment rate hasn't budged. Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks to MIT labor economist Paul Osterman for his take on the numbers.

The BMW factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is luring workers with a program that offers part-time work, an all-expenses paid associates degree and near guarantee of a job and future education down the road. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on how such apprenticeships, modeled after European programs, may boost employment and help tailor curricula to employers’ needs.

Washington state has the highest minimum wage in the nation at $9.32. Can the state’s low-wage workers can meet their basic needs without assistance? Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores the quality of life for a baggage handler at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport and an employee of McDonald's.

In "Capital," French economist Thomas Piketty explores how wealth and the income derived from it magnifies the problems of inequality. Gwen Ifill gets debate on his data and conclusions from Heather Boushey of Washington Center for Equitable Growth and Kevin Hassett of American Enterprise Institute.

On a recent U.S. press tour for his bestselling book "Capital," French economist Thomas Piketty spoke to standing-room-only crowds about his examination of growing, global economic inequality. Economics correspondent Paul Solman interviews Piketty for his take on why inequality of wealth has reverted to a lofty level last seen in 19th century Europe.

The jobs report released Friday finds that employers added 288,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent. However, the dip in unemployment was driven by a sharp decline — more than 800,000 — in the number of people who worked or searched for work last month. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on the dwindling labor force.

Gross domestic product, the total dollar value of goods and services sold in the U.S., has become fundamental to American economic policy. But there are other essential assets, qualities and conditions that GDP can't measure, like the health of the environment or society. Economics correspondent Paul Solman looks at another way of measuring progress that takes more of these variables into account.