A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.Try Planet Money+! a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. You'll also get access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without interruptions. sign up at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons. Try Planet Money+! a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. You'll also get access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without interruptions. sign up at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

The Indicator from Planet Money

The idea of a state-run bank in the United States feels like a foreign concept. While public banks are fixtures of the financial system in countries like Canada and Chile, only one state in the U.S. can say they have a public bank. Today, we explore the promises and challenges of public banking in the U.S. and what advocates can learn from 20th-century farmers in North Dakota. 
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How fed up farmers started the only government-run bank in the US