Various sources report that the Biden Administration is set to release its plan to deal with student indebtedness. Cancellation? Forgiveness? Refinance? Today’s episode covers the spirited debate surrounding student loan forgiveness and the structural issues that plague the American system of higher education. We cover the history of student loans and how perverse incentives, corporate greed and colleges with endless appetites for growth created a juggernaut of debt and bureaucracy no amount of forgiveness can fix. And, we build a case for policy measures that can restore some balance in the system.

Chapters

Prologue: 00:01:25

Intro: 00:03:08

Chapter One: So…How bad is it? 00:04:07

Chapter Two: The Best of Intentions: 00:13:02

Chapter Three: Take it away, Sallie Mae: 00:20:36

Coffee Break: 00:29:49

Chapter Four: The Tuition Death Spiral: 00:30:31

Chapter Five: To forgive or not to forgive? 00:35:25

Post Show Musings: 00:47:05

Outro: 01:09:07

Resources

The Atlantic: Who Really Benefits From Student-Loan Forgiveness?

Education Data Initiative: Student Loan Debt by Race

Sallie Mae: Annual Report

Sallie Mae: Proxy Satement

The New York Times: Student Debt Is Crushing. Canceling It for Everyone Is Still a Bad Idea.

Brookings: Student loan forgiveness is regressive whether measured by income, education, or wealth

Jacobin: On Student Debt Forgiveness, Joe Biden Is Pushing Stringent Means-Testing Yet Again

Federal Student Aid: Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Book Love

Josh Mitchell: The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe

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