Give more money to cranks!

Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Dylan Matthews to talk about what the Covid vaccine development process has taught us vaccine development, production, and regulation. They also discuss the way we fund scientific research, evaluating a possible "prize"-based alternative to our current grant-funding system, and some research is analyzed that concerns the resiliency of so-called "forced entrepreneurs," and their businesses' tendency to better weather recessions. Resources: "How to supercharge vaccine production for the next pandemic" by Dylan Matthews (May 20; Vox) "Inside Moderna: The Covid Vaccine Front-Runner With No Track Record and an Unsparing CEO" by Peter Loftus and Gregory Zuckerman (July 1, 2020; Wall Street Journal) "The story of mRNA: How a once-dismissed idea became a leading technology in the Covid vaccine race" by Damian Garde and Jonathan Saltzman (Nov. 10, 2020; STAT News) "Science funding is a mess. Could grant lotteries make it better?" by Kelsey Piper (Jan. 18, 2019; Vox) White paper Hosts: Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.com Dara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublica Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), Senior Correspondent, Vox Credits: Erikk Geannikis, Editor and Producer As the Biden administration gears up, we'll help you understand this unprecedented burst of policymaking. Sign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter. The Weeds is a Vox Media Podcast Network production. Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts About Vox Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Follow Us: Vox.com Facebook group: The Weeds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices