Economics, decoded for life.
We believe economics helps you make better decisions, at home, at work, and in the classroom. We explain the economics, what it means for you, and how to talk about it with confidence.
We make sense of your economy.
Every day, you see headlines about inflation, interest rates, and the job market. Most of them stop at what happened. We go to the next layer. Why it happened. And what it means for you.
Decode Econ is led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Bahrani, an economist and professor at Northern Kentucky University who has been explaining economics to anyone who'll listen since 2006. The articles, the newsletter, the podcast, and the videos all live here.
Teach economics with a community behind you.
The best ideas I've used in class came from other teachers. The Decode Econ Educator Network (DEEN) brings economics and business educators together, from high school classrooms to college lecture halls, to get better at teaching, together.
We meet for an hour each month, trade assignments, and share work in progress: a new study, an activity you're testing, or the lesson that flopped and why.
- A monthly 60-minute meeting. The whole network, talking about what's working in class and what isn't.
- Room to share your work. Present research, test an assignment, or get feedback before a conference.
- Meetups at SEA, CTREE and JET. Put faces to names at the conferences you're already attending.
- Posts and a podcast you can use. Articles with discussion questions in every post, and conversations about what higher ed is wrestling with.
Economics for what's next.
Your first job, your first apartment, the major you're still deciding on. The economy shows up in all of it. Follow along and I'll show you how it works, a few minutes at a time.
- This week in the economy, every Friday. A quick Instagram recap of what happened and why it matters.
- Careers and first jobs. What employers want and what the job market looks like when you're about to walk into it.
- Thinking about an econ major? Short videos on the jobs, the fields and where an econ degree can take you.
A trusted source and professor.
Here's who's doing the decoding, and why you can trust it.
I'm an award-winning professor.
I've taught economics for more than 15 years, from small seminars to lecture halls of 250 students. I received the Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award and the NAEE Rising Star Award, and I've been named Faculty of the Year multiple times. Decode Econ takes what works in my classroom and makes it available to everyone, including the teachers looking for fresh ways into the material.
I'm a researcher who studies how people learn and decide.
I've published 25+ peer-reviewed articles on financial literacy, financial anxiety, and how people learn economics, and I served as Executive Director of the Journal of Economics Teaching from 2022 to 2025. My work received the Best Financial Literacy Research Award. When I tell you what the data says, I've done the work to know.
I'm a trusted voice in the news.
When national outlets need someone to explain what's happening to your wallet, they call. I've talked affordability with Kai Ryssdal on Marketplace and personal finance on WFPL's In Conversation.
I work where policy meets real life.
I serve on the Kentucky Financial Empowerment Commission and the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, and I'm a past president of the Kentucky Economic Association.
Here's what you get in every post:
- The mechanism, not just the headline. I name the economic force at work so the next story makes sense too.
- A real position. I tell you what I think and why. I don't hide behind "economists disagree."
- A line to your life. What it means for someone like you: a renter, a commuter, a parent saving for college.
- Questions to keep the conversation going. Every post ends with questions you can use with students in class or with family at the dinner table.
New posts every week.
Short, clear takes on the economic news you're already hearing about, what it means for you, and how to bring it into your next class or conversation.
Pick your format. The economics is the same.
- Podcast Conversations with economists and educators on teaching, learning, and careers. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts
- YouTubeExplainers and podcast highlights you can watch, or show in class.→
- InstagramWhat happened in the economy this week, in quick takes.→
- LinkedInEconomics for your career and your business.→