Commerce · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Planet Money - 654: When the boats arrive

What Miami can teach us about the Syrian refugee crisis

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Planet Money - 654: When the boats arrive launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Polarized - A Systemic Issue of Fear▲54

   The Syrian refugee crisis.

   2015 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Common Sense – Immigration Breakdown▲62

   Dan Carlin breaks down the current immigration and refugee …

   2015 · traffic.libsyn.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Only Human - Listen Up! The Big Turkey in the Sky▲51

   Tips from crisis negotiators on surviving Thanksgiving

   2015 · overcast.fm · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Refugees Welcome▲109

   An p2p attempt to solve the refugee housing problem in EU

   2015 · refugees-welcome.net · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Analyse Asia - 116: Mashable in Asia with Michael Kriak and Gwendolyn Regina▲55

   Our conversation on Mashable's recent video & Asia strategy

   2016 · blcw.me · its alternatives →

6. 6HP
   Help programmers from Syria get jobs elsewhere▲155

   2013 · hireprogrammersleavingsyria.org · its alternatives →

7. 7
   ICANHELP.Host▲310

   Help Ukrainian refugees find a shelter

   2022 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   I simulated closing the Strait of Hormuz on real oil trade data▲244

   OP here: I created this visualization tool as the byproduct of a supply chain class I taught at Columbia. The pedagogical exercise grew into a full blown visualization and paper about global oil trade. The model: The mechanics are the same as the financial network Eisenberg-Noe: Instead of banks, every country consumes oil interconnected via bilateral trading. Shocks propagate throughout the network, depleting oil reserves when bottleneck nodes (such as the Strait of Hormuz) are blocked. Insights: The interesting part is the mechanics of how the crisis unfolds: for example, France receives 0…

   Jul 2026 · globaloilnetwork.staffinganalytics.io · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Ronin Refugee Project▲70

   Helping displaced war interpreters through media and tech

   2016 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    How Humans Learned to Cross the Ocean▲115

    A new story from Hardbound

    2016 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Expatt▲101

    Connecting refugees to employers

    2015 · expatt.org · its alternatives →

12. 12HR
    Helping refugees finding a job▲7

    2016 · fujobee.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Common sense with Dan Carlin - The war on bad thoughts▲64

    Important perspectivesIn the wake of the last terror attack

    2015 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Digital Diplomacy▲78

    Conversations on Innovation in Foreign Policy

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    As Told By Nomads - Evo Terra and Shiela Dee▲70

    Opportunistic Travel and the Digital Nomad Lifestyle

    2015 · uydmedia.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Intern Beds▲118

    A solution for the intern summer housing crunch

    2015 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Reply All - 24: Exit & Return, Part II▲64

    Concluding Shulem Deen’s story

    2016 · open.spotify.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Look to Windward▲70

    After war, the future still faces major turmoil

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Analyse Asia-106: Parag Khanna▲53

    Mapping the future of human civilisations from Asia to US

    2016 · blcw.me · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Serial - S2E3: Escaping▲88

    Learning the necessary and twisted lessons of survival

    2015 · dovetail.prxu.org · its alternatives →

21. 21HC
    Hormuz Crisis Dashboard Real-time shipping disruption tracker▲32

    Built this in ~4 hours with zero coding background. Tracks a few economy angles of the largest acute shipping disruption since WWII.

    Mar 2026 · hormuztracker.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914▲66

    Why a group of well-meaning leaders stumbled into war

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    FleeCOVID▲68

    Travel responsibly during COVID-19

    2020 · fleecovid.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Truth, Errors, and Lies: Politics and Economics in a Volatil▲56

    Politics and Economics of the Future

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →