EconTalk
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Richard Epstein on Classical Liberalism, Libertarianism, and Lochner
Richard Epstein talks with host Russ Roberts about the differences ...
Richard Epstein talks with host Russ Roberts about the differences between classical liberalism and hard-line libertarianism. What is the proper role of the state? Topics discussed include the Constitution, prudent regulation, contract enforcement, intellectual property, and the Supreme Court case, Lochner vs. NY.
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Velasquez-Manoff on Autoimmune Disease, Parasites, and Complexity
Moises Velasquez-Manoff talks with host Russ Roberts about his book, ...
Moises Velasquez-Manoff talks with host Russ Roberts about his book, An Epidemic of Absence, a discussion of why allergies and autoimmune diseases have been on the rise in the developed world for the last half-century. He explores a recent hypothesis in the epidemiological literature theorizing the increase is a response to the overly hygienic environment in rich countries and the absence of various microbes and parasites. Velasquez-Manoff also considers whether reintroducing parasites into our bodies can have therapeutic effects, a possibility currently under examination through FDA trials. The conversation continues a theme of EconTalk--the challenge of understanding causation in a complex world.
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Robert Frank on Coase
Robert Frank talks with host Russ Roberts about the implications ...
Robert Frank talks with host Russ Roberts about the implications of Nobelist Ronald Coase's views on externalities. Drawing on his book, The Darwin Economy, Frank explores the implications of Coase's perspective for assessing public policy challenges where one person's actions affect others. Examples discussed include pollution, cigarette smoking and related issues.
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Calomiris and Haber on Fragile by Design
Charles Calomiris and Stephen Haber talk with host Russ Roberts ...
Charles Calomiris and Stephen Haber talk with host Russ Roberts about their book, Fragile by Design. The conversation focuses on how politics and economics interact to give some countries such as Canada a remarkably stable financial system while others such as the United States have a much less stable system. The two authors discuss the political forces that explain the persistence of seemingly bad financial regulation. The conversation includes a discussion of the financial crisis of 2008.
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Paul Sabin on Ehrlich, Simon and the Bet
Paul Sabin talks with host Russ Roberts about his book, ...
Paul Sabin talks with host Russ Roberts about his book, The Bet. He uses an historic bet between Paul Ehrlich and Julian Simon over whether natural resources are getting scarcer as population grows to examine the evolution of the environmental movement and its status today. Sabin considers the successes and failures of the movement and the challenges of having nuanced public policy discussions on issues where both sides have passionate opinions.
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Brynjolfsson on the Second Machine Age
Erik Brynjolfsson talks with host Russ Roberts about the ideas ...
Erik Brynjolfsson talks with host Russ Roberts about the ideas in the book, The Second Machine Age, co-authored with Andrew McAfee. He argues we are entering a new age of economic activity dominated by smart machines and computers. Neither dystopian or utopian, Brynjolfsson sees this new age as one of possibility and challenge. He is optimistic that with the right choices and policy responses, the future will have much to celebrate.
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Nina Munk on Poverty, Development, and the Idealist
Nina Munk talks with host Russ Roberts about her book, ...
Nina Munk talks with host Russ Roberts about her book, The Idealist. Munk spent 6 years following Jeffrey Sachs and the evolution of the Millennium Villages Project--an attempt to jumpstart a set of African villages in hopes of discovering a new template for development. Munk details the great optimism at the beginning of the project and the discouraging results after six years of high levels of aid. Sach's story is one of the great lessons in unintended consequences and the complexity of the development process.
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Jonathan Haidt on the Righteous Mind
Jonathan Haidt talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his ...
Jonathan Haidt talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his book, The Righteous Mind, the nature of human nature, and how our brain affects our morality and politics. Haidt argues that reason often serves our emotions rather than the mind being in charge. We can be less interested in the truth and more interested in finding facts and stories that fit preconceived narratives and ideology. We are genetically predisposed to work with each other rather than being purely self-interested and our genes influence our morality and ideology as well. Haidt tries to understand why people come to different visions of morality and politics and how we might understand each other despite those differences.
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Laurence Kotlikoff on Debt, Default, and the Federal Government's Finances
Laurence Kotlikoff talks with host Russ Roberts about the fiscal ...
Laurence Kotlikoff talks with host Russ Roberts about the fiscal health of the U.S. federal government. He argues that the U.S. government is essentially bankrupt because future taxes will fall hundreds of trillions of dollars short of expected expenditures. Kotlikoff argues this problem can be solved by redesigning our tax code, but without changes such as this, large reductions in spending or large increases in tax rates will be necessary.
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Anthony Gill on Religion
Anthony Gill talks with host Russ Roberts about the economics ...
Anthony Gill talks with host Russ Roberts about the economics of religion. The conversation focuses on the relationship between religion and the State--how does religion respond to a State-sanctioned monopoly? Why do some governments allow religious liberty while others deny it? The conversation concludes with a discussion of how property rights interact with religious freedom.
