EconTalk

Jenny Schuetz on Land Regulation and the Housing Market

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jenny Schuetz of the Brookings Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about zoning, boarding houses, real estate development, and the housi...

Azra Raza on The First Cell

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author and oncologist Azra Raza talks about her book The First Cell with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Raza argues that we have made little progress in ...

Tyler Cowen on the COVID-19 Pandemic

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and infovore Tyler Cowen of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the political, social, and economic aspects ...

Isabella Tree on Wilding

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author and conservationist Isabella Tree talks about her book Wilding with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Tree and her husband decided to turn their 3500...

Richard Davies on Extreme Economies

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Richard Davies talks about his book Extreme Economies with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. The conversation explores economic life in...

Yuval Levin on A Time to Build

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author and political scientist Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute talks about his book A Time to Build with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. ...

Richard Robb on Willful

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Economist, author, and investor Richard Robb talks about his book Willful with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Robb is interested in what motivates and ex...

Peter Singer on The Life You Can Save

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Philosopher and author Peter Singer of Princeton University talks about his book, The Life You Can Save with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Singer argues...

Marty Makary on the Price We Pay

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Physician and author Marty Makary of Johns Hopkins University talks about his book The Price We Pay with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Makary highlights...

Robert Shiller on Narrative Economics

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Economist, author, and Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller of Yale University discusses his book Narrative Economics with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Shille...

Daniel Klein on Honest Income

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Daniel Klein of George Mason University talks about the ethics of working and the potential for our working lives to make the wor...

Janine Barchas on the Lost Books of Jane Austen

20 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author and professor Janine Barchas of the University of Texas talks about her book, The Lost Books of Jane Austen, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. T...

Adam Minter on Secondhand

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Adam Minter talks about his book Secondhand with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Minter explores the strange and fascinating world o...

Melanie Mitchell on Artificial Intelligence

06 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Computer Scientist and author Melanie Mitchell of Portland State University and the Santa Fe Institute talks about her book Artificial Intelligence wi...

Kimberly Clausing on Open and the Progressive Case for Free Trade

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Kimberly Clausing of Reed College talks about her book Open with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Clausing, a self-described progressi...

Joe Posnanski on the Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Joe Posnanski talks about his book, The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Posnanski explores...

Binyamin Appelbaum on the Economists' Hour

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Binyamin Appelbaum of the New York Times talks about his book, The Economists' Hour, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Appelbaum ...

Terry Moe on Educational Reform, Katrina, and Hidden Power

09 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Political Scientist and author Terry Moe of Stanford University talks about his book, The Politics of Institutional Reform with EconTalk host Russ Rob...

Gerd Gigerenzer on Gut Feelings

02 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Psychologist and author Gerd Gigerenzer of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development talks about his book Gut Feelings with EconTalk host Russ Ro...

Susan Mayer on What Money Can't Buy

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sociologist Susan Mayer of the University of Chicago talks about her book What Money Can't Buy with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Mayer reports on her r...

Keith Smith on Free Market Health Care

18 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Entrepreneur and Anesthesiologist Keith Smith of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma talks with host Russ Roberts about what it's like to run a surgery cen...

Rory Sutherland on Alchemy

11 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Author and Advertising Executive Rory Sutherland of Ogilvy talks about his book Alchemy with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Sutherland makes the case for...

Venkatesh Rao on Waldenponding

04 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and management consultant Venkatesh Rao talks about Waldenponding with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Rao coined the term Waldenponding to describ...

Michele Gelfand on Rule Makers, Rule Breakers

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Psychologist Michele Gelfand talks about her book, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Gelfand distinguishes between loose cu...

Susan Houseman on Manufacturing

21 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Economist Susan Houseman of the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research talks about the manufacturing sector with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Housema...

Andrew McAfee on More from Less

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew McAfee of MIT's Sloan School of Management talks about his book, More from Less, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. McAfee argues that technology...

Ryan Holiday on Stillness Is the Key

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Holiday talks about his latest book, Stillness Is the Key, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Holiday explores how stillness--the cultivation of se...

Sabine Hossenfelder on Physics, Reality, and Lost in Math

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder talks about her book Lost in Math with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Hossenfelder argues that the latest theories in physi...

Dani Rodrik on Neoliberalism

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dani Rodrik of Harvard University talks about neoliberalism with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Rodrik argues that a dogmatic embrace of markets has incr...

George Will on the Conservative Sensibility

16 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

George Will talks about his new book, The Conservative Sensibility, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Will argues for a conservative vision that embrac...

Daron Acemoglu on Shared Prosperity and Good Jobs

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Daron Acemoglu of MIT discusses with EconTalk host Russ Roberts the challenge of shared prosperity and the policies that could br...

David Deppner on Leadership, Confidence, and Humility

02 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Can a great leader or manager be humble in public? Or is exuding confidence, even when it may not be merited, a key part of leadership? In this episod...

Andrew Roberts on Churchill and the Craft of Biography

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Andrew Roberts talks about the life of Winston Churchill and the art of biography with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. How did Churchill deal wi...

Tyler Cowen on Big Business

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Author and economist Tyler Cowen of George Mason University talks about his book, Big Business, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Cowen argues that big...

Arthur Diamond on Openness to Creative Destruction

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Arthur Diamond of the University of Nebraska at Omaha talks about his book, Openness to Creative Destruction, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Diamond...

Andy Matuschak on Books and Learning

05 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Software Engineer Andy Matuschak talks about his essay "Why Books Don't Work" with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Matuschak argues that most bo...

Shoshana Zuboff on Surveillance Capitalism

29 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Shoshana Zuboff of Harvard University talks about her book Surveillance Capitalism with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Zuboff argues that the monetizatio...

Chris Arnade on Dignity

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Photographer, author, and former Wall St. trader Chris Arnade talks about his book, Dignity, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Arnade quit his Wall Str...

Michael Brendan Dougherty on My Father Left Me Ireland

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Author and journalist Michael Brendan Dougherty talks about his book My Father Left Me Ireland with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Dougherty talks about ...

Arthur Brooks on Love Your Enemies

08 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Arthur Brooks talks about his book Love Your Enemies with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Brooks argues that contempt is destroying o...

Adam Cifu on the Case for Being a Medical Conservative

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Physician and author Adam Cifu of the University of Chicago talks about being a medical conservative with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Cifu encourages ...

Eric Topol on Deep Medicine

24 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Cardiologist and author Eric Topol talks about his book Deep Medicine with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Topol argues that doctors spend too little face...

Anja Shortland on Kidnap

17 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Anja Shortland of King's College London talks about her book Kidnap with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Kidnapping is relatively common in parts of the w...

Bjorn Lomborg on the Costs and Benefits of Attacking Climate Change

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bjorn Lomborg, President of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, talks about the costs and benefits of attacking climate change with EconTalk host Russ Ro...

Alain Bertaud on Cities, Planning, and Order Without Design

03 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Urbanist and author Alain Bertaud of NYU talks about his book Order Without Design with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Bertaud explores the role of zonin...

David Epstein on Mastery, Specialization, and Range

27 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author David Epstein talks about his book Range with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Epstein explores the costs of specialization and the v...

Mary Hirschfeld on Economics, Culture, and Aquinas and the Market

20 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Author, economist, and theologian Mary Hirschfeld of Villanova University talks about her book, Aquinas and the Market, with EconTalk host Russ Robert...

Robert Burton on Being Certain

13 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Neurologist and author Robert Burton talks about his book, On Being Certain, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Burton explores our need for certainty a...

Mauricio Miller on Poverty, Social Work, and the Alternative

06 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Poverty activist, social entrepreneur and author, Mauricio Miller, talks about his book The Alternative with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Miller, a Mac...

Emily Oster on Cribsheet

29 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Emily Oster of Brown University talks about her book Cribsheet with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Oster explores what the data and ...

Paul Romer on Growth, Cities, and the State of Economics

22 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Nobel Laureate Paul Romer of New York University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the nature of growth, the role of cities in the economy, ...

Jill Lepore on Nationalism, Populism, and the State of America

15 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Jill Lepore talks about nationalism, populism, and the state of America with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Lepore argues that we ne...

Robin Feldman on Drugs, Money, and Secret Handshakes

08 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Law professor and author Robin Feldman of UC Hastings College of the Law talks about her book Drugs, Money, and Secret Handshakes with EconTalk host R...

Jacob Stegenga on Medical Nihilism

01 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Philosopher and author Jacob Stegenga of the University of Cambridge talks about his book Medical Nihilism with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Stegenga a...

Daniel Hamermesh on Spending Time

25 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Daniel Hamermesh of Barnard College and the Institute for the Study of Labor talks about his latest book, Spending Time, with Eco...

Amy Tuteur on Birth, Natural Parenting, and Push Back

18 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Obstetrician gynecologist Amy Tuteur and author of Push Back, talks about the book with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Tuteur argues that natural parenti...

Amy Webb on Artificial Intelligence, Humanity, and the Big Nine

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Futurist and author Amy Webb talks about her book, The Big Nine, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Webb observes that artificial intelligence is curren...

Jacob Vigdor on the Seattle Minimum Wage

04 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jacob Vigdor of the University of Washington talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the impact of Seattle's minimum wage increases in recent year...

Michael Munger on Crony Capitalism

25 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Munger of Duke University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about whether real capitalism is unstable and leads inevitably to crony capita...

Catherine Semcer on Poaching, Preserves, and African Wildlife

18 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Catherine Semcer of the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the role of incentives in preservi...

Jessica Riskin on Life, Machinery, and the Restless Clock

11 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Jessica Riskin of Stanford University talks about her book The Restless Clock with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. What is the difference betwee...

Gary Greenberg on the Placebo Effect

04 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Author and psychotherapist Gary Greenberg talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the placebo effect. Is it real? How does the placebo effect infl...

Patrick Collison on Innovation and Scientific Progress

28 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick Collison, co-founder and CEO of Stripe, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the pace of innovation. Collison argues that despite enorm...

Jennifer Doleac on Crime

21 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Economist Jennifer Doleac of Texas A&M University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about her research on crime, police, and the unexpected co...

Stephen Kotkin on Solzhenitsyn

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Stephen Kotkin of Princeton University and Stanford University's Hoover Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about t...

Ed Dolan on Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance

07 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Economist Ed Dolan of the Niskanen Center talks about employer-based health insurance with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Dolan discusses how unusual it ...

Sebastian Junger on Tribe

31 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Sebastian Junger talks about his book Tribe with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Junger explores the human need to be needed and the...

Mariana Mazzucato on the Value of Everything

24 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Mariana Mazzucato talks about her book The Value of Everything with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Mazzucato argues that economists ...

John Horgan on Mind-Body Problems

17 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Science journalist and author John Horgan talks about his book, Mind-Body Problems, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Horgan interviewed an array of sc...

Peter Berkowitz on Locke, Liberty, and Liberalism

09 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Berkowitz of Stanford University's Hoover Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the origins of liberalism and the importance o...

Maeve Cohen on Rethinking Economics

03 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Maeve Cohen, Co-director of Rethinking Economics, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about her organization and its efforts to change economics edu...

Anat Admati on the Financial Crisis of 2008

26 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Anat Admati of Stanford's Graduate School of Business talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the financial crisis of 2008, the lessons she has le...

A.J. Jacobs on Thanks a Thousand

19 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author A. J. Jacobs talks about his book, Thanks a Thousand, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Jacobs thanked a thousand different peopl...

Julia Belluz on Epidemiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism

12 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Science writer Julia Belluz of Vox.com talks to EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the state of epidemiology, nutrition, and the relationship between ob...

Alan Lightman on Science, Spirituality, and Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine

05 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Author and Physicist Alan Lightman talks about his book Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. This is a wide-rang...

Michael Munger on Sharing, Transaction Costs, and Tomorrow 3.0

29 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Michael Munger of Duke University talks about his book, Tomorrow 3.0, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Munger analyzes the rise o...

Ran Abramitzky on the Mystery of the Kibbutz

22 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Ran Abramitzky of Stanford University talks about his book, The Mystery of the Kibbutz, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Abramitz...

Kevin McKenna on Characters, Plot, and Themes of In the First Circle

18 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Russian Literature Professor Kevin McKenna of the University of Vermont talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the characters, plot, and themes o...

John Gray on the Seven Kinds of Atheism

15 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Philosopher and author John Gray talks about his latest book, Seven Types of Atheism, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Gray argues that progress is an...

Neil Monnery on Hong Kong and the Architect of Prosperity

08 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Neil Monnery, author of Architect of Prosperity, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his book--a biography of John Cowperthwaite, the man ofte...

Noah Smith on Worker Compensation, Co-determination, and Market Power

01 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bloomberg Opinion columnist and economist Noah Smith talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about corporate control, wages, and monopoly power. Smith d...

Rodney Brooks on Artificial Intelligence

24 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Rodney Brooks, emeritus professor of robotics at MIT, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the future of robots and artificial intelligence. Br...

Paul Bloom on Cruelty

17 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Yale University psychologist Paul Bloom talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about cruelty--what motivates cruelty, the cruelty of small acts that ac...

Kevin McKenna on Solzhenitsyn, the Soviet Union, and In the First Circle

10 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Russian Literature Professor Kevin McKenna of the University of Vermont talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the life and times of Aleksandr So...

Yoram Hazony on the Virtue of Nationalism

03 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Yoram Hazony discusses his book, The Virtue of Nationalism, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Hazony argues that nationalism, for all its flaws, is a b...

Charlan Nemeth on In Defense of Troublemakers

27 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Psychologist Charlan Nemeth of the University of California, Berkeley and author of In Defense of Troublemakers talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts ...

Lilliana Mason on Uncivil Agreement

20 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Political scientist Lilliana Mason of the University Maryland and author of Uncivil Agreement talks about the book with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Ma...

David Meltzer on the Doctor-Patient Relationship

13 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Physician David Meltzer of the University of Chicago talks about the power of the doctor-patient relationship with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Meltzer...

Frank Dikotter on Mao's Great Famine

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Frank Dikotter of the University of Hong Kong and author of Mao's Great Famine talks about the book with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Dikotte...

Alberto Alesina on Immigration and Redistribution

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto Alesina of Harvard University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how people in the US and five European countries perceive the popula...

Teppo Felin on Blindness, Rationality, and Perception

23 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Teppo Felin of the University of Oxford talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about perception, cognition, and rationality. Felin argues that some of ...

Russ Roberts on the Information Revolution, Politics, Yeats, and Yelling

16 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

EconTalk host Russ Roberts does a monologue on how political discourse seems to have deteriorated in recent years and the growth in outrage, tribalism...

Patrick Deneen on Why Liberalism Failed

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Political Scientist and author Patrick Deneen of the University of Notre Dame talks about his book Why Liberalism Failed with EconTalk host Russ Rober...

Arnold Kling on Morality, Culture, and Tribalism

02 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Arnold Kling talks about the economic impact of culture and morality with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Drawing on a recent essay o...

Michael Pollan on Psychedelic Drugs and How to Change Your Mind

25 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Michael Pollan talks about his book, How to Change Your Mind, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Pollan chronicles the history of ...

Richard Reinsch on the Enlightenment, Tradition, and Populism

18 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Reinsch, editor of Law and Liberty and the host of the podcast Liberty Law Talk, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the Enlightenment...

Moises Velasquez-Manoff on Cows, Carbon Farming, and Climate Change

11 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Moises Velasquez-Manoff talks about the role of dirt in fighting climate change with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Velasquez-Manof...

Janet Golden on Babies Made Us Modern

04 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Janet Golden talks about her book, Babies Made Us Modern, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Golden chronicles the transformation o...

Iain McGilchrist on the Divided Brain and the Master and His Emissary

28 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Psychiatrist and author Iain McGilchrist talks about his book, The Master and His Emissary, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. McGilchrist argues we hav...

Glen Weyl on Radical Markets

21 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Economist Glen Weyl of Microsoft Research New England and Visiting Senior Research Scholar at Yale University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts ab...