EconTalk

Peter Boettke on Public Administration, Liberty, and the Proper Role of Government

20 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Boettke of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the proper role of the state in the economy. This is a wide-rangi...

Joel Peterson on Leadership, Betrayal, and the 10 Laws of Trust

07 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How did the CEO of a real estate development company become chairman of an airline? How can a competent manager learn to trust his subordinates? Joel ...

Ryan Holiday on Conspiracy, Gawker, and the Hulk Hogan Trial

30 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Author Ryan Holiday discusses his book, Conspiracy, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. This is a crazy episode about a crazy book about a crazy set of e...

Jonah Goldberg on The Suicide of the West

23 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jonah Goldberg of National Review talks about his latest book, Suicide of the West, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Goldberg argues that both capital...

Jerry Muller on the Tyranny of Metrics

16 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Jerry Muller of Catholic University talks about his latest book, The Tyranny of Metrics, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Muller ...

Vincent Rajkumar on the High Price of Cancer Drugs

09 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Can a life-saving drug be too expensive? What explains the high price of cancer drugs? Dr. Vincent Rajkumar of the Mayo Clinic talks with EconTalk hos...

Michael Munger on Traffic

02 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Does rush-hour traffic drive you crazy? Is a congestion tax on car travel a good idea? Michael Munger of Duke University talks with EconTalk host Russ...

Edward Glaeser on Joblessness and the War on Work

26 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why are fewer men working over the last few decades? Is a universal basic income a good policy for coping with the loss of employment? Economist Edwar...

Beth Redbird on Licensing

19 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Economists often oppose the expansion of licensing in America in recent years because it makes it harder for people with low skills to get access to o...

Arnold Kling on Economics for the 21st Century

12 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Economist, blogger, and author Arnold Kling talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the state of economics in the 21st century. Kling argues that ...

Nassim Nicholas Taleb on Rationality, Risk, and Skin in the Game

05 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of Skin in the Game, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the ideas in the book. This is the third episode of Eco...

Elizabeth Anderson on Worker Rights and Private Government

26 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Philosopher Elizabeth Anderson of the University of Michigan and author of Private Government talks about her book with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. An...

Jordan Peterson on 12 Rules for Life

19 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan Peterson, author of 12 Rules for Life, talks about the book with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Topics covered include parenting, conversation, th...

Bryan Caplan on the Case Against Education

12 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bryan Caplan of George Mason University and the author of The Case Against Education talks about the book with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Caplan argu...

Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay on the Enemies of Modernity

05 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay talk with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about their essay on the enemies of modernity. Pluckrose and Lindsay argue that...

Marian Goodell on Burning Man

29 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Marian Goodell, CEO of the Burning Man Project, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about Burning Man, the 8-day art and music festival in the Nevad...

John Ioannidis on Statistical Significance, Economics, and Replication

22 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

John Ioannidis of Stanford University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his research on the reliability of published research findings. They...

Bill James on Baseball, Facts, and the Rules of the Game

14 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Baseball stats guru and author Bill James talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the challenges of understanding complexity in baseball and elsew...

Dick Carpenter on Bottleneckers

08 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Dick Carpenter of the Institute for Justice and author of Bottleneckers talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his book--a look at how occupation...

Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith on Soonish

01 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ecologist Kelly Weinersmith and cartoonist Zach Weinersmith--creator of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal--talk with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about ...

Matt Stoller on Modern Monopolies

25 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Stoller of the Open Market Institute talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the growing influence of Google, Facebook, and Amazon on commerc...

Brink Lindsey and Steven Teles on the Captured Economy

18 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Brink Lindsey of the Niskanen Center and Steven Teles of the Niskanen Center and Johns Hopkins University talk with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about t...

John Cogan on Entitlements and the High Cost of Good Intentions

12 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

John Cogan of Stanford University's Hoover Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about Cogan's book, The High Cost of Good Intentions, a h...

Rachel Laudan on Food Waste

04 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Rachel Laudan talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about food waste. Laudan argues that there are tradeoffs in preventing food waste--in re...

Simeon Djankov and Matt Warner on the Doing Business Report and Development Aid

27 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simeon Djankov, creator of the World Bank's Doing Business Report, and Matt Warner, Chief Operating Officer of Atlas Network talk with EconTalk host R...

Tim Harford on Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy

20 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Financial Times columnist and author Tim Harford talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about Harford's latest book, Fifty Inventions That Shaped the M...

Anthony Gill on Tipping

13 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Why does tipping persist? Despite the efforts of some restaurants to stop tipping, it remains a healthy institution and has recently spread to Uber. P...

Dennis Rasmussen on Hume and Smith and The Infidel and the Professor

06 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How did the friendship between David Hume and Adam Smith influence their ideas? Why do their ideas still matter today? Political Scientist Dennis Rasm...

Michael Munger on Permissionless Innovation

30 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Munger of Duke University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about permissionless innovation. Munger argues that the ability to innovate wi...

Jennifer Burns on Ayn Rand and the Goddess of the Market

23 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Burns of Stanford University and the Hoover Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about her biography of Ayn Rand, Goddess of the...

Megan McArdle on Internet Shaming and Online Mobs

16 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Author and journalist Megan McArdle of Bloomberg View talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how the internet has allowed a new kind of shaming v...

Tim O'Reilly on What's the Future

09 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Author Tim O'Reilly, founder of O'Reilly Media and long-time observer and commenter on the internet and technology, talks with EconTalk host Russ Robe...

Robert Wright on Meditation, Mindfulness, and Why Buddhism is True

02 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Wright, author of Why Buddhism Is True, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the psychotherapeutic insights of Buddhism and the benefits...

Philip Auerswald on the Rise of Populism

25 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Author and professor Philip Auerswald of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the rise of populism in the United States...

Gabriel Zucman on Inequality, Growth, and Distributional National Accounts

18 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Gabriel Zucman of the University of California, Berkeley talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his research on inequality and the distribution o...

Gillian Hadfield on Law and Rules For a Flat World

11 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Law professor Gillian Hadfield of the University of Southern California and author of Rules for a Flat World talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts abo...

Rob Reich on Foundations and Philanthropy

03 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Is private charity always a good thing? Do large foundations have too much power? Political Scientist Rob Reich of Stanford University talks with Econ...

Benedict Evans on the Future of Cars

28 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Benedict Evans of Andreessen Horowitz talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about two important trends for the future of personal travel--the increasi...

John McWhorter on the Evolution of Language and Words on the Move

21 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How did bad come to mean good? Why is Shakespeare so hard to understand? Is there anything good about "like" and "you know?" Autho...

Nassim Nicholas Taleb on Work, Slavery, the Minority Rule, and Skin in the Game

14 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Nassim Nicholas Taleb talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the manuscript version of his forthcoming book, Skin in the Game. Topics discussed i...

Tyler Cowen on Stubborn Attachments, Prosperity, and the Good Society

07 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Tyler Cowen of George Mason University and the co-host of the blog Marginal Revolution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about Stubborn Attachment...

Alex Guarnaschelli on Food

31 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Guarnaschelli, Food Channel star and chef at Butter in midtown Manhattan, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about what it's like to run a res...

Sally Satel on Organ Donation

24 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sally Satel, psychiatrist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the challenges of inc...

Tamar Haspel on Food Costs, Animal Welfare, and the Honey Bee

17 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Tamar Haspel, who writes "Unearthed," a column on food and agriculture at the Washington Post, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about a...

Martha Nussbaum on Alexander Hamilton

10 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Martha Nussbaum, professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about Alexander Hamilton. Nussbaum talks a...

Chris Blattman on Chickens, Cash, and Development Economics

03 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Blattman of the University of Chicago talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about whether it's better to give poor Africans cash or chickens and...

Robin Feldman on Drug Patents, Generics, and Drug Wars

26 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Robin Feldman of the University of California Hastings College of Law and author of Drug Wars talks about her book with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Fe...

Thomas Ricks on Churchill and Orwell

19 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Author and historian Thomas Ricks talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his book, Churchill and Orwell. Ricks makes the case that the odd couple...

Don Boudreaux, Michael Munger, and Russ Roberts on Emergent Order

12 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Why is it that people in large cities like Paris or New York City people sleep peacefully, unworried about whether there will be enough bread or other...

Christy Ford Chapin on the Evolution of the American Health Care System

05 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Christy Ford Chapin of University of Maryland Baltimore County and Johns Hopkins and author of Ensuring America's Health talks with EconTalk...

David Boaz, P.J. O'Rourke, and George Will on the State of Liberty

29 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What is the state of liberty in America? Is liberty increasing or decreasing? Should we be optimistic or pessimistic about the future? This week EconT...

Lant Pritchett on Poverty, Growth, and Experiments

22 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How should we think about growth and poverty? How important is the goal of reducing the proportion of the world's population living on less than a dol...

Cass Sunstein on #Republic

15 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Author and legal scholar Cass Sunstein of Harvard University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his latest book, #Republic. Sunstein argues t...

Tyler Cowen on The Complacent Class

08 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Author and economist Tyler Cowen of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his book, The Complacent Class. Cowen argues t...

Jennifer Pahlka on Code for America

01 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code for America, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the organization she started. Code for America works with pr...

Elizabeth Pape on Manufacturing and Selling Women's Clothing and Elizabeth Suzann

24 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Pape, founder of the women's clothing company Elizabeth Suzann, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about starting and running her company...

Rana Foroohar on the Financial Sector and Makers and Takers

17 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Rana Foroohar of the Financial Times talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about her book, Makers and Takers. Foroohar argues th...

Erica Sandberg on Homelessness and Downtown Streets Team

10 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Podcaster and writer Erica Sandberg talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about homelessness in San Francisco. Sandberg talks about what the city can ...

Vanessa Williamson on Taxes and Read My Lips

03 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Are Americans overtaxed? How does the average American feel about the tax system and tax reform? Vanessa Williamson of the Brookings Institution talks...

Jason Barr on Building the Skyline and the Economics of Skyscrapers

27 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Why does the Manhattan skyline look like it does with incredible skyscrapers south of City Hall then almost no tall buildings until midtown? Jason Bar...

Andrew Gelman on Social Science, Small Samples, and the Garden of the Forking Paths

20 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Statistician, blogger, and author Andrew Gelman of Columbia University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the challenges facing psychologists...

Robert Whaples on the Economics of Pope Francis

13 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Is capitalism part of the poverty problem facing the world or part of the solution? Are human beings doing a good job preserving the earth for future ...

Nicholas Crafts, Luis Garicano, and Luigi Zingales on the Economic Future of Europe

06 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What is the future of the European economy? What are the challenges facing Europe? What are the implications of Brexit for the United Kingdom and the ...

Paul Bloom on Empathy

27 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Psychologist Paul Bloom of Yale University talks about his book Against Empathy with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Bloom argues that empathy--the abilit...

Tom Wainwright on Narconomics

20 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When fighting the war on drugs, governments typically devote enormous resources trying to reduce the supply. But is this effective? Journalist and aut...

Jim Epstein on Bitcoin, the Blockchain, and Freedom in Latin America

13 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Writer, reporter, and film producer Jim Epstein talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about mining Bitcoins in Venezuela as a way to import food. Vene...

Gary Taubes on the Case Against Sugar

06 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sugar appears to have no nutritional value. But is it more than just empty calories? Is it actually bad for us? Author and journalist Gary Taubes talk...

George Borjas on Immigration and We Wanted Workers

30 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

George Borjas of Harvard University and author of We Wanted Workers talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about immigration and the challenges of meas...

Sam Quinones on Heroin, the Opioid Epidemic, and Dreamland

23 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How did heroin spread beyond big cities in America? What's the connection between heroin and America's opioid problem? Sam Quinones, author of Dreamla...

Michael Munger on the Basic Income Guarantee

16 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Munger of Duke University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the virtues and negatives of a basic guaranteed income--giving every Ame...

Robert Hall on Recession, Stagnation, and Monetary Policy

09 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Economist Robert Hall of Stanford University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the current state of the U.S. economy and what we know and do...

Mark Warshawsky on Compensation, Health Care Costs, and Inequality

02 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and author Mark Warshawsky of George Mason Univerity's Mercatus Center talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his work on the role heal...

Chris Blattman on Sweatshops

26 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If you were a poor person in a poor country, would you prefer steady work in a factory or to be your own boss, buying and selling in the local market?...

Terry Anderson on Native American Economics

19 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Terry Anderson of PERC talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about economic life for Native Americans. Anderson discusses economic life before the arr...

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita on the Spoils of War

12 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

There is a fascinating and depressing positive correlation between the reputation of an American president and the number of people dying in wars whil...

Thomas Leonard on Race, Eugenics, and Illiberal Reformers

05 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Were the first professional economists racists? Thomas Leonard of Princeton University and author of Illiberal Reformers talks with EconTalk host Russ...

Doug Lemov on Reading

28 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Doug Lemov of Uncommon School and co-author of Reading Reconsidered talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about reading. Lemov makes the case for the ...

Erik Hurst on Work, Play, and the Dynamics of U.S. Labor Markets

21 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Erik Hurst of the University of Chicago talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the state of the labor market in the United States. Hurst notes dr...

Tim Harford on the Virtues of Disorder and Messy

14 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Harford, journalist and author, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his latest book, Messy. Harford argues that we have a weakness for ord...

David Gelernter on Consciousness, Computers, and the Tides of Mind

07 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David Gelernter, professor of computer science at Yale University and author of The Tides of Mind, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about conscio...

Judith Donath on Signaling, Design, and the Social Machine

31 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Judith Donath, author of The Social Machine, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the ideas in her book--an examination of signaling, online id...

Casey Mulligan on Cuba

24 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Casey Mulligan of the University of Chicago talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about life in Cuba. Mulligan, who recently returned from a trip to C...

Chris Arnade on the Mexican Crisis, TARP, and American Poverty

17 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Arnade, former Wall Street trader turned photographer and social chronicler, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about what he learned from th...

Angus Deaton on Inequality, Trade, and the Robin Hood Principle

10 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Nobel Laureate in Economics Angus Deaton of Princeton University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the economics of trade and aid. Deaton wo...

Cathy O'Neil on Weapons of Math Destruction

03 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Cathy O'Neil, data scientist and author of Weapons of Math Destruction talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the ideas in her book. O'Neil argue...

John Cochrane on Economic Growth and Changing the Policy Debate

26 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How are those in favor of bigger government and those who want smaller government like a couple stuck in a bad marriage? Economist John Cochrane of St...

Eric Wakin on Archiving, Preservation, and History

19 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

What does an x-ray of Hitler's skull have in common with a jar of Ronald Reagan's jelly beans? They are both part of the Hoover Institution archives. ...

Susan Athey on Machine Learning, Big Data, and Causation

12 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Can machine learning improve the use of data and evidence for understanding economics and public policy? Susan Athey of Stanford University talks with...

Terry Moe on the Constitution, the Presidency, and Relic

05 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Are there many Americans today who wish the President of the United States had more power relative to the other branches of Congress? Terry Moe is one...

Leo Katz on Why the Law is So Perverse

29 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Leo Katz, professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his book, Why the Law Is So Perverse. Katz a...

Michael Munger on Slavery and Racism

22 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Munger of Duke University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how attitudes in the American South toward slavery evolved over time and...

Chuck Klosterman on But What If We're Wrong

15 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Chuck Klosterman, author of But What If We're Wrong, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the possibility that things we hold to be undeniably ...

Adam D'Angelo on Knowledge, Experimentation, and Quora

08 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Adam D'Angelo, CEO of the question and answer website, Quora, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the history, evolution, and challenges of Qu...

Matthew Futterman on Players and the Business of Sports

01 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Fifty years ago, many of the best players in the National Football League took jobs in the off-season to augment the salaries they earned playing foot...

Angela Duckworth on Grit

25 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How important is grit relative to talent? Can grit be taught? Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania and author of Grit: The Power of Pass...

Ryan Holiday on Ego is the Enemy

18 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How does our attitude toward ourselves affect our success or failure in the world of business or in friendship? Ryan Holiday, author of Ego Is the Ene...

Jonathan Skinner on Health Care Costs, Technology, and Rising Mortality

11 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Technology and innovation usually mean higher quality and lower prices. Is health care different? Jonathan Skinner of Dartmouth College talks with Eco...

Yuval Levin on The Fractured Republic

04 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Yuval Levin, author and editor of National Affairs, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the ideas in his latest book, The Fractured Republic. ...

Richard Epstein on Cruises, First-Class Travel, and Inequality

27 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How should we feel about cruise lines that offer special amenities for top-paying travelers, or first-class sections of airplanes? Do such consumption...

Kevin Kelly on the Inevitable

20 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Futurist, author, and visionary Kevin Kelly talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his latest book, The Inevitable, Kelly's look at what the futu...