William Duggan, professor of management at Columbia Business School at Columbia University, talks about his latest book, Strategic Intuition. Duggan critiques traditional methods of strategy and planning and suggests that the opportunism and ad

Karol Boudreaux on Property Rights and Incentives in Africa

Dec 17th, 2007 1h

Karol Boudreaux, Senior Research Fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about her field work and research in Rwanda and South Africa. In Rwanda, she studied how a change in incentives and prop

Boettke on Austrian Economics

Dec 10th, 2007 1h 17m

Pete Boettke, of George Mason University, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the origins and tenets of Austrian economics. This is a wonderful introduction to how the so-called Austrian economists look at the world and how they continu

Munger on Fair Trade and Free Trade

Dec 3rd, 2007 58m 58s

Mike Munger, frequent guest and longtime Econlib contributor, speaks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about fair trade coffee and free trade agreements. Does the premium for fair trade coffee end up in the hands of the grower? What economic forc

Botkin on Nature, the Environment and Global Warming

Nov 26th, 2007 1h 6m

Daniel Botkin, ecologist and author, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how we think about our role as humans in the natural world, the dynamic nature of environmental reality and the implications for how we react to global warming.

Sunstein on Worst-case Scenarios

Nov 19th, 2007 1h 4m

Cass Sunstein of the University of Chicago talks about the ideas in his latest book, Worst-Case Scenarios. How should individuals and societies cope with low-probability events with potentially catastrophic consequences? In this conversation wi

Henry Aaron on Health Care Costs

Nov 15th, 2007 39m 35s

In this bonus middle-of-the-week podcast, Henry Aaron of the Brookings Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about health care costs. Researchers in a New England Journal of Medicine article have estimated that the US could save $20

Waldfogel on Markets, Choice, and the Tyranny of the Market

Nov 12th, 2007 51m 41s

Joel Waldfogel of the Wharton School of Business talks about the idea in his new book, The Tyranny of Markets: Why You Can't Always Get What You Want. He argues that when fixed costs are large, markets don't necessarily give people what they wa

Arnold Kling on the Economics of Health Care and the Crisis of Abundance

Nov 5th, 2007 58m 53s

Arnold Kling of EconLog talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the economics of health care and his book, A Crisis of Abundance: Rethinking How We Pay for Health Care. Kling discusses whether we get what we pay for when we spend money on h

Yandle on the Tragedy of the Commons and the Implications for Environmental Regulation

Oct 29th, 2007 1h 24m

Bruce Yandle of Clemson University and George Mason University's Mercatus Center looks at the tragedy of the commons and the various ways that people have avoided the overuse of resources that are held in common. Examples discussed include fish

Ayres on Super Crunchers and the Power of Data

Oct 22nd, 2007 1h 2m

Ian Ayres of Yale University Law School talks about the ideas in his new book, Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart. Ayres argues for the power of data and analysis over more traditional decision-making methods us

Robert Frank on Economics Education and the Economic Naturalist

Oct 15th, 2007 1h 9m

Author Robert Frank of Cornell University talks about economic education and his recent book, The Economic Naturalist. Frank argues that the traditional way of teaching economics via graphs and equations often fails to make any impression on st

McCraw on Schumpeter, Innovation, and Creative Destruction

Oct 8th, 2007 1h 6m

Thomas McCraw of Harvard University talks about the ideas of Joseph Schumpeter from his book, Prophet of Innovation: Joseph Schumpeter and Creative Destruction. McCraw and EconTalk host Russ Roberts discuss innovation, business strategy, the ro

Boudreaux on Market Failure, Government Failure and the Economics of Antitrust Regulation

Oct 1st, 2007 1h 6m

Don Boudreaux of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about when market failure can be improved by government intervention. After discussing the evolution of economic thinking about externalities and public goods, the c

Grab Bag: Munger and Roberts on Recycling, Peak Oil and Steroids

Sep 24th, 2007 1h 5m

Mike Munger, of Duke University, and EconTalk host Russ Roberts clean up some loose ends from their previous conversation on recycling, move on to talk about the idea of buying local to reduce one's carbon footprint and then talk about the idea

Epstein on Property Rights, Zoning and Kelo

Sep 17th, 2007 41m 29s

Richard Epstein, of the University of Chicago and Stanford's Hoover Institution, makes the case that many current zoning restrictions are essentially "takings" and property owners should receive compensation for the lost value of their land. He

Cowen on Your Inner Economist

Sep 10th, 2007 58m 23s

Tyler Cowen, of George Mason University, talks about his new book, Discover Your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist. Cowen, legendary blogger at MarginalRevolution.com, talks wi

George Shultz on Economics, Human Rights and the Fall of the Soviet Union

Sep 3rd, 2007 35m 48s

George Shultz, the Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution and Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the role of economics in his career, the tension betwee

Romer on Growth

Aug 27th, 2007 1h 17m

Paul Romer, Stanford University professor and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about growth, China, innovation, and the role of human capital. Also discussed are ideas in creating growth, the idea that idea

Gordon on Ants, Humans, the Division of Labor and Emergent Order

Aug 21st, 2007 1h 6m

Deborah M. Gordon, Professor of Biological Sciences at Stanford University, is an authority on ants and order that emerges without control or centralized authority. The conversation begins with what might be called the economics of ant colonies

Weingast on Violence, Power and a Theory of Nearly Everything

Aug 13th, 2007 1h 5m

Barry Weingast, Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and the Ward C. Krebs Family Professor in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University, talks about the ideas in his forthcoming book with Doug North and Jo

Hanushek on Educational Quality and Economic Growth

Aug 6th, 2007 1h 3m

Eric Hanushek, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, talks about his research on the impact of educational quality on economic growth. Past efforts to increase the economic growth rate of poor countries have focused on years of schooling, ne

Henderson on Disagreeable Economists

Jul 30th, 2007 1h

David Henderson, editor of the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics and a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about when and why economists disagree. Harry Truman longed for a one-armed economist

Bueno de Mesquita on Reagan, Yeltsin, and the Strategy of Political Campaigning

Jul 23rd, 2007 1h 7m

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, NYU and the Hoover Institute, talks about the political economy of political campaigns and his forthcoming book, The Strategy of Campaigning: Lessons from Ronald Reagan and Boris Yeltsin. He talks with EconTalk host Rus

Ticket Prices and Scalping

Jul 16th, 2007 40m 29s

EconTalk host Russ Roberts talks about scalping and visits AT&T Park hours before Major League Baseball's All-Star Game to talk with a scalper, a merchandiser, a fan, and the police about prices, tickets, baseball and the law.