Chris Arnade, former Wall Street trader turned photographer and social chronicler, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about what he learned from the front lines of the financial industry in the 1990s and 2000s when everything slowly and then very quickly began to fall apart. He also discusses his transition into observer and photographer of drug addicts, the poor, and the forgotten parts of America.

So are you a cosmopolitan prioritarianist? A try-it-out-atarianist? Do you feel more sympathy for your fellow countrymen or those in the poorest parts of the world? As always, we'd love to see your response to this week's conversation...Let's continue it here.

1. Why does Deaton think making the claim that everyone is better off as a result of trade and globalization is "intellectual hucksterism," and to what extent do you agree?

Nobel Laureate in Economics Angus Deaton of Princeton University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the economics of trade and aid. Deaton wonders if economists should re-think the widely-held view that redistribution from rich nations to poor nations makes the world a better place. The conversation focuses on the challenges facing poor Americans including the rising mortality rate for white Americans ages 45-54.

In this week's EconTalk episode, host Russ Roberts welcomes back Cathy O'Neil, author of the fantastically titled new book, Weapons of Math Destruction. The "weapons" O'Neil is concerned with are problematic algorithms- widespread, in some sense secret or proprietary, and in some way destructive. While Roberts and O'Neil agree about the dangers inherent in certain algorithmic applications, they disagree on many as well.

So let's hear your thoughts on the issues in this week's conversation. As always, we love to hear from you.

1. How does the use of recidivism risk scores "create its own reality" in criminal sentencing? According to O'Neil, how does this practice confuse accuracy with causality?

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 argues that the commercial application of big data often harms individuals in unknown ways. She argues that the poor are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Examples discussed include prison sentencing, college rankings, evaluations of teachers, and targeted advertising. O'Neil argues for more transparency and ethical standards when using data.

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly...So goes the story of the regulation of the United States economy, according to this week's EconTalk guest, John Cochrane. Cochrane is concerned about the effects of creeping regulation and what he sees as a lack of respect for the rule of law in government today. He also sees policy debates today like bad marriages, with each side just shouting over one another. He aspires to change the nature of this debate...

As always, we want to hear from you...Share your thoughts with us in the Comments, on social media, or simply with your own friends and family.

1. Both Roberts and Cochrane are anxious to get rid of barriers to innovation, but they approach this with different rationales. How does the moral case for the removal of such barriers differ from the practical case? Which side are you on, and why?

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 Stanford University's Hoover Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how to take a different approach to the standard policy arguments. Cochrane wants to get away from the stale big government/small government arguments which he likens to a couple who have gotten stuck in a rut making the same ineffective arguments over and over. Cochrane argues for a fresh approach to economic policy including applications to growth, taxes and financial regulation.

Listening to this week's EconTalk episode, I felt a little like a kid in a candy store (and not just because of the reference to Ronald Reagan's jelly beans). It also sparked some wanderlust...specifically, to go visit the archives of the Hoover Institution, about whose collections EconTalk host Russ Roberts chatted with archivist Eric Wakin.

But this week's episode was about more than just the unique nature of the items housed in these archives...Lots of economic questions were raised simultaneously. So we'll share a few, and we hope you'll share your thoughts in return. Why are we as humans so attached to material reminders or our past? What is the role for archives, libraries, museums, etc. in maintaining our memory? How important is accessibility in the preservation of these memories?

1. While the archives generally do not sell the items they have, they still need to approximate the market value of them. In the absence of comparable prices, how do archivists such as Wakin do this? How accurate do you think they are? What of the gap Wakin notes between items' financial and research value- to what extent can this be accounted for?

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. Eric Wakin, Director of the Library and Archives of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about what it's like to be an archivist and the importance of archival materials for research, culture, and memory.

Is economic analysis ready for the age of Big Data? That's the underlying question explored in this week's EconTalk episode. Host Russ Roberts welcomes Stanford's Susan Athey, and they discuss how machine learning might be used in conjunction with more traditional econometric techniques. They also talk about the ways commercial entities, such as amazon and Facebook, use machine learning to change their users' experiences and increase profits.

Are there lessons to be learned from these commercial experiences that can help us analyze policy? Or will counterfactuals, such as what would have happened had NAFTA not passed, forever evade such rigorous analysis? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments...As always, we love to hear from you.

1. Why is it so difficult to measure the effects of a policy such as minimum wage legislation, and how does Athey cast doubt on the Card-Krueger study?