EconTalk http://www.econtalk.org/ en Copyright 2010 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Daniel Pink on Drive, Motivation, and Incentives Daniel Pink, author of Drive, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about drive, motivation, compensation, and incentives. Pink discusses the implications of using monetary rewards as compensation in business and in education. Much of the conversation focuses on the research underlying the book, Drive, research from behavioral psychology that challenges traditional claims by economists on the power of monetary and other types of incentive. The last part of the conversation turns toward education and the role of incentives in motivating or demotivating students.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/daniel_pink_on.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/daniel_pink_on.html Dan Pink Education Happiness and Behavioral Economics Marketing, Management, Strategy, and Leadership Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Munger on Private and Public Rent-Seeking (and Chilean Buses) Mike Munger of Duke University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about private and public rent-seeking. When firms compete for either private profit opportunities or government contracts, there are inevitably firms or people who spend resources but end up earning little or nothing. What are the differences, if any between these two forms of competition? How do they related to competitions that award prizes for discovering new technologies? The conversation begins with a discussion of a recent trip Munger took to Chile where he observed the current state of the Chilean bus system, a topic he has discussed in the past.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/munger_on_priva.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/munger_on_priva.html Mike Munger Political Science Public Choice Theory of Markets Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Kennedy on the Great Depression and the New Deal David Kennedy of Stanford University and the author of Freedom from Fear talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the Great Depression and its political and economic relevance. Kennedy talks about the economic policies of Hoover and Roosevelt, and how the historical narrative was shaped and evolved over the decades. The conversation concludes with Kennedy's thoughts on the nature and value of history.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/kennedy_on_the.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/kennedy_on_the.html Books Business Cycles, Recessions, and the Great Depression David Kennedy History Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Laughlin on the Future of Carbon and Climate Robert Laughlin of Stanford University and the 1998 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about energy use and the future of the earth's climate. Drawing on his forthcoming book on energy, Laughlin predicts that we will continue to use cars and planes and electricity long after coal and petroleum are exhausted and speculates as to how that might play out in the future. The conversation concludes with discussions of other concerns of Laughlin's--the outlawing via legislation and taboo of certain forms of knowledge, and the practice of reductionism rather than emergence in the physical sciences.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/laughlin_on_the.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/laughlin_on_the.html Books Information and Technology Nobel Prize Winners Robert Laughlin Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Brady on the State of the Electorate David Brady of Stanford University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the state of the electorate and what current and past political science have to say about the upcoming midterm elections. Drawing on his own survey work and that of others, Brady uses current opinion polls to predict a range of likely outcomes in the House and Senate in November. He then discusses the role of recent health care legislation in the upcoming election as well as Obama's approval ratings. The conversation concludes with Brady's assessment of how Congress might deal with the demographic challenge facing entitlement programs.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/brady_on_the_st.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/08/brady_on_the_st.html David Brady Government Budgets and Taxation Health Political Science Public Choice Mon, 02 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Robert Service on Trotsky Robert Service of Stanford University's Hoover Institution and the University of Oxford talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the life and death of Leon Trotsky. Based on Service's biography of Trotsky, the conversation covers Trotsky's influence on the Russian Revolution, his influence on policy alongside Lenin, his expulsion from Soviet Union in 1928 and his murder in 1940 by Stalin's order.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/07/robert_service.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/07/robert_service.html Books History Political Science Robert Service Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Taylor on the State of the Economy John Taylor of Stanford University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the state of the economy. Is the economy recovering? What policies have helped and hurt? Taylor gives his views on both monetary and fiscal policy including the stimulus package passed last year, and current Fed policy. The conversation closes with a discussion of the global economy, particularly Poland and its recent success in avoiding recession.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/07/taylor_on_the_s.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/07/taylor_on_the_s.html Business Cycles, Recessions, and the Great Depression Financial Crisis of 2008 John Taylor Money Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Gregory on Politics, Murder, and Love in Stalin's Kremlin Paul Gregory of the University of Houston and a Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about Nikolai Bukharin's power struggle with Stalin and Bukharin's romance with Anna Larina, who was 26 years younger than Bukharin. Based on Gregory's book, Politics, Murder, and Love in Stalin's Kremlin, the conversation explores the career and personal life of Bukharin and how his career and personal life intersected. Bukharin was one of the key founders of the Bolshevik Revolution that led to the creation of the Soviet Union. In the late 1920s, he disagreed with Stalin's policy of collectivization. Stalin ruthlessly pursued him, eventually had him arrested, tried and convicted in the one of the infamous Show Trials, and executed. Anna, his wife, is then sentenced to the Gulag and later exiled. The power and poignancy of the story lies in Bukharin's refusal to believe that his old friend Stalin is out to kill him. Gregory also discusses Bukharin's economic policies and whether Stalin or someone like him was inevitable.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/07/gregory_on_poli.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/07/gregory_on_poli.html Books Family History Paul Gregory Political Science Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Kling on the Unseen World of Banking, Mortgages, and Government Arnold Kling of EconLog talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the weird world of banking. Why do mortgages look the way they do? What do banks contribute to economic activity? How does regulation and legislation change the structure of what banks do? What would banks look like and the housing market look like if government were less involved? Kling discusses these questions and more including the hidden subsidies built into the current structure of the mortgage market. The conversation is an imaginative exercise in the microeconomics of finance and credit.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/07/kling_on_the_un.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/07/kling_on_the_un.html Arnold Kling Finance Financial Crisis of 2008 Regulation Mon, 05 Jul 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Caplan on Hayek, Richter, and Socialism Bryan Caplan of George Mason University and blogger at EconLog talks to EconTalk host Russ Roberts about two books: Eugene Richter's Pictures of the Socialistic Future and F. A. Hayek's The Road to Serfdom. Both books warn against the dangers of socialism. Pictures of a Socialistic Future, published in 1891 is a dystopian novel imagining what life would be like after a socialist revolution. The Road to Serfdom, published in 1944, explores the links between economic freedom and political freedom and the inherent similarities between communism and fascism. Both books look at the German roots of centralized planning and the nature of the people who rise to power when the State is powerful. The conversation includes discussion of the these topics as well as the rule of law and the amount of state control of the economy in Nazi Germany.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/06/caplan_on_hayek.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/06/caplan_on_hayek.html Books Bryan Caplan History Philosophy and Methodology Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Sumner on Growth and Economic Policy Scott Sumner of Bentley University and the blog, The Money Illusion, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the last 30 years of economic policy and macroeconomic success and failure. Sumner argues that there was a neoliberalism revolution beginning in the 1980s around the world, an era of deregulation, privatization and falling marginal tax rates. Sumner argues that the states that liberalized the most had the most successful economic results. Roberts argues that it is difficult to assess the independent effect of various policy changes and points to many areas--in the United States at least--where government involvement increased in important parts of the economy, and Sumner responds. Sumner also talks about the importance of culture in economic performance.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/06/sumner_on_growt.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/06/sumner_on_growt.html Growth Regulation Scott Sumner Trade and Exchange Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Blakley on Fashion and Intellectual Property Johanna Blakley of the University of Southern California talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the fashion industry and the role of intellectual property. In the fashion industry there is limited protection for innovative designs and as a result, copying is rampant. Despite the ease of copying, innovation is quite strong in the industry and there is a great deal of competition. Topics discussed include the role of the street in generating new designs, the role of fashion in our lives, and whether the host of EconTalk has any hope of being fashionable. The conversation concludes with a discussion of the Grand Intervention, an urban park design competition, and the potential of Second Life for studying social trends.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/06/blakely_on_fash.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/06/blakely_on_fash.html Information and Technology Johanna Blakley Law and Institutions Marketing, Management, Strategy, and Leadership Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Okrent on Prohibition and His Book, Last Call Daniel Okent, author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, talks about the book with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. They discuss how the 18th Amendment banning the manufacture, sale, and transport of intoxicating beverages came to pass in 1920, what life was like while it was in force, and how the Amendment came to be repealed in 1934. Okrent discusses how Prohibition became entangled with the suffrage movement, the establishment of the income tax, and anti-immigration sentiment. They also discuss the political economy of prohibition, enforcement, and repeal--the quintessential example of bootleggers and baptists.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/06/okrent_on_prohi.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/06/okrent_on_prohi.html Books Daniel Okent History Regulation Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Menand on Psychiatry Louis Menand of Harvard University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the state of psychiatry. Drawing on a recent article of his in the New Yorker, Menand talks about the state of knowledge in psychiatry and the scientific basis for making conclusions about mental illness and various therapies. Menand argues that the research record shows little difference between the effectiveness of psychopharmacology and talk therapies of various kinds in fighting depression. Neither is particularly successful in any one case. Other topics that are discussed include the parallels between economics and psychiatry in assessing causation, the diminished role of Freudianism in modern psychiatry, and the range of issues involved in using medication to avoid pain and hardship.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/05/menand_on_psych.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/05/menand_on_psych.html Family Health Louis Menand Philosophy and Methodology Mon, 31 May 2010 06:30:00 -0500 Belsky on Journalism, Editing, and Trivia Gary Belsky, Editor-in-Chief at ESPN The Magazine, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his career path in journalism and the day-to-day life of editing a major American magazine. Belsky discusses some of the lessons of his early career as a business journalist. The discussion then turns to the magazine, its creativity and the perks and challenges of editing the magazine, managing the staff, and chatting up Serena Williams. The conversation closes with a discussion of Belsky's theory of trivia and some of his favorite trivia questions.

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]]> http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/05/belsky_on_journ.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/05/belsky_on_journ.html Entrepreneurship Gary Belsky Sports The Media Mon, 24 May 2010 06:30:00 -0500