Tariffs are in the air. Will they help or hurt Americans? Listen as economist Scott Sumner makes the case against tariffs and various other forms...
We've heard a lot about misinformation in the news of late...but how do we know when we encounter it? What's the difference between misinformation and disinformation, and is there any space for truth anymore? If too many people believe things that aren't true,...
Journalist and author A. J. Jacobs talks about his book, Thanks a Thousand, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Jacobs thanked a thousand different people who contributed to his morning cup of coffee. In this conversation, Jacobs talks about the power...
We've heard a lot about misinformation in the news of late...but how do we know when we encounter it? What's the difference between misinformation and disinformation, and is there any space for truth anymore? If too many people believe things that aren't true, shouldn't we try to fix that??? Not necessarily, says th...
Tariffs are in the air. Will they help or hurt Americans? Listen as economist Scott Sumner makes the case against tariffs and various other forms of government intervention that go by the name of industrial policy. Along the way he looks at some of the history of worrying about the economic and military dangers posed b...
What does it take to translate a 900-page Russian novel written before the fall of the Soviet Union? For Robert Chandler it meant living in a seaside cottage for four months to immerse himself completely in the characters' lives and to meet his publisher's deadline. Listen as Chandler, the translator of Vasily Grossman...
As we've become more vigilant in our attempt to revive price theory, we've been looking back through the archives for supporting material, and this early EconTalk episode with Richard McKenzie was at the top of our list! (We recommend McKenzie's book Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies, too!) We invite you ...
Life and Fate might be the greatest novel of the 20th century or maybe ever. Tyler Cowen talks about this sprawling masterpiece and its author, Vasily Grossman, with EconTalk's Russ Roberts.
Over the last 30 years, the Israeli public has moved to the right on the question of how to deal with the Palestinians. Why did this happen? How has this changed Israeli politics and the strategy of the Palestinians? Listen, as journalist Haviv Rettig Gur explores the political and military history of the last three de...
How can we cultivate a sense of awe in our lives? Easy, says physicist and author Alan Lightman: Pay more attention. When we take the time to examine the world around us, from shooting stars to soap bubbles to everything in between, we can feel a sense of wonder and appreciation akin to spirituality. And the best part ...
After filmmaker Penny Lane decided to donate a kidney to a stranger, it took three years and a complex, often infuriating, sometimes terrifying process to make it happen. Along the way, being a filmmaker, she eventually decided to chronicle her experience and explore the question: How can a choice that seems so obvious...
Not everyone values 2500+ year old epic poems. If that’s you, give an expert the chance to convince you. In this episode of EconTalk, Russ Roberts interviews Claudia Hauer about war, education, and strategic humanism. Hauer is an expert at making the case for the importance of reading classical texts and often had to...
Why do we like sad music or that poignant feeling that comes from attending a funeral? Author Susan Cain talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about her book Bittersweet and the seductive and sometimes deeply satisfying power of melancholy.
The universe, points out economist Noah Smith, is always trying to kill us, whether through asteroids hurtling through space or our every-few-hours hunger pains. Why, then, should we expect anything but a gravitational pull toward poverty? In this episode, Russ Roberts and Noah Smith reflect on films and TV shows t...
Housing is artificially expensive. Bryan Caplan of George Mason University and the author of Build, Baby, Build talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the causes behind high housing prices and what can be done to bring prices down.
How much do you know about Bruno Leoni? Friedrich Hayek credited Bruno Leoni with shaping his ideas on laws and legislation. James Buchanan said that Leoni identified problems that led to his own work on public choice. How is it possible, then, that so few of us know of the groundbreaking Italian political philosopher?...
How big a problem is misinformation for a democracy? How do we arrive at the truth? Listen as economist and author Arnold Kling talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about how we should think about truth-seeking. The conversation also revisits Kling's classic work, The Three Languages of Politics, and the relevance of its...
Is tribalism destroying democracy? According to cultural psychologist Michael Morris of Columbia University, just the opposite may be the case. As he explains in his new book, Tribal, our tribal instincts can also be the source of our success--in politics, society, business, and even professional sports. Listen as Mo...
Doyne Farmer's recent conversation with EconTalk's Russ Roberts has given listeners reason to reflect on the state of economics and the way mainstream economists model market behaviors and use their models and tools to predict behaviors and identify trends. After listening to the EconTalk episode “Chaos and Complex...