The Economics Review

Ep. 121 - Siddharth Kara on How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

Siddharth Kara is a British Academy Global Professor and an Associate Professor of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery at Nottingham University and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. As an author, researcher, and activist on modern slavery, he has authored three books and won the Frederick Douglass Book Prize. His first book was adapted into a Hollywood film called Trafficked, and a feature film inspired by his latest book, Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, is currently in preproduction.

Ep. 120 - Philip Howard on The Faliure of Public Employee Unions

Philip Howard is the Founder of Common Good, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates simplifying government, as well as a lawyer, renowned columnist, and author. In 2017, he was a member of President Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, where his reports played a key role in influencing the Trump Administration's infrastructure proposals, including speeding up approval times. His latest book is titled Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions.

Ep. 119 - Dakin Campbell on How Silicon Valley Broke The IPO

Dakin Campbell is the Chief Finance Correspondent at Business Insider. He is the publication's senior reporter covering Wall Street, after a decade at Bloomberg writing for its wire service, Businessweek, and Markets magazine. At Insider he writes and reports about Wall Street and the broader finance industry, often working with confidential sources to uncover issues that management teams and other subjects would rather keep quiet. His latest book is titled Going Public: How Silicon Valley Rebels Loosened Wall Street's Grip on the IPO and Sparked a Revolution.

Ep. 118 - Dr. Mordecai Kurz on The Market Power of Technology

Dr. Mordecai Kurz is the Joan Kenney Professor of Economics-Emeritus at Stanford University, whose research work has covered a variety of problems in economic theory and policy. He has written extensively on growth theory, game theory, and the effect of market power on inequality and growth, and he has worked on many policy projects. He also served as a special economic advisor to President Carter’s Commission on Pension Policy in 1979. His latest book is titled  The Market Power of Technology: Understanding the Second Gilded Age.

Ep. 117 - Connor Boyack on Liberty and Education

Connor Boyack is the founder and president of Libertas Institute, an award-winning free market libertarian think tank located in Utah with a mission to advance the cause of liberty. He is the author of 37 books, including the popular Tuttle Twins children’s series, which have sold over 5 million copies. Named one of Utah's most politically influential people by The Salt Lake Tribune, Connor's leadership has changed over 100 laws covering a wide range of areas such as privacy, government transparency, property rights, drug policy, education, personal freedom, and more.

Ep. 116 - Senator Phil Gramm on The Myth of American Inequality

Senator Phil Gramm is a former U.S. Congressman and Senator from Texas, as well as the former chairman of the Senate Banking Committee between 1991 and 2001. Prior to this, he was a Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University. He is now a Senior Partner at US Policy Metrics and a nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Holding a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, he is an economist by training, and his latest book is titled The Myth of American Inequality: How Government Biases the Policy Debate.

Ep. 115 - Dr. Frank Dikötter on China’s Rise After Mao

Dr. Frank Dikötter is the Chair Professor of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and a Dutch historian specializing in modern China. Prior to this, he was a Professor of the Modern History of China at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. He is the author of a dozen books that have changed the way we look at the history of modern China and the winner of the prestigious BBC Samuel Johnson prize. His latest book is titled China After Mao: The Rise of a Superpower.

Ep. 114 - Dr. Allen Morrison on Business Success in China

Dr. Allen Morrison is a Professor of Global Management and the former CEO and Director General of the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University (ASU). Before joining ASU, he was the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Chair for Responsible Leadership and director of the Global CEO Center at IMD in Switzerland. His latest book is titled Enterprise China: Adopting a Competitive Strategy for Business Success.

Ep. 113 - Dr. Ethan Chorin on The Benghazi Fiasco

Ethan Chorin is a former diplomat, senior political analyst, author, and environmental entrepreneur. From 2004 to 2006, he was one of a handful of US diplomats posted to Libya to help set up a US mission in the wake of the rapprochement with Colonel Gaddafi. Six years later, as co-director of an NGO working to help build medical infrastructure in Eastern Libya, he became a witness to the Benghazi attack and its aftermath. A year later, he was nominated by both Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Sen. John McCain to succeed Chris Stevens as ambassador. From 2020-2021, he was Sr. Advisor to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the UAE. Holding a Ph.D. in Resource Economics from UC Berkeley, his latest book is titled Benghazi!: A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink.

Ep. 112 - Dr. Marion Laboure on The Radical Promise of Fintech

Dr. Marion Laboure is a senior economist and market strategist at Deutsche Bank, a lecturer at Harvard University, and a recognized expert in financial technology. In addition to designing her own financial technologies course at Harvard University, she speaks extensively about payment systems, blockchain, and digital currencies at conferences and seminars. Holding a Ph.D. from ENS, her latest book is titled Democratizing Finance: The Radical Promise of Fintech. 

Ep. 111 - Lynn Greenky on First Amendment Rights

Lynn Greenky is Associate Teaching Professor at Syracuse University, and an attorney admitted to the New York State Bar, using her legal training and expertise to teach presentation, advocacy, and argumentation. She is interested in political and legal discourse and created courses that reflect those concerns. Her latest book is titled When Freedom Speaks: The Boundaries and the Boundlessness of Our First Amendment Right.

Ep. 110 - Rafael Mangual on What the Push for Decarceration and Depolicing Gets Wrong

Rafael Mangual is a fellow and deputy director of legal policy at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal. He has authored and co-authored a number of MI reports and op-eds on issues ranging from urban crime and jail violence to broader matters of criminal and civil justice reform. Holding a J.D. from DePaul University, his latest book is titled Criminal (In)Justice: What the Push for Decarceration and Depolicing Gets Wrong and Who It Hurts Most.

Ep. 109 - Katherine Blunt on The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric

Katherine Blunt covers renewable energy and utilities for The Wall Street Journal. Her team's reporting on PG&E has been honored with a Barlett & Steele award for business investigative journalism, the Thomas L. Stokes award for energy and environmental reporting, and was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2020. Her latest book is titled California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric- and What It Means for America's Power Grid.

Ep. 108 - Edward Chancellor on The Story of Interest

Edward Chancellor is a British financial historian, finance journalist, and former investment strategist. In 2016, the Financial Analysts Journal called him "one of the great financial writers of our era," and in 2022, Fortune called him "one of the greatest financial historians alive." Holding degrees from Oxford and Cambridge, his latest book is titled The Price of Time: The Real Story of Interest.

Ep. 107 - Dr. Joseph Wong on Democratization Through Strength

Dr. Joseph Wong is the University of Toronto’s Vice-President, International. He is also the Roz and Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, and a Professor of Political Science. He also was the Director of the Asian Institute at the Munk School from 2005 to 2014 and held the Canada Research Chair in health, democracy, and development from 2006 to 2016. Holding a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his latest book is titled From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia.

Ep. 106 - Dr. Douglass Rushkoff on The Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires

Dr. Douglass Rushkoff is a professor of media theory and digital economics at Queens/CUNY. Named one of the world’s ten most influential intellectuals by MIT, he hosts the Team Human podcast and has written many award-winning books. Holding a Ph.D. from Utrecht University, his latest book is titled Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires.

Ep. 105 - Dr. Lawrence C. Marsh on a Dynamic-Growth Economy

Dr. Lawrence C. Marsh is a professor emeritus in the Department of Economics at the University of Notre Dame, where he was the director of the Ph.D. program for over a decade. He has written hundreds of papers and books,  served on 78 Ph.D. dissertation committees, and has given several thousand lectures in statistics, econometrics, mathematical economics, microeconomic theory, and research methods in psychology. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from Michigan State University, his latest book is titled Optimal Money Flow: A New Vision of How a Dynamic-Growth Economy Can Work for Everyone.

Ep. 104 - Dr. Per Espen Stoknes on A Guide to Creating Healthy Green Growth

Dr. Per Espen Stoknes is an organizational psychologist, a Senior Lecturer at the Norwegian Business School, and a TED speaker. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics, he’s the author of several books, including Learning from the Future, What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming, and his most recent book, Tomorrow’s Economy - A Guide to Creating Healthy Green Growth.

Ep. 103 - Dr. Michael Bernstam on The Russian Economic Collapse

Dr. Michael Bernstam is a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institute and an economic demographer. He was formerly an economic adviser to the Russian Parliament, the Central Bank of Russia, and the Russian government on several policy projects, and remains a regular commentator on the Russian economy.

Ep. 102 - James Bessen on How Corporations Use Software to Dominate Industries

James Bessen is an economist and technologist, who serves as the Executive Director of the Technology & Policy Research Initiative at Boston University. He was previously a successful innovator and CEO of a software company and has been widely cited in the press as well as by the US White House and Supreme Court, the European Parliament, and the Federal Trade Commission. His latest book is titled The New Goliaths: How Corporations Use Software to Dominate Industries, Kill Innovation, and Undermine Regulation.

Ep. 101 - Dr. Steven Miller on Real Stories of Human-Machine Collaboration

Dr. Steven Miller is a Professor Emeritus of Information Systems at the School of Computing and Information Systems at the Singapore Management University, as well as the Founding Dean of the SMU School of Information Systems. Holding a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University, his latest book is titled Working with AI: Real Stories of Human-Machine Collaboration.

Ep. 100 - Dr. J. Bradford DeLong on An Economic History of the Twentieth Century

Dr. J. Bradford DeLong is a professor of economics at U.C. Berkeley, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a weblogger at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, and a fellow of the Institute for New Economic Thinking.  Prior to this, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the Clinton Administration. Holding a Ph.D. from Harvard University, his latest book is titled, Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century.

Ep. 99 - Dr. Maureen Perry-Jenkins on How Parents’ Jobs Shape Children’s Well-Being

Dr. Maureen Perry-Jenkins is a Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a nationally renowned scholar whose contributions on the national, state, regional, and university levels have had a profound impact on family research. Her work focuses on the ways in which socio-cultural factors such as race, gender, and social class shape the mental health and family relationships of parents and their children. Holding a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State, her latest book is titled Work Matters: How Parents’ Jobs Shape Children’s Well-Being.

Ep. 98 - Dr. Kimberly Kay Hoang on How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets

Dr. Kimberly Kay Hoang is an Associate Professor of Sociology, the Director of Global Studies at the University of Chicago, and an award-winning scholar, author, and teacher. She received the 2020 Lewis A Coser Award from the American Sociological Association Section on Sociological Theory— a mid-career award for Theoretical Agenda Setting. Her books and articles have been awarded over 18 prizes by several different professional associations. Holding a Ph.D. in Sociology from UC Berkeley, her latest book is titled Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets.

Ep. 97 - Dr. Stephen Bell on China’s Troubled Pursuit of Financial Reform

Dr. Stephen Bell is a Professor of political economy in the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland. Prior to joining UQ in 1999, he held positions at Griffith University, the University of New England, and the University of Tasmania. Holding a Ph.D. from Griffith University, his latest book is titled Banking on Growth Models: China's Troubled Pursuit of Financial Reform and Economic Rebalancing.

Ep. 96 - Dr. Joseph Fishkin on Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy

Dr. Joseph Fishkin is a Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law, where he teaches and writes about employment discrimination law, election law, constitutional law, education law, fair housing law, poverty and inequality, and distributive justice. Before joining the UCLA faculty he taught for a decade at the University of Texas School of Law, where he was the Marrs McLean Professor in Law. Holding a Ph.D. in Politics from Oxford University, his latest book is titled The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy.

Ep. 95 - Dr. Satish Nambisan on Navigating the New Normal in Global Business

Dr. Satish Nambisan is the Nancy and Joseph Keithley Professor of Technology Management at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. His research interests lie in the broad areas of innovation management, entrepreneurship, and digital globalization. Holding a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Syracuse University, his latest book is titled The Digital Multinational: Navigating the New Normal in Global Business.

Ep. 94 - Dr. Phillip Levine on How the Complexity of College Pricing Hurts Students and Universities

Dr. Phillip Levine is the Katharine Coman and A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics at Wellesley College, and a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University, his latest book is titled A Problem of Fit: How the Complexity of College Pricing Hurts Students—and Universities.

Ep. 93 - Dr. Emma Saunders-Hastings on Philanthropy and Democratic Equality

Dr. Emma Saunders-Hastings is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University and a political theorist whose research focuses on political, economic, and social inequality, particularly concerning the role of private power. Before coming to Ohio State, she was a Harper Fellow in the Society of Fellows at the University of Chicago and a postdoctoral scholar at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. Holding a Ph.D. from the Department of Government at Harvard University, her latest book is titled Private Virtues, Public Vice: Philanthropy and Democratic Equality.

Ep. 92 - Dr. Dan Slater on The Transformations of Modern Asia

Dr. Dan Slater is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan and the Director of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies, specializing in the politics and history of enduring dictatorships and emerging democracies, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia.  Holding a Ph.D. in Political Science from Emory University, his latest book is titled From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia.

Ep. 91 - Tomer Rabinovich on The Pro Seller’s Guide to Amazon Success

Tomer Rabinovich is a consultant to some of the biggest names in the online sales industry, a sought-after speaker at Amazon seller events around the world, and a trusted advisor to global aggregator companies. Passionate about sharing his valuable insights into Amazon selling, he founded Top Dog, a community where advanced sellers come together online, in person, and at live events. His latest book is titled Ride the Amazon Wave: The Pro Seller's Guide to Private Label Success.

Ep. 90 - Dr. Nate G. Hilger on How to Stop Overloading Parents and Fix Our Inequality Crisis

Dr. Nate G. Hilger is a former professor of economics at Brown University and an economist and data scientist in Silicon Valley, now a researcher and writer.  While in academia he was a Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research and continues to hold an affiliation with the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown. In 2020 he served as a lead policy consultant on early childhood and non-K12 child development issues for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University, his latest book is titled The Parent Trap: How to Stop Overloading Parents and Fix Our Inequality Crisis.

Ep. 89 - Dr. Masaaki Higashijima on Electoral Manipulation, Economic Maneuvering, and Political Order in Autocracies

Dr. Masaaki Higashijima is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Graduate School of Information Sciences at Tohoku University in Japan. Holding a Ph.D. in Political Science from Michigan State University, his research interests include comparative political economy, autocratic politics, regime change, ethnic politics, Central Asia, and political methodology. His latest book is titled The Dictator's Dilemma at the Ballot Box: Electoral Manipulation, Economic Maneuvering, and Political Order in Autocracies.

Ep. 88 - Dr. George DeMartino on How Economists Cause Harm (Even as They Aspire to Do Good).

Dr. George DeMartino is a Professor of International Economics at the University of Denver. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, he teaches courses on international trade, the normative foundations of global economic policy, great books in political economy, and professional ethics in international affairs. His latest book is The Tragic Science: How Economists Cause Harm (Even as They Aspire to Do Good).

Ep. 87 - Dr. Jacob Soll on The History of Free Markets

Dr. Jacob Soll is a professor of philosophy, history, and accounting at the University of Southern California, as well as a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. Holding a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, he is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Politico, the New Republic, PBS, Salon.com, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His latest book is titled Free Market: The History of an Idea.

Ep. 86 - Dr. Tara Watson on The Economics of Immigration in an Age of Fear

Dr. Tara Watson is a Professor of Economics at Williams College and a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institute.  Her research is focused on U.S. social policy, with interests in the safety net, health, and immigration. Her latest book is titled The Border Within: The Economics of Immigration in an Age of Fear.

Ep. 85 - Dr. Mark Pack on The History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls

Dr. Mark Pack is a British politician and the President of the Liberal Democrats party. Holding a Ph.D. in History, he was formerly the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the British parliament. His latest book is titled Polling Unpacked: The History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls.

Ep. 84 - Dr. Ian McManus on The Repoliticization of the Welfare State

Dr. Ian McManus is an Assistant Professor of Political Science whose work focuses on the effects of macroeconomic changes on political competition and social well-being. His research interests include welfare state politics, social inequality, gender equality, economic crises, labor markets, European politics, and the political economy of technology. His latest book is titled The Repoliticization of the Welfare State. 

Ep. 83 - Dr. Kevin Munger on Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture

Dr. Kevin Munger is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Social Data Analytics at Penn State University. His work has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Political Behavior, Political Communication, and Political Science Research & Methods. His latest book is titled Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture.

Ep. 82 - Michael Gordon on The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State

Michael R. Gordon is the national security correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and former chief military correspondent for The New York Times. He is also the co-author of three definitive histories of the United States’ wars in Iraq: The Endgame, Cobra II, and The Generals’ War. His latest book is titled Degrade and Destroy: The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State, from Barack Obama to Donald Trump.

Ep. 81 - Dr. Stein Ringen on Power, Statecraft, and Freedom in Modern Societies

Dr. Stein Ringen is an Emeritus Fellow in the Green Templeton College at the University of Oxford as well as a Visiting Professor of Political Economy at King’s College London. Holding a Ph.D. from the University of Oslo, his latest book is titled How Democracies Live: Power, Statecraft, and Freedom in Modern Societies.

Ep. 80 - Brett Scott on Cash, Cards, Crypto, and the War for Our Wallets

Brett Scott is an author, journalist, and financial hacker exploring the intersections between money systems, finance, and digital technology.  He is also a Senior Fellow of the Finance Innovation Lab, an Associate at the Institute of Social Banking, and an advisory group member of the Brixton Pound local currency. His latest book is titled Cloudmoney: Cash, Cards, Crypto, and the War for Our Wallets.

Ep. 79 - Dr. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross on How Jihadist Groups Strategize, Plot, and Learn

Dr. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is the founder and chief executive officer of Valens Global and a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He has led numerous policy projects, including serving as the lead drafter of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s 2019 Strategic Framework for Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence. His latest book is titled Enemies Near and Far: How Jihadist Groups Strategize, Plot, and Learn.

Ep. 78 - Dr. John LaMattina on Balancing Innovation, Medicine, and Drug Prices

Dr. John LaMattina is the former President of Global Research and Development at Pfizer, overseeing the drug discovery and development efforts of over 13,000 colleagues across the world. He is now a Senior Partner and a member of the Board of Directors of PureTech Health. Holding a Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire in Organic Chemistry, his latest book is titled Pharma and Profits: Balancing Innovation, Medicine, and Drug Prices.

Ep. 77 - Dr. David Dranove and Dr. Lawton Burns on Megaproviders and the High Cost of Health Care in America

Dr. David Dranove is the Walter McNerney Distinguished Professor of Health Industry Management at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where he is also a Professor of Strategy and the faculty director of the Kellogg Ph.D. program. Dr. Lawton Burns is the James Joo-Jin Kim Professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he is also a Professor of Healthcare Management, Professor of Management, and Codirector of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management. Their latest book is titled Big Med: Megaproviders and the High Cost of Health Care in America.

Ep. 76 - Dr. Robin Goldstein and Dr. Daniel Sumner on The Blunt Realities of Cannabis Economics

Dr. Robin Goldstein is the Director of the Cannabis Economics Group and an economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis, where he studies the legal and illegal cannabis markets, with a focus on the effects of regulations and retail prices. Dr. Daniel Sumner is the Frank H. Buck, Jr., Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis and the Director of the University of California Agricultural Issues Center. He participates in research, teaching, and directs an outreach program related to public issues facing agriculture. Their latest book is titled Can Legal Weed Win? The Blunt Realities of Cannabis Economics.

Ep. 75 - Omid Malekan on The Curse of History and the Crypto Cure for Money, Markets and Platforms

Omid Malekan is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, where he lectures on blockchain and crypto. A nine-year veteran of the crypto industry, he spends most of his time as a consultant, educator, and advocate for this new way of building trust. Sometimes called the Explainer-in-Chief of blockchain technology, his latest book is titled Re-Architecting Trust: The Curse of History and the Crypto Cure for Money, Markets and Platforms.

Ep. 74 - Dr. Paul Oyer on Insights From The Economics of Sports

Dr. Paul Oyer is the Mary and Rankine Van Anda Entrepreneurial Professor, Professor of Economics, and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Labor Economics. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University, he studies the economics of organizations and human resource practices. His latest book is titled An Economist Goes to the Game: How to Throw Away $580 Million and Other Surprising Insights from the Economics of Sports.

Ep. 73 - Dr. Leah Boustan on America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success

Dr. Leah Boustan is a Professor of Economics at Princeton University, where she also serves as the Director of the Industrial Relations Section. She is also the co-director of the Development of the American Economy Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Her research lies at the intersection between economic history and labor economics. Her latest book is titled Streets of Gold: America's Untold Story of Immigrant Success.

Ep. 72 - Dr. Mark Koyama on The Historical Origins of Economic Growth

Dr. Mark Koyama is an Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University and a Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oxford, his latest book is titled How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth. 

Ep. 71 - Dr. Elizabeth Popp Berman on How Efficiency Replaced Equality in U.S. Public Policy

Dr. Elizabeth Popp Berman is an associate professor of organizational studies at the University of Michigan and the author of Thinking Like an Economist: How Efficiency Replaced Equality in U.S. Public Policy. She is also a sociologist whose work is at the intersection of organizations, economic sociology, and the sociology of science and knowledge. Much of her work focuses on recent U.S. history and emphasizes the role of public policy. 

Ep. 70 - Dr. Richard Holden on Liberalism after Covid

Dr. Richard Holden is a Professor of Economics at UNSW Business School, director of the Economics of Education Knowledge Hub at UNSWBusiness, co-director of the New Economic Policy Initiative, and President of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University, his research focuses on contract theory, organizational economics, law and economics, and political economy. His latest book is titled From Free to Fair Markets: Liberalism after Covid.

Ep. 69 - Dr. Vito Tanzi on The Uncertain Economics of Disasters, Pandemics, and Climate Change

Dr. Vito Tanzi was a Professor and Economic Chair at American University, director for over 20 years of the Fiscal Affairs Department at the International Monetary Fund, and Undersecretary for Economy and Finance in the Italian Government. He is the honorary President of the International Institute of Public Finance (IIPF) in Munich, Germany. Holding a Ph.D. from Harvard University, his latest book is titled Fragile Futures: The Uncertain Economics of Disasters, Pandemics, and Climate Change. 

Ep. 68 - Bill McKibben on The End of Nature

Bill McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and leader of the climate campaign group 350.org. His 1989 book The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change, and has appeared in 24 languages.  He has won the Gandhi Peace Prize, the Right Livelihood Award, and honorary degrees from 20 colleges and universities. Foreign Policy named him to its list of the world’s 100 most important global thinkers.

Ep. 67 - Dr. Christopher Blattman on The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace

Dr. Christopher Blattman is the Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at the University of Chicago, studying why some people and societies are poor, unequal, and violent, and how to tackle these issues. Holding a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, his latest book is titled Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace, which draws on decades of economics, political science, psychology, and real-world interventions to lay out the root causes and remedies for war.

Ep. 66 - Dr. Oded Galor on The Origins of Wealth and Inequality

Dr. Oded Galor is the Herbert H. Goldberger Professor of Economics at Brown University and the founder of the Unified Growth Theory. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University, he is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Economic Growth, Editor of the Journal of Population Economics, and Co-Editor of Macroeconomic Dynamics.

Ep. 65 - Dr. Marc F. Bellemare on What You Should Have Learned in Grad School–But Didn’t

Dr. Marc F. Bellemare is a Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota, where he is also the Director of the Center for International Food and Agricultural Policy. Holding a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Cornell University, his research focuses on agricultural economics and applied econometrics, including agricultural value chains, risk and uncertainty, and the consequences of high and volatile food prices. His latest book is titled Doing Economics: What You Should Have Learned in Grad School–But Didn’t.

Ep. 64 - Dr. Paul Sagar on Reconsidering Adam Smith

Dr. Paul Sagar is a Senior Lecturer in Political Theory in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London. Holding a Ph.D. in History from the University of Cambridge, his work focuses on the history of political thought and contemporary political theory. His latest book is titled Adam Smith Reconsidered: History, Liberty and the Foundations of Modern Politics. 

Ep. 63 - Seth Godin on The Carbon Almanac and Blogging

Seth Godin is the author of nineteen international bestsellers that have been translated into over 35 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work. He is the author of one of the most popular blogs in the world, with over 9000 posts and over a million readers. By focusing on everything from effective marketing and leadership, to the spread of ideas and changing everything, he has been able to motivate and inspire countless people around the world. 

Ep. 62 - Dr. Alex Dreher on The Aims and Impacts of China’s Overseas Development Program

Dr. Alex Dreher is the Chair of International and Development Politics and a Professor of Economics at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Mannheim, he is among the 500 top economists in the world according to the IDEAS/RePEc. His latest book is titled Banking on Beijing: The Aims and Impacts of China’s Overseas Development Program.

Ep. 61 - Dr. Lily Geismer on The Democrat’s Failed Attempt To Solve Inequality

Dr. Lily Geismer is an Associate Professor of History at Claremont Mckenna College and the author of Left Behind: The Democrat’s failed attempt to solve inequality. Her research focuses on the recent political and urban history in the United States with a focus on liberalism and the Democratic Party. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, and many more.

Ep. 60 - Dr. Kathryn Olivarius on Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom

Dr. Kathryn Olivarius an Assistant Professor of American History at Stanford University, studying slavery, capitalism, and disease. Her writing and research has appeared in multiple publications, including the New York Times and the American Historical Review. Holding a Ph.D. in History from the University of Oxford, her latest book is titled Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom, published by Harvard University Press.

Ep. 59 - Dr. Adam Iqbal on Practical Asset Pricing and Macroeconomic Theory

Dr. Adam Iqbal is a Managing Director and Global Head of G10 FX Options Trading at Goldman Sachs, where he previously served as Global Head of FX Exotics and Correlation Options Trading Prior to this, he was an FX Volatility Portfolio Manager at PIMCO and worked as a vanilla and exotic FX options trader at Barclays Investment Bank in London. Holding a Ph.D. in financial mathematics and economics from Imperial College London, his latest book is  Foreign Exchange: Practical Asset Pricing and Macroeconomic Theory.

Ep. 58 - Dr. John List on How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale

Dr. John List is the Chief Economist at Walmart, the former Chief Economist at Lyft and Uber, and an Editor of The Journal of Political Economy. Now, the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, he was formerly the Chairman of the Department of Economics at UChicago. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wyoming, he has written hundreds of academic papers and several books, including most recently The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale.

Ep. 57 - Dr. Lubos Pastor on Mutual Funds and High-ESG Investing

Dr. Lubos Pastor is the Charles P. McQuaid Professor of Finance at Booth School of Business, University of Chicago. Holding a Ph.D. in finance from Wharton, he has served as President of the Western Finance Association and Director of the American Finance Association and has almost 20,000 citations across several highly renowned papers.

Ep. 56 - Dr. Dinsha Mistree on Meritocracy, US-India Relations, and Documented Dreamers

Dr. Dinsha Mistree is a Research Fellow at the Program on Strengthening US-India Relations at the Hoover Institution and a Research Fellow in the Rule of Law Program at Stanford Law School. Holding a Ph.D. from Princeton University, his research focuses on the political economy of development, with a special focus on India and South Asia. Ironically enough, he is also one of the pioneers of The Rule of Non-Law Project at Stanford Law School.

Ep. 55 - Dr. Peter Arcidiacono on Affirmative Action

Dr. Peter Arcidiacono is a Professor of Economics at Duke University and a fellow of the Econometric Society. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, he served as an expert witness in the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard lawsuit before the Supreme Court. In addition to this, his broader research has focused on affirmative action in higher education, structural estimation of dynamic discrete choice models, and college major choice.

Ep. 54 - Markos Kounalakis on the Russia-Ukraine War

Markos Kounalakis is a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and an award-winning, nationally-syndicated foreign affairs columnist, author, and scholar. He’s also a veritable legend in the world of Journalism, covering the developments in Eastern Europe at the end of the 20th Century, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Velvet Revolution in Prague. He was present at the Warsaw Pact meeting, covered the early phases of Yugoslavia’s civil war, and went to Afghanistan with the Soviets to cover the last stages of their military occupation and the rise of the Mujahedin. He’s also the first Second Gentleman of California, married to Lt. Governor Elani Kounalakis.

Ep. 53 - Daniel Alpert on Labor Shortages and Inflation

Daniel Alpert is the Managing Partner of the twenty-five year old New York-based investment bank Westwood Capital and a Senior Fellow in Macroeconomics at Cornell Law School. With over 35 years of experience in global investment banking, he is best known for his writing on the credit bubble and the ensuing financial crisis of the 2000s, and his many articles and papers on the U.S. housing market, banking, regulatory matters, and global macroeconomics

Ep. 52 - Dr. Jason Abaluck on Health Insurance Market Design

Dr. Jason Abaluck is a Professor of Economics at the Yale School of Management, where his work focuses on the intersection of public finance, behavioral economics, health economics, and industrial organization. He is also the co-founder of the San Francisco tech-startup Vela, which helps eCommerce vendors optimize their businesses. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT, much of his recent research has focused on the healthcare industry and health insurance.

Ep. 51 - Shahin Vallée on The Consequences of The Russia-Ukraine War For Europe

Shahin Vallée is the Head of the Geo-Economics Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations, as well as a Senior Economist at Soros Fund Management, where he also served as a personal advisor to George Soros. Prior to this, he was the Economic Advisor to Emmanuel Macron at the French Ministry for Economy and Finance, where he focused on European economic affairs.

Ep. 50 - Dr. Branko Milanović on Inequality and The Future of the System That Rules the World

Dr. Branko Milanović is a senior scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequalities, most known for his work on income distribution and inequality. Previously the lead economist in the World Bank’s Research Department for almost 20 years, his award-winning books entitled Global Inequality and Capitalism alone discuss income inequality across the world in an era of globalization. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Belgrade, he was named among the top 50 thinkers in the world by Prospect magazine.

Ep. 49 - Sebastian Mallaby on Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future

Sebastian Mallaby is the Paul Volcker Senior Fellow at the International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Washington Post columnist. He previously spent thirteen years at The Economist magazine, covering international finance, and eight years on the editorial board of The Washington Post, focusing on globalization and political economy. His latest book is The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future. 

Ep. 48 - Dr. Karen Vaughn on Austrian Economics in America

Dr. Karen Vaughn is the former president of the Southern Economics Association and the Society for the Development of Austrian Economics. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University, she is now the Emeritus Distinguished Senior Fellow for the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, as well as the author of a book entitled Austrian Economics in America: the Migration of a Tradition.

Ep. 47 - Dr. Andrew Biggs on Social Security Privatization

Dr. Andrew Biggs is the former principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration, as well as the former associate director of the White House National Economic Council, where he worked on Social Security reform. He has published widely in academic publications as well as in daily newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast, Master’s degrees from Cambridge University and the University of London, and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics.

Ep. 46 - Dr. Daniel Carpenter on Democracy by Petition

Dr. Daniel Carpenter is the Allie S. Freed Professor of Government at Harvard University, as well as the Faculty Director of the Social Sciences at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. He’s one of the world’s leading experts on regulation and bureaucracy, with much of his work focusing on the application of historical, theoretical, and mathematical approaches to analyze the development of political institutions, public bureaucracies, and petitioning systems in North America. His latest book is Democracy by Petition: Popular Politics in Transformation, 1790–1870.

Ep. 45 - Dr. Rakesh Vohra on Game Theory Applications to Electrical Engineering

Dr. Rakesh Vohra is a Professor of Economics and Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a leading global expert in mechanism design; an innovative area of game theory that brings together economics, engineering, and computer science. Holding a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Maryland, his work has been critical to the development of game, auction, and pricing theory. 

Ep. 44 - Dr. Per Bylund on Austrian Economics and Deregulation

Dr. Per Bylund is the associate editor of the Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy and the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, as well as a fellow of the Mises Institute and the Ratio Institute. As well as being a columnist for Entrepreneur magazine, he is also an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University.

Ep. 43 - Dr. Scott Burns on the Mobile Money Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa

Dr. Scott Burns is an assistant professor of economics at Southeastern Louisiana University. His research focuses on financial innovation in the developing world, including the mobile money revolution that has taken place in Sub-Saharan Africa. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University, he has published scholarly articles in Constitutional Political Economy, the Independent Review, and the Journal of Private Enterprise.

Ep. 42 - Dr. Steven Kamin on Interest Rate Hikes and Rising Inflation

Dr. Steven Kamin is the former director of the US Federal Reserve’s Division of International Finance. Having spent over 32 years at the Fed, he also served as a visiting economist at BIS, a senior economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and a consultant for the World Bank. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT, he’s represented the Fed before international groups such as the G7, the G20, and the Bank for International Settlements, and is now a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Ep. 41 - Tom Hegna on Annuities and Retirement Investing

Tom Hegna is the former First Vice President at New York Life, a retired Lieutenant Colonel, and an economist, considered by many to be THE retirement income expert. His PBS TV Special - Don't Worry, Retire Happy has played in over 80 Million Homes in the US and Canada. He has trained over 300,000 Financial Advisors, given over 5,000 public seminars and webinars, and is a member of the Elite "Million Dollar Speakers Group" of the National Speakers Association - the top 1/2 of 1% of Professional Speakers in the world.

Ep. 40 - Dr. Scott Sumner on Market Monetarism, the Great Recession, and the Future of Monetary Policy

Dr. Scott Sumner is the Director of the Program on Monetary Policy at the Mercatus Center. Called ‘the blogger who saved the economy’ by the Atlantic, he is credited with directly influencing a shift in Federal Reserve policy in 2012. Much of his work has been directed at uncovering the monetary policy failures behind the Great Depression and the 2008 financial crisis. He has written about these topics extensively in his books, The Midas Paradox, and most recently The Money Illusion: Market Monetarism, the Great Recession, and the Future of Monetary Policy.

Ep. 39 - Dr. Yuri Maltsev on Russian Politics Post-USSR

Dr. Yuri Maltsev is a Professor of Economics at Carthage College in Wisconsin. Before defecting to the US in 1989, he was a member of a senior economics team that worked on President Gorbachev's reforms package called Perestroika. After defecting to the United States, he was a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC. a US federal research agency. His work involved briefing members of Congress and senior officials at the executive branch on issues of national security and foreign economic and military assessment.

Ep. 38 - Dr. Nikhil Agarwal on Market Design for Kidney Transplants

Dr. Nikhil Agarwal is a tenured associate Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University, specializing in resource allocation systems. Much of his research has focused on market design to address suboptimal kidney transplant outcomes in the United States, as well as in other markets without money as a medium of exchange.

Ep. 37 - Dr. Peter Boettke on The Struggle for a Better World

Dr. Peter Boettke is the Director of the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Mercatus Center at George Mason University, as well as a professor of economics and philosophy. His latest book, The Struggle for a Better World, explores how the social sciences, and political economy in particular, help us understand society and its institutions of governance.

Ep. 36 - Alex J. Pollock on Finance and Philosophy: Why We’re Always Surprised

Alex J. Pollock is a Senior Fellow with the Mises Institute, previously the Distinguished Senior Fellow at the R. Street Institute, and the former Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Financial Research. He is also the former President and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. Holding advanced degrees from the University of Chicago, and Princeton University, he is the author of the legendary book, Finance and Philosophy: Why We’re Always Surprised.

Ep. 35 - Dr. Edward Glaesar on Megacities and Population Collapse

Dr. Edward Glaeser is the Chairman of the Department of Economics at Harvard University, where he has taught Microeconomic Theory, and urban and public economics, since 1992. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago, his work has focused on the determinants of city growth and the role of cities as centers of idea transmission.

Ep. 34 - Dr. Robert E. Wright on The Best of Thomas Paine and Financial Exclusion

Dr. Robert E. Wright is a Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. He is the Rudy and Marilyn Nef Family Chair of Political Economy at Augustana University and has taught business, economics, and policy courses at NYU’s Stern School of Business, Temple University, and the University of Virginia. He is the co-author/co-editor of over two dozen major books, most recently including The Best of Thomas Paine and Financial Exclusion.

Ep. 33 - Michael Barone on The Biden Presidency and 2024 Predictions

Michael Barone is a Senior Political Analyst for the Washington Examiner, a Fox News contributor, and a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He is also the principal co-author of the annual Almanac of American Politics and has written several books on American politics and history.

Ep. 32 - Timothy Taylor on Proposed Tax Hikes and the National Debt

Timothy Taylor is an Award-Winning Professor and managing editor of the Journal of Economic Perspectives, a quarterly academic journal produced at Macalester College and published by the American Economic Association. He holds a master's degree in Economics from Stanford University and is the author of the legendary Principles of Economics textbook.

Ep. 31 - Dr. Caleb Fuller on Six Economic Lies You’ve Been Taught And Probably Believe

Dr. Caleb S. Fuller is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Grove City College and a faculty affiliate of the Program on Economics and Privacy at Scalia Law School. He has published papers in Public Choice, the International Review of Law and Economics, the European Journal of Law and Economics, the Review of Austrian Economics, and many others.

Ep. 30 - Dr. Jay Bhattacharya on The Great Barrington Declaration

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya is a Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University and the co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration. He holds an MD as well as a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University and directs Stanford’s Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging. He has published hundreds of articles on health policy, epidemiology, and public health, with his recent research focusing primarily on the policy response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Ep. 29 - Andrew Winston on How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More than They Take

Andrew Winston is a globally-recognized expert on megatrends and how to build companies that thrive by serving the world. His views on strategy have been sought after by many of the world’s leading companies, including 3M, DuPont, J&J, Kimberly-Clark, Marriott, PepsiCo, and Unilever. Andrew is the author of the bestsellers Green to Gold and The Big Pivot. His latest book, Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More than They Take is a finalist for the Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.

Ep. 28 - Todd Buchholz on Why Rich Nations Fail and How to Renew Them

Todd Buchholz is the former White House director of economic policy under George W. Bush, the managing director of the legendary Tiger hedge fund, former President of the G7 Group, and a best-selling author. He holds advanced degrees in economics and law from Cambridge and Harvard and is a frequent guest on ABC News, PBS, CNBC, and CBS. 

Ep. 27 - Dr. Benjamin M. Friedman Religion and The Rise of Capitalism

Dr. Benjamin M. Friedman is the William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy, and the former Chairman of the Department of Economics at Harvard University, where he has taught since 1972. As one the the leading economic thinkers of our time, he has written extensively on issues of economic policy, and is a frequent contributor to national publications, especially The New York Review of Books. 

Ep. 26 - Dr. John L. Campbell on The Forgotten Lessons of Great Economists

Dr. John L. Campbell is a world renowned economist and a professor at Dartmouth College. He has also held faculty positions at Harvard University, the Copenhagen Business School, Washington State University, and the University of Wisconsin. He holds a PhD from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Most recently, he is the author of "What Capitalism Needs: Forgotten Lessons of Great Economists.”

Ep. 25 - Dr. Patrick Newman on the Infrastructure Bill and Taxes on Unrealized Gains

Dr. Patrick Newman is a Fellow of the Mises Institute, Assistant Professor of Economics at Florida Southern College and a Fellow of the Center for Free Enterprise. He holds a doctorate in Economics from George Mason University, and specializes in Austrian Economics.

Ep. 24 - David Bahnsen on 250 Untold Economic Truths

David Bahnsen is the founder, Managing Partner, and Chief Investment Officer of The Bahnsen Group, a wealth management firm, managing over $3 billion in client assets. David is consistently named as one of the top financial advisors in America by Barron’s, Forbes, and the Financial Times. He is a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business and is a regular contributor to National Review and Forbes, as well as a bestselling author. 

Ep. 23 - Dr. Anthony Davies on Limited Government and Individual Liberties

Dr. Antony Davies is a Milton Friedman Distinguished Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education, a Senior Affiliated Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at FreedomTrust, and associate professor of economics at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He is also the co-host of Words & Numbers, has written books on statistics and economics as well as hundreds of op-eds for many of the most prominent media outlets in the country.

Ep. 22 - Dr. Walter Block on Libertarian Legal Philosophy

Dr. Walter Block is a leading expert on Austrian Economics, Professor of Economics at the School of Business at Loyola University, and Senior fellow at the Mises Institute. He is also the author of over 20 books, and has been an outspoken advocate of libertarian legal philosophy.