In this podcast, Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster answer viewers' questions, discussing topics like China's economic or military tipping point, the reliability of doom mongers, US debt and interest rates, productivity and innovation, US foreign policy towards NATO under a potential Trump presidency, and hypothetical roles in a future President McMaster administration.

Amy Zegart, Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster discuss Israel's intel failure, TikTok's national security threat, campus unrest, anti-American sentiment, and Austrian economics in South America. They also debate the best fast-food burger and playfully discuss their chances in a UFC fight.

John Cochrane is the Rose-Marie and Jack Anderson Senior Fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution and the author of a new book, The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level. In this wide-ranging conversation, Cochrane discusses the root causes of inflation, what we can (and can’t) do about it, the economists who influenced his thinking, and how his father inspired him to become an academic.

Join Mary Daly, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; John H. Cochrane, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution; Baie Netzer, Investment Strategist at Bank of America; and Susan Hyde, Political Science expert from UC Berkeley. They dive into the economic forecast for 2025, discussing the impacts of tariffs, tax cuts, and inflation. Insights on income inequality and its effects on democracy are also examined. The conversation highlights the resilience of the U.S. economy amid changing political landscapes and evolving policies.

Two conflicts present two challenges: a Ukrainian counteroffensive turned stalemate; and Israel’s survival as it confronts Hamas (and possibly Hezbollah and Iran). Russ Roberts, Hoover’s John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow and president of Jerusalem’s Shalem College, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson. H.R. McMaster, and John Cochrane to discuss Israel’s morale and strategic choices amid a month-long wartime crisis. Then Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commanding general of US Army Europe, makes the case for anticipating a positive outcome—Ukraine expelling Russian forces, winning back its land—in a war nearing its 21-month mark.

Karl Rove, Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and John Cochrane discuss the odds of a Biden-Trump rematch. They analyze the latest in the Middle East, including the potential for eradicating Hamas. The 'lightning round' explores Vladimir Putin’s peace overtures, Sam Altman's return to OpenAI, an ascendant Right on two continents, and the legacy of the Rolling Stones.

NYT columnist Bret Stephens joins Hoover fellows to discuss Israel's future post Hamas attack, potential expansion into Lebanon, and Gaza's transformation into a Dubai. They reflect on four years of the podcast, showcasing predictions on inflation and Trump. Geopolitical challenges, weak international relations, and pandemic impacts are analyzed. Audience questions on Ukraine's NATO membership and deterrence strategies against Russian invasion are explored.

What unites John Cochrane the finance economist and “grumpy” policy blogger with John Cochrane the accomplished glider pilot? For John, the answer is that each derives from the same habit of mind which seeks to reduce things down to a few fundamental principles and a simple logical structure. And thus, piloting a glider can be understood as an application of optimal portfolio theory, and all of monetary policy can be made to fit within the structure of a single equation. John joined Tyler to apply that habit of mind to a number of puzzles, including why real interest rates don’t equalize across countries, what explains why high trading volumes and active management persist in finance, how the pandemic has affected his opinion of habit formation theories, his fiscal theory of price level and inflation, the danger of a US sovereign debt crisis, why he thinks Bitcoin will eventually die, his idea for health-status insurance, becoming a national gliding champion, how a Renaissance historian for a father and a book translator for a mother shaped him intellectually, what’s causing the leftward drift in economics, the need to increase competition among universities, how he became libertarian, the benefits of blogging, and more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded January 4th, 2021 Other ways to connect Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Follow Tyler on Twitter  Follow John on Twitter Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox. 

Economist John Cochrane discusses how competitive markets provide essential incentives for innovation and economic progress. The conversation explores the balance between fairness and efficiency in economic systems, contrasting capitalism and communism. It also touches on the role of productivity growth, education, and the debate between free markets and stakeholder models.

Bari Weiss, Niall Ferguson, HR McMaster, and John Cochrane discuss anti-Semitism in elite universities, the parallels to Nazi Germany, politicization of academia, the prevalence of anti-Semitism in American education, Henry Kissinger's vilification, understanding peripheral players in Cold War, reevaluating foreign policy, and holiday traditions.