
Words & Numbers
Words & Numbers touches on issues of Economics, Political Science, Current Events and Policy. Each Wednesday we'll be sharing a new Words & Numbers podcast featuring Antony Davies Ph.D and James Harrigan Ph.D talking about the economics and political science of current events.
Latest episodes

Nov 17, 2021 • 33min
Episode 249: Listener Questions, pt. 1
This week, we answer listener questions that cover a gamut of topics. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hitshttps://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-monday-edition-1.5868846/how-tiktok-users-designed-a-better-pill-bottle-for-people-with-parkinson-s-1.5868848 https://nypost.com/2021/11/15/kamala-harris-sidelined-amid-tensions-with-president-biden/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 10, 2021 • 32min
Episode 248: The Nobel Prize and the Minimum Wage
David Card recently won the Nobel Prize in economics for his contributions to the study of labor markets and natural experiments. Some minimum wage proponents confuse these excellent contributions with a particular application of his contributions to a study he conducted of a hike in New Jersey’s minimum wage. We discuss the flaws in that oft-cited study, and the distinction between his contributions and the study. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hitshttps://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/11/buffalo-election-2021-results-india-walton-defeated.html https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/580322-democrats-brace-for-flood-of-retirements-after-virginia-rout https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/11/07/biden-approval-falls-38-midterms-loom-usa-today-suffolk-poll/6320098001/ Foolishness of the Weekhttps://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/annual-microsoft-ignite-conference-entices-criticism-over-woke-introductions https://freebeacon.com/culture/microsoft-encourages-employees-to-state-race-gender-during-presentations/ https://www.fox5ny.com/news/one-of-worlds-largest-investment-firms-will-need-permission-to-hire-white-men Topic of the Week https://davidcard.berkeley.edu/papers/njmin-aer.pdf https://www.econlib.org/no-krueger-didnt-prove-that-raising-the-minimum-wage-doesnt-increase-unemployment/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 3, 2021 • 29min
Episode 247: Pachyderms, Property, and Profit
The combination of property rights and a profit incentive yields good outcomes. Elephants provide an excellent example. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hitshttps://www.techspot.com/news/91430-bitcoin-mining-company-buys-pennsylvania-power-plant-meet.html https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-much-energy-does-bitcoin-actually-consume https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-san-francisco-shoplifting-video-goes-viral-officials-argue-thefts-n1273848 Foolishness of the Weekhttps://www.the-sun.com/sport/3969736/colin-kaepernick-nfl-draft-slavery-netflix/ Topic of the Week https://www.npr.org/2021/10/22/1048336907/elephants-tuskless-ivory-poaching-africa https://www.amazon.com/Free-Our-Markets-Essential-Economics/dp/098442542X Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Words & Numbers on Vurbl https://vurbl.com/station/words-numbers-1WI2qb0cxvW/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 27, 2021 • 35min
Episode 246: The Link Between Politics and Economics
Politics, not partisanship, and economics are linked because both emerge from humans attempting to employ their abilities to satisfy their needs. In this episode, we explore the connection. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/13/norway-kongsberg-bow-arrow-attack/ https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/09/china/china-knife-attacks-mic-intl-hnk/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/25/tech/blue-origin-space-station-jeff-bezos-scn/index.html Foolishness of the Week https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/tom-brady-s-historic-day-took-a-backseat-to-his-encounter-with-a-9-year-old-cancer-survivor/ar-AAPVYUj Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Words & Numbers on Verbl https://vurbl.com/station/words-numbers-1WI2qb0cxvW/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 20, 2021 • 31min
Episode 245: Should We Fund Children or Institutions?
Corey DeAngelis, who has made himself the public gadfly of teachers unions, joins us to talk about how Americans’ attitudes about funding public schools changed with covid. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.bls.gov/ooh/occupation-finder.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/construction-and-building-inspectors.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/diagnostic-medical-sonographers.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiation-therapists.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/elevator-installers-and-repairers.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/airline-and-commercial-pilots.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/air-traffic-controllers.htm https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58878473 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr_F_XQrukM Foolishness of the Week https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/16/figures-of-babylon-oldest-drawing-of-a-ghost-found-in-british-museum-vault Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 13, 2021 • 31min
Episode 244: The Nature of Exchange, pt. 2
Money is an excellent tool for facilitating exchange. It solves problems like how to save while avoiding spoilage and how to exchange with people who don’t want what you’re offering. But we’ve come to rely so heavily on money that we’ve forgotten what exchange really is. In this first of two episodes, we discuss the nature of exchange. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/a-checkout-line-where-slower-is-better-supermarket-jumbo/ https://gizmodo.com/9-horrifying-facts-from-the-facebook-whistleblowers-new-1847791184 Foolishness of the Week https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/psaki-unfair-and-absurd-to-say-companies-would-raise-prices-in-response-to-tax-increases/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 snips
Oct 6, 2021 • 32min
Episode 243: The Nature of Exchange, pt. 1
Money is an excellent tool for facilitating exchange. It solves problems like how to save while avoiding spoilage and how to exchange with people who don’t want what you’re offering. But we’ve come to rely so heavily on money that we’ve forgotten what exchange really is. In this first of two episodes, we discuss the nature of exchange. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/a-checkout-line-where-slower-is-better-supermarket-jumbo/ https://gizmodo.com/9-horrifying-facts-from-the-facebook-whistleblowers-new-1847791184 Foolishness of the Week https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/psaki-unfair-and-absurd-to-say-companies-would-raise-prices-in-response-to-tax-increases/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 snips
Sep 29, 2021 • 37min
Episode 242: What About Unions?
People who are pro-market often complain about unions. But unions are associations of people, just as corporations are associations of people. If it is people’s right to form one, then it is also their right to form the other. But, as it is bad for government to protect corporations from competition, so too is it bad for government to protect unions from competition. In this episode, we take a look at unions separate from government protection. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_4613 https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/27/fed-chair-powell-to-warn-congress-that-inflation-pressures-could-last-longer-than-expected.html Foolishness of the Week https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/federal-authorities-safety-box-seizures-owners-fight-back Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 22, 2021 • 32min
Episode 241: The Death Tax for the Rest of Us
As politicians run out of revenue sources, they increasingly turn their attention from the rich to the middle class. Congress is considering a tax plan that effectively imposes a death tax on the middle class. Interestingly, politicians are calling it "a capital gains tax." Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13012-017-0637-1 Foolishness of the Week https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/20/ivermectin-shortage-horse-owners-covidhttps://www.aier.org/article/a-subtle-catastrophe/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 15, 2021 • 37min
Episode 240: Potluck #1
This episode is a potluck. There's no specific topic, we're just discussing things in the news that caught our interests. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/13/top-earning-new-yorkers-could-face-61point2percent-combined-tax-rate-under-house-plan-californians-may-face-59percent-rate.html Foolishness of the Week https://www.aier.org/article/a-subtle-catastrophe/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices