
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

Jul 22, 2020 • 33min
Episode 180: It’s a Conspiracy, Man!
Conspiracy theories arise in part from our penchant for seeking patterns in random events and in part from our need to feel in control - to be able to explain the inexplicable. Some conspiracy theories are amusing, some will fool even skeptics, and some are dangerous. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Minimum Wage https://reports.nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/OOR_BOOK_2020.pdf https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2018/pdf/home.pdf Goya https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donald-trump-goya-beans/ Foolishness of the Week Masks and Rights https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/may/1/forced-face-masking-civil-rights-offense/ Topic of the Week: Conspiracy Theories Elders of Zion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion The Clinton Hit List https://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2016/08/10/the-list-of-clinton-associates-whove-died-mysteriously-check-it-out/ Flat Earthers https://flatearthfacts.com/flat-earth-model/proof-the-earth-is-flat/ Petroleum Company https://ask.metafilter.com/322588/Conspiracy-Theory-Petroleum-Company-Edition-Innovative-Technology Reptilian Overlords https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilian_conspiracy_theory Stonehenge http://www.theunexplainedvault.com/stonehenge-ancient-alien-theory/ancient-aliens/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 15, 2020 • 39min
Episode 179: Political Party Crashers
The Founders established the three branches of government to provide checks on one another. But parties have come to supplant these institutions as the focus of loyalty for politicians. In this episode, we explore what the rise of parties means for our system of checks and balances. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Economic Update https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/EMRATIO https://www.macrotrends.net/1377/u6-unemployment-rate COVID Party https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/i-thought-this-was-a-hoax-patient-in-their-30s-dies-after-attending-covid-party Foolishness of the Week Upward-Thrusting Buildings https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/jul/06/upward-thrusting-buildings-ejaculating-cities-sexist-leslie-kern-phallic-feminist-city-toxic-masculinity Topic of the Week: Parties and Institutions Washington’s Farewell Address https://www.history.com/news/george-washington-farewell-address-warnings Federalist 51 https://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/primary-source-documents/the-federalist-papers/federalist-papers-no-51/ Books https://www.amazon.com/Robert-M-S-McDonald/e/B006G5XJK6 Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 8, 2020 • 28min
Episode 178: Facts, Freedom & the Founding, Part 2
Rob McDonald returns for the second of a two-part series in which we discuss the Founding and his new book, The American Revolution. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Misunderstanding Research https://www.thecollegefix.com/scholar-forced-to-resign-over-study-that-found-police-shootings-not-biased-against-blacks/ https://www.pnas.org/content/116/32/15877 Faithless Electors https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-faithless-electors-can-t-go-rogue-electoral-n1231394 Foolishness of the Week Kanye West https://www.showbiz411.com/2020/07/06/kanye-west-used-his-presidential-announcement-as-a-lure-to-sell-merchandise-online-this-afternoon Topic of the Week Rob McDonald https://teachingamericanhistory.org/blog/the-american-revolution-professor-robert-mcdonalds-new-core-document-collection/ Books https://www.amazon.com/Robert-M-S-McDonald/e/B006G5XJK6 Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 1, 2020 • 32min
Episode 177: Facts, Freedom & the Founding, Part 1
Rob McDonald joins us this Fourth of July week for the first of a two-part series in which we discuss the Founding and his new book, The American Revolution. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits 30 Hour Work Week? https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2020/06/01/adam-grant-on-how-jobs-bosses-and-firms-may-improve-after-the-crisis Woodrow Wilson https://www.bloombergquint.com/politics/princeton-axing-woodrow-wilson-s-name-from-public-policy-school Foolishness of the Week L’Oreal https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/504865-loreal-will-remove-words-whitening-fair-and-lightening-from Phil Magness on Civil War Monuments https://www.aier.org/article/what-the-data-say-about-civil-war-monuments/ Topic of the Week Rob McDonald https://teachingamericanhistory.org/blog/the-american-revolution-professor-robert-mcdonalds-new-core-document-collection/ Books https://www.amazon.com/Robert-M-S-McDonald/e/B006G5XJK6 Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 24, 2020 • 33min
Episode 176: The Supreme Court’s Qualified Mishap
Clark Neily joins us to discuss policing, the origin and effect of qualified immunity, and what the courts have said about whether police have a duty to protect citizens. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Lottery Winners https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/arizona-couple-win-dollar410-million-mega-millions-jackpot-thanks-to-family-birthdays-lucky-penny/ar-BB15J25k Invite Someone to Dinner to Berate You https://reason.com/2020/02/04/white-women-saira-rao-dinner-regina-jackson-liberal/ Police Ordered to Turn off Body Cameras https://reason.com/2020/06/19/san-francisco-police-were-ordered-to-turn-off-body-cameras-in-raid-on-journalists-home/ Foolishness of the Week Minnesota Mayor Finds “Chief” Offensive https://www.foxnews.com/politics/duluth-minnesota-mayor-remove-chief-microaggresion https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/06/19/minnesota-city-to-vote-on-removing-chief-from-job-titles-calling-it-a-microaggression/?utm_source=rss The Word, “Chief” https://www.etymonline.com/word/chief Topic of the week Qualified Immunity https://reason.com/2020/05/29/the-supreme-court-has-a-chance-to-end-qualified-immunity-and-prevent-cases-like-george-floyds/ A Confederacy of Dunces https://www.amazon.com/Confederacy-Dunces-John-Kennedy-Toole-ebook/dp/B008UX2UIO Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 17, 2020 • 34min
Episode 175: Listener Special #6
In this episode, we answer listener questions that we didn’t have time to cover in the previous listener special episode. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Deepfake https://www.forbes.com/sites/robtoews/2020/05/25/deepfakes-are-going-to-wreak-havoc-on-society-we-are-not-prepared/#3748f25d7494 https://www.instagram.com/p/BypkGIvFfGZ/ Oscars https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/movies/oscars-diversity-rule.html Foolishness of the Week VA Hospital https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/62-year-old-patient-missing-since-may-found-dead-va-hospitals-stairwell/EBWXDSM3IJBCLNGXOHLUYPAVYY/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 10, 2020 • 36min
Episode 174: Day of the Debt
Deficit Day - the hypothetical day on which the federal government’s tax revenues for the year run out - lands on June 21. Not only is that the earliest Deficit Day has fallen since World War II, the date will get revised to even earlier in the calendar if the government undertakes more stimulus spending. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 3, 2020 • 29min
Episode 173: Understanding the Perfect Storm
The riots sweeping the country are the result of a perfect storm. It’s about racism, but more. It’s about police accountability, but more. It’s about too many people being out of work, but more. The first step to solving our problems is understanding that they are often more complicated than they appear. 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 SpaceX https://www.spacex.com/ Food Prices https://apnews.com/54f1efe0afa71b0a939fda91cf917366 Foolishness of the Week Minneapolis Mayor https://www.foxnews.com/politics/minneapolis-jacob-frey-white-supremacists-out-of-state-instigators-george-floyd-protests Topic of the Week: Riots and Police Response https://streamable.com/u2jzoo https://v.redd.it/jjclrdzp8x151 https://v.redd.it/zepg0b43ly151 https://v.redd.it/v8x8isj0xz151 https://v.redd.it/mztm15kh00251 https://gfycat.com/misguidedrecklesscod https://v.redd.it/bluggpblrz151 https://v.redd.it/m82yxl4qh0251 https://v.redd.it/ngxvkoro60251 https://mobile.twitter.com/Sarah_Mojarad/status/1266633046591078400?s=09 https://v.redd.it/o3v8ps7rat151 https://v.redd.it/yce9bpk8mo151 https://mobile.twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/1266193926316228609 https://i.redd.it/4ix8f3j6dy151.jpg https://v.redd.it/wlx0gyoe21251 https://i.redd.it/ns0uj557x0251.jpg https://mobile.twitter.com/KevinRKrause/status/1266898396339675137 https://mobile.twitter.com/KillerMartinis/status/1266618525600399361?s=19 https://mobile.twitter.com/mollyhf/status/1266911382613692422 https://mobile.twitter.com/GAFollowers/status/1266919104574865410?s=19 https://mobile.twitter.com/whitney_hu/status/1266540710188195843?s=20 https://twitter.com/JaredGoyette/status/1266961243476299778 https://twitter.com/johncusack/status/1266953514242228229 https://youtu.be/9wgkGLmphLE https://twitter.com/KRobPhoto/status/1266796191469252610 https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/30/politics/joyce-beatty-ohio-pepper-sprayed-columbus-protest/index.html https://v.redd.it/tal1ncha4o151 https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/video-shows-milk-poured-over-face-of-child-pepper-sprayed-in-seattle-protest https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/05/30/watch-video-captures-moment-police-horse-tramples-woman-during-houston-rally/ https://twitter.com/ava/status/1266797973834395648?s=20 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-minneapolis-police-protest-update/reuters-cameraman-hit-by-rubber-bullets-as-police-disperse-protesters-idUSKBN237050 Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 27, 2020 • 36min
Episode 172: Listener Special #5
In this episode, we answer listener questions. 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 Doordash https://themargins.substack.com/p/doordash-and-pizza-arbitrage Joe Biden https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/amazon-joe-biden-taxes Foolishness of the Week Biden Aims at Charter Schools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgVbi0oD8uM Topic of the Week Your Questions! Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 20, 2020 • 29min
Episode 171: Are Social Distancing Violations the New Stop and Frisk?
In New York City, stop and frisk was controversial because it was a violation of the Fourth Amendment. As implemented, police would stop and frisk people without showing probable cause that the people were committing, or might be committing, a crime. The courts subsequently required that police demonstrate probable cause. But social distancing laws appear to be poised to take the place of stop and frisk, creating the opportunity for police to violate people’s Fourth Amendment rights. 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 Microsoft Wrong about Open Source https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/18/21262103/microsoft-open-source-linux-history-wrong-statement Elon Musk https://www.chron.com/news/article/As-it-prepares-to-fly-humans-Elon-Musk-s-SpaceX-15275155.php] Foolishness of the Week Don’t Swim in New York https://www.the-sun.com/news/847367/bill-de-blasio-anyone-swim-nyc-beach-taken-right-out/ Bonus Material Links LA Mayor Says LA Won’t Reopen https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/05/13/coronavirus-covid-los-angeles-la-county-mayor-health-reopen-vaccine/ Another Source https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/12/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html Topic of the Week Judicial Scrutiny https://reason.com/2020/05/06/supreme-court-justices-in-texas-and-pennsylvania-emphasize-that-covid-19-lockdowns-require-judicial-scrutiny/ A Confederacy of Dunces https://www.amazon.com/Confederacy-Dunces-John-Kennedy-Toole-ebook/dp/B008UX2UIO Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Clark Neily on Twitter https://twitter.com/ConLawWarrior https://www.amazon.com/Terms-Engagement-Enforce-Constitutions-Government/dp/1594036969 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices