The Capitalism and Freedom in the Twenty-First Century Podcast

Mickey Levy, a Hoover Institution economist and longtime Shadow Open Market Committee member, reflects on his work with Alice Rivlin and Arthur Burns. He traces monetary policy from 1970s monetarism to inflation targeting, examines pandemic-era inflation and money growth, and explores quantitative easing, the Fed’s expanding mission, balance-sheet size, and possible reforms.

Jon Hartley talks with Tyler Hassen about the legacy of DOGE, including Hassen’s time as a member of the DOGE team and his new book Inside DOGE: The Real Story From A Senior Insider. They discuss what Hassen learned working with Elon Musk, the light shed on government spending, how many former DOGE members are now permanently embedded in various federal agencies, and how many DOGE initiatives have since been inspired at the state level. ABOUT THE SERIES Each episode of Capitalism and Freedom in the 21st Century, a video podcast series and the official podcast of the Hoover Economic Policy Working Group, focuses on getting into the weeds of economics, finance, and public policy on important current topics through one-on-one interviews. Host Jon Hartley asks guests about their main ideas and contributions to academic research and policy. The podcast is titled after Milton Friedman‘s famous 1962 bestselling book Capitalism and Freedom, which after 60 years, remains prescient from its focus on various topics which are now at the forefront of economic debates, such as monetary policy and inflation, fiscal policy, occupational licensing, education vouchers, income share agreements, the distribution of income, and negative income taxes, among many other topics. For more information about the podcast, visit Hoover+.

Steve Hanke, a Johns Hopkins economics professor and renowned monetary policy adviser, discusses his career fighting inflation worldwide. Topics include currency boards, dollarization, Argentina’s failed convertibility system, central-bank independence, broad money, and banking regulation. He also revisits monetary reforms across Eastern Europe and the Balkans, plus crises in Ecuador, Zimbabwe, and Venezuela and the emerging role of stablecoins.

Rep. French Hill, an Arkansas congressman and former banker and Treasury official, discusses America’s housing crunch and ways to expand supply. He explores crypto legislation, digital-asset classification, and keeping US capital markets competitive. The conversation also examines private-market access, community banking, and regulatory reforms aimed at reducing compliance burdens while preserving consumer protection.

Barry Eichengreen, Berkeley economist and noted economic historian, discusses the US dollar’s dominant reserve status and why the renminbi has not replaced it. He explores the euro’s limits, historical shifts between global currencies, the politics of public debt, and how exchange rate regimes and inflation targeting shape international money.

Michael Boskin, economist and former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and Stanford professor, reflects on tax reform, retirement saving innovations like IRAs and 401(k)s, the Boskin Commission’s impact on inflation measurement, Cold War transitions in Eastern Europe, and the evolving role of economists in policymaking. Short, candid conversation with anecdotes and big-picture cautions.

Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform and long-time conservative tax advocate, reflects on Reagan-era tax changes and the creation of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. He discusses the rise of the modern conservative coalition, debates over deficits and spending, state-level tax competition, and a push toward consumption-based reforms and pro-growth tax priorities.

Jon Hartley and Dr. Oz along with his two deputies discuss running the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) which administers the major federal government healthcare programs within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), tackling Medicaid and Medicare fraud across the nation, healthcare changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill (Working Families Tax Cuts Act), lowering pharmaceutical drug prices through most favored nation (MFN) deals and TrumpRx, and integrating AI and technology into CMS workflows. Recorded on June 11, 2026. ABOUT THE SERIES Each episode of Capitalism and Freedom in the 21st Century, a video podcast series and the official podcast of the Hoover Economic Policy Working Group, focuses on getting into the weeds of economics, finance, and public policy on important current topics through one-on-one interviews. Host Jon Hartley asks guests about their main ideas and contributions to academic research and policy. The podcast is titled after Milton Friedman‘s famous 1962 bestselling book Capitalism and Freedom, which after 60 years, remains prescient from its focus on various topics which are now at the forefront of economic debates, such as monetary policy and inflation, fiscal policy, occupational licensing, education vouchers, income share agreements, the distribution of income, and negative income taxes, among many other topics. For more information about the podcast, or subscribe for the next episode, click here.

Pete Klenow, Stanford economist known for work on growth, sticky prices, and misallocation. He discusses measuring price and wage rigidity, development accounting and why human capital may matter less than thought. They explore how misallocation across firms can drag down output, policy drivers behind it, and the potential effects of AI on innovation and productivity.

Jon Hartley and Sebastian Edwards discuss Edward’s time at the University of Chicago as a PhD student in the time of Milton Friedman and the Chicago School, Chile’s market reforms and the Chicago Boys (documented in Sebastian’s most recent book, The Chile Project: The Story of the Chicago Boys and the Downfall of Neoliberalism), Javier Milei and Argentina’s prospects of reversal, renewed hope for Venezuela, and whether economic freedom and market reforms have returned. Recorded on May 7, 2026. ABOUT THE SERIES Each episode of Capitalism and Freedom in the 21st Century, a video podcast series and the official podcast of the Hoover Economic Policy Working Group, focuses on getting into the weeds of economics, finance, and public policy on important current topics through one-on-one interviews. Host Jon Hartley asks guests about their main ideas and contributions to academic research and policy. The podcast is titled after Milton Friedman‘s famous 1962 bestselling book Capitalism and Freedom, which after 60 years, remains prescient from its focus on various topics which are now at the forefront of economic debates, such as monetary policy and inflation, fiscal policy, occupational licensing, education vouchers, income share agreements, the distribution of income, and negative income taxes, among many other topics. For more information about the podcast, or subscribe for the next episode, click here.