EconTalk
Russ Roberts
EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford's Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it's like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, and more. EconTalk has been taking the Monday out of Mondays since 2006. All 900+ episodes are available in the archive. Go to EconTalk.org for transcripts, related resources, and comments.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 8, 2019 • 1h 5min
Robin Feldman on Drugs, Money, and Secret Handshakes
Robin Feldman, a law professor and expert in pharmaceutical law, dives into the complexities of drug pricing and regulation. She discusses how the current legal framework incentivizes drug companies to cling to monopolies, often leading to high costs for consumers. Feldman critiques the role of pharmacy benefit managers in manipulating prices and hindering transparency. The conversation also highlights the need for systemic reforms in patent laws to prioritize real innovation over minor modifications that merely extend profitability.
Apr 1, 2019 • 1h 19min
Jacob Stegenga on Medical Nihilism
Jacob Stegenga, a lecturer at Cambridge University and author of "Medical Nihilism," delves into the skepticism surrounding modern medical treatments. He argues that many interventions might not only be ineffective but may also carry severe side effects. Stegenga critiques the FDA’s approval process for exaggerating the benefits of drugs while downplaying their risks. He emphasizes the need for a more realistic understanding of medical practices, advocating for rigorous evidence-based evaluations and greater transparency in medical research.
Mar 25, 2019 • 1h 3min
Daniel Hamermesh on Spending Time
Economist Daniel Hamermesh, author of "Spending Time", dives into the intricacies of how we perceive time versus money. He reveals the cultural shift that makes busyness a status symbol and discusses how increased income impacts leisure expectations. Hamermesh highlights the evolution of parental involvement and the changing dynamics of marriage in contemporary society. With engaging anecdotes, he advocates for valuing time and rethinking its management for more fulfilling lives.
Mar 18, 2019 • 1h 3min
Amy Tuteur on Birth, Natural Parenting, and Push Back
In this conversation, Amy Tuteur, an obstetrician-gynecologist and author of "Push Back," critiques the trend of natural parenting, arguing it can be detrimental to women's health. She discusses the need for supportive childbirth environments over strict adherence to natural methods. Tuteur debunks common myths about breastfeeding, emphasizing personal choice over societal expectations. The dialogue also addresses the evolution of childbirth safety and the importance of balancing medical recommendations with parental autonomy in decision-making.
Mar 11, 2019 • 1h 25min
Amy Webb on Artificial Intelligence, Humanity, and the Big Nine
In this engaging discussion, futurist Amy Webb, author of 'The Big Nine,' highlights the importance of understanding the institutional contexts shaping artificial intelligence. She worries about the social changes driven by U.S. innovations and the geopolitical ramifications of China's tech landscape. The conversation addresses the ethical implications of tech monopolies, the complexities of regulating AI, and the urgent need for inclusivity in technology design. Webb also explores the potential risks of self-learning AI systems and calls for greater awareness and governance.
Mar 4, 2019 • 1h 14min
Jacob Vigdor on the Seattle Minimum Wage
Jacob Vigdor of the University of Washington talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the impact of Seattle's minimum wage increases in recent years. Vigdor along with others from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance have tried to measure the change in employment, hours worked, and wages for low-skilled workers in Seattle. He summarizes those results here arguing that while some workers earned higher wages, some or all of the gains were offset by reductions in hours worked and a reduction in the rate of job creation especially for low-skilled workers.
Feb 25, 2019 • 1h 10min
Michael Munger on Crony Capitalism
Michael Munger of Duke University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about whether real capitalism is unstable and leads inevitably to crony capitalism. They also discuss ways to prevent the descent into cronyism and speculate on their own blind spots.
Feb 18, 2019 • 1h 8min
Catherine Semcer on Poaching, Preserves, and African Wildlife
Catherine Semcer of the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the role of incentives in preserving wildlife in Africa. The conversation discusses how allowing limited hunting of big game such as elephants and using revenue from hunting licenses to reward local communities for habitat stewardship has improved both habitat and wildlife populations while reducing poaching. Semcer draws on her experience as former Chief Operating Officer of Humanitarian Operations Protecting Elephants and also discusses recent efforts to re-locate lions in Mozambique.
Feb 11, 2019 • 1h 5min
Jessica Riskin on Life, Machinery, and the Restless Clock
Historian Jessica Riskin of Stanford University talks about her book The Restless Clock with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. What is the difference between human beings and machines? How has science thought about this distinction? When do we have agency and when are we constrained? Riskin discusses these issues and the implications for how we think about ourselves and the growth of artificial intelligence.
Feb 4, 2019 • 1h 2min
Gary Greenberg on the Placebo Effect
Author and psychotherapist Gary Greenberg talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the placebo effect. Is it real? How does the placebo effect influence drug testing? If it's real, what is the underlying mechanism of why it works and how might it be harnessed to improve health care? The conversation concludes with a discussion of how knowledge of the placebo effect has influenced Greenberg's psychotherapy practice.
