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
Oct 22, 2018 • 1h 7min
Ran Abramitzky on the Mystery of the Kibbutz
Economist and author Ran Abramitzky of Stanford University talks about his book, The Mystery of the Kibbutz, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Abramitzky traces the evolution of the kibbutz movement in Israel and how the kibbutz structure changed to cope with the modernization and development of the Israeli economy. The conversation includes a discussion of how the history of the kibbutz might help us to understand the appeal and challenges of the socialism and freedom.
Oct 18, 2018 • 1h 16min
Kevin McKenna on Characters, Plot, and Themes of In the First Circle
Russian Literature Professor Kevin McKenna of the University of Vermont talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the characters, plot, and themes of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's masterpiece, In the First Circle. This is the second episode of the EconTalk book club discussing the book. The first episode--a discussion of Solzhenitsyn's life and times--is available on EconTalk.
Oct 15, 2018 • 1h 36min
John Gray on the Seven Kinds of Atheism
Philosopher and author John Gray talks about his latest book, Seven Types of Atheism, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Gray argues that progress is an illusion and that most atheisms inherit, unknowingly, a religious belief in progress that is not justified. While Gray concedes that technological know-how and scientific knowledge improve over time, he argues that morality and political systems are cyclical and that there is no reason to be optimistic about the future.
Oct 8, 2018 • 1h 14min
Neil Monnery on Hong Kong and the Architect of Prosperity
Author Neil Monnery shares insights on John Cowperthwaite's economic policies in Hong Kong, emphasizing limited government involvement for growth. Discussions include Hong Kong's transition from British to Chinese rule, challenges from US and UK quotas, and strategic decision-making in immigration and economic stability. Also covered are debates on government intervention in car parking, sports facility construction, housing market, and economic inequalities.
Oct 1, 2018 • 1h 15min
Noah Smith on Worker Compensation, Co-determination, and Market Power
Bloomberg Opinion columnist and economist Noah Smith talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about corporate control, wages, and monopoly power. Smith discusses the costs and benefits of co-determination--the idea of putting workers on corporate boards. The conversation then moves to a lively discussion of wages and monopoly power and how the American worker has been doing in recent years.
Sep 24, 2018 • 1h 6min
Rodney Brooks on Artificial Intelligence
Rodney Brooks, emeritus professor of robotics at MIT, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the future of robots and artificial intelligence. Brooks argues that we both under-appreciate and over-appreciate the impact of innovation. He applies this insight to the current state of driverless cars and other changes people are expecting to change our daily lives in radical ways. He also suggests that the challenges of developing truly intelligent robots and technologies will take much longer than people expect, giving human beings time to adapt to the effects. Plus a cameo from Isaac Newton.
Sep 17, 2018 • 1h 23min
Paul Bloom on Cruelty
Yale University psychologist Paul Bloom talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about cruelty--what motivates cruelty, the cruelty of small acts that accumulate into something monstrous, and the question of whether the abuse of a robot is a form of cruelty.
Sep 10, 2018 • 1h 19min
Kevin McKenna on Solzhenitsyn, the Soviet Union, and In the First Circle
In this engaging discussion, Kevin McKenna, a Russian literature expert from the University of Vermont, dives deep into the life of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. He explores Solzhenitsyn's arrest during WWII for criticizing Stalin and his harrowing experiences in a sharashka. Kevin highlights the moral complexities of Solzhenitsyn's choice to endure harsher suffering, his eventual return from exile, and the impact of Khrushchev's thaw on Soviet literary culture. The conversation also touches on Solzhenitsyn's literary legacy and the challenges of translating his works.
Sep 3, 2018 • 1h 23min
Yoram Hazony on the Virtue of Nationalism
Yoram Hazony discusses his book, The Virtue of Nationalism, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Hazony argues that nationalism, for all its flaws, is a better system than a global system of governance. He argues that while the competition between nationalist states can lead to violence, the opportunity for each nation to pursue its own policies creates the benefits that trial-and-error innovation create in the marketplace. He also points out the dangers of global government systems and argues that U.S. military dominance and various international institutions such as European Union and the International Criminal Court have been growing in power.
Aug 27, 2018 • 1h 23min
Charlan Nemeth on In Defense of Troublemakers
Psychologist Charlan Nemeth of the University of California, Berkeley and author of In Defense of Troublemakers talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the ideas in the book--the power of groupthink, the power of conviction, and the opportunity for an authentic, persistent dissenter to have an impact on a group's decision. The conversation concludes with a discussion of the challenges of doing careful research in modern times.
