Econception

With Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been established in partnership with Elon Musk and is getting to work. What is going on with DOGE so far, and what changes have already happened? Joining Econception today to discuss this is Dr. James Broughel.  Dr. James Broughel is a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Dr. Broughel is an accomplished economist whose expertise lies in regulatory institutions and the impact of regulations on economic growth. He is the author of the book Regulation and Economic Growth: Applying Economic Theory to Public Policy and is a regular columnist at Forbes, where he writes on topics such as energy and cryptocurrency.

How should free market supporters think about welfare programs? Is road congestion pricing a good idea? And what's the matter with the Endangered Species Act? Dominic Pino discusses this on the latest episode of Econception.

How are local governments blocking churches from caring for the homeless? What's the difference between a government shutdown and hitting the debt ceiling? And how do markets work to get Christmas presents on time? Christian Britschgi joins the show to discuss. Christian Britschgi is a reporter at Reason who covers property rights, housing policy, transportation policy, and regulation.

What is financialization? What do people think of healthcare in the United States? And what is the relationship between socialism and violence? David Bahnsen joins Dominic today to discuss. David Bahnsen is the founder and managing partner of The Bahnsen Group, a national private wealth management firm managing over $4 billion in client assets. Prior to launching The Bahnsen Group, he spent eight years as a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and six years as a Vice President at UBS. Bahnsen is also a contributor to several prominent outlets and a best-selling author.

How to special interests influence trade policy? Is Milton Friedman making a comeback? And why is milk never on sale? Scott Lincicome joins Econception with Dominic Pino to discuss. Scott Lincicome is the vice president of general economics and Cato Institutes’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies. He writes on international and domestic economic issues, including international trade; subsidies and industrial policy; manufacturing and global supply chains; and economic dynamism.

What are the economics of podcasts? Is the CHIPS Act working? And are China’s corporate tax rates better than ours? Emily Jashinsky joins Dominic today to discuss. Emily Jashinsky is UnHerd's Washington D.C. Correspondent and a writer at several outlets, including The Federalist.

Why is the government spending so much more money than it was five years ago? How do tariffs hurt the people they're supposed to help? And is Canada poor? Matthew Dickerson joins the podcast today to discuss. Matthew D. Dickerson is the Director of Budget Policy at the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC). Dickerson is recognized as an expert on fiscal policy issues, including the budget, appropriations, and entitlement reform.

What is the impact of immigration on the federal budget? How does the East Coast Dockworker’s Union work? And are union bosses paid too much? Daniel Di Martino joins Dominic Pino to discuss. Di Martino is a PhD candidate in Economics at Columbia University and a graduate fellow at the Manhattan Institute—where he focuses on high-skill immigration policy. 

What are popular economic fallacies, and why are they wrong? What is holding Africa back from economic development? And Cuba still has bread rations? Dominic breaks these questions down on today’s episode of Econception.

Why is the national accounting system so valuable? Can we trust economic data not to be politically biased? And what does it mean to say that complexity is a subsidy? Joining Dominic today is William Beach to discuss. Dr. Beach is a Senior Fellow at the Economic Policy Innovation Center and the former Commisioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.