The New Bazaar

Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican pollster and co-founder of Echelon Insights, unpacks what American workers really think about economic populism. They explore Trump’s fading economic brand, inflation, corruption, tariffs, government stakes in private companies, legal immigration, and the surprising appeal of socialism. The conversation also looks ahead to the 2026 midterms and voters’ demand for leaders willing to challenge powerful institutions.

Adam Ozimek, chief economist and author known for labor, immigration, and auto research, shares five contrarian economic beliefs. He defends prediction markets and betting as truth-telling tools. He argues the U.S. should allow Chinese EVs, supports growth toward a larger population, and warns consumers overspend on cars. He also reflects on when contrarianism enlightens versus when it just provokes.

Alvin Roth, Nobel-winning economist and market design pioneer, discusses morally contested markets. He explores assisted dying, sex work and licensing proposals, plural marriage and legal contract experiments, sports betting and addiction remedies, and kidney exchanges including cross-border controversies. Short, focused takes on trade-offs, regulation, and designing pragmatic markets.

Martha Gimbel, executive director of the Yale Budget Lab and fiscal policy economist, explains how past fiscal choices already raise borrowing costs today. Short takes cover why debt framing matters, why precise danger thresholds mislead, how deficits push up interest rates, which policies could bend the deficit curve, and immigration’s role in growth and public finances.

Adam Ozimek, Chief Economist at the Economic Innovation Group, explores parallels between the China trade shock and a possible AI shock. He discusses who was hurt then, how places and workers adjusted, task‑based measures of AI exposure, and why AI risk looks different today. Short takes on resilience, messy jobs, and what skills help protect workers.

Jan Sramek, founder and CEO of California Forever, is building a new planned city and manufacturing hub in Solano County. He discusses why starting a city in California makes sense, the push for walkable dense neighborhoods, and the strategy to combine regional ties to Silicon Valley with local manufacturing and shipbuilding. He also covers planning, funding, approvals, and political challenges.

Arpit Gupta, an NYU finance professor who studies housing, remote work, AI, and finance. He explores reform ideas beyond zoning like property tax changes, accelerated depreciation, and scaling factory‑built housing. He also discusses using AI to map regulations, the impact of remote work on firms and cities, and the risks and benefits of AI for careers and finance.

Stefanie Stantcheva, Harvard economist who leads the Social Economics Lab, explores zero-sum thinking and its roots. She discusses how lived experience, intergenerational mobility, immigration history, and slavery shape views. Conversations cover generational shifts, geographic patterns, links to anger in politics, policy preferences around redistribution and immigration, and upcoming work on AI and collaboration.

Adam Ozimek, chief economist at the Economic Innovation Group and commentator on automation, discusses AI’s economic tradeoffs and why some work resists automation. He explores the persistence of live service and caregiving, the Olive Garden as a model for task division, AI companions and misuse, and policy and personal strategies for adapting to AI-driven change.

Jennifer Doleac, an economist and director of the Criminal Justice program at Arnold Ventures, dives into her book on criminal justice reform. She reveals how small-scale reforms can significantly reduce recidivism, emphasizing that leniency can actually enhance public safety. The discussion covers the surprising benefits of dismissing misdemeanor cases, the pitfalls of harsh probation conditions, and how evidence-based policies can reshape the system. Doleac argues for a scientific approach to policy, advocating for trial-and-error methods to foster effective change.