The Human Action Podcast

Recently on Twitter, as a reaction to an FT post worrying about the growing debts of various governments, fans of MMT were posting screenshots from a May 2020 FT debate involving Stephanie Kelton. The implication was that Kelton had correctly predicted that government debt would be benign. Bob and guest Jonathan Newman dissent.Stephanie Kelton and Edward Chancellor's Debate on Government Debt: Mises.org/HAP445aMartin Wolf's Article on Government Debt: Mises.org/HAP445bBob's Debate with Warren Mosler on MMT: Mises.org/HAP445cBob and Jonathan's Episode on Price Inflation: Mises.org/HAP445dBob's Article on the Economic Outlook for the US: Mises.org/HAP445eHuman Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Ron Paul's Gold, Peace, and Prosperity: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Historian David Beito has a new book from the Independent Institute titled, "The New Deal's War on the Bill of Rights." He joins Bob to discuss issues such as the Japanese concentration camps and the government's mass surveillance of telegrams.David's new book, The New Deal's War on the Bill of Rights: Mises.org/HAP444aHuman Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Ron Paul's Gold, Peace, and Prosperity: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Simon Guenzl joins Bob to push back on Dave Smith's recent appearance, where Dave had made the case against open borders. Guenzl has published a libertarian critique of the Hoppean framework. The debate revolves around the status of government property. Bob plays devil's advocate, especially with a lightning round of "hard cases" for Guenzl at the end.Simon's paper, "Public Property and the Libertarian Immigration Debate" in Libertarian Papers: Mises.org/HAP443aDave Smith on Open Borders: Mises.org/HAP443bBob on Blockades and Immigration in a Voluntary Society: Mises.org/HAP443cHuman Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Nick Gillespie, editor-at-large for Reason, recently got into a friendly dispute with Bob over whether American libertarians were being too pessimistic. He joins Bob to make the case for optimism, while Bob demurs.Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFree

On March 26 Bob gave this talk at Oklahoma State, where he was invited by the Free Enterprise Society. He assumed the students had no prior knowledge of the topic and made the case, from scratch, for a voluntary society with privately provided legal and defense services.Bob's article, "Libertarian Law and Military Defense" in Libertarian Papers: Mises.org/HAP441aHuman Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Ryan McMaken recently gave a talk at Oklahoma State outlining the history of secessions and making the case that they promote liberty and peace. He joins Bob to discuss his major themes and to address common objections.Ryan's Talk at Oklahoma State: Mises.org/HAP440aBreaking Away: The Case for Secession: Mises.org/HAP440bHuman Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFreeEnter to win free admission to the Human Action Conference: Mises.org/HARaffle

Christian Sandström is a Swedish economist who joins Bob to discuss his new (co-edited) book, which makes the case that massive government funding projects aren't necessary to promote science or industrial growth.Dr. Sandströmm's Moonshots and the New Industrial Policy: Mises.org/HAP439aHuman Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFreeEnter to win free admission to the Human Action Conference: Mises.org/HARaffle

Tom DiLorenzo spent a long and productive career in academia before assuming his current position as president of the Mises Institute. He joins Bob to discuss his early days getting into economics, and some of his important work on antitrust policy. He also discusses his popular books on Abraham Lincoln. Though it all, Tom stresses the importance of the Austrian viewpoint.Tom's Paper on the Origins of Antitrust: Mises.org/HAP438aNullification: An Interview with a Zombie: Mises.org/HAP438bHuman Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFreeEnter to win free admission to the Human Action Conference: Mises.org/HARaffle

Brent Johnson of Santiago Capital created the "dollar milkshake" theory, which says that in a global sovereign debt crisis, the USD, gold, and US stock market will all rise. He joins Bob for a friendly disagreement over the dynamics of a decline in foreign demand to hold USD.The ZeroHedge Debate: Mises.org/HAP437aBob's Post-Game Analysis of the Debate: Mises.org/HAP437bBrent Johnson Explains The Dollar Milkshake Theory: Mises.org/HAP437cBob's Article, 'What Does "Debt-Based" Money Imply for Interest Payments?': Mises.org/HAP437dHuman Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFreeEnter to win free admission to the Human Action Conference: Mises.org/HARaffle

Dave Smith makes the Rothbardian/Hoppean case for government restriction on immigration, arguing that it's a second-best solution given the undeniable fact of government control of "public" property. Bob plays devil's advocate to raise possible objections to Dave's framework. Rothbard, "Nations by Consent": Mises.org/HAP436a Hans-Hermann Hoppe, "On Free Immigration and Forced Integration": Mises.org/HAP436b Bryan Caplan, "A Radical Case for Open Borders": Mises.org/HAP436c   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFree Enter to win free admission to the Human Action Conference: Mises.org/HARaffle