Free The Economy

This week we cover the old-fashioned roots of ESG investing, the blocked merger of JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, and the surprising truth about worker satisfaction in the U.S. Our interview this week is with Sam Gregg, a Distinguished Fellow in Political Economy at the American Institute for Economic Research. We’ll talk about trade policy, economic freedom, and the virtues of a commercial republic. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison and edited and co-produced by Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we cover emergency federal spending, workplace management trends for 2024, suppressing speech about public health, and defending Bitcoin’s energy use. Our interview this week is with Nick Sorrentino, co-founder and editor of Against Crony Capitalism. We talk about free enterprise, taxpayer giveaways, economic development, transparency in finance, and how to keep business leaders honest. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison and edited and co-produced by Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we cover slow-moving infrastructure projects, the impact of the conservative boycott of Bud Light, good and bad news on nuclear power, and return-to-the-office discipline from corporate managers. Our interview this week is with Betsy Sanz, an attorney with the Institute for Justice (IJ). We talk about the current attempt by a Georgia rail company to use eminent domain to compel the sale of private land, and how IJ and their clients are fighting back. We also cover the legacy of property rights jurisprudence in the case of Kelo v. New London (2005) and beyond. 

This week we cover the legislative record of House of Representatives in 2023, the proliferation of conferences about ESG investing, the sketchy status of the carbon offset market, and why it’s time for humans to go back to the moon. Our interview this week is with Nicholas Anthony, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute. We talk about the prospects and perils of a central bank digital currency in the U.S., including privacy concerns, monetary stability, and the prospect for political abuse via social credit policies. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison and edited and co-produced by Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we cover social mobility in the 50 states, Elizabeth Warren’s revolving door with Wall Street, the latest power grab from the Food and Drug Administration, and the welcome resurgence of an anti-cronyism news source. Our interview this week is with Adam Thierer, a senior fellow for the Technology & Innovation team at the R Street Institute. We talk about AI, antitrust, permissionless innovation, and why Europe has no big tech companies. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison and edited and co-produced by Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we cover people who fetishize old homes, the big AI risk no one’s talking about, how environmentalist activists are losing the climate class war, and the fatigue Americans are feeling around tipping. Our interview this week is with Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. We talk about budgets and staffing in Congress, regulatory review, fundraising and re-election campaigns, and what reforms we hope to see to how the House and Senate operate. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison and edited and co-produced by Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we cover the housing abundance agenda, antitrust concerns about corporate climate alliances, the future of global nuclear power capacity, and the Supreme Court’s consideration of tax issues in Moore v. United States. Our interview this week is with Chelsea Follett, managing editor of Human​Progress​.org. We talk about her fascinating new book, Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison and edited and co-produced by Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we cover the political path toward abundance, the need for permitting reform beyond the National Environmental Policy Act, the Biden administration’s continuing assault on gas stoves, and what American workers think about their bosses. Our interview this week is with Travis Fisher, director of energy and environmental policy studies at the Cato Institute. We talk about energy production myths, grid management, the view from inside the bureaucracy, next-generation nuclear, and what was really in the Inflation Reduction Act. 

This week we cover Javier Milei’s election as president of Argentina, how much money it takes to be happy, Thanksgiving lessons about property rights, and the new Competitive Enterprise Institute guide to the next big UN climate conference. Our interview this week is with Preston Cooper, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP). We talk about student loans, graduation rates, low-value majors, and how to make a college education more affordable for everyone. 

This week we cover the American Nuclear Society’s Winter 2023 conference, the opportunities and pitfalls of online side-hustles, and the complex task of measuring incomes and our fluctuating standard of living. Our interview this week is with author and Center for Growth and Opportunity senior research fellow Neil Chilson. We talk about emergent orders, complex systems, unintended consequences, and why government policymakers need to learn some humility. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison and edited and co-produced by Ryan Kracinski.