Free The Economy

This week we talk about central bank digital currencies, bankers backing off of ESG claims, avoiding the mistakes of public housing, and new research of inequality and progressivity. Our interview this week is with economist Scott Lincicome of the Cato Institute. We discuss trade tariffs, empowered workers, returning to the 1950s, and working-class wages. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about conservatives defending the D.C. swamp, Andrew Stuttaford’s warning about green land grabs, a new Heartland Institute report on the threats from ESG investing, and the American Express survey on small business financial confidence. Our interview this week is with economist Richard Salsman of Duke University. We discuss the origins of capitalism, the morality of profit-seeking, how students are learning economics, and the democratization of investing. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk discuss Tim Carney’s view on why big government is good for big business, Stone Washington on the troubling mission creep at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Dan King on protecting Georgia property owners from getting their property seized, and Alec Stapp and Pat Hedger on the puzzling bus project in Los Angeles called “La Sombrita.” Our interview this week is with Brian Hawkins of People United for Privacy. We discuss government transparency, confidential donor lists, the IRS, state attorneys general who leak information, and the ongoing legacy of the famous civil rights case NAACP v. Alabama (1958). Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about Warren Buffet’s electric vehicle pessimism, sky-high school funding in New York City, worker job satisfaction numbers, and why we’re in the top 1% of all podcasts. Our interview this week is with economist, consultant, podcaster, think tanker, and former White House economic policy advisor Vance Ginn. We discuss the strength of the union, competition between states for people and capital, the debt ceiling negotiations, confusing unemployment numbers, and more. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about public opinions of capitalism, eliminating Covid relief slush funds, rolling back parking mandates, partisan perceptions of Twitter, and the fun of #EconTwitterIRL. Our interview this week is with author, barista, and public policy magician Jacob Grier. We discuss tobacco control, nutrition and public health, alcohol regulation, and the unintended consequences of prohibition. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about judicial deference and the Supreme Court, Biden’s new mortgage rate policy, how Americans are thinking about their retirement finances, and how expensive green tax credits are going to end up being. Our interview this week is with economic policy expert Adam Millsap from Stand Together. We discuss housing, tax reform, urban renewal, migration and competition between states, and more. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about financial regulation and free speech, the tough year ahead for ESG investing, nostalgia for high tax rates, and new research on how Americans view their jobs. Our interview this week is with urban planning expert Max Dubler. We discuss zoning reform, project financing, discretionary review, impacts on homelessness, and more. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about Michael Strain’s and Dominic Pino’s arguments for economic optimism, Jessica Melugin’s defense of mergers and acquisitions, why the “pink tax” on women’s products is a myth, and Josh Bandoch’s argument for the abundance agenda. Our interview this week is with Stephanie Slade of Reason magazine. We discuss the history of fusionism in American politics, and how it has been frequently misunderstood. We consider questions like “What is the balance between order and liberty?”, “Can people who believe in small government use big government for their own ends?” and “Can libertarians and conservatives stay friends?” Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog. 

This week we talk about political pessimism in popular polling, the return of the Malthusian environmentalists, the problem with Buy American policies in government subsidies, and the supposed need to “abolish capitalism” before we do anything about housing affordability. Our interview this week is with Brooke Medina of the John Locke Foundation. We discuss politics in North Carolina and how each state in the union can learn from the success and failure of the other 49. We cover taxes, education, occupational licensing, and economic opportunity in general. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.  

This week we talk about the likelihood of blue state bailouts, issues with “everything bagel liberalism,” news of free enterprise scholarship at Alabama’s Troy University, and the trials and tribulations of the Buy Nothing movement. Our interview this week is with Alex Trembath of the Breakthrough Institute. We discuss the meaning of eco-modernism, opportunities for creating an abundance agenda in the U.S., gradualism vs. dramatic change, and to what extent we should relying on advice from establishment experts. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.