Free The Economy

Competitive Enterprise Institute
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Dec 28, 2023 • 39min

Avoiding a Central Bank Digital Currency with Nicholas Anthony

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. 
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Dec 21, 2023 • 53min

(De-)Regulating Tech and AI with Adam Thierer

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. 
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Dec 14, 2023 • 51min

Making Congress Work with Kevin Kosar

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. 
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Dec 7, 2023 • 46min

Centers of Progress with Chelsea Follett

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. 
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Nov 30, 2023 • 48min

The Future of Energy and Environmental Policy with Travis Fisher

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. 
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Nov 22, 2023 • 37min

Making College Pay with Preston Cooper

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. 
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Nov 16, 2023 • 42min

Getting out of Control with Neil Chilson

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. 
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Nov 9, 2023 • 48min

Personal Finance and YouTube with Spencer Johnson

This week we cover how states can reform higher education, ways that managers can make their employees happier at work, the plans consumers have for holiday spending, and how environmental regulations get in the way of affordable housing. Our interview this week is with personal finance YouTuber Spencer Johnson. We talk about starting a side-hustle, household finances, credit cards that earn points and miles, and why we warn our audiences that what you’re about to hear is not financial advice. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison and edited and co-produced by Ryan Kracinski.
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Nov 2, 2023 • 1h 3min

The Trouble with Big-Government Conservatives with Andre Béliveau

This week we talk about which state has the least-bad business taxes, how many Americans really love America, the continuing trouble with ESG investing, and what Congress and the White House should do about AI. Our interview this week is with the National Taxpayer Union’s André Béliveau. We talk about economic freedom, political compromise, industrial policy, and state vs. federal policy reform. Free the Economy is produced by Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. 
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Oct 26, 2023 • 51min

Polling Capitalism with Karlyn Bowman

This week we talk about the surprisingly low demand for free transit, the demographics of higher education, a primer on electrical grids, and a new poll of job applicants. Our interview this week is with American Enterprise Institute Distinguished Senior Fellow Karlyn Bowman. We talk about the attitudes of Americans toward capitalism vs. socialism, trust in government, waning concerns about Big Labor, the reliability of political polling, and why everyone cares so much about inflation. Free the Economy is produced by Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. 

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