The Curious Task

Alex Aragona speaks with Ilya Somin as he explores how you can vote with your feet and if it is effective. References from Episode 47 with Ilya Somin: You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government Is Smarter, on Amazon Canada at this link You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, The Grasping Hand: “Kelo V. City of New London” and the Limits of Eminent Domain, on Amazon Canada at this link You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom, on Amazon Canada at this link

Alex Aragona speaks with Dennis Rasmussen as he traces the friendship between Adam Smith and David Hume, and how it helped shaped modern thought. References from Episode 46 with Dennis Rasmussen: You can purchase Dennis Rasmussen’s book, The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought, on Amazon Canada at this link. You can purchase David Hume’s book, A Treatise of Human Nature, on Amazon Canada at this link You can read Adam Smith’s book, A Theory on Moral Sentiments, for free on the Online Library of Liberty at this link. You can purchase David Hume’s book, Dialogue Concerning Natural Religion, on Amazon Canada at this link You can read Adam Smith’s book, The Wealth of Nations, for free on The Library of Economics and Liberty here. You can read David Hume’s essay, Of Refinement in the Arts, for free on The Liberty of Economics and Liberty at this link. You can read Adam Smith’s publication of Letter from Adam Smith, L.L.D. to William Strahan for free on The Liberty of Economics and Liberty here.

Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Davies as he explores what he thinks life after the pandemic will look like, including our relationship with the welfare state. References from Episode 45 with Steve Davies: You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, Empiricism and History, at Amazon at this link You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, The Wealth Explosion: The Nature and Origins of Modernity, at Amazon at this link You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, The Economics and Politics of Brexit: The Realignment of British Public Life, at Amazon at this link You can read Steve Davies’ article on What History Teaches Us About the Coronavirus Pandemic here You can read more about Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s argument on news sensationalization that Steve Davies mentions at this link. Steve Davies talks about the Bathtub Fallacy here You can read Steve Davie’s briefing paper on C-19: Redefining the State of Welfare here

Alex Aragona talks with Shikha Sood Dalmia as she explores the story of a Sikh-Canadian broadcaster's rise to fame, and what stories like these mean for the broader immigrant community when it comes to joining, and changing, the world around them. References from Episode 44 with Shikha Dalmia: You can read Shikha Dalmia’s original Reason article about this topic at this link

Alex Aragona speaks with Ben Perrin as he explores the causes of, and solutions to, the opioid crisis in Canada and the United States. References from Episode 43 with Ben Perrin: You can purchase Ben Perrin’s new book Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis at Amazon Canada at this link You can listen to the episode of The Curious Task that Alex mentioned that features Trevor Burrus at this link

Everyone should care about economic freedom. But why is economic freedom especially relevant for women? Alex Aragona chats with Sarah Skwire as she explores why economic freedom has been, and is, important for women to cherish and defend. References from Episode 42 with Sarah Skwire: You can check out Adam Smith Works here You can purchase Sarah’s article on Margaret Fell here You can read Sarah Skwire’s article on How the State Became the American Woman’s Real Enemy here Sarah Skwire talks about Round About a Pound a Week here Sarah Skwire talks about Roast Beef, Medium here

Alex Aragona speaks with Russ Roberts as he talks about the ways in which the ideas of Adam Smith can change your life, even so many years later.   References from Episode 41 with Russ Roberts  You can purchase Russ Roberts’ book How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life at Amazon Canada here You can read the Theory of Moral Sentiments for free on the Online Library of Liberty here

Alex Aragona chats with Pete Boettke as he dives into what the curious task of economics is and relates it back to the work of Friedrich Hayek. References from Episode 40 with Pete Boettke You can purchase Pete Boettke’s book on F.A. Hayek on Amazon Canada here Check out Pete Boettke’s economics blog here

Alex Aragona speaks with Mike Munger as he explores what's truly happening when we see rapid price changes during a crisis, and whether suppliers raising their prices in a time of crisis is wrong. References 1. “Is Capitalism Sustainable?” by Michael Munger Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Sustainable-Michael-Munger/dp/1630691739  2. “Three Undeniable Problems with Anti-Gouging Laws” by Michael Munger Link: https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/three-undeniable-problems-with-anti-gouging-laws/

Alex speaks with the Consumer Choice Centre's David Clement about why Canada's marijuana legalization regulations missed the mark, and what government could have done to make legalization work.  References from Episode 38 with David Clement: Here are a few articles by David Clement on marijuana legalization Globe and Mail: Ottawa is baking a bitter taste into its rules around edibles Globe and Mail: Minor changes could have a major positive impact on Ontario’s cannabis plan Globe and Mail: Health Canada shows again that it can’t properly regulate cannabis Globe and Mail: Consumers are paying for government’s failure to understand cannabis Globe and Mail: Are excise taxes killing the cannabis industry? Globe and Mail: Quick and smart fixes for Canada’s cannabis mess Globe and Mail: Ontario Cannabis Lottery was a disaster. It should be the last National Post: Ontario delivers yet another cannabis decision that hurts retailers and helps illegal dealers National Post: Ottawa’s latest rules risk ruining cannabis-infused beverages before they’re even legal National Post: Liberals are blowing smoke with claim that they’ve wiped out half of the illicit market Toronto Star: Banning cannabis at local level is bad policy