The Curious Task

Matt speaks with Craig Biddle about objectivism and the legacy of Ayn Rand, and how it all ties to classical liberalism, the American ideal, and post-modernism.  Episode Notes: Craig's work for the Objective Standard: https://theobjectivestandard.com/author/cbiddle/  Craig on X: https://twitter.com/CraigBiddle  Free Ayn Rand books courtesy of the Ayn Rand Institute, including almost all of those referenced throughout this episode: https://aynrand.org/students/free-books/  Craig's talk "Choosing a Philosophy for Loving Life": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzhwsK6dyuE 

Alex speaks with Bryce Tingle about corporations, how these unique legal entities are governed, how changes we have made to corporate governance has discouraged companies from joining Canada’s public markets, and how the decline in our public market is hurting Canadians. 

 Episode Notes: 1. Bryce’s article “Returning Markets To The Centre Of Corporate Law” https://jcl.law.uiowa.edu/sites/jcl.law.uiowa.edu/files/2023-09/Tingle_Final.pdf  2. Bryce’s profile at UofCalgary https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/bryce-tingle  3. Jensen and Meckley’s “The Theory Of The Firm” https://www.sfu.ca/~wainwrig/Econ400/jensen-meckling.pdf  4. Introduction to Douglass North’s theory of Institutions: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40803-016-0028-8  5. Summary of Montesquieu’s “Doux Commerce” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doux_commerce  6. Mill on Trade As a Social Act: https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/five.html  7. The Voltaire quote referenced regarding the London Stock Exchange: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7351337-go-into-the-london-stock-exchange-a-more-respectable 

Matt speaks with Eric Merkley about NIMBYism, the surprising touchpoints for unity between left and right on the subject of housing, and how uncovering the true motivations of NIMBYs has altered Eric's view of the housing crisis.  Episode Notes: "Housing for Me, but not for Thee", Eric's paper serving as the basis for most of this conversation: https://osf.io/preprints/7vmt3  Eric on X: https://twitter.com/EricMerkley  Eric's article on the subject on Policy Options: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/march-2024/nimby-housing-opinion/  Some background on Premier Ford's backtracking on housing policy: https://www.robinsappleby.com/post/bridge-beat/conservative-housing-policy-backtrack.-a-setback-to-home-builders-and-new-home-owners-alike 

Sabine speaks with Ben Klutsey about political polarization, commonalities between the United States and Canada, and his documentary on the subject entitled "Undivide Us"  Episode Notes: The documentary's website with more information, a trailer and the option to request a screening: https://undivideusmovie.com/  Kevin Vallier's "Trust in a Polarized Age":  https://a.co/d/gDm6pjz  John Inazu's "Learning To Disagree": https://a.co/d/1OmKckQ  Kevin Vallier on the Curious Task: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-isuwy-d16f34     

Alex speaks with Rachael LaRose about the hidden costs of the pandemic, especially as they effected our commercial relationships, loose ties with individuals that once provided much value to our lives, and orthodox communities who rallied to prioritize faith in the face of fear. Episode Notes: - Rachael's webpage with past publications, etc.: https://www.rachaelbehr.com/  - "The Strength of Weak Ties" Mark S. Granovetter https://www.jstor.org/stable/2776392  - A summary of Ostrom's work on the governance of the commons: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2012/06/17/elinor-ostroms-work-on-governing-the-commons-an-appreciation/ - Rachael's coverage of the Orthodox Jewish community's healthcare action during the pandemic: https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2024/larosehealthcare.html  

Matt speaks with Sam Bowman about the global housing crisis and why, in English-speaking countries in particular, a growing consensus across the political divide is pointing to problems with central planning, NIMBYism and a supply limit as the causes.  Episode Notes: Sam Bowman’s on substack: https://substack.com/@sambowman  Sam on "Vetocracy": https://www.sambowman.co/p/democracy-is-the-solution-to-vetocracy  Sam’s “Housing Theory of Everything” article: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-housing-theory-of-everything/  Works in Progress website: https://worksinprogress.co/  Michael Giberson on Manser Olson's theory of concentrated costs and dispersed benefits: https://knowledgeproblem.com/2010/10/17/concentrated-benefits-and-dispersed-costs/  Comparison of UK vs. US GDP per capita: https://countryeconomy.com/countries/compare/usa/uk   

Alex speaks with Akshaya Kamalnath about her work on Corporate Diversity, the social pressures and cultural trends that corporations are facing, as well as the jurisdictional realities of handling diversity, amongst other issues. Episode Notes: Akshaya's page at ANU: https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/kamalnath-a  Akshaya's blog: corporatelawacademic.wordpress.com "Legal and Market Initiatives to Increase Diversity in Corporations—A Cross-Jurisdictional Analysis" by Akshaya Kamalnath https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/vol46/iss1/5/ 

In May 2022, Alex spoke with Deirdre McCloskey in a wide-ranging conversation that addresses the economic, philosophical, and political reasons why liberalism just works. We're reposting that important conversation today on The Curious Task.  References 1. “Why Liberalism Works: How True Liberal Values Produce a Freer, More Equal, Prosperous World for All” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey  Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Liberalism-Works-Liberal-Prosperous/dp/0300235089  2. “The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Virtues-Ethics-Age-Commerce/dp/0226556646  3. “Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain Modern World” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Dignity-Economics-Explain-Modern/dp/0226556743  4. “Bourgeois Equality: How Ideas, Not Capital or Institutions, Enriched the World” Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Equality-Capital-Institutions-Enriched/dp/022633399X  5. “Dierdre N. McCloskey presents the lecture ‘The Impossibility of Policy’ hosted by the Erasmus Forum” by the Cato Institute Link: https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/deirdre-n-mccloskey-presents-lecture-impossibility-policy-hosted  6. “1984” by George Orwell Link: https://www.amazon.ca/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934  7. “Forever Flowing” by Vasily Grossman Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88459.Forever_Flowing

Alex speaks with Alex Nowrasteh about nationalism as more of an innate tendency towards ethnic tribalism than anything resembling patriotism, and how this tendency may never disappear, but is worth resisting nonetheless.  Episode Notes: Alex's page at the Cato Insitute: https://www.cato.org/people/alex-nowrasteh  Alex on X:  https://twitter.com/alexnowrasteh?lang=en  Alex's book "Wretched Refuse?: The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions":  https://a.co/d/2JePWpU 

Alex speaks with Oyebade Oyerinde about the state of federalism in Nigeria, and how western ideas of democracy, liberalism and centralization of powers have influenced the current state of politics in the African nation.  Episode Notes: "Polycentric Interstate Federalism Among The Yoruba Of Nigeria: Lessons For Growing An International Federal Order" by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://cosmosandtaxis.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/kunleoyerinde_ct_vol10_iss11_12.pdf "Polycentric and Centralized Federalism in Africa" (Chapter 3) by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666902716/Issues-of-Governance-Security-and-Development-in-Contemporary-Africa "Does Polycentric Order Make Sense?" by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://isonomiaquarterly.com/archive/volume-2-issue-1/disorder-in-west-africa-does-polycentric-order-make-sense/ "Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems" By Elinor Ostrom https://web.pdx.edu/~nwallace/EHP/OstromPolyGov.pdf