Send us a textTimothy Sandefur, vice president of legal affairs at the Goldwater Institute, talks to us today about his book, Frederick Douglass: Self-Made Man. He talks to us about the philosophy behind and the development of American slavery, highlighting Douglass’s escape from it. Listen to learn about Douglass’s journey from slave to abolitionist- as well as to explore the debate about slavery and our Constitution. Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Send us a textMatthew Continetti, is a senior fellow and the Patrick and Charlene Neal Chair in American Prosperity at the American Enterprise Institute. Today, we talk about his new book The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism.  Continetti talks to us about the different terminology used to describe right-leaning ideologies, and how they’ve evolved over time. He also gives us a survey of the most important thinkers and events that have contributed to the history of the right. Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Send us a textDarren Staloff is a history professor at the City College of New York and the author of two books: Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson: The Politics of Enlightenment and the American Founding and The Making of the American Thinking Class: Intellectuals and Intelligentsia in Puritan Massachusetts. He talks to us today about the ideas at the core of our Constitution, the people who fought for it, and the results of those political conflicts. What is so special Want to explore more?Louis Michael Seidman on the Constitution, an EconTalk podcast.Martha Nussbaum on Alexander Hamilton, an EconTalk podcast.Is There a Role for a Monarchy in a Free Society? A Liberty Matters forum at the Online Library of Liberty.John Bitzan on the Culture at Universities, a Great Antidote podcast.Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, Benefits of the American Revolution: An Exploration of Positive Externalities, at Econlib.Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Send us a textDavid Epstein is the author of New York Times #1 bestsellers, Range and The Sports Gene, and an investigative reporter at ProPublica. Today, he talks to us about Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Listen for generalist success stories! He explains when best to use a generalist approach, in sports, versus a specialist approach, in chess. We talk about how to integrate the generalist approach into schooling and everyday life to improve learning, and he gives me advice on my guitar-learning journey. Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Send us a textMichael Cannon, Cato Institute’s director of health policy studies, talks to us today about health and health policy, reminding us of their definitions, goals, and importance. Learn about the origin of our current health care system, the different methods of obtaining health care (direct, government provided, employer-sponsored), and specifically employer-sponsored health care, which is the most common source of health insurance. What is “universal health care”? Do we really have a free market for health care? Why is employer-sponsored health care the most common source of heath care in the United States? What are the incentives in that system? What are the effects of the policies that have made this the case? Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Send us a textWilliam B. Allen, resident scholar and former chief operating officer of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, talks to us today about the book he recently edited, The State of Black America. He tells us about his upbringing and the current narrative about racism and policy in the United States. Is it a problem? What should we do about it? Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Send us a textYour criminal sentence doesn’t necessarily end when you get out of jail. Criminal records prevent many Americans from entering jobs requiring occupational licensing. 66 million Americans have criminal records; 30% of jobs require occupational licensing. Licensed jobs range from electrician to medical professional to hair braider.Matthew Mitchell is a Senior Research Fellow and the Director of the Equal Liberty Initiative at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Today, we briefly recap occupational licensing, what it is, and its effects. Then, we go on to talk about the unequal burden of occupational licensing, particularly on those with criminal records, and potential reforms.Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Send us a textJon Murphy, recent PhD graduate from George Mason University and incoming instructor at Western Carolina University, talks to us today about Adam Smith’s theoretical and practical exceptions to free trade. We explore whether Smith would have endorsed The Jones Act through his endorsement of Britain’s Navigation Acts. Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Send us a textWeifeng Zhong, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, talks to us today about the distinction between misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda. He leads us through his story of discovering the Tiananmen Square Massacre and how it led to the Policy Change Index project. We talk about hopes and fears for the future, along with some differences between the United States and China. Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Send us a textJason Fichtner, vice president and chief economist at the Bipartisan Policy Center, talks to us about retirement and saving strategies. He takes us through different types of savings accounts, why you should start saving today, and why you should start saving today. We also talk about starting to save later in life, how to save for and pay off big expenses, and social security considerations.Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.