Liberty Curious Kate Wand

What exactly is ESG? Where did it come from, and how did it start to take hold and reshape our world? How is it related to the infamous UN SDGs?
In this episode of Liberty Curious, Paul Mueller joins Kate Wand to discuss and dissect.

Paul is an economist and Senior Research Faculty at AIER who specializes in defending freedom and combatting collectivism. He has written a definitive collection of articles on ESG.

ESG has been perniciously changing the way corporations, governments, NGOs and institutions operate. This ideological framework synonymous with stakeholder capitalism has become the subject of scrutiny and public backlash, but nonetheless continues to dominate.
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The conversation explores the history, definition, and implications of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing. It delves into the origins of ESG in the post-World War II era and the rise of international organizations. The discussion highlights the utopian ideals and ideological shifts that have shaped the ESG movement. It also examines the technocratic element of ESG and the challenges of calculation and efficiency. The conversation raises concerns about the potential for eco-dictatorship and the threat ESG poses to freedom and individualism. In this conversation, Paul Mueller and Kate Wand discuss the totalitarianism of climate alarmists and the loss of individualism in the ESG movement. They explore the advocates for ESG, such as the World Economic Forum, and the pushback against ESG, including Larry Fink's change in stance. They also delve into the philosophical elements underlying the green movement and the potential future of ESG. The conversation highlights the importance of transparency, the value of nuclear energy, and the need to focus on adaptation rather than prevention. They conclude by discussing the role of intellectuals in shaping ESG policies.
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Paul Mueller's Related Articles:
https://www.aier.org/people/paul-mueller/

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/the-totalitarianism-of-climate-alarmists

https://dailycaller.com/2023/12/09/opinion-gavin-newsoms-california-is-showing-us-what-the-green-energy-transition-looks-like-it-isnt-pretty-paul-mueller/
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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro
1:31 - History of ESG
3:21 - ESG as a Quest for Global Solidarity
10:19 - Post-World War II Era and the Rise of International Organizations
12:22 - Utopian Ideals and Ideological Shifts
13:40 - Stakeholder Capitalism and the Technocratic Element of ESG
16:15 - The Problem of Calculation and Efficiency in ESG
18:45 - Consumer Value and the Top-Down Approach of ESG
31:40 - The Potential for Eco-Dictatorship in ESG
36:12 - ESG as a Threat to Freedom and Individualism
38:38 - Totalitarianism and the Loss of Individualism
41:05 - Advocates for ESG and the Totalitarianism of Climate Alarmists
45:05 - Larry Fink and the Pushback Against ESG
53:09 - The Social Responsibility of Businesses and the Birth of Stakeholder Capitalism
56:18 - The Future of ESG and its Impact on Economies
59:18 - The Potential of Nuclear Energy and the Need for Transparency
1:03:08 - The Malthusian Element and the Importance of Human Existence
1:05:20 - The Value of Adaptation and the Inefficiencies of ESG Means
1:05:47 - The Role of Intellectuals in Shaping ESG Policies
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Hayek: Intellectuals and Socialism: https://cdn.mises.org/Intellectuals%20and%20Socialism_4.pdf
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LISTEN: https://aier.org/podcasts
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How free is your state? Why has New York gone from a beacon of liberty to a state that people now flee in droves? And why are people moving to places like Florida, New Hampshire and South Dakota?
Way back in the early 2000s, Jason Sorens paired up with AIER president William Ruger to find out.

Jason joined Kate Wand on Liberty Curious to discuss his book, Freedom In the Fifty States, and the interactive tool that measures economic and personal freedom across American states. Now in its 7th edition, Sorens and Ruger use a data set that measures over 230 policies from all 50 states to see how well each state performs.

Jason Sorens is Senior Research Faculty and founder of the New Hampshire Free State Project. They discuss the freest and least free states, voting with your feet, and surprising findings from the latest edition. Jason also emphasizes the role of individuals in changing policies and promoting freedom in their states.


*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***

0:00 - intro
1:28 - What is Freedom in the 50 States?
4:24 - Personal freedom & economic freedom
8:19 - Which state is the most free?
10:01 - Florida & New Hampshire
14:15 - Can a free state insulate you from Federal Government overreach?
18:10 - The states ranking lowest in freedom
19:51 - What happened to New York?
23:37 - Freedom vs High Taxes & Paternalism
26:30 - Biggest surprises
29:30 - Correlation between Red/Blue states
32:15 - Purple states
33:00 - Updates in this edition
35:00 - The interactive tool: freedominthe50states.org
38:06 - How to use this tool
40:46 - Is policy what really affects freedom?
43:25 - How can people change policy?
46:30 - Last thoughts?

freedominthe50states.org
aier.org/podcasts

READ Samuel Gregg's Articles:
https://lawliberty.org/when-a-classical-liberal-confronted-nazi-terror/
https://lawliberty.org/wilhelm-ropkes-civilization-of-liberty/
LISTEN to Liberty Curious: https://www.aier.org/podcasts/

SUBSCRIBE to Sam Gregg's Articles: https://www.aier.org/people/samuel-gregg/

What can happen when societies decouple from the Western liberal tradition and adopt collectivist frameworks that abandon reason, the pursuit of truth, and the core principles of civilization?

On this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand was joined by Samuel Gregg, Distinguished Fellow in Political Economy at AIER, to discuss the life and ideas of Wilhelm Röpke. Röpke was a 20th century economics professor who was exiled from Germany in the 1930s for defending liberty and opposing the National Socialists.

In the conversation you’re about to hear, Samuel Gregg tells Röpke’s incredible life story, and describes the humanist philosophy that Röpke lived by, which left him standing alone against the illiberal Nazi regime.

Gregg writes, “The National Socialists had no interest in reason or the individual, let alone freedom as Röpke understood it. They personified what Röpke called the “reigning illiberalism,” which was characterized by “hot air, slogans . . . glorification of direct action, violence in dealing with all those of different opinion, rabble-rousing in every sphere, empty rhetoric, and deceitful stage effects.”

Such illiberalism would, he said, “trample down the garden of European civilization.” That, eventually, was what National Socialism did, epitomized by the regime’s attempt to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the earth.”

aier.org

*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***

0:00 - Intro
2:18 - Who was Wilhelm Röpke?
8:20 - After the First World War
11:50 - Röpke's Opposition to the Nazis
15:50 - Röpke's humanistic convictions
19:20 - His defence of Liberalism
23:43 - Cogs in the Machine
28:28 - Dividing people by identity groups
35:00 - The pursuit of Truth
39:55 - How do you know the Nazis were the 'bad guys'?
42:32 - The Nazis thought that they were right
47:52 - Why do mass mobs lose their ability to reason?
52:40 - Threats to liberty now?
58:40 - What can individuals do?
1:01:37 - Last thoughts

READ Barry Brownstein's Article: https://www.aier.org/article/to-live-for-grievances-risks-liberty/
LISTEN to Liberty Curious: https://www.aier.org/podcasts/

SUBSCRIBE to Barry's Substack: https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/

Why are so many in our generation brainwashed to see the world in a terrible way? And what is it about their mindset that makes them so susceptible to this kind of manipulation?

In his recent article for AIER, Barry Brownstein writes, "Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay wrote in their book Cynical Theories, the contemporary social justice movement “is a worldview that centers social and cultural grievances and aims to make everything into a zero-sum political struggle revolving around identity markers like race, sex, gender, sexuality, and many others.”

On this episode of Liberty Curious, I was joined by Barry Brownstein, professor emeritus of Economics and Leadership, to discuss how our personal grievances are a threat to liberty.

“In his 1976 lecture, “Socialism and Science,” Hayek argued that socialism requires a “government with unlimited powers” to give groups with grievances what they think “they are entitled to.”

Barry explains that our individual mindset has a ripple effect that shapes the society around us. When we build our identities around our personal grievances, we play into the hands of illiberal politicians and ideologies that promise to solve all of our problems for us, at the cost of our inner and outer liberty.

0:00 - intro
1:21 - holding onto grievances
6:30 - socialism mindset
9:01 - far-left & far-right grievances
12:01 - mindset in Russian Revolution vs American Revolution
14:02 - if the State doesn't fix your life
15:33 - self-concept against something
19:42 - identity politics and victim mentality
25:40 - neo-marxism & social justice
28:51 - hatred that lasts for centuries
33:50 - Hayek: the road to serfdom
36:39 - politicians exploit grievances
39:40 - a mindset shift
43:30 - ready-made ideology
45:26 - the power of choice
49:40 - is there still hope?

Since October 7th, 2023, we have seen that ideas have consequences in the real world.
Phillip Magness is an economic historian who specializes in the economic dimensions of slavery and racial discrimination, the history of taxation, and measurements of economic inequality over time. He also maintains an active research interest in higher education policy and the history of economic thought. He joins Kate Wand on Liberty Curious to discuss his recent work on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and its proliferation in academia and the mainstream, and its connection to the far-left's response to Hamas' massacre of Israeli citizens.

Phil Magness is Senior Research Faculty and F.A. Hayek Chair in Economics and Economic History at the American Institute for Economic Research.

READ: https://philmagness.com/
AIER: https://www.aier.org/people/phillip-w-magness/
LISTEN: https://www.aier.org/podcasts/
PHIL'S ARTICLE: https://www.aier.org/article/critical-race-theory-in-data-what-the-statistics-show/

0:00 - intro
1:35 - CRT in a nutshell
3:05 - CRT academics' reactions to Oct 7
10:24 - Media spin
13:08 - Who is colonizing who?
17:07 - What is decolonization?
19:15 - The dangers of CRT in the real world
20:39 - The proliferation of CRT in academia
26:46 - Why are these ideas so seductive?
30:15 - Promises
33:07 - Silver linings?
37:20 - Last Thoughts

*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***

In this episode of Liberty Curious we go deep into the historical roots of 'Making America Great Again'. Kate Wand sat down with Phillip W. Magness, Senior Research Faculty and F.A. Hayek Chair in Economics and Economic History at AIER, to discuss the true implications of tariffs and protectionism and how they have shaped America's economic landscape.
From the earliest years of the American founding, promises of putting America first echoed through political chambers. These calls, though wrapped in patriotism, often harbored hidden implications of cronyism, favoritism, and a veiled tax that burdened everyday consumers. Despite the appealing rhetoric, tariffs and protectionist measures stand as barriers to economic freedom, prosperity, and genuine international cooperation.

As history warns, "When goods cease to cross borders, armies soon follow."

By tracing the history of tariffs, we see a repeating pattern: opportunistic rent-seeking, strained international relations, and a government that often interferes with natural economic exchanges. This meddling not only fosters less peace but also empowers the federal government at the expense of states and the very people it promises to protect.

*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***

aier.org/podcasts
https://www.aier.org/people/phillip-w-magness/
Phil Magness on X: https://twitter.com/PhilWMagness