The Curious Task Institute for Liberal Studies

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.