Words & Numbers

Antony Davies
  • 4.8 (362)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Words & Numbers touches on issues of Economics, Political Science, Current Events and Policy. Each Wednesday we'll be sharing a new Words & Numbers podcast featuring Antony Davies Ph.D and James Harrigan Ph.D talking about the economics and political science of current events.

  1. Episode 505: Owning the (Post) Libs

    14H AGO

    Episode 505: Owning the (Post) Libs

    How did all the Post-Liberals get on the Goulash Train? And what are Post-Liberals? And what is (or more to the point, was) the Goulash Train? With guest Phil Magness. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:44 Fast-Track Degrees and Credential Culture 03:53 Online Learning and Gaming the System 05:11 AI, Universities, and Lecture Ownership 08:04 AI Replacing Professors and Higher Ed Decline 09:55 The Collapse of Higher Education 11:29 Credentials vs Real Education 12:54 Guest Introduction: Phil Magness 13:56 Viktor Orbán and Hungary’s Political Shift 16:11 Hungary, Russia, and Ukraine Context 17:44 Orbán’s Election Loss and Fallout 19:29 Why Hungary Matters to the U.S. 20:45 Post-Liberalism Explained 27:36 Carl Schmitt and Authoritarian Theory 31:21 Hungary as a Model for Post-Liberalism 36:11 State Power, Economics, and Policy Failures 41:37 U.S. Connections and the “Goulash Train” 46:27 Post-Liberalism as a Fringe Movement 49:20 Liberalism vs Post-Liberal Ideology 51:38 Historical Parallels and Authoritarian Models 54:53 U.S. Political Implications and Closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 1m
  2. Episode 504: Privileges & Immunities

    APR 29

    Episode 504: Privileges & Immunities

    Privileges and/or Immunities, Necessary and/or Proper, and Cruel and/or Unusual, with guest Clark Neily. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 00:37 Congress Approval Ratings Hit 10% 02:08 King Charles on Checks and Balances 03:17 Is Congress Failing Its Constitutional Role? 04:19 Jimmy Kimmel Controversy and Media Fallout 06:05 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Passport Idea 08:13 Clark Neily Joins the Show 09:28 Comey Indictment and “8647” Controversy 12:11 Legal Interpretation and Prosecutorial Overreach 16:03 Is There a Growing Skepticism of Qualified Immunity? 17:58 What Qualified Immunity Actually Means 19:57 Absolute Immunity for Prosecutors Explained 23:44 Supreme Court Trends and Recent Rulings 24:19 Birthright Citizenship Debate 30:06 Constitutional Interpretation and “Cruel and Unusual” 34:07 Incorporation Doctrine and the 14th Amendment 40:28 Slaughterhouse Cases and Missed Legal Turning Point 45:35 Why Courts Resist Expanding Individual Rights 48:56 Supreme Court Power and Constitutional Limits Debate 50:59 Commerce Clause Expansion and Federal Overreach 57:51 Closing Discussion and Wrap-Up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 1m
  3. Episode 503: Is the American Dream Dead?

    APR 22

    Episode 503: Is the American Dream Dead?

    Is the American Dream dead? A lot of people seem to think so, and perception is reality in politics. But what do the words and numbers actually say? 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:10 NYC Government Grocery Stores and “Fair Prices” 05:26 Why Socialist Grocery Models Break Down 09:27 Money, Markets, and Why the System Works 11:36 Prediction: Empty Shelves and Taxpayer Subsidies 13:29 UK Smoking Ban and Black Market Consequences 18:16 Foolishness of the Week: AI Influencer Scam 21:01 AI Content, OnlyFans, and the Future of Monetization 24:04 Is the American Dream Dead? 27:04 Perception vs Reality in the Economy 29:41 Real Wages, Housing, and Cost of Living 34:03 Why Life Feels More Expensive Today 37:40 Work, Lifestyle Expectations, and Generational Shifts 45:32 Consumer Sentiment, Social Media, and Economic Anxiety 52:12 Recession Fears and Policy Reality 56:33 Closing Remarks and Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 3m
  4. Episode 502: Us & Them

    APR 15

    Episode 502: Us & Them

    It’s not left v right, it’s us v them. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:27 AI Lawsuit and the Return of “Technology Panics” 01:04 The “Werther Effect” and Historical Media Fears 04:47 Does AI Cause Harm or Reflect the User? 07:46 Should AI Come With Warnings? 12:05 Hungary Politics and Viktor Orbán’s Defeat 15:29 Foolishness of the Week: Conspiracy Theories and Flat Earthers 18:14 Artemis II and the Persistence of Irrational Beliefs 20:28 Partisanship, Audience Reactions, and Perceived Bias 24:10 Why Both Parties Drift Toward Authoritarianism 28:55 Are Democrats and Republicans Actually Different? 32:37 “Them vs Us”: The Political Illusion 36:24 The Feedback Loop of Polarization 40:35 Debate Culture, Civility, and Online Discourse 43:23 How to Argue Without Attacking People 47:38 Final Thoughts: Be Skeptical, Be Civil, Be Kind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    55 min
  5. Episode 501: Blowing Bubbles

    APR 8

    Episode 501: Blowing Bubbles

    We return after a brief hiatus to catch up on a whirlwind of recent headlines, from political drama to bizarre claims about aliens, before turning to the Supreme Court’s consideration of birthright citizenship and the broader question of executive power versus congressional authority. We examine how Congress has gradually ceded its responsibilities on issues like tariffs, war powers, and immigration, and what that means for the balance of power in government. We then head to Ireland, where one enterprising citizen used AI to track the true price of a pint of Guinness, before moving to Texas for our Foolishness of the Week, where a congressional race has taken an unusual turn as a candidate campaigns by performing at quinceañeras. Finally, we dive into financial bubbles, exploring how markets price uncertainty, why emerging technologies like AI attract massive investment despite unclear outcomes, and how bubbles function as part of the process of discovering what new innovations are actually worth. 00:00 Introduction: A Month of Chaos 02:43 Supreme Court, Birthright Citizenship, and Trump’s Presence 03:45 Executive Power vs Congressional Authority 06:16 Why Congress Keeps Ceding Its Power 09:09 Can a System This Large Even Function? 10:17 Ireland’s Guinness Price Investigation with AI 13:04 Foolishness of the Week: Texas Campaigning at Quinceañeras 16:04 Redistricting, Demographics, and Political Miscalculations 18:11 Financial Bubbles and Why Economists Ignore Them 19:17 The “Real Economy” vs Financial Markets 22:24 Pricing the Unknown: Cars, Dot-Coms, and AI 24:56 AI Investing, Speculation, and Bubble Pricing 26:53 AI as the Next Internet and Technological Integration 30:53 Amazon, Spillover Innovation, and Unexpected Winners 37:22 Consumer Power, Corporate Fear, and Market Discipline Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    47 min
  6. Episode 500: Goodbye & Hello

    MAR 17

    Episode 500: Goodbye & Hello

    We’re not going away, but things are changing a bit. Listen to find out how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    50 min

  7. FEB 19

    Episode 499: Who Should Vote?

    In this episode, we begin with the strange world of high-end audio, from banana wire tests to quarter-million-dollar stereo systems, and ask whether diminishing returns eventually overtake objective performance. We then react to Barack Obama’s comments about aliens before moving to our Foolishness of the Week: Australia’s $40 cigarette packs and the predictable rise of black markets and bootlegging that follows heavy taxation. From there, we turn to election law and voting rights, examining who actually has the constitutional authority to regulate elections, what the SAVE Act proposes regarding proof of citizenship, whether a president can alter voting rules by executive order, and how voter ID laws intersect with legitimacy and public trust. We also discuss gerrymandering, the structural incentives of the two-party system, and a story from a group home that raises deeper questions about civic participation and what it really means to be qualified to vote. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:30 Audiophile Cable Myths and the Banana Wire Test 03:54 Quarter-Million Dollar Stereo Systems and Diminishing Returns 06:32 Barack Obama Says Aliens Are Real 10:14 Foolishness of the Week: Australia’s $40 Cigarette Packs 12:26 Black Markets, Bootleggers, and Unintended Consequences 16:55 Who Actually Decides Who Can Vote? 18:39 The Constitutional Framework for Elections 22:31 The SAVE Act and Federal Citizenship Requirements 26:53 Voter ID, Legitimacy, and Political Signaling 31:41 The Real Electoral Problem: The Two-Party Duopoly 34:15 Gerrymandering and the Spoils of Political Victory 38:50 Can Trump Use an Executive Order on Voting? 41:30 Legitimacy, Public Trust, and Election Narratives 44:52 A Story from the Group Home: When Should People Vote? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    53 min
  8. Episode 498: Politicians Broke Health Insurance

    FEB 17

    Episode 498: Politicians Broke Health Insurance

    In this episode, we discuss the Netherlands’ proposed 36% tax on unrealized capital gains, unpacking what it means to tax wealth that exists only on paper and how such a policy could force asset sales, distort investment behavior, and reshape long-term incentives for savers and entrepreneurs. For our Foolishness of the Week, we turn to North Carolina, where a local official distinguished himself as perhaps the dumbest sheriff in America. We then welcome Dave Greene for an extended conversation on health insurance, exploring how risk pooling actually works, why medical pricing feels arbitrary, how regulation and the Affordable Care Act altered incentives for insurers and patients, and why price opacity and third-party payment continue to drive costs higher across the system. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:31 Words and Numbers Backstage & Listener Shoutouts 04:13 The Netherlands’ 36% Tax on Unrealized Gains 08:20 Who Can Afford Risk Under a Wealth-Style Tax? 12:24 Florida Snow & Strange Weather 13:39 Foolishness of the Week: The Mecklenburg Sheriff 18:54 Dave Greene Introduction: Health Insurance Insider Perspective 21:36 Why Health Insurance Feels So Frustrating 24:05 Is the System Designed to Make You Give Up? 27:32 Why Health Care Prices Stay Hidden 34:13 The $1,600 MRI vs. $200 MRI Problem 41:38 Negotiating Medical Bills (Yes, You Can) 43:36 The Affordable Care Act and Incentive Distortions 47:24 Health Insurance Profit Margins Explained 50:45 1950s Health Care vs. Today’s Innovation 53:48 Why Insurance Companies Get the Blame 57:26 Medicare vs. Private Insurance Subsidies 01:01:35 Guest Outro and Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 8m
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4.8
out of 5
362 Ratings

About

Words & Numbers touches on issues of Economics, Political Science, Current Events and Policy. Each Wednesday we'll be sharing a new Words & Numbers podcast featuring Antony Davies Ph.D and James Harrigan Ph.D talking about the economics and political science of current events.

Information

  • Creator
    Antony Davies
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    510
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Words & Numbers

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