EconTalk Archives, 2006 EconTalk: Russ Roberts, Library of Economics and Liberty
-
- Education
-
EconTalk is an award-winning weekly talk show about economics in daily life. Featured guests include renowned economics professors, Nobel Prize winners, and exciting speakers on all kinds of topical matters related to economic thought. Topics include health care, free trade, economic growth, education, finance, politics, sports, book reviews, parenting, and the curiosities of everyday decision-making. Russ Roberts, of the Library of Economics and Liberty (econlib.org) and George Mason U., draws you in with lively guests and creative repartee. Look for related readings and the complete archive of previous shows at EconTalk.org, where you can also comment on the podcasts and ask questions.
-
Boettke on Katrina and the Economics of Disaster
Pete Boettke of George Mason University talks about the role of government and voluntary efforts in relieving suffering during and after a crisis such as Katrina. Drawing on field research he is directing into the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Boettke highlights the role of what he calls "civil society"--the informal, voluntary associations we make as individuals with each other to create community.
-
Boudreaux on Law and Legislation
Don Boudreaux of George Mason University talks about the fundamental principles of economics and civilization: spontaneous order and law. Drawing on volume one of Friedrich Hayek's classic, Law, Legislation and Liberty, Boudreaux talks about the distinction between law and legislation, the appropriate role of judges, and how the fulfillment of our expectations allows us to pursue our goals and dreams.
-
Caplan on Discrimination and Labor Markets
Bryan Caplan and Russ Roberts discuss the economics of discrimination and government's regulation of labor markets. They talk about the role of the profit motive in reducing or eliminating discrimination and the role of government, particularly in European labor markets. When does government regulation reduce or enforce discrimination? How do other labor market regulations affect employment and unemployment? What is the impact on the European and American standard of living? Does money buy happiness? Does it depend on whether it is earned or received as welfare? These are some of the topics that come up in this wide-ranging conversation.
-
Postrel on Style
Author and journalist Virginia Postrel talks about how business competes for customers using style and beauty, going beyond price and the standard measures of quality. She looks at the role of appearance in our daily lives and the change from earlier times when style and beauty were luxuries accessible only to the wealthy. She also talks about her donation of a kidney to a friend and how that affected the intensity of her feelings about the policies surrounding organ donations.
-
Engerman on Slavery
Stanley Engerman of the University of Rochester talks about slavery throughout world history, the role it played (or didn't play) in the Civil War and the incentives facing slaves and slave owners. This is a wide-ranging, fascinating conversation with the co-author of the classic Time on the Cross (co-authored with Robert Fogel) and the forthcoming Slavery, Emancipation, and Freedom (LSU Press, 2007). Engerman knows as much as anyone alive about the despicable human arrangement called slavery and the vastness and precision of his knowledge is on display in this interview.
-
Peltzman on Regulation
Sam Peltzman of the University of Chicago talks about his views on safety, regulation, unintended consequences and the political economy of bad regulation. The focus is on his pioneering studies of automobile safety and FDA pharmaceutical regulation and the perverse incentives that even good intentions can produce.
Customer Reviews
Best there is
Russ Roberts hosts the best economics podcast I know of. He's always thoughtful and fair-minded. He has a great ability to follow up on guests' repossess and let the conversation flow where it will. I learn something from every podcast.
Hmm
“Secondhand smoke may actually be dangerous…”
Wow. I get he’s making a point that some could seek to overstate the effects of secondhand smoke for their own reasons, but not even conceding it is, in fact, dangerous….wow. There are decades of research into this and even the tobacco companies have stopped trying to protest and undermine the scientific consensus.
I like hearing many of the perspectives, including plenty I disagree with, but something like this makes me want to go elsewhere.
Mr.Roberts has obviously never had any experience with intermittent explosive disorder
Whether this condition should be named his way or not, it’s a very real condition where a person explodes to the point of being able to kill and when this happens the witness has to pretty much remove themselves or they may get very hurt. The person can become so angry suddenly, for example, even from having to talk about a topic they were ok with discussing just the day before yesterday. It is truly baffling how this guy denies something causing domestic violence and so on. Just because we don’t have biological diagnosis it doesn’t mean it’s not real. Before the microscope was discovered people didn’t believe germs exist. So irresponsible