The Curious Task Institute for Liberal Studies
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- Education
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Host Alex Aragona and a rotating cast of guests explore philosophy, politics, economics, and other ideas from a classical liberal perspective.
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Ep. 227: Bryce Tingle - How Are Regulations Damaging Markets?
Alex speaks with Bryce Tingle about corporations, how these unique legal entities run on efficiency and how an over-reliance on the public market is hurting Canadians.
Episode Notes:
Bryce’s article “Returning Markets To The Centre Of Corporate Law” https://jcl.law.uiowa.edu/sites/jcl.law.uiowa.edu/files/2023-09/Tingle_Final.pdf
Bryce’s profile at UofCalgary https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/bryce-tingle
Jensen and Meckley’s “The Theory Of The Firm” https://www.sfu.ca/~wainwrig/Econ400/jensen-meckling.pdf
Introduction to Douglass North’s theory of Institutions: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40803-016-0028-8
Summary of Montesquieu’s “Doux Commerce” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doux_commerce
Mill on Trade As a Social Act: https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/five.html
The Voltaire quote referenced regarding the London Stock Exchange: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7351337-go-into-the-london-stock-exchange-a-more-respectable -
Ep. 226: Eric Merkley - What Motivates NIMBYs?
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 -
Ep. 225: Ben Klutsey - How Do We Rebuild Trust?
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
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Ep. 224: Rachael LaRose - What Happened To Our Relationships During The Pandemic?
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 -
Ep. 223: Sam Bowman - Why Can't We Have Nice Things?
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
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Ep. 222: Akshaya Kamalnath - Does Corporate Diversity Work?
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/
Customer Reviews
Great punchy podcast for Econ Enjoyers
Found this podcast through extensive searching -thought I would give it a try. Alex (host) gets excellent, well known and respected economists to come and discuss a variety of economic, social, and political topics. He keeps the guests rolling, always keeping it to a manageable time limit, always leaving you wanting just a bit more. I have found a few good books and essays this way, and enjoyed the listen along the journey. Thank you for this great podcast!
Classical liberalism on demand
The Curious Task introduces listeners to academic ideas surrounding the classical liberal tradition. If you are curious about ideas or want to explore a particular topic of discussion, this podcast is for you. There is no secret, this podcast is created by the Institute for Liberal Studies, in Canada. You should expect to hear a liberal point of view from the guests and host in most cases. What may surprise you is how even handed this is on the show. This is not a podcast for liberal sound bites or tropes. Instead, you find charitable, serious discussion at a high, academic, level. This is one of the most underrated podcasts on Apple, especially if you are passionate about the humanities.