This episode features a lecture by economics professor Benjamin Powell from 2018. He explores what sweatshops are, why they exist, the economic forces that create them, and why they are a necessary and important component of the developing world.
Category: Free Market Voices
Jeffrey Herbener: Demystifying the Federal Reserve (26m)
This episode features an interview of economics professor and department chairman Jeffrey Herbener from 2016 by Jeff Deist, host of the Human Action podcast. They cover the basics of central bank mechanics: how commercial bank reserves are created, the difference between the monetary base and the money supply, and how the Fed Funds rate impacts lending and the structure of production. They consider how Austrian business cycle theory describes the distortions created by artificially low interest rates, and how interest rates ought to operate as price signals. Finally, they discuss how early recipients of newly created money and credit benefit in ways that ordinary citizens don’t.
Daniel D’Amico: An Economist’s Look at Intellectual Property Law (1h18m)
This episode features a lecture by economics professor Daniel J. D’Amico from 2011 on intellectual property law. He discusses several arguments for and against government enforcement of intellectual property, including trademarks, patents, and copyrights. He explores both moral arguments (deontological) and cost benefit arguments (consequential), dedicating most of his time to consequential arguments. He finds that, in general, intellectual property is difficult to enforce and is inherently an anti-rival good. As a result, he finds no compelling case for government established intellectual property law.
Patrick Newman: The Progressive Era and the Rise of Crony Capitalism (45m)
This episode features a lecture by economics professor Patrick Newman from 2018 on the United States’ Progressive Era and the rise of political entrepreneurship, or crony capitalism.
Mike Munger: Permissionless Innovation (1h7m)
This episode features an interview of economist Mike Munger from 2017 by Russ Roberts, host of EconTalk. Munger argues that the ability to innovate without permission is the most important concept of political economy. Munger defends this claim and explores the metaphor of emergent order as a dance, a metaphor coming from the German poet Schiller.
Walter Block: Defending the Undefendable (52m)
This episode features a lecture by economics professor and Austro-libertarian Walter Block from 2016 about his two books which present defenses of some of society’s seemingly worst actors.
Tom Woods: Smashing Myths & Restoring Sound Money (47m)
This episode features a lecture by historian and Austro-libertarian Tom Woods from 2009 on smashing the myths about central banking, and on the importance of restoring sound money, such as a gold standard.