Ep. 71 Mark Thornton on How Government Propped Up Slavery in the American South
Economic historian Mark Thornton has published several peer-reviewed articles on the economics of slavery in the American South. In this episode, he and Bob discuss the various ways in which government intervention propped up slavery and masked its inefficiency. . . . Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Two of Mark Thornton’s…
Ep. 70 Bob Tells Stories About Cashiers, the Vice of Economists, AOC Getting Trolled, and Biden as the Godfather
In this whimsical episode, Bob tells stories about cashiers giving him too much change, as well as the recent time he had somehow convinced himself that the Fed was engaging in the *opposite* of what everybody was assuming, in the repo markets. He also explains what gave away the troll who wanted AOC to adopt…
Ep. 69 Richard Vedder on Restoring the Promise of Higher Education in America
Economist Richard Vedder discusses his new book Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America, which diagnoses what’s wrong with higher education and how to fix it. . . . . . . . . Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Richard Vedder’s new book, Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America. Richard…
Ep. 68 Jeff Snider Explains the Repo Market Flare-Up, the Fed’s Phony Solution, and the Global Dollar Problem
Jeff Snider is Head of Global Research at Alhambra Investments. He talks with Bob about the recent spike in lending rates in the repo markets, and how the Fed’s attempted solution fails to address the real problem. He then relates the repo problem to the global monetary system, which has suffered from major imbalances going…
Ep. 67 Walter Block and William Barnett on Problems With the Hayekian Triangle
In a 2006 journal article, “On Hayekian Triangles,” Walter Block and William Barnett lists 14 separate objection to the popular device used (in various forms) by Hayek, Rothbard, and Roger Garrison to illustrate how artificially low interest rates lead to an unsustainable boom. Block concludes that the Hayekian triangle can be salvaged, while Barnett thinks…