Ep. 256 The Rothbardian Definition of the State
Bob explains the Rothbardian approach to defining the State, and then applies it to the recent example of a gas station hiring private security. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Rothbard’s book, The Anatomy of the State. (Bob read from the first chapter during the episode.) A news story covering the Philly…
Ep. 255 The Economics of Discrimination
Bob responds to critics who had defended Kanye West’s anti-Semitic remarks, on both a theological and secular level. He then explains a recent study arguing that there is little racial discrimination in US mortgage lending. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: The Economist article. Help support the Bob Murphy Show. The audio production…
Ep. 254 Karl Marx Was Kind of a Big Deal: A Response to Magness and Makovi
Bob first explains the synthetic control method and then critiques a newly published paper by Magness and Makovi employing the technique. M&M argue that were it not for the 1917 Russian revolution, Marx would today be a minor figure. Bob sharply disagrees. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: The Magness & Makovi paper…
Ep. 253 Exploring the Kanye West Controversy More Deeply
Bob takes on Kanye West’s recent comments about “Jews in the media” by showing the inner contradictions. rather than simply declaring “antisemitism” and condemning. He ends with a critique of Christians who harbor an anti-Jewish worldview. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Kanye on the Lex Fridman podcast. Help support the Bob Murphy…
Ep. 252 Bob’s Reaction to the Bernanke/Diamond-Dybvig Nobel Award
The 2022 recipients of the Nobel (Memorial) Prize in Economics were Ben Bernanke, Douglas Diamond, and Philip Dybvig, for their work on understanding the role of banks in financial crises. Bob explains what they did and then comments critically, giving the superior Austrian take. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Bob’s discussion…