Ep. 125 Mateusz Machaj on the Structure of Production in Economic Theory, and the Political Philosophy of the Star Wars Prequels
Austrian economist and Mises Institute Fellow Mateusz Machaj discusses two of his books. The first is a technical work explaining how the Austrian structure of production concept can help resolve puzzles in economics. Machaj’s second book analyzes the political philosophy behind the Star Wars prequels. This episode contains deep insights that will inform even advanced students of both…
Ep. 124 The Right Way to Defund the Police, and an Eyewitness Account of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ)
Bob first discusses the theory of transferring police services away from the government and to the private community. Then he interviews Whitney Davis, a Rothbardian with a history of libertarian activism, who is a Seattle resident and happens to live down the street from the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). Mentioned in the Episode and…
Ep. 123 Faulty Economic Justifications for the Coronavirus Lockdowns
Bob explains some of the basic–but crucial–errors in the cost/benefit analyses that have been offered by economists to justify the political lockdowns issued in light of the coronavirus. Specifically, economists have conflated voluntary physical distancing with coerced lockdowns, and they are also misusing the concept of a Value of a Statistical Life (VSL). Mentioned in…
Ep. 122 Alex Salter on the Empty Slogan of “State Capacity” and the Famous Somalia Challenge
Alex Salter is an economist with the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University. Bob asks him about his recent article (with Vincent Geloso) criticizing “state capacity” as an explanation for economic development. Along the way, they also discuss the historical record and its challenge to modern-day anarchists. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links…
Ep. 121 The Tenth Amendment Center’s Michael Boldin on Hanging Out with 2 Live Crew and Sticking it to the NSA
Libertarians know Michael Boldin as the founder of the Tenth Amendment Center, but he started out as a leftist promoting clubs in LA and other major cities. In this fun conversation, Michael explains his origins and how he ended up advising state governments on how to kick the NSA out of their backyard. Mentioned in…