Roberts on the Crisis

Munger on Many Things: Mike Munger talks with host Russ Roberts about many things. Listeners sent in questions for Mike and Russ to talk about. They chose ten of the most interesting questions with the idea of talking about each for six minutes. The topics are the scarcity of clean water, asset bubbles, the role of Fannie and Freddie in the financial crisis, can a business pass a tax on to its customers (or maybe even its workers), compassionate food, the study of economics, how to choose a college, the nature of cooperation in a modern economy, the humanity of non-profits, and the American Dream. by EconTalk Archives, 2010

73 min listen

Roberts on Smith, Ricardo, and Trade: Host Russ Roberts talks about the economics of trade, specialization, and comparative advantage. Roberts's monologue pulls together work by Smith, Ricardo, James Buchanan, Yong Yoon, and Paul Romer. Market size creates incentives for wealth via trade. by EconTalk Archives, 2010

62 min listen

Ritholtz on Bailouts, the Fed, and the Crisis: Barry Ritholtz, author of Bailout Nation, talks with host Russ Roberts about the recent history of bailouts, beginning with Lockheed and Chrysler in the 1970s and continuing through the current financial crisis. In addition to the government role in aiding ailing companies, Ritholtz looks at the role of the Fed in discouraging prudence through its efforts to keep asset prices and the stock market at high levels. The conversation closes with a discussion of what Ritholtz has learned from the crisis. by EconTalk Archives, 2010

74 min listen

Spence on Growth by EconTalk Archives, 2010

67 min listen

Rustici on Smoot-Hawley and the Great Depression: Thomas Rustici, author of Lessons from the Great Depression, talks with host Russ Roberts about the impact of the Smoot-Hawley Act on the economy. The standard view is that the decrease in trade that followed Smoot-Hawley was not big enough to be a significant contributor to the Great Depression. Rustici argues that this Keynesian approach that looks at aggregate spending misses a crucial mechanism for understanding the impact of Smoot-Hawley. He focuses on the impact of Smoot Hawley on bank closings and the money supply. Smoot-Hawley launched an international trade war that reduced world trade dramatically. This had large concentrated regional effects in the United States and around the world in areas that depended on trade. Those were the areas where the first banks collapsed, contracting the money supply via the fractional reserve banking system. Rustici argues that the Keynesian indictment of the price system ignores the policy fail by EconTalk Archives, 2010

85 min listen

$Rustici on Smoot-Hawley and the Great Depression: Thomas Rustici, author of Lessons from the Great Depression, talks with host Russ Roberts about the impact of the Smoot-Hawley Act on the economy. The standard view is that the decrease in trade that followed Smoot-Hawley was not big enough to be a significant contributor to the Great Depression. Rustici argues that this Keynesian approach that looks at aggregate spending misses a crucial mechanism for understanding the impact of Smoot-Hawley. He focuses on the impact of Smoot Hawley on bank closings and the money supply. Smoot-Hawley launched an international trade war that reduced world trade dramatically. This had large concentrated regional effects in the United States and around the world in areas that depended on trade. Those were the areas where the first banks collapsed, contracting the money supply via the fractional reserve banking system. Rustici argues that the Keynesian indictment of the price system ignores the policy fail$

Belongia on the Fed: Michael Belongia talks with host Russ Roberts about the inner workings, politics, and economics of the Federal Reserve. Belongia talks about the role that power and politics play in Federal Reserve decision-making and how various Fed chairs used their power to suppress dissent within the Fed that was critical of Fed policy. He argues that the Fed faces an unresolvable dilemma when asked to achieve the multiple goals of full employment and price stability using only the federal funds rate as a policy lever. The discussion concludes with Belongia's indictment of the monetary data that the Fed produces. by EconTalk Archives, 2010

75 min listen

Phelps on Unemployment and the State of Macroeonomics: Nobel Laureate Edmund Phelps talks with host Russ Roberts about the market for labor, unemployment, and the evolution of macroeconomics over the past century. The conversation begins with a discussion of Phelps's early contributions to the understanding of unemployment and the importance of imperfect information. Phelps put his contribution into the context of the evolution of macroeconomics showing how his models were related to those of Keynes, the Austrian School, and rational expectations. The conversation then turns to the issue of whether macroeconomics is making progress, particularly in understanding business cycles. The discussion concludes with the satisfactions of work and the role of creativity and dynamism. by EconTalk Archives, 2010

75 min listen

Romer on Charter Cities: Paul Romer talks with host Russ Roberts about charter cities, Romer's idea for helping the poorest of the poor around the world. He envisions a city where rules about property, safety, contract, etc. allow individuals to flourish in an urban setting in contrast to the cities they live in now. Charter cities would be havens for the world's poor and could be created on uninhabited land in either rich or poor countries. This concept raises many difficult practical questions--some of them are discussed here along with how Romer came to be interested in creating the concept and how he hopes to bring it to reality. by EconTalk Archives, 2010

64 min listen

Munger on Love, Money, Profits, and Non-profits: Mike Munger talks to host Russ Roberts about the world of profit, money, love, gifts, and incentives. What motivates people, self-interest or altruism? Both. How do these forces interact with each other? Does relying on one always provide a stronger incentive than the other? Do charities, for-profit businesses or government agencies do a better job providing a good or service? Munger and Roberts have a wide-ranging discussion across these issues including a section where they discuss whether Christmas gift-giving and gift-giving in general is inefficient. by EconTalk Archives, 2010

65 min listen

Meyer on the Music Industry and the Internet: Steve Meyer, music industry veteran, talks with host Russ Roberts about the evolution of the music industry and the impact of the digital revolution. After discussing his background and experience in marketing at Capitol Records and elsewhere, Meyer argues for the virtues and potential of the internet in enhancing the music industry. He points out that the internet allows numerous artists to make money through their music and particularly enhances revenue from live performances. He describes the challenges facing record companies as a failure of imagination and suggests that the full potential of the internet as a distribution channel has yet to be fully exploited. by EconTalk Archives, 2010

68 min listen

Munger on Private and Public Rent-Seeking (and Chilean Buses): Mike Munger talks with host Russ Roberts about private and public rent-seeking. When firms compete for either private profit opportunities or government contracts, there are inevitably firms or people who spend resources but end up earning little or nothing. What are the differences, if any between these two forms of competition? How do they related to competitions that award prizes for discovering new technologies? The conversation begins with a discussion of a recent trip Munger took to Chile where he observed the current state of the Chilean bus system, a topic he has discussed in the past. by EconTalk Archives, 2010

58 min listen