EconTalk
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Lee Ohanian, Arnold Kling, and John Cochrane on the Future of Freedom, Democracy, and Prosperity
Lee Ohanian, Arnold Kling, and John Cochrane talk with host ...
Lee Ohanian, Arnold Kling, and John Cochrane talk with host Russ Roberts about the future of freedom, democracy, and prosperity. Recorded in front of a live audience at Stanford University's Hoover Institution as part of a conference on Magna Carta, the guests give their perspective on the future of the U.S. economy and the interaction between politics and economics. Each guest makes a brief presentation at the start followed by a moderated conversation.
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Alvin Roth on Matching Markets
Nobel Laureate Alvin Roth talks with host Russ Roberts about ...
Nobel Laureate Alvin Roth talks with host Russ Roberts about his work on matching markets. Examples include marriage, matching kidney donors to kidney recipients, and students to schools in cities that allow public school choice. Roth also discusses repugnance--the unease some people have with allowing buying and selling of some goods and what it's like to watch a kidney transplant knowing your research has helped make the surgery possible.
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Matt Ridley on Climate Change
Matt Ridley discusses climate change with host Russ Roberts. Based ...
Matt Ridley discusses climate change with host Russ Roberts. Based on his reading of the scientific evidence, Ridley describes himself as a "lukewarmer." He agrees that humans have made the climate warmer but argues that the impact is small or positive over some temperature ranges and regions. He rejects the catastrophic scenarios some say justify dramatic policy responses and reflects on the challenges of staking out an unpopular position on a contentious policy issue.
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Morten Jerven on African Economic Growth
Morten Jerven talks with host Russ Roberts about his new ...
Morten Jerven talks with host Russ Roberts about his new book, Africa: Why Economists Get It Wrong. He argues that economists have misread the economic history of Africa, ignoring successful episodes of economic growth while trying to explain a malaise that does not exist. He is critical of many of the attempts to explain growth using econometric techniques and suggests that a richer approach is necessary that is aware of the particular circumstances facing poor countries.
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Adam Davidson on Hollywood and the Future of Work
What's it like to hang out with Brad Pitt, Christian ...
What's it like to hang out with Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, and Ryan Gosling for two months? Journalist Adam Davidson was the technical advisor to the upcoming movie, The Big Short. He noticed what he calls the Hollywood model: highly talented workers come together temporarily in project-based employment. Davidson discusses the costs and benefits of this approach and its potential emergence as a more common phenomenon throughout the economy.
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Nathaniel Popper on Bitcoin and Digital Gold
Author Nathaniel Popper talks with host Russ Roberts about Bitcoin. ...
Author Nathaniel Popper talks with host Russ Roberts about Bitcoin. Can Bitcoin make it? What went wrong with Mt. Gox? Why did Ross Ulbricht, creator of Silk Road, just get sentenced to life in prison? Why are venture capital firms pouring millions of dollars into companies promising easier ways to use Bitcoin? Popper discusses these questions along with the technical side of Bitcoin to help listeners understand why so many investors are excited about the potential of Bitcoin.
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Martin Weitzman on Climate Change
Martin Weitzman talks with host Russ Roberts about the risks ...
Martin Weitzman talks with host Russ Roberts about the risks of climate change. Weitzman argues that climate change is fat-tailed--there is a non-trivial risk of a catastrophe. He concedes that our knowledge of the climate is quite incomplete but suggests that it is prudent to take serious measures, including possibly geo-engineering, to reduce the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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Bent Flyvbjerg on Megaprojects
Bent Flyvbjerg speaks with host Russ Roberts about megaprojects--massive investments ...
Bent Flyvbjerg speaks with host Russ Roberts about megaprojects--massive investments of a billion dollars or more in infrastructure or technology. Flyvbjerg argues that such projects consistently end up costing more with smaller benefits than projected and almost always end up with costs that exceed the benefits.
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Nicholas Vincent on the Magna Carta
Did an 800-year old piece of parchment change the world? ...
Did an 800-year old piece of parchment change the world? Nicholas Vincent talks with host Russ Roberts about the Magna Carta, the founding document of English law and liberty. Vincent explains what led to the Magna Carta and how its influence remains with us today.
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Eric Topol on the Power of Patients in a Digital World
We're in the middle of a healthcare revolution but it's ...
We're in the middle of a healthcare revolution but it's about more than life-saving, life-enhancing smartphone apps. Eric Topol talks with host Russ Roberts arguing that the digital revolution will give us more control of our health information and data.
