Podcasts · Education · Science

EconTalk

Russ Roberts

300 episodes

EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford's Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it's like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, the conflicts and history of the Middle East, and more. EconTalk has been taking the Monday out of Mondays since 2006. All 1000+ episodes are available in the archive. Go to EconTalk.org for transcripts, related resources, and comments.

Episodes page 2 of 6

  1. The Wonder of the Emergent Mind (with Gaurav Suri)

    · 1 h 40 min · Episode 1024

    How is your brain like an ant colony? They both use simple parts following simple rules which allows the whole to be so much more than the sum of the parts. Listen as neuroscientist and author Gaurav Suri explains how…

  2. Shampoo, Property Rights, and Civilization (with Anthony Gill)

    · 1 h 08 min · Episode 1023

    Why is it okay to take the little shampoo bottles in hotels home with you but not the towels? And what stops people from taking the towels? Listen as political scientist Anthony Gill discusses the enforcement of…

  3. Primal Intelligence (with Angus Fletcher)

    · 1 h 21 min · Episode 1022

    What do Shakespeare, Hollywood storytelling, and military special operations have in common? They all excel at inventing new plans, or improvising when we're facing radical uncertainty. Listen as professor of story…

  4. A Mind-Blowing Way of Looking at Math (with David Bessis)

    · 1 h 22 min · Episode 1021

    What if math isn't about grinding through equations, but about training your intuition and changing how your brain works? Mathematician and author David Bessis tells EconTalk's Russ Roberts that the secret of…

  5. Twenty Years of Freakonomics (with Stephen Dubner)

    · 1 h 43 min · Episode 1020

    Quantitative, contrarian, and nuanced: these are the hallmarks of the Freakonomics approach. Hear journalist and podcaster Stephen Dubner speak with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the 20th anniversary of the…

  6. The Magic of Tokyo (with Joe McReynolds)

    · 1 h 09 min · Episode 1019

    What drives the seeming relentless dynamism of Tokyo? Is there something special about Japanese culture? Joe McReynolds, co-author of Emergent Tokyo, argues that the secret to Tokyo's energy and attractiveness as a…

  7. The Invisible Hierarchies that Rule Our World (with Toby Stuart)

    · 1 h 13 min · Episode 1018

    Status isn't fixed; it's transferred and "bestowed," shaping who gets resources, attention, and opportunity. So argues author Toby Stuart of UC Berkeley in his book, Anointed. He and EconTalk's Russ Roberts explore why…

  8. Eating with Intelligence (with Julia Belluz)

    · 1 h 06 min · Episode 1017

    Losing weight should be simple: eat less, exercise more. But according to author and health journalist Julia Belluz, it's complicated. Listen as Belluz talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about her new book, Food…

  9. Steven Pinker on Common Knowledge

    · 1 h 23 min · Episode 1016

    Why are Super Bowl ads so good for launching certain kinds of new products? Why do we all drive on the same side of the road? And why, despite laughing and crying together, do we often misread what others think?…

  10. How Did America Build the Arsenal of Democracy? (with Brian Potter)

    · 1 h 05 min · Episode 1015

    American manufacturing of aircraft during WWII dwarfed that of its enemies. By the end of the war, an American assembly line was producing a B-24 bomber in less than an hour. But that success was far from inevitable.…

  11. How Teams Succeed (with Colin Fisher)

    · 1 h 03 min · Episode 1014

    What makes some groups thrive while others crash and burn? According to organizational-behavior scholar Colin Fisher, the real villains are rarely individuals, but dysfunctional teams and organizations. Listen as he…

  12. Humans Are Overrated (with Christine Webb)

    · 1 h 11 min · Episode 1013

    Are humans the most intelligent species, or just the most arrogant? NYU primatologist Christine Webb, author of The Arrogant Ape, believes that human exceptionalism is a myth that does more harm than good. Listen as…

  13. Hemingway, Love, and War (with David Wyatt)

    · 1 h 06 min · Episode 1012

    What can Ernest Hemingway teach us today about the morality of war, the eternal and transient nature of love, and how to write a masterpiece? Listen as author and teacher David Wyatt talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts…

  14. Tim Ferriss on Tim Ferriss (and much much more)

    · 2 h 07 min · Episode 1011

    Cold plunges. Exogenous ketones. Pu-erh tea--but hold the breakfast: it's all par for the morning routine, at least if you're entrepreneur, self-experimenter, and king of the lifehacks, Tim Ferriss. From how he manages…

  15. Learning to Think Like Someone Else (with David Marquet)

    · 1 h 04 min · Episode 1010

    Former submarine commander David Marquet joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to explore how distancing--thinking like someone else, somewhere else, or sometime else--can unlock better choices in business and life. They talk…

  16. Let Me Be Forgotten (with Lowry Pressly)

    · 1 h 21 min · Episode 1009

    What do we lose when every moment is recorded, every action scrutinized, and every past mistake preserved? Philosopher and author Lowry Pressly joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to discuss why privacy isn't just about…

  17. Read Like a Champion (with Doug Lemov)

    · 1 h 04 min · Episode 1008

    Many students graduate high school today without having read a book cover to cover. Many students struggle to learn to read at all. How did this happen? Listen as educator and author Doug Lemov talks with EconTalk's…

  18. James Marriott on Reading

    · 1 h 25 min · Episode 1007

    Is long form reading a dying pastime? Journalist and cultural critic James Marriott joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to defend the increasingly quaint act of reading a book in our scrolling-obsessed, AI-summarized age. He…

  19. How to Walk the World (with Chris Arnade)

    · 1 h 15 min · Episode 1006

    Skip the Mona Lisa when you visit Paris. Don't tour the Coliseum in Rome. Walk, don’t hurry. Chris Arnade speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about a different way to travel. Listen as Arnade shares what he learned…

  20. What Is Capitalism? (with Mike Munger)

    · 1 h 20 min · Episode 1005

    What is capitalism, really? Drawing on Adam Smith, Douglass North, and his own experience as a teacher and economist, economist Michael Munger of Duke University discusses three stages of economic development with…

  21. The Deceptive Power of Maps (with Paulina Rowinska)

    · 1 h 09 min · Episode 1004

    How can the state of Colorado have nearly 700 sides? Why is a country's coastline as long as you want it to be? And how is it that your UPS driver has more routes to choose from than there are stars in the universe?…

  22. How to Be a Super Ager (with Eric Topol)

    · 1 h 01 min · Episode 1003

    What if we could delay--or even prevent--Alzheimer's, cancer, and heart disease? What if much of what you know about aging is wrong? Listen as cardiologist and author Eric Topol of the Scripps Research Institute talks…

  23. Leon Kass on the Wisdom of Rousseau

    · 1 h 17 min · Episode 1002

    Does technology liberate us or enslave us? How do our social interactions affect our sense of self and our emotional health? Listen as author and master teacher Leon Kass and EconTalk's Russ Roberts do a close reading…

  24. Two Cheers for Libertarianism and Econ 101 (with Noah Smith)

    · 1 h 22 min · Episode 1001

    Economist Noah Smith was so focused on libertarianism's theoretical flaws, he overlooked its political importance. Trump's tariff policy opened his eyes and made him re-assess the virtues of both libertarianism and…

  25. EconTalk #1000 (with Russ Roberts)

    · 1 h 09 min · Episode 1000

    In honor of EconTalk's 1,000th episode, host Russ Roberts reflects on his long, strange journey from pioneer of the podcast format to weekly interviewer of leading economists, authors, and thinkers. Hear him answer…

  26. Nature vs. Nurture (with Paul Bloom)

    · 1 h 08 min · Episode 999

    How much of our success or failure is written in our genes? How much is under our control? Is it nature or nurture or is that dichotomy too simplistic? Hear EconTalk's Russ Roberts and psychologist Paul Bloom discuss…

  27. Inside the Mysterious World of Credit Cards (with Patrick McKenzie)

    · 1 h 15 min · Episode 998

    Patrick McKenzie explains to EconTalk's Russ Roberts how credit cards work, who makes money from them and how, and gives his take on whether cash customers and debit card users subsidize the users of credit cards with…

  28. The Past and Present of Privacy and Public Life (with Tiffany Jenkins)

    · 1 h 23 min · Episode 997

    A paradox of our time is our willingness to bare all to strangers while worrying about who exactly is watching us online and anywhere else. Listen as author Tiffany Jenkins discusses her book, Strangers and Intimates,…

  29. The Economics of Tariffs and Trade (with Doug Irwin)

    · 1 h 33 min · Episode 996

    Is the United States victimized by trade? What causes trade deficits? Are higher tariffs a good idea? Can manufacturing jobs return to the United States? Economist Doug Irwin of Dartmouth College answers these…

  30. The Past and Future of AI (with Dwarkesh Patel)

    · 1 h 37 min · Episode 995

    Dwarkesh Patel interviewed the most influential thinkers and leaders in the world of AI and chronicled the history of AI up to now in his book, The Scaling Era. Listen as he talks to EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the…

  31. Why Christianity Needs to Help Save Democracy (with Jonathan Rauch)

    · 1 h 20 min · Episode 994

    How does a nice Jewish boy who is also a gay atheist have the chutzpah to lecture Christianity on its obligations to democracy? Listen to author Jonathan Rauch talk about his book Cross Purposes with EconTalk's Russ…

  32. Rational and Religious (with Ross Douthat)

    · 1 h 18 min · Episode 993

    How can we explain the world's underlying order? How does consciousness emerge? And why do people from such different cultures have such similar near-death experiences? Listen as Ross Douthat, New York Times columnist…

  33. The Music and Magic of John and Paul (with Ian Leslie)

    · 1 h 18 min · Episode 992

    At the heart of the success of the Beatles was the creative chemistry and volatile friendship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Listen as author Ian Leslie discusses his book, John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs…

  34. Do All Creatures, Great and Small, and Made From Silicon, Have Rights? (with Jeff Sebo)

    · 1 h 16 min · Episode 991

    Should monkeys have the same rights as humans? What about elephants, ants, or invertebrates? NYU philosopher Jeff Sebo makes the case for expanding your moral circle to many more beings than you might expect, including…

  35. Bird Brains, Bird Sex, and All Kinds of Beauty (with Matt Ridley)

    · 1 h 17 min · Episode 990

    Bright colors, long tails, and dances of seduction: they may hurt a bird's chances of survival in the wild, but they seem to increase the chances of reproduction. Is this all part of natural selection or is sexual…

  36. How Better Feedback Can Revolutionize Education (with Daisy Christodoulou)

    · 1 h 28 min · Episode 989

    Feedback on exams and papers--grades and comments--should be more than an assessment. It should point the way to improvement. So argues educational consultant Daisy Christodoulou, emphasizing that actionable feedback…

  37. Will Guidara on Unreasonable Hospitality

    · 58 min · Episode 988

    What can the restaurant business teach us about leadership and management? Listen as Will Guidara, the former owner of Eleven Madison Park, explains to EconTalk's Russ Roberts how his restaurant became good enough to…

  38. The Unusual World of Israeli Democracy (with Rachel Gur)

    · 1 h 09 min · Episode 987

    Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East but it seems a lot more alien and chaotic than many of the older democracies of the West. Hear Rachel Gur of Reichman University explain to EconTalk's Russ Roberts how…

  39. The Struggle That Shaped the Middle East (with James Barr)

    · 1 h 18 min · Episode 986

    Until the end of WWI, the Middle East as we know it didn't exist. No Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, or Iraq. Instead, there was the Ottoman Empire, whose dissolution using an arbitrary line on a map set the region on…

  40. Who Won the Socialist Calculation Debate (with Peter Boettke)

    · 1 h 21 min · Episode 985

    For more than a century, some economists have insisted that central planning can outperform markets. Economists like Mises, Hayek, and Friedman disagreed. Who won this debate? Is it over? Does AI change how we should…

  41. Minimalists and Hoarders (with Michael Easter)

    · 55 min · Episode 984

    Why do we buy stuff we don't need? Maybe for the same reason that some people can't stand stuff at all. Listen as author Michael Easter speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about how two seemingly opposed approaches to…

  42. Coase, the Rules of the Game, and the Costs of Perfection (with Daisy Christodoulou)

    · 1 h 10 min · Episode 983

    Surely perfection is better than imperfection. But applying technology to improve decision-making can backfire. Listen as ed-tech innovator Daisy Christodoulou and EconTalk's Russ Roberts talk about the costs of…

  43. Why AI Is Good for Humans (with Reid Hoffman)

    · 1 h 21 min · Episode 982

    Should we worry about the human future in a world of AI? Reid Hoffman is unafraid and even optimistic. He argues that the brave new world that awaits is going to be great for humanity. Listen as he talks about his book…

  44. Weep, Shudder, Die: The Secret of Opera Revealed (with Dana Gioia)

    · 1 h 19 min · Episode 981

    How can opera, with words we rarely understand, make us cry? Why does opera, filled with melodrama, move us? Listen as poet and librettist Dana Gioia explains to EconTalk's Russ Roberts why words matter more than we…

  45. Will DOGE and Musk Make a Difference? (with Michael Munger)

    · 1 h 04 min · Episode 980

    Can Musk use DOGE to reduce the size and power of the bureaucracy and big government? Michael Munger of Duke University thinks not, but EconTalk's Russ Roberts isn't so sure. Listen as they discuss the risks of…

  46. Understanding the Settler Colonialism Movement (with Adam Kirsch)

    · 59 min · Episode 979

    Under settler colonialism, you're either a settler or indigenous and the sin of the founding of America, Australia, and Israel, for example, is not just a past injustice but a perpetuating mistake that explains the…

  47. The Power of Nuance: Lessons for Public Health (with Emily Oster)

    · 56 min · Episode 978

    Public health officials should tell the truth, even when it's complicated. Even when some people might misunderstand. Otherwise, says economist Emily Oster of Brown University, the public will come to distrust the…

  48. Fixing Sick Cities (with Alain Bertaud)

    · 1 h 11 min · Episode 977

    Why are European cities charming and American cities often so charmless? Simple, says urbanist Alain Bertaud: most American cities are zoned for single-family housing. The result is not enough customers within walking…

  49. Is This War With Lebanon Different? (with Matti Friedman)

    · 1 h 10 min · Episode 976

    Is Israel's war with Lebanon going to end differently from past attempts to secure Israel's northern border? Journalist Matti Friedman, who recounted his experience as a soldier in Lebanon in his book Pumpkinflowers,…

  50. Why Industrial Policy Is (Almost) Always a Bad Idea (with Scott Sumner)

    · 1 h 29 min · Episode 975

    Tariffs are in the air. Will they help or hurt Americans? Listen as economist Scott Sumner makes the case against tariffs and various other forms of government intervention that go by the name of industrial policy.…

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