The Curious Task

Ep. 68: Sabine El-Chidiac - What Helps Refugees Succeed?

To celebrate Sabine’s time at the ILS and her work with the Curious Task, we’re revisiting Sabine’s first appearance as a guest on the podcast.

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Alex Aragona speaks with Sabine El-Chidiac as she explores the different ways civil society solutions help refugees succeed when they move to their new home.

Ep. 245: Mark Koyama - How Can Monopoly Lead To Shipwreck?

Alex speaks with Mark Koyama about the historical context and economic implications of the Manila Galleon trade, focusing on how monopolistic practices increased the risk of shipwrecks and the broader lessons for contemporary economics about the unintended consequences of monopoly power.

References

1. "Shipwrecked by Rents: The Manila Galleon Trade" by Mark Koyama, Desiderio Desideri, and Fernando Arteaga
   Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304387823001967 

2. "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128

3. "Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance" by Douglass C. North
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Institutions-Institutional-Change-Economic-Performance/dp/0521397340

4. "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Inquiry-Nature-Causes-Wealth-Nations/dp/1494465227

5. "The East India Company: A History" by Philip Lawson
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/East-India-Company-Philip-Lawson/dp/0582490522

6. "Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World" by Niall Ferguson
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Empire-How-Britain-Made-Modern/dp/0141007540

7. "The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Empire" by William Maltby
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Fall-Spanish-Empire-Maltby/dp/1405844874

Ep. 244: Jacob Levy - What Is The Idea Of A Liberal Party?

Summary

Alex speaks with Jacob Levy about the concept of a liberal party, exploring its philosophical foundations, historical context, and touch on all of these points within the context of Jacob's article "The Liberal Party Idea" (2024).

References

1. The Liberal Party Idea by Jacob Levy:
   Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381323406_The_liberal_party_idea_and_American_ideology

2. "On Liberty" by John Stuart Mill
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Liberty-John-Stuart-Mill/dp/1505851210

3. "The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847

4. "The Federalist Papers" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Federalist-Papers-Alexander-Hamilton/dp/0486496363

5. "Reflections on the Revolution in France" by Edmund Burke
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Reflections-Revolution-France-Edmund-Burke/dp/0199539022

6. "Democracy in America" by Alexis de Tocqueville
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Alexis-Tocqueville/dp/0140447601

7. "Two Treatises of Government" by John Locke
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Treatises-Government-John-Locke/dp/1532846815

8. "Political Liberalism" by John Rawls
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Political-Liberalism-John-Rawls/dp/0231130899

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Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Ep. 243: Nathan Goodman - How Can Border Control Affect Domestic Life?

Sabine speaks with Nathan Goodman about the complexities of border control and domestic policy, focusing on how these issues intersect with libertarian philosophy, the economic implications of immigration, and the ethical considerations of state power in regulating borders.

References

"The Law of Peoples" by John Rawls
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Law-Peoples-John-Rawls/dp/0674005422

"The Machinery of Freedom" by David D. Friedman
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Machinery-Freedom-Guide-Radical-Capitalism/dp/1507785607

"Anarchy, State, and Utopia" by Robert Nozick
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465097200

"The Ethics of Liberty" by Murray Rothbard
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Ethics-Liberty-Murray-N-Rothbard/dp/0814775594

"Borders of Justice" edited by Todd May
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Borders-Justice-Todd-May/dp/1438433712

"Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom" by Ilya Somin
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Free-Move-Migration-Political-Freedom/dp/0190054581

"Politics in Plural Societies: A Theory of Democratic Instability" by Alvin Rabushka and Kenneth A. Shepsle
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Politics-Plural-Societies-Democratic-Instability/dp/0674686266

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Ep. 242: Ignacio Cofone - What Is The Privacy Fallacy?

Alex speaks with Ignacio Cofone about the intricacies of privacy in the digital era, examining how personal data is collected, inferred upon, and the legal frameworks that govern these practices, as elucidated in Ignacio Cofone's book, "The Privacy Fallacy."

Episode Notes:

1. "The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy" by Ignacio Cofone
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Privacy-Fallacy-Power-Information-Economy/dp/XXXXX

2. "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" by Shoshana Zuboff
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Age-Surveillance-Capitalism-Future-Frontier/dp/1541758005

3. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
   Link: https://gdpr.eu/

4. "Privacy and Freedom" by Alan F. Westin
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Privacy-Freedom-Alan-F-Westin/dp/XXXXX

5. "Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace" by Lawrence Lessig
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Code-Laws-Cyberspace-Lawrence-Lessig/dp/0465039146

6. "Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
   Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X

7. "The Right to Privacy" by Samuel D. Warren and Louis D. Brandeis
   Link: https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~shmat/courses/cs5436/warren-brandeis.pdf

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Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Ep. 241: Bruce Pardy - Do We Have The Rule Of Law?

Matt speaks with Bruce Pardy about the rule of law in Canada, implications of the notwithstanding clause, the evolving interpretation of the Charter, and the balance between individual rights and state power. 

References

1. Friedrich Hayek - "The Road to Serfdom" - https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/0226320553
   Discussed in relation to emergent order and skepticism of imposed rules.

2. Magna Carta - "The Magna Carta" - https://www.bl.uk/magna-carta
   Mentioned as a historical document marking the beginning of limiting the king's power.

3. U.S. Bill of Rights - "The Bill of Rights" - https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights
   Cited as a document that transferred power from the legislature to the courts in the American context.

4. Section 33 - The Notwithstanding Clause - "Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" - https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art33.html
   Discussed as a controversial clause allowing legislatures to override certain rights.

5. Adam Smith - "The Wealth of Nations" - https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128
   Referenced in discussions on free markets and the role of government.

6. John Locke - "Two Treatises of Government" - https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Treatises-Government-John-Locke/dp/1507621453
   His ideas on government and individual rights were mentioned.

7. Milton Friedman - "Capitalism and Freedom" - https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Freedom-Anniversary-Milton-Friedman/dp/0226264211
   Cited in discussions about the role of government in economic affairs.

Thanks

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Ep. 240: Rosolino Candela - What Is The Morality Of Illicit Markets?

Alex speaks with Rosolino Candela about the morality and dynamics of illicit markets, focusing on the transition from central planning to privatization in post-Soviet Russia and the role of property rights in shaping economic behaviors and attitudes.

References:

Rosolino's Website - https://www.rcandela.com/ 
Timothy Fry - Property Rights and Property Wrongs - https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316661727 
Peter Boettke - Economic History and Soviet System - https://www.peter-boettke.com/soviet-studies 
Adam Smith & Classical Economics - https://www.britannica.com/money/classical-economics 
Constantine Menges - https://www.hudson.org/domestic-policy/an-appreciation-of-constantine-menges 
Ayn Rand - Philosophy of Objectivism - https://aynrand.org/novels/objectivism-the-philosophy-of-ayn-rand/ 
Ludwig von Mises - Human Action - https://mises.org/library/book/human-action 
Milton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom - https://ctheory.sitehost.iu.edu/resources/fall2020/Friedman_Capitalism_and_Freedom.pdf 

Ep. 239: Matt Zwolinski - What Is Bleeding Heart Libertarianism?

Matt speaks with Matt Zwolinski about Bleeding Heart Libertarianism and the diverse perspectives within libertarian thought, discussing its history, philosophical foundations, and contemporary issues, including debates on social justice, individual rights, and the role of government.

References:

The BHL blog: https://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/ 

Hayek on SEP including his thoughts on social justice and libertarianism:  https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/friedrich-hayek/ 

John Tomasi and Matt Zwolinski's book "The Individualists" - https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691155548/the-individualists 

Roderick Long on natural rights and libertarianism - http://freenation.org/a/f42l1.html 

Eric Mack's page on Tulane U website, including works - https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/philosophy/people/eric-mack-phd 

Ralph Nader on a libertarian alliance with "liberals"/progressives - https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2014/05/21/ralph-nader 

Billy Christmas on PhilPeople - https://philpeople.org/profiles/billy-christmas 

A summary of American Libertarianism and consequentialism including a reference to Richard Epstein - 
https://usapoliticaldatabase.weebly.com/consequentialist-libertarianism.html 

Ep. 238: Chris Coyne - How Do You Run A War?

Alex speaks with Chris Coyne about the complexities and ramifications of war, focusing on the interplay between media narratives, propaganda, and the impact on civil liberties, drawing insights from Coyne's book co-authored with Abigail Hall, which is a satirical guide on war strategies and their broader societal implications.

Episode Notes:

Chris and Abigail's book "How to Run Wars": https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=145 

 

1. Bruce Winton Knight's "How To Run A War": https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=bruce+winton+knight&title=how+to+run+a+war 

 

2. Herman and Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/61214/manufacturing-consent-by-edward-s-herman-and-noam-chomsky/ 

3. Noam Chomsky's website: https://chomsky.info/ 

4. Alexis de Tocqueville's biography, including reference to his distinction between hard and soft despotism: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexis-de-Tocqueville 

 

5. Otto Neurath's "From the War Economy to the Economy in Kind" https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/neurath/works/war-economy.htm 

6. Abigail Hall and Christopher Coyne "Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror": https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781503628171/Manufacturing-Militarism-U-S-Government-Propaganda-in-the-War-on-Terror 

 

Ep. 237: Greta Lynn Uehling - What Happens To Relationships During War?

Sabine speaks with Greta Lynn Uehling about her research on the effects of war on relationships, an underexplored topic in conflict studies.

Episode Notes:

- Greta's book "Everyday War": https://a.co/d/09MHkjov 

- Homer's "The Illiad": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad 

- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv: knu.ua 

- A primer on the concept of "Everyday Peace": https://heller.brandeis.edu/news/items/releases/2019/winter-2019-magazine-everyday-peace.html 

- The UNICEF report on Mental Health: https://www.unicef.org/topics/mental-health 

- The Battle of Ilovaisk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ilovaisk 

- The Fullbright program website: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about 

- The Geneva Convetion at ICRC: https://www.icrc.org/en/document/geneva-conventions-1949-additional-protocols 

Ep. 236: Marc-William Palen - Were There Left-Wing Visions of Free Trade?

Alex speaks with Marc-William Palen about the evolution of left-wing visions of free trade from the mid-19th century through the Cold War, highlighting key movements and figures like the Anti-Corn Law League, Karl Marx, and the Fair Trade movement, and contrasting these with protectionist and imperialist policies of the era.

Episode Notes:

Marc-William's book "Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691199320/pax-economica

Marx on Free Trade:

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1888/free-trade/#:~:text=Only%20under%20Free%20Trade%20can,%2C%20wage%2Dlaborers%20there%3B%20hereditary 

The Eric Schliesser episode of the Curious Task mentioned by Alex: https://www.podbean.com/pu/pbblog-t5nu9-538037 

Journal of Liberal History's summary of the history of the Anti-Corn Law League:

https://liberalhistory.org.uk/history/anti-corn-law-league/ 

Overview of the history of the Opium Wars:

https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china#:~:text=The%20Opium%20Wars%20in%20the,China%20lost%20both%20wars. 

A primer on the origins of Fair Trade and the Haslemere Declaration: 

https://imperialglobalexeter.com/2018/05/03/what-fair-trade-was-originally-about-the-haslemere-declaration-of-1968/ 

Ep. 235: Joanna Baron - Did The Pandemic Undermine Civil Liberties?

Matt speaks with Joanna Baron about how government measures during the pandemic undermined civil liberties in North America and beyond. 

Episode Notes:

- Brian Bird's PhD Thesis: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/4j03d4180 

- Fraser Institute: 

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/ 

- The Forgotten Fundamental Freedoms - Dwight G. Newman

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3803888 

- Joanna's book with Christine Van Geyn "Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever" https://a.co/d/0aNNzvLW 

- "Let's Declare a Pandemic Amnesty" by Emily Oster https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/covid-response-forgiveness/671879/ 

Ep. 234: Jonathan Blanks - What Is Systemic Racism?

Sabine speaks with Jonathan Blanks about why and how systemic racism exists in society, and what can potentially be done to curb it in various aspects of institutional life. 

Episode Notes:

- The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity: https://freopp.org/

- An article by Jonathan on defining systemic racism: https://freopp.org/what-systemic-racism-is-and-isnt-1213c1c972ff

- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America (2015) by Jill Leovy https://a.co/d/8f9JGqB 

- The Thirteenth trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6IXQbXPO3I 

Ep. 233: Kevin Erdmann - Why Are We Afraid Of Building Homes?

Alex speaks with Kevin Erdmann about how zoning, the 2008 economic crisis, and the desire to live away from "those people" is effecting the state of housing today. 

Episode Notes:

Kevin's page at the Mercatus Centre:

https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/kevin-erdmann

The Erdmann Housing Tracker:

https://kevinerdmann.substack.com/ 

Kevin on X:

https://x.com/KAErdmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor 

Kevin's book "Shut Out" on Amazon Canada: 

https://a.co/d/gIh82Og 

Ep. 232: Dominic Parker - Do Environmental Agencies Actually Help The Environment?

Alex speaks with Dominic Parker about his 2023 paper with Dean Lueck entitled "The Economic Origins And Extent Of America's First Environmental Agencies"

Episode Notes:

Dominic's paper: https://aae.wisc.edu/dparker/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/12/Lueck-Parker-Origins-December-2023.pdf 

Some history on the conservation movement from 1850-1920 via the American Library of Congress:

https://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20220203190507/https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amrvhtml/conshome.html 

 

 

 

Ep. 231: Ryan Bourne - Is There A War On Prices?

Alex speaks with Ryan Bourne as he explores the misconceptions around inflation and the dangers of price controls, emphasizing how prices act as signals to coordinate economic activity and promote growth. Ryan explains the adverse effects of government intervention in setting prices, such as shortages, quality declines, black markets, and inefficient resource allocation.

Episode Notes:

- Ryan’s book that serves as the basis for most of the discussion:
https://a.co/d/6B4n1Uf 

- Summary of Friedman, Monetarist School and the K-percent rule https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/monetarism.asp#:~:text=In%20his%20book%2C%20%22A%20Monetary,a%20fixed%20percentage%20per%20year. 

- Explanation of greedflation: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/what-is-greedflation-and-is-it-driving-higher-prices/ 

- Kahneman and Thaler's research: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1806070 

- Clemens on minimum wage 

https://econweb.ucsd.edu/~j1clemens/pdfs/ClemensMinWageCatoPolicyAnalysis867.pdf 

Ep. 230: Kent Roach - Does Canada Have A Wrongful Conviction Problem?

Alex speaks with Donner prize nominee Kent Roach about a topic that many Canadians may overlook when thinking about issues that are recurring at home: wrongful convictions and its victims. 

Episode Notes:

- Kent's award-winning book "Wrongfully Convicted: Guilty Pleas, Imagined Crimes, and What Canada Must Do to Safeguard Justice" https://a.co/d/d9mB5cN

- Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions: https://www.wrongfulconvictions.ca/ 

- The Innocence Project at Cardozo: https://cardozo.yu.edu/innocence-project 

- Blackstone's ratio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstone%27s_ratio 

- Charles Smith (pathologist) background: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/dr-charles-smith-the-man-behind-the-public-inquiry-1.864004 

- R v Gladue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_v_Gladue 

- Richard Catchaway case: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/richard-catcheway-wrongful-conviction-1.4681737 

- The Morin case on CRWC https://www.wrongfulconvictions.ca/cases/guy-paul-morin 

- The Goudge report on pediatric forensic pathology: https://wayback.archive-it.org/16312/20211207211516/https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/goudge/index.html 

- The David Milgaard case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Milgaard 

Ep. 229: Ethan Nadelmann - Has Drug Decriminalization Failed?

Matt speaks with Ethan Nadelmann about drug decriminalization, legalization, and the slow end to the drug war in Canada and the United States, and how successes and failures in both countries compare to those abroad.

Episode Notes:

The Drug Policy Alliance website: https://drugpolicy.org/

Some history on Portugal's Drug Harm Reduction Programs: https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/portugals-harm-reduction-policies 

Philip Owen's obituary highlighting some of his successes in Vancouver as mayor: https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2021/10/02/dtes-philip-owens-four-pillars// 

Larry Cambell's call for opioid legalization: https://globalnews.ca/news/3260074/make-prescription-opioids-legal-says-senator-and-former-mayor-larry-campbell/ 

"Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" on Amazon Canada: https://a.co/d/36Y1M4L 

Peltzman's original article studying drug availability: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1830639 

Ed Preble's "Taking Care Of Business":

https://doi.org/10.3109/10826086909061998

 

Ep. 228: Craig Biddle - What Is Objectivism?

Matt speaks with Craig Biddle about objectivism and the legacy of Ayn Rand, and how it all ties to classical liberalism, the American ideal, and post-modernism. 

Episode Notes:

Craig's work for the Objective Standard:

https://theobjectivestandard.com/author/cbiddle/ 

Craig on X:

https://twitter.com/CraigBiddle 

Free Ayn Rand books courtesy of the Ayn Rand Institute, including almost all of those referenced throughout this episode:

https://aynrand.org/students/free-books/ 

Craig's talk "Choosing a Philosophy for Loving Life":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzhwsK6dyuE 

Ep. 227: Bryce Tingle - How Are Regulations Damaging Markets?

Alex speaks with Bryce Tingle about corporations, how these unique legal entities are governed, how changes we have made to corporate governance has discouraged companies from joining Canada’s public markets, and how the decline in our public market is hurting Canadians. 



Episode Notes:

1. Bryce’s article “Returning Markets To The Centre Of Corporate Law”

https://jcl.law.uiowa.edu/sites/jcl.law.uiowa.edu/files/2023-09/Tingle_Final.pdf 

2. Bryce’s profile at UofCalgary

https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/bryce-tingle 

3. Jensen and Meckley’s “The Theory Of The Firm”

https://www.sfu.ca/~wainwrig/Econ400/jensen-meckling.pdf 

4. Introduction to Douglass North’s theory of Institutions:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40803-016-0028-8 

5. Summary of Montesquieu’s “Doux Commerce”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doux_commerce 

6. Mill on Trade As a Social Act:

https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/five.html 

7. The Voltaire quote referenced regarding the London Stock Exchange:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7351337-go-into-the-london-stock-exchange-a-more-respectable