The Curious Task

Michael Strong — Can Entrepreneurship Solve The World's Problems?

Alex Aragona speaks with Michael Strong as he explores how entrepreneurship improves the lives of people all over the world. 

References

1. “Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems” by Michael Strong and John Mackey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Be-Solution-Entrepreneurs-Conscious-Capitalists/dp/0470450037

2. “The Magic Washing Machine” video by Hans Rosling

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoKfap4g4w&ab_channel=TED

Cara Zwibel — Can We Maintain Civil Liberties During a Pandemic?

Alex Aragona speaks with Cara Zwibel as she offers her thoughts on whether we can maintain our civil liberties during an emergency like a pandemic, and how we can do so.

References from Episode 62 with Cara Zwibel

• This is the website for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
• The Government of Canada has sector and industry-specific guidelines in place for the COVID-19 pandemic, which may be reviewed here.
• You can refresh yourself on the articles of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on the Canada Justice Laws Website.
• You can read about the Government of Canada’s travel restrictions and position on face coverings (Note: provinces and territories may have varying mandatory rules on face coverings).
• Provincial and territorial travel restrictions may be accessed through this official masterlist.
• Taylor v. Her Majesty the Queen, 2020 NLSC 125 is the Newfoundland Court challenge pursued by the CCLA.
• The transcript of Cara’s interview with The Halifax Examiner can be read here.
• This is the CCLA’s letter to the Correctional Service of Canada outlining their concerns “regarding the health and well-being of the inmates and staff in Canada’s federal correctional institutions.”
• A link to the CCLA’s press release on their mission to support Toronto’s homeless population can be accessed here. 

Bryan Caplan — What's a University Degree Worth?

Alex Aragona speaks with Bryan Caplan about the value of a formal education, and compares the alleged benefits against the reality.

References from Episode 61 with Bryan Caplan

• You can purchase Bryan Caplan’s New York Times best-seller, The Myth of the Rational Voter from Amazon Canada at this link. His other publications include Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids (book), The Case Against Education (the book upon which this episode was based), and Open Borders (graphic novel). 
• This is an outline of Bryan’s upcoming work on Poverty: Who to Blame.
• You can refer to a breakdown of Bryan’s study of the Economic Models of Education, where he operationalizes his definition of “human capital purism” here.
• Bryan builds off of Michael Spence’s work on signaling. One of Michael’s publications, Signaling in Retrospect and the Informational Structure of Markets, can be accessed with an active JSTOR account.
• Bryan briefly uses the term Catch-22 that was coined by Joseph Heller’s novel of the same name, which can be purchased through Amazon Canada.
• There is a reference to the Indian caste system when Bryan was comparing the inclinations of degree-bearers to marry those who have a degree at a similar level. A thorough study of the sociopolitics of identity and status under the Indian caste system may be read here. 
• While discussing how to discipline thinking about the intelligent life in the universe, Bryan references the Drake Equation whose analysis by Leonor Sierra (University of Rochester) can be reviewed on NASA’s website.
• The Corporate Finance Institute published a rundown on the meaning of “austerity,” which can be read here.
• You can watch The Pianist, which Bryan references while forecasting relevancies in employer consideration, on Amazon Prime.

Eric Schliesser — What Is Neoliberalism?

Alex Aragona speaks with Eric Schliesser as he explores the history of the term "neoliberalism," its eventual evolution, and what neoliberalism means today.

References from episode 60 with Eric Schliesser

• Here is a list of Eric Schliesser’s publications.
• Dr. Karen Horn and Dr. Stefan Kolev’s joint work, entitled Economic Thinking, has a German version available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link.
• Walter Lippmann’s book, The Good Society, which went on to become an international hit as for “its insight of neoliberalism as the intellectual status quo in the 19th century” can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
• Marxist Scholar David Harvey’s book, A Brief History of Neoliberalism, where he equated neoliberalism “to everything he hated about capitalism” is available on Amazon Canada at this link.
• Mishel Foucault’s lecture series where he traced the history of neoliberalism from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries was published as The Birth of Biopolitics, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
• Mark Buchanan’s article Wealth Happens analyzes the the “butchers and bakers” quote that was mentioned in passing by Alex Aragona at this online publishing from The Harvard Business Review.
• Milton Friedman’s article, Laws That Do Harm, is available for viewing at the Center of the American Experiment’s blog, which features the quote to “judge public policies by their results, not their intentions.”
• According to Eric Schliesser, the harm principle is a core liberal value and can be extended to markets. You can read about the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s lesson on John Stuart Mill’s version of the harm principle (Chapter 3.6) here.
• You can read Milton Friedman’s The Basic Principles of Liberalism here.
• You can watch Milton Friedman speak about the enemies of markets on the American Enterprise Institute’s website at this link.
• The Elgar Companian to the Chicago School of Economics can be purchased directly from the publishers here.
• Alex Aragona quotes this blogpost, How ‘Neoliberalism’ came to refer to Everything I reject from Digressions&Impressions.

Lynne Kiesling — Can Markets Restructure Energy?

Alex Aragona speaks with Lynne Kiesling as she explores the current structure of energy systems and delivery, and how they can be restructured in more market-oriented ways.

References from Episode 59 with Lynne Kiesling

• You can buy Lynne Kiesling’s book, Deregulation, Innovation and Market Liberalization: Electricity Regulation in a Continually Evolving Environment, on Amazon Canada at this link.
• You can read more about Ben Franklin’s famous Kite-in-a-Thunderstorm Experiment that was briefly mentioned by Lynne here.
• Paul M. Sweezy’s analysis of Schumpeter’s Theory of Innovation may be accessed through an active account with the JSTOR database.
• Adam Smith’s law of mutually-beneficial commerce and exchange was introduced in his book, The Wealth of Nations, whose Second Part has been summarized in a module by the Cato Institute here. An in-depth explanation of Adam Smith’s benefits of free trade and commercial society may be read here.
• You can read Israel M. Kirzner’s article on Hayek and the Meaning of Subjectivism here.

Matt Ridley — How Does Innovation Flourish?

Alex Aragona speaks with Matt Ridley as he explores the nature of innovation and the conditions that enable it to flourish.

References

1. Mind & Matter Column, Wall Street Journal

Link: https://www.wsj.com/news/types/mind-matter 

2. “How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/How-Innovation-Works-Flourishes-Freedom/dp/0062916599 

3. “Northumberlandia” by The Gardens Trust 

Link: https://thegardenstrust.blog/2015/08/15/northumberlandia/ 

4. “Thomas Newcomen” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Newcomen 

5. “George Stephenson” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Stephenson 

6. “The Wright Brothers” by the National Air and Space Museum

Link: https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/wright-brothers 

7. “How Mary Wortley Montagu’s bold experiment led to smallpox vaccine - 75 years before Jenner” by The Guardian

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/28/how-mary-wortley-montagus-bold-experiment-led-to-smallpox-vaccine-75-years-before-jenner 

8. “Charles Hard Townes” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Hard-Townes 

9. “Steve Jobs and Bill Gates Historic Interview” 

Link: https://www.everythingsupplychain.com/steve-jobs-and-bill-gates-historic-interview-15-minutes-750k-views/#:~:text=Steve%20Jobs%20and%20Bill%20Gates%20appeared%20together%20for%20a%20rare,Walt%20Mossberg%20and%20Kara%20Swisher. 

10. “Samuel F.B. Morse” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-F-B-Morse

Terry Anderson — How Can We Unlock The Wealth of Indigenous Nations?

Alex Aragona speaks with Terry Anderson as he explores the external forces that have restrained the wealth and well-being of Indigenous peoples in the West, and how that wealth can be unlocked. 

References

1. “Free Market Environmentalism for the Next Generation” by Terry L. Anderson and Donald R. Leal

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Market-Environmentalism-Generation-Anderson-Paperback/dp/B010CKSG1M 

2. “Unlocking the Wealth of Indian Nations” by Terry Anderson

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Unlocking-Wealth-Indian-Nations-Anderson/dp/1498525679 

3. Indigenous Econ Organization Website

Link: https://indigenousecon.org/about 

4. “American-Indian Wars” by History.com

Link: https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/american-indian-wars 

5. “Civil War” by the National Museum of the American Indian

Link: https://americanindian.si.edu/static/why-we-serve/topics/civil-war/#:~:text=The%20war%20exacted%20a%20terrible,less%20secure%20after%20the%20war. 

6. “The Cherokee Nation Cases” by the Supreme Court Historical Society

Link: https://civics.supremecourthistory.org/article/the-cherokee-nation-cases/ 

7. “Potlatch Ban” by Living Tradition

Link: https://umistapotlatch.ca/potlatch_interdire-potlatch_ban-eng.php#:~:text=In%20the%20late%201800s%2C%20the,became%20law%20January%201%2C%201885

8. “Northern Cheyenne Tribe: Traditional Law and Constitutional Reform” by Sheldon Spotted Elk

Link: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1082&context=tlj 

9. “Our Story: A History of Resilience and Perseverance” by Coushatta.org

Link: https://www.coushatta.org/our-story/

Diana Thomas — Why Is Childcare So Expensive?

Alex Aragona speaks with Diana Thomas as she explores the factors that play into increasing childcare costs, and some potential solutions to the problem.

References

1. “Regulation and the Cost of Childcare” by Diana Thomas and Devon Gorry

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/students/research/working-papers/regulation-and-cost-child-care 

2. Child Care Aware of America

Link: https://www.childcareaware.org/

Vincent Geloso — Are Anarcho-Capitalists Insane?

Alex Aragona speaks with Vincent Geloso as he explores anarcho-capitalist economic concepts and whether there are real life examples to back them up.

References

1. Vincent’s Previous Episode “Should We Care About Equality” on The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-28-vincent-geloso-%e2%80%94-should-we-care-about-inequality/ 

2. “Private Creation and Enforcement of Law: A Historical Case” by David Friedman

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/724116?seq=1 

3. “Are Anarcho-Capitalists Insane? Living Standards under Medieval Icelandic Conflict Institutions” by Vincent Geloso

Link: https://vincentgeloso.com/2020/04/06/are-anarcho-capitalists-insane-medieval-icelandic-living-standards-in-comparative-perspective/

4. “Trade or Raid: Acadian Settlers and Native Indians Before 1755” by Vincent Geloso

Link: https://vincentgeloso.com/2017/08/28/trade-or-raid-acadian-settlers-and-native-indians-before-1755/ 

5. “Dynamics of Interventionism and Economic Development in Quebec before 1854” by Vincent Geloso

Link: https://ebhsoc.org/journal/index.php/ebhs/article/view/313 

6. “State Capacity and Economic Development: Causal Mechanism or Correlative Filter?” by Vincent Geloso and Alexander Salter

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3294086

Dan Griswold — Can You Win a Trade War?

Alex Aragona speaks with Dan Griswold as he explores the benefits of open markets and free trade, and whether you can "win" a trade war.

References

1. “Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Mad-About-Trade-America-Globalization/dp/193530819X 

2. “Section 232 Investigation on the Effect of Imports of Steel on U.S. National Security” by U.S Department of Commerce

Link: https://www.commerce.gov/issues/trade-enforcement/section-232-steel 

3. “China Section 301-Tariff Actions and Exclusions Process” by Office of the United States Trade Representative

Link: https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/enforcement/section-301-investigations/tariff-actions 

4. “Only Congress can end the China trade war quagmire” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/economic-insights/expert-commentary/only-congress-can-end-china-trade-war-quagmire 

5. “The Coronavirus Should Not Prompt Us to Rethink Globalization” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/the-coronavirus-should-not-prompt-us-to-rethink-globalization 

6. “Daniel Griswold: Curbing globalization would compound coronavirus damage” by Daniel Griswold 

Link: https://www.twincities.com/2020/03/13/daniel-griswold-curbing-globalization-would-compound-coronavirus-damage/ 

7. “Daniel Griswold on US Demographic Decline and the Case for Expanding Immigration” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/macro-musings/daniel-griswold-us-demographic-decline-and-case-expanding-immigration 

8. “Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy” by Douglas Irwin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Clashing-over-Commerce-History-Policy/dp/022639896X 

9. “Death by China: Confronting the Dragon - A Global Call to Action” by Peter Navarro and Greg Autry

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Death-China-Confronting-Dragon-paperback/dp/0134319036

10. “United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement” by Office of the United States Trade Representative

Link: https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement

Kerry McDonald — Do We Need Schooling Alternatives?

Author of 'Unschooled' Kerry McDonald joins Alex Aragona to talk about how choice in education can allow children to lead happier and more fulfilled lives, and the positive impacts of taking education outside the conventional classroom. 

References from Episode 53 with Kerry McDonald:

• You can buy Kerry McDonald’s book, Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom, on Amazon Canada at this link.
• You can buy Noam Chomsky’s book, Chomsky on Mis-Education, which Alex references in the podcast, on Amazon Canada at this link.
• You can read more about Timothy Layton’s Harvard study on the mental effects of younger children starting school on the Harvard Gazette here.
• You can read more about the Vanderbilt study on the correlation between youth suicide attempts and the academic year at this link.
• You can read more about the Yale research study on the dissatisfaction of children in high school here.
• You can read Kerry McDonald’s Fee.org article on parents favouring homeschooling in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic here.

Nimish Adhia — Did Bollywood Liberalize India?

Alex Aragona speaks with Nimish Adhia as he explores how Bollywood films traced cultural changes in India, and how the films themselves directly affect social attitudes.

References from Episode 52 with Nimish Adhia:

• You can read Nimish Adhia’s paper “The role of ideological change in India’s economic liberalization”, which is referenced throughout the podcast, at this link
• You can read more about the Hindi film Mother India (1957) here
• You can read the Eastern Eye op-ed “Did Bollywood write the script for the Indian economic miracle?” by Raj Persaud at this link
• Nimish’s Bollywood film recommendations:
  • • Upkar (1967), directed by Manoj Kumar
    • Guru (2007), directed and written by Mani Ratnam

Malcolm Lavoie — Why Are Property Rights So Important?

Alex Aragona speaks with Malcolm Lavoie about the importance of property rights to decentralization and the use of resources, and discusses how FA Hayek's work plays a part in understanding this connection. 

References from Episode 51 with Malcolm Lavoie:

• You can read Malcolm Lavoie’s paper “Property and Local Knowledge”, which is referenced throughout the podcast, at this link.
• You can read FA Hayek’s essay “The Use of Knowledge in Society” on EconLib here
• You can purchase FA Hayek’s book, Law, Legislation, and Liberty, on Amazon Canada at this link.

Linda Kavuka — How Do Free Markets Help Africa?

Alex Aragona speaks with Linda Kavuka as she explores why it's so important to rediscover Africa's free-market past, and how the ideas surrounding free markets can help remedy the problems facing many African countries.  

References from Episode 50 with Linda Kavuka:

• You can read Linda Kavuka’s Telegraph article on Africa and access to the free market referenced in the podcast here
• You can watch Linda Kavuka’s talk on the impact of colonialism on property rights in Africa, referenced in the podcast here

Fabio Rojas — What Happened to the Anti-War Movement?

Alex Aragona speaks with Fabio Rojas as he traces the history of the post 9/11 anti-war movement and what caused it to lose momentum.

References from Episode 49 with Fabio Rojas:

• You can purchase Fabio Rojas’ book, From Black Power to Black Studies: How a Radical Social Movement Became an Academic Discipline, on Amazon Canada at this link.
• You can buy Fabio Rojas’ book, Party in the Street: The Antiwar Movement and the Democratic Party After 9/11,  on Amazon Canada at this link.
• You can purchase Fabio Rojas’ book, Theory for the Working Sociologist, on Amazon Canada here.
• You can read the transcript of Barack Obama’s 2002 speech against the Iraq War, which Fabio refers to in the podcast, here

Travis Smith — Why Are Superheroes So Popular?

Alex Aragona nerds out with Travis Smith as they discuss his book 'Superhero Ethics', why superheroes are so popular, and the ten ways superheros save the world. 

References from Episode 48 with Travis Smith:

• You can purchase Travis Smith’s book Superhero Ethics: 10 Comic Book Heroes; 10 Ways to Save the World; Which One Do We Need Most Now? on Amazon Canada at this link
• You can watch the trailer for Watchmen, the American superhero drama limited television series Alex mentions in the podcast here.

Ilya Somin — Can You Vote With Your Feet?

Alex Aragona speaks with Ilya Somin as he explores how you can vote with your feet and if it is effective.

References from Episode 47 with Ilya Somin:

• You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government Is Smarter, on Amazon Canada at this link
• You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, The Grasping Hand: “Kelo V. City of New London” and the Limits of Eminent Domain, on Amazon Canada at this link
• You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom, on Amazon Canada at this link

Dennis Rasmussen — How Did A Friendship Shape Modern Thought?

Alex Aragona speaks with Dennis Rasmussen as he traces the friendship between Adam Smith and David Hume, and how it helped shaped modern thought.

References from Episode 46 with Dennis Rasmussen:

• You can purchase Dennis Rasmussen’s book, The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought, on Amazon Canada at this link.
• You can purchase David Hume’s book, A Treatise of Human Nature, on Amazon Canada at this link
• You can read Adam Smith’s book, A Theory on Moral Sentiments, for free on the Online Library of Liberty at this link.
• You can purchase David Hume’s book, Dialogue Concerning Natural Religion, on Amazon Canada at this link
• You can read Adam Smith’s book, The Wealth of Nations, for free on The Library of Economics and Liberty here.
• You can read David Hume’s essay, Of Refinement in the Arts, for free on The Liberty of Economics and Liberty at this link.
• You can read Adam Smith’s publication of Letter from Adam Smith, L.L.D. to William Strahan for free on The Liberty of Economics and Liberty here.

Steve Davies — What Happens After The Pandemic?

Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Davies as he explores what he thinks life after the pandemic will look like, including our relationship with the welfare state.

References from Episode 45 with Steve Davies:

• You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, Empiricism and History, at Amazon at this link
• You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, The Wealth Explosion: The Nature and Origins of Modernity, at Amazon at this link
• You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, The Economics and Politics of Brexit: The Realignment of British Public Life, at Amazon at this link
• You can read Steve Davies’ article on What History Teaches Us About the Coronavirus Pandemic here
• You can read more about Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s argument on news sensationalization that Steve Davies mentions at this link.
• Steve Davies talks about the Bathtub Fallacy here
• You can read Steve Davie’s briefing paper on C-19: Redefining the State of Welfare here

Shikha Dalmia — How Are Indian Immigrants Saving Canadian Hockey?

Alex Aragona talks with Shikha Sood Dalmia as she explores the story of a Sikh-Canadian broadcaster's rise to fame, and what stories like these mean for the broader immigrant community when it comes to joining, and changing, the world around them.

References from Episode 44 with Shikha Dalmia:

• You can read Shikha Dalmia’s original Reason article about this topic at this link