The Curious Task

Pete Boettke — What Is The Curious Task of Economics?

Alex Aragona chats with Pete Boettke as he dives into what the curious task of economics is and relates it back to the work of Friedrich Hayek.

References from Episode 40 with Pete Boettke

• You can purchase Pete Boettke’s book on F.A. Hayek on Amazon Canada here
• Check out Pete Boettke’s economics blog here

Mike Munger — Is Price Gouging Wrong?

Alex Aragona speaks with Mike Munger as he explores what's truly happening when we see rapid price changes during a crisis, and whether suppliers raising their prices in a time of crisis is wrong.

References

1. “Is Capitalism Sustainable?” by Michael Munger

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Sustainable-Michael-Munger/dp/1630691739 

2. “Three Undeniable Problems with Anti-Gouging Laws” by Michael Munger

Link: https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/three-undeniable-problems-with-anti-gouging-laws/

David Clement — Is Marijuana Legalization Working?

Alex speaks with the Consumer Choice Centre's David Clement about why Canada's marijuana legalization regulations missed the mark, and what government could have done to make legalization work. 

References from Episode 38 with David Clement:

Here are a few articles by David Clement on marijuana legalization

• Globe and Mail: Ottawa is baking a bitter taste into its rules around edibles
• Globe and Mail: Minor changes could have a major positive impact on Ontario’s cannabis plan
• Globe and Mail: Health Canada shows again that it can’t properly regulate cannabis
• Globe and Mail: Consumers are paying for government’s failure to understand cannabis
• Globe and Mail: Are excise taxes killing the cannabis industry?
• Globe and Mail: Quick and smart fixes for Canada’s cannabis mess
• Globe and Mail: Ontario Cannabis Lottery was a disaster. It should be the last
• National Post: Ontario delivers yet another cannabis decision that hurts retailers and helps illegal dealers
• National Post: Ottawa’s latest rules risk ruining cannabis-infused beverages before they’re even legal
• National Post: Liberals are blowing smoke with claim that they’ve wiped out half of the illicit market
• Toronto Star: Banning cannabis at local level is bad policy

Ray Pennings — Does School Choice Work?

Alex Aragona chats with Cardus' Ray Pennings as he explores the benefits of more school choice to both students and society, and look at some data to see if, and how, it works. 

References from Episode 37 with Ray Pennings:

• You can check out the Canadian Cardus Survey here
• You can read the U.S. Cardus Education Survey 2018 here
• You can read the Cardus survey on Who Chooses Ontario Independent Schools and Why here

Jason Brennan — Why Not Capitalism?

Alex Aragona chats with Jason Brennan's about his response to G.A. Cohen's book and question "Why Not Socialism?" and his thoughts on ideal capitalism.

References from Episode 36 with Jason Brennan:

• You can purchase Jason Brennan’s book Why Not Capitalism on Amazon Canada here

Jesse Walker — Did We Really Go to The Moon? (April Fool's Day Episode)

Alex Aragona speaks with Jesse Walker as they explore whether a human being truly set foot on the moon.

References

1. “Rebels on the Air: An Alternative History of Radio in America” by Jesse Walker

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rebels-Air-Alternative-History-America/dp/0814793827 

2. “The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory” by Jesse Walker

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/United-States-Paranoia-Conspiracy-Theory/dp/0062135562

Matt Bufton — Are There Libertarians in a Pandemic?

Matt Bufton talks with Alex Aragona about the effects the response to COVID-19 will have on freedom, the proper government response to a pandemic, how lifting certain regulations can help, and more. 

References from Episode 34 with Matt Bufton:

• You can read the Atlantic article referenced in the podcast  here
• You can read more about hand sanitizer regulations being relaxed here
• Check out more information on the Mercatus COVID-19 Innovation Prizes here

Scott Beyer — What is Market Urbanism?

Alex Aragona speaks with Scott Beyer as he explores the basic tenets of market urbanism and the ideas behind market driven solutions to problems in our communities.

References from Episode 33 with Scott Beyer:

• You can check out Scott’s website The Market Urbanism Report here
• You can check out the popular Market Urbanism Report Facebook page here

Jason Sorens — Could Alberta Leave Canada?

Alex Aragona speaks with Jason Sorens as he explores what it takes for a group to secede or gain independence from a state, and whether Alberta could leave Canada.

References from Episode 32 with Jason Sorens:

• You can purchase Jason Sorens’ book on Secessionism on Amazon Canada  here
• You can listen to Jason Sorens’ appearance on the Danielle Smith show in Alberta here

Chris Freiman — Is it Okay to Ignore Politics?

Alex Aragona speaks with Christopher Freiman as he explores why you might be happier, and ultimately contribute more to society, if you choose to ignore politics.

References from Episode 31 with Chris Freiman:

• You can purchase Chris Freiman’s book when it’s out  here
• You can check out the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog here
• You can purchase Bryan Caplan’s book ‘The Myth of the Rational Voter’ on Amazon Canada here

Adam Bartha — Is Populism a Threat to Liberalism?

Alex Aragona and Adam Bartha discuss whether populism is a threat to liberalism and what political landscapes look like after political realignment.

References from Episode 30 with Adam Bartha:

• You can read Adam’s article referenced in this episode here
• You can read Dr. Steven Davies’ article on The Great Realignment here

Jacob Levy — How Should Liberals Think of Civil Society?

Jacob Levy speaks with Alex about how liberals should approach the ideas of freedom of association and civil society, and what that means for the way groups interact with other groups and the state. 

References from Episode 29 with Jacob Levy:

• You can purchase Jacob Levy’s book Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom on Amazon Canada here
• You can purchase the book Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott, which was mentioned by Jacob on the podcast, at Amazon Canada here

Vincent Geloso — Should We Care About Inequality?

Alex Aragona speaks with economist Vincent Geloso about whether we should care about inequality, and how we should approach measuring and understanding it. 

References from Episode 28 with Vincent Geloso:

• For further reading, you can check out this paper written by Vincent Geloso and Steve Horwitz, one of our other previous podcast guests, here

Trevor Burrus — How Has The Drug War Failed?

Alex Aragona speaks with Trevor Burrus as he explores the many ways the drug war has failed drug addicts and society.

References from Episode 27 with Trevor Burrus:

• You can read the article ‘Locked Up and Loaded’ that Alex refers to in this episode that was written by Trevor here

Kevin Vallier — Must Politics Be War?

Alex Aragona speaks with Kevin Vallier about conflicts in politics and how ideology aggravates them, and whether liberal institutions can help us trust each other more.

References from Episode 26 with Kevin Vallier:

• You can purchase Kevin Vallier’s book Must Politics be War here
• You can purchase the book Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know here
• You can purchase From Politics to the Pews here

Glenn Fox — Is Free Market Environmentalism an Oxymoron?

Alex Aragona speaks with Glenn fox as he explores whether environmentalism from a free market perspective creates a contradiction.

References from Episode 25 with Glenn Fox:

• If you have Sage journal subscription, you can read Glenn Fox’s research on this subject in an article here
• You can read more about Carl Menger on The Library of Economics and Liberty here

Sandy Ikeda — Why Can't a City Be a Work of Art?

Alex Aragona talks with Sandy Ikeda as he explores why a city can't be thought of, and specifically designed as, a work of art.

References from Episode 24 with Sandy Ikeda

• You can read an article from Sandy Ikeda entitled What is a city? on the Market Urbanism website here
• Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design that Sandy mentioned on the podcast can be purchased on Amazon Canada here
• Sandy appears in the documentary Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, you can find it on all online rental platforms, but Canadian who subscribe to Crave can find it here
• You can purchase a copy of Jane Jacob’s popular book Death and Life of Great American Cities on Amazon Canada here 

Mike Munger — Is Capitalism Sustainable?

Alex Aragona talks with Mike Munger as he explores his views on the sustainability of capitalism and the factors that contribute to it.

References from Episode 23 with Michael Munger

• You can order Michael Munger’s book Is Capitalism Sustainable on Amazon Canada here
• You can order his book Tomorrow 3.0 on Amazon Canada here

Matt Bufton — What is the Future of Liberalism?

Alex Aragona talks with Matt Bufton about the future of liberalism (and why it's not as bad as you might think!).

References from Episode 22 with Matt Bufton

• Fear the Boom and the Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle
• Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Round Two
• You can purchase a copy of F.A. Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit at Amazon Canada here
• You can read F.A. Hayek’s essay The Intellectuals and Socialism here

Alex Tabarrok — Is Giving Gifts Inefficient?

Alex Aragona chats with Alex Tabarrok on this very special Christmas episode of The Curious Task as he explores whether gift giving is inefficient, and if there are better ways to give to others.

References from Episode 21 with Alex Tabbarok

• You can watch a video of Alex Tabbarok and Tyler Cowen discuss gift giving here
• Giving to my Wild Self article can be found here