Best Mercatus Center at George Mason University Podcasts (2025)

1
Carl Zimmer on the Hidden Life in the Air We Breathe 51:43

22h ago51:43

51:43

Carl Zimmer is one of the finest science communicators of our time, having spent decades writing about biology, evolution, and heredity. His latest (and 16th) book, Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe, explores something even more fundamental—how the very air around us is teeming with life, from pollen to pathogens to microbes floa…

1
Shruti Rajagopalan and Chris Coyne on War, Conflict, and the Quest for a Stable Peace 1:45:28

1d ago1:45:28

1:45:28

On this special crossover episode, Ideas of India podcast host, Shruti Rajagopalan, interviews Christopher J. Coyne on the economics of conflict and peace, the history of the U.S. security state, the US intervention in Afghanistan, domestic consequences of militarism abroad, and much more! For the full length transcript and for more episodes like t…

1
Liya Palagashvili on the Gig Economy, Portable Benefits, and Changing Labor Regulations 1:03:17

3d ago1:03:17

1:03:17

Liya Palagashvili is a senior research fellow and director of the Labor Policy Project at the Mercatus Center. In Liya’s first appearance on the show she explains federal and state level changes to labor regulations, who makes up the gig economy workforce, the role women play in the independent workforce, the novel concept of portable benefits, and…

1
Kurt Weyland on Populism vs. Pluralism 45:30

6d ago45:30

45:30

In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Kurt Weyland, the Mike Hogg Professor in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, about the rise of populism. They discuss what factors contribute to populism, how worried we should be about i…

1
Christopher Coyne on War, Conflict, and the Quest for a Stable Peace 1:45:49

7d ago1:45:49

1:45:49

Today my guest is Christopher J Coyne, who is a Professor of Economics at George Mason University, the Associate Director of the F.A. Hayek Program at the Mercatus Center. We talked about the economics of conflict and peace, history of the US security state, the US intervention in Afghanistan, domestic consequences of militarism abroad, and much mo…

1
Roos Slegers on the Uncanny Valley, Freud, and Cyborg Science Fiction 1:31:59

8d ago1:31:59

1:31:59

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins chats with Roos Slegers on the uncanny valley, Freud, and cyborg science fiction. They explore the uncanny valley and Freud’s concept of the uncanny, connecting them to ETA Hoffmann’s “The Sandman”, Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto”, and contemporary AI debates. While Mori’s uncanny valle…

1
Evan Koenig on the Case for Nominal GDP Targeting 51:38

10d ago51:38

51:38

Evan Koenig is a former senior aide to the president of the Dallas Fed. Evan returns to the show to discuss, the ins and outs of nominal GDP targeting, the practical applications of NGDP targeting, the reasons the Fed should consider it for the framework review, and much more. Check out the transcript for this week’s episode, now with links. Record…

1
Gregory Clark on Social Mobility, Migration, and Assortative Mating (Live at Mercatus) 1:23:14

15d ago1:23:14

1:23:14

How much of your life’s trajectory was set in motion centuries ago? Gregory Clark has spent decades studying social mobility, and his findings suggest that where you land in society is far more predictable than we like to think. Using historical data, surname analysis, and migration patterns, Clark argues that social mobility rates have remained la…

1
Jordan Lofthouse and Zane Willard on the Political Economy of Visibility and Drag Races 1:07:20

15d ago1:07:20

1:07:20

On this episode, Jordan Lofthouse chats with Zane Austin Willard about interdisciplinary scholarship and using political economy to study LGBTQ plus issues. Zane explains his academic background in economics and communication studies and discusses power dynamics, queer culture and Rupaul’s Drag Race, the paradox of visibility, and the strengths and…

1
Steven Kelly on the Challenges of Treasury Equity Funding for 13(3) Facilities 48:31

17d ago48:31

48:31

Steven Kelly is the associate director of research as the Yale Program on Financial Stability. Steven returns to the show to discuss his new model, the Treasury Equity Model of the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending. Check out the transcript for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on January 23rd, 2025 Follow David Beckworth on X: @David…

1
Katherine Schofield on The Hidden History of Music in Mughal India 1:19:05

21d ago1:19:05

1:19:05

Today my guest Katherine Butler Schofield who is a professor of South Asian Music and History at King’s College London. She is the author of the recent book Music and Musicians in Late Mughal India: Histories of the Ephemeral, 1748–1858. She also hosted a podcast series called The Histories of the Ephemeral on the same theme. We talked about the hi…

1
Senator Pat Toomey on Fed Governance, Monetary Policy, and the future of Digital Assets 58:03

24d ago58:03

58:03

Pat Toomey is a former senator from the state of Pennsylvania and served on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. In Pat’s first appearance on the show he discussed his career in public service, Fed master accounts, the future on monetary policy, his quest for Fed accountability, the looming debt issue, and much more. Check out the …

1
Ross Douthat on Why Religion Makes More Sense Than You Think 1:13:38

29d ago1:13:38

1:13:38

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up For Ross Douthat, phenomena like UFO sightings and the simulation hypothesis don't challenge religious belief—they demonstrate how difficult it is to escape religious questions entirely. His new book, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious makes the case for religious faith in an age of apparent disenchant…

1
Kwame Anthony Appiah — 2023 Markets and Society Conference Keynote 53:18

29d ago53:18

53:18

On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, Kwame Anthony Appiah delivers a keynote lecture at the 2023 Markets & Society conference, exploring the historical and philosophical complexities of cultural property. Using examples from classical literature, African history, and global museum debates, he critiques modern repatriation efforts for overs…

1
Brian Albrecht on Business Dynamism, Greedflation, and Antitrust 56:33

1M ago56:33

56:33

Brian Albrecht is the chief economist for the International Center for Law & Economics and is the coauthor of the economics newsletter Economic Forces. In Brian’s first appearance on the show, he discussed the data behind business dynamism, the notion of greedflation, the recent developments in antitrust, the update Econ 101 needs to make in regard…

1
Kurt Gray on Moving Beyond Moral Outrage 39:42

1M ago39:42

39:42

In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Kurt Gray, a psychology and neuroscience professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, about our moral understanding and how we react to perceived threats. They discuss why a “protection” n…

1
Anton Howes on Trade, Innovation, and the Forgotten History of Salt 1:48:33

1M ago1:48:33

1:48:33

Today my guest is Anton Howes head of innovation research at The Entrepreneurs Network, and the historian-in-residence at the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. He is the author of Arts and Minds: How the Royal Society of Arts Changed a Nation and the excellent Substack Age of Invention. We talked about salt tr…

1
Kris Rose on Deliberative Democracy and Meta's Community Forums 1:12:33

1M ago1:12:33

1:12:33

Season 3 is here! On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins interview Kris Rose on deliberative democracy and Meta's community forums. Kris discusses Meta’s efforts to incorporate public input into decision-making through the Oversight Board and Community Forums. The Oversight Board, an independent body with binding authority over…

1
The Fed Framework Review: Macro Musings’ Greatest NGDP Targeting Hits 1:05:05

1M ago1:05:05

1:05:05

On this special greatest hits compilation episode our host David Beckworth primes listeners for the Fed Framework Review by highlighting the best snippets from past shows discussing nominal GDP targeting. This episode includes Mary Daly’s thoughts on NGDP targeting, Evan Koenig on the basics of NGDP targeting, George Selgin on Powell’s hesitations …

1
Joe Boyd on the Birth of Rock, World Music, and Being There for Everything 1:00:42

1M ago1:00:42

1:00:42

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up Joe Boyd was there when Dylan went electric, when Pink Floyd was born, and when Paul Simon brought Graceland to the world. But far from being just another music industry insider, Boyd has spent decades exploring how the world's musical traditions connect and transform each other. His new book And the Roots of…

1
Deirdre McCloskey — 2022 Markets and Society Conference Keynote 41:29

1M ago41:29

41:29

On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, Deirdre McCloskey delivers a keynote lecture at the 2022 Markets & Society conference. She argues that the "great enrichment"—a 30-fold rise in global income per capita since 1776—was driven by liberal economic ideas that champion individual freedom and equality of permission. McCloskey also critiques g…

1
Peter Conti-Brown on the Fed under Trump 2.0, Reforming the Discount Window, and Providential Moments 1:00:56

2M ago1:00:56

1:00:56

Peter Conti-Brown is a historian and legal scholar of the Federal Reserve System and an associate professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Peter returns to the podcast to discuss the state of Federal Reserve leadership under the incoming Trump administration, expectations for Fed independence, a new proposal fo…

1
Anant Sudarshan on Market Solutions to Air Pollution, Energy Policy, and Ecological Disruption 1:39:31

2M ago1:39:31

1:39:31

Today my guest is Anant Sudarshan, an Associate Professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick and a Senior Fellow at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). We talked about air pollution in India, crop burning, subsidizing electricity, depleting ground water, the impact of the collapse of keystone sp…

1
David Bahnsen on the Incoming Trump Administration and the Financialization of the US Economy 54:43

2M ago54:43

54:43

David Bahnsen is a Wall Street veteran and currently is the managing director of The Bahnsen Group. In David’s first appearance on the podcast, he talks through multiple questions about the incoming Trump Administration, the problem with the growing indebtedness of the US government, shifts in the Republican party, the notion of financialization of…

1
Scott Sumner on Monetary Rules, Blooming Late, and the Death of Cinema 1:08:14

2M ago1:08:14

1:08:14

Scott Sumner didn't follow the typical path to economic influence. He nearly lost his teaching job before tenure, did his best research after most academics slow down, and found his largest audience through blogging in his 50s and 60s, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Yet this unconventional journey led him to become one of the most influe…

1
Mikayla Novak and Giandomenica Becchio on Gender and the "Doctrine of Separate Spheres" 57:40

2M ago57:40

57:40

Mikayla Novak chats with Giandomenica Becchio on her latest book, The Doctrine of the Separate Spheres in Political Economy and Economics: Gender Equality and Classical Liberalism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024). Together they discuss Becchio’s background and inspiration, the separated roles of men and women in the public and private spheres, and key th…

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