Podcasts by Political Economy with Jim Pethokoukis
Tune in each week as James Pethokoukis interviews economists, business leaders, academics and others on the most important and interesting issues of the day. You can find all episodes at AEI, Ricochet, and wherever podcasts are downloaded, and look for follow-up transcripts and blog posts at aei.org.
Further podcasts by American Enterprise Institute
Podcast on the topic Politik
All episodes
Melissa Kearney: The Importance of the Two-Parent Home from 2023-11-02T09:15
Over the past 40 years, children born to parents without college degrees have become less and less likely to grow up with the advantages of a two-parent home. This trend is perpetuating inequali...
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Ruy Teixeira: Understanding America's Shifting Political Coalitions from 2023-04-27T17:06
The Democratic and Republican parties have experienced substantial shifts in recent years, from each party's demographic makeup to its policy priorities. To explore that realignment an...
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Brent Orrell: How Workers Can Prepare for the AI Economy from 2023-04-14T15:01
As artificial intelligence continues to develop, many workers fear the disruptive potential of a fast-changing job market. How will AI impact the economy and how can workers ...
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Angela Rachidi: Is Raising a Family Becoming Unaffordable? from 2023-04-05T15:56
There is a growing sense of pessimism that the American Dream is dying. Marriage rates are declining and fewer children are being born. Are economics behind this nationwide shift, or something e...
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Kevin Corinth: AEI's New Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility from 2023-03-09T15:09
Here at the American Enterprise Institute we’ve launched a new Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility as part of our American Dream Initiative. Former AEI scholar Kevin Corinth has returned t...
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Derek Scissors: US-China Economic Relations from 2023-02-17T14:41
US-China relations have been strained in recent years over issues like trade, intellectual property theft, and supply chain reliance. How should we think about the economic ties betwee...
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Michael Strain: What You Need to Know About the Debt Ceiling from 2023-01-26T10:42
With the US reaching its $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, the Republican-controlled House and Democratic administration are set to spar over raising the debt limit. To sort through what's going on a...
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Bruce Caldwell: The Life and Ideas of F.A. Hayek from 2023-01-18T14:45
Austrian economist Friedrich A. Hayek fought in the First World War, lived through the Great Depression and the rise of fascism, and enjoyed a postwar career as a Nobel Prize-winning economist. ...
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Scott Winship: Measuring Poverty from 2022-12-14T09:47
When we talk about poverty in the United States, what do we mean? And how do we measure it? My AEI colleague Scott Winship returns to Political Economy to give us a primer on ...
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J.C. Bradbury: The Case Against Stadium Subsidies from 2022-11-11T09:15
Professional sports teams love to ask local governments for public funds to build their stadiums. The teams claim these subsidies will "pay for themselves" through increased tourism and entertai...
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James Capretta: Reforming US Health Policy from 2022-10-21T10:30
We often hear that health care in the United States is expensive, but what does that mean exactly? How can policymakers reform our healthcare system with a market-based approach? My co...
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Stan Veuger: The State of the US Economy from 2022-10-13T13:29
At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, my AEI colleague Stan Veuger told me we needed to support firms until the US economy could rebound. Two and a half years later, how have we fared? Dr. Veuge...
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Kyle Pomerleau: A Tax Policy Primer from 2022-10-05T15:07
When voters and politicians discuss tax policy, the rates we have to pay and the revenue government will raise are front of mind. But what about the other economic effects of the tax c...
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Bryan Caplan: Free Markets, Demagoguery, and More from 2022-08-05T11:40
Why has the American political scene seemed to be so irrational in the past several years? Economist and author Bryan Caplan says it all comes down to social desirability bias, the observation t...
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Mark Koyama and Jared Rubin: How the World Became Rich from 2022-07-20T06:00
Poverty was the norm for most of human history. Then, starting in Britain in the 18th century, economic growth took off. So what happened? Economists have theories about the origins of...
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Ali Hajimiri: Space-Based Solar Power from 2022-07-07T20:00
When you think of the future of clean energy, wind and solar might be the first things that come to mind. But when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine, the need for alternative sourc...
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Anna Stansbury: Is the Productivity-Pay Link Broken? from 2022-06-29T06:00
When the topic of productivity growth comes up, a common retort is that productivity and pay have delinked, meaning all the gains of productivity growth go to the top while workers' wages remain...
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Michael Strain: Is a Recession on the Horizon? from 2022-06-22T13:48
The Federal Reserve recently announced a 75-basis-point rate hike — the largest since 1994 — in an attempt to curb inflation. The Fed's aim is to thread the needle by cooling the economy just en...
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Neil Thompson: Is Moore’s Law Coming to an End? from 2022-06-08T17:11
Moore's law, which states that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years, has fueled rapid computing gains since the mid-20th century. But will this law last forever? Toda...
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Tony Mills: Thinking about Federal Science Investment from 2022-06-01T08:57
When America endeavors to tackle an ambitious project, we speak in terms of moonshots or a "Manhattan Project for X." The assumption is that vast government resources, directed toward some objec...
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Tyler Cowen: Spotting Talent in the Modern Economy from 2022-05-25T09:54
From job interviews to college admissions, identifying and allocating talent plays a big role in the modern economy. But what is talent? And how well can we pick it out from a quick conversation...
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Walker Hanlon: The Industrial Revolution and the Rise of the Engineer from 2022-05-18T08:54
In the field of economic history, the causes and consequences of the Industrial Revolution loom large. Competing theories point to the role of institutions, scientific achievements, and bourgeoi...
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Rick Hess: Post-pandemic Education Reform from 2022-05-11T14:16
America's kids have been greatly affected by the pandemic, from canceled sports seasons to constant academic disruption. And at the same time, parents are caught up in bitter disputes over ...
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Jimmy Soni: How PayPal Shaped Silicon Valley from 2022-05-04T16:23
Before Elon Musk was the world's wealthiest man, founder of a rocket company, and owner of Twitter, he was best known as one of the founders of PayPal. Other PayPal alumni went on to found compa...
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Virginia Postrel: Dynamism or Stasis? from 2022-04-20T06:53
In the early 19th century, English textile workers calling themselves "Luddites" destroyed machinery in an effort to save their jobs from automation. And two centuries later, those who...
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Dan Sichel: Nails as a Window into Economic Change from 2022-04-13T06:00
When economists set out to measure economic growth and progress over time, one challenge is accounting for striking differences in the quality of goods. Computers, cell phones, and cars on the m...
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Mark Muro: The geography of the tech sector from 2022-04-06T06:00
Since the early days of the digital revolution, the San Francisco Bay area has played a key role from the rise of the microchip to today's software giants like Facebook and Google. But why has t...
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Melanie Mitchell: Thinking about artificial intelligence from 2022-03-23T09:08
Tech optimists promise that true artificial intelligence is just around the corner . . . and have been for half a century. So should we be skeptical of all the excitement surrounding so-called "...
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Sebastian Mallaby: How venture capital creates the future from 2022-02-23T16:51
Most highly ambitious business ventures fail, but the ones that succeed can make billionaires of their early investors. Just look at the most valuable companies in the world today, many of which...
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Alex MacDonald: The economic history of private space exploration from 2022-02-16T06:00
The conventional narrative of American space exploration traces government efforts during the Cold War, with today's private efforts regarded as a recent phenomena riding on the coattails of NAS...
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Glenn Hubbard: Building bridges in the wake of economic disruption from 2022-02-09T06:00
Over the past half century, globalization and automation have pushed America's GDP higher and higher, but the gains haven't been distributed equally. Economic disruption has left behind manufact...
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Ramez Naam&Christie Iacomini: Life in 2050 from 2022-02-02T06:00
When you think of startup companies advancing the state of technology, software is probably the first thing that comes to mind. But scientific breakthroughs are still coming in the world of...
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Ryan Streeter: The importance of dynamism from 2022-01-26T06:53
In the 2016 election, Donald Trump campaigned on a message of nationalism and economic populism. Since then, some Republicans have warmed to industrial policy, trade restrictions, and ...
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Robert Zubrin: The case for space expansionism from 2022-01-20T06:00
Last summer, billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson competed to one-up each other's accomplishments in space flight while Elon Musk's SpaceX continued to make history with its reusable launche...
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Didier Sornette: Risk-taking, scientific revolutions, and economic progress from 2022-01-12T06:00
New discoveries, inventions, and innovations — ideas — are at the heart of scientific progress and economic growth. But that means a growing economy depends on an accelerating producti...
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Steven Koonin: Responding to a warming planet from 2021-12-15T06:00
While the scientific community has reached a broad consensus about climate change and the warming planet, just how well does the general public understand this consensus? In this week's episode ...
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Benjamin Jones: Are we investing enough in scientific research? from 2021-12-08T06:00
When it comes to federal investment in research and development, failures like Solyndra are held up as evidence of wasteful government spending while success stories go largely unnoticed. But wh...
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Eric Berger: Elon Musk and the rise of SpaceX from 2021-12-03T11:34
NASA last launched astronauts into space with its final Space Shuttle mission in the summer of 2011. But, nine years later, a rocket built by SpaceX lifted off at the Kennedy Space Cen...
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Mark Mills: Will the cloud revolution unleash the next economic boom? from 2021-11-24T09:34
When we think of infrastructure, roads and bridges are among the first things that come to mind. But over the past decade, massive investments in warehouse-scale data centers constitute a new ki...
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Beth Shapiro: Synthetic biology, conservation, and de-extinct woolly mammoths from 2021-11-17T17:02
De-extincted woolly mammoths, genetically engineered livestock, and transgenic crops: Are biologists opening a Pandora's box that will lead to the further destruction of the natural world? In th...
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John Logsdon: The Apollo program and the future of space exploration from 2021-11-10T06:01
On the heels of a summer of billionaire space flights and William Shatner's recent rocket trip, some Americans are echoing old arguments about the wastefulness of space exploration. Al...
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Charles Pappas: How World's Fairs changed the world from 2021-11-03T06:00
World's Fairs hosted in American cities, like Chicago in 1893 and New York in 1964, are remembered as odes to progress. The United States showcased its prowess on the world's stage and exhibitio...
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Kyle Pomerleau: Tax hikes and paying for Biden's Build Back Better agenda from 2021-10-28T09:15
The Biden administration is pushing forward its legislative agenda with the Build Back Better program, and Democrats have a number of tax proposals to pay for it. Looking to the larges...
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Michael Strain: The state of the labor market from 2021-10-27T06:00
The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted supply chains and disrupted the US economy. Production levels are back on track, but the labor force participation rate has remained stagnant since the summ...
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Neil Chilson: Emergent order in a complex world from 2021-10-20T06:00
The word "order" evokes images of top-down structure and planning. Yet, in the absence of central control, economies almost seem to operate like machines — a concept economis...
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Jamie Beard: Geothermal energy as a climate solution from 2021-10-13T06:00
Futurists of the past dreamed of tapping into the heat of the Earth's mantle to supply our energy needs, but today's geothermal provides only a tiny fraction of the power we use. In today's epis...
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Arthur Turrell: Is fusion power the energy source of the future? from 2021-10-06T06:00
"Fusion power is the energy source of the future . . . and always will be," skeptics joke. But a series of exciting breakthroughs have some experts convinced that we're nearing a ...
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Adrian Wooldridge: Defending meritocracy from 2021-09-29T06:00
Americans love rags-to-riches stories, believing hard work and talent — not connections — should be rewarded. But meritocracy has come under scrutiny, with some questioning how well America...
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Charles Fishman: Was the Apollo program a failure? from 2021-09-23T06:00
In 2017, the US announced its intent to return to the Moon for the first time in a half-century. NASA and its international partners in the Artemis program hope to land a crewed lunar missi...
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Azeem Azhar: The age of exponential technology from 2021-09-15T06:00
In the past, great inventions like the internal combustion engine and electrification had huge economic and societal impacts. Today, computing power continues to advance at an exponential rate a...
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Ed Glaeser: How cities can thrive in a post-COVID age from 2021-09-08T06:00
What will the American city look like one generation from now? While cities have always been hubs of opportunity, urban landscapes have faced an onslaught of difficulties in recent years. Soarin...
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Nicholas Bloom: Do innovation hubs work? from 2021-09-02T06:00
Today local governments compete to host growing companies in the hope that the opportunities they create will revitalize their home cities. But how much do these urban areas benefit from local i...
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John Roth, Rich Boling, Michael Gold,&Matthew Weinzierl: The space economy from 2021-08-12T06:00
July was an exciting month for space enthusiasts of all sorts. From Richard Branson's suborbital flight to Jeff Bezos' launch, the era of private space travel has truly arrived. SpaceX and Blue ...
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Brad Stone: The age of Amazon from 2021-08-04T05:00
To some, Amazon is a great business that brings opportunity to over a million employees and generates value for hundreds of millions of customers. To others, it’s a company that exploits its wor...
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John Haltiwanger: American entrepreneurship during the pandemic from 2021-07-29T08:00
Health safety measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic have shaken the American economy. Long term staples like indoor dining have taken a hit, while new opportunities have emerged in contactle...
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Ed Glaeser: Did capitalism cause the opioid epidemic? from 2021-07-21T07:00
Rivaling even the death toll of COVID-19, opioid abuse has wreaked havoc in countless American communities. Some have suggested that these deaths are the result of an economy that left Americans...
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Michael Strain: The post-pandemic economy from 2021-07-14T06:00
The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed an economic downturn on the United States, forcing workers and businesses to adapt. Now that Americans are getting vaccinated and the country is opening up, what ...
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Ramez Naam: The future of clean energy from 2021-07-07T05:00
Is economic growth compatible with environmentalism? One key to answering this question is clean, renewable energy. The cheaper it becomes, the easier it is to reduce our impact on the planet wh...
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Mark Jamison: Is Big Tech anticompetitive? from 2021-06-30T05:00
America's biggest tech companies have revolutionized work, entertainment, and just about every aspect of life. But some in Washington are raising concerns about Big Tech, hoping to make the tech...
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Alex Edmans: Is capitalism a zero-sum game? from 2021-06-23T09:45
Milton Friedman famously argued that the social responsibility of a company is to maximize its profits. Today, Friedman’s argument is coming under fire from both sides of the aisle. Shareholder ...
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Daniel Deudney: The case against space expansionism from 2021-06-16T05:00
Should humanity become a space-faring species? Should we colonize the moon, Mars, and beyond? The vast benefits to society that could come from embracing this final frontier are not fully known,...
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Elizabeth Kolbert: Should environmentalists change nature to save it? from 2021-06-09T05:00
To solve climate change, we need to do more than cut emissions. Almost all optimistic climate forecasts rely either on negative emissions or finding a way to mask the effects of emissions. In ot...
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Ryan Bourne: Economics in one virus from 2021-06-02T05:00
We have a lot to learn from the COVID pandemic. From our success in rapidly generating vaccines, to our failure to implement a widespread test-and-trace system, to Americans’ responses to lockdo...
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Richard Geddes: How to update US infrastructure policy from 2021-05-26T05:00
As the Biden administration continues to work with Congress on a massive overhaul of US infrastructure, several questions come to mind: How much should infrastructure policy focus on building ne...
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Matt Hourihan: Reversing the decline in public science support from 2021-05-19T05:00
As a share of GDP, federal support for science research in America has fallen from about 2 percent of GDP during the 1960s to about 0.6 percent today. Policymakers should reverse this trend in o...
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Jeffrey Clemens: What do economists know about the minimum wage? from 2021-05-12T05:00
While economists form a relatively strong consensus on some policy questions, they certainly don’t agree on everything. One of the more prominent examples of this is the minimum wage. Some studi...
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David Dollar: China's economic future from 2021-05-05T05:00
China is often regarded as a success story of market economics, since it began lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty once the Communist Party began easing economic restrictions a...
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Emily Hamilton: Fixing America's housing problem from 2021-04-28T05:00
In the United States, restrictive land-use regulations prevent developers from building housing in cities throughout the country. This has led to a shortage in housing supply and exorbitantly hi...
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Mauro F. Guillén: Forecasting the world of 2030 from 2021-04-21T05:00
Forecasting the future is difficult. It requires awareness of several technological, demographic, and geopolitical trends, as well as the ability to imagine how those trends can intersect with e...
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Tyler Cowen, Michael Strain, Catherine Tucker,&Dietrich Vollrath: Is the great stagnation over? from 2021-04-14T05:00
Since the early 1970s, Americans have seen disappointing levels of economic growth and technological progress. But the potential of artificial intelligence, gene editing, blockchain technology, ...
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Charles Goodhart&Manoj Pradhan: Predicting a global inflation revival from 2021-04-07T05:00
Since the 1980s, the United States has prioritized low inflation, to great success. Policymakers have regularly kept inflation at or below their 2-percent targets, even during periods with recor...
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Scott Lincicome: Why America shouldn't embrace industrial policy from 2021-03-31T05:00
On both sides of the aisle, calls for industrial policy seem to be gaining momentum. Americans have grown more skeptical about markets in the aftermath of the Great Recession. And China’s more m...
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Alex Brill: US spending and tax policy after the COVID recession from 2021-03-24T05:00
Is spending $1.9 trillion as the economy emerges from the COVID recession a wise move? At what point will policymakers begin paying for their spending initiatives? And what kinds of taxation wil...
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Alex Nowrasteh: How does immigration affect developed countries'institutions? from 2021-03-17T05:00
On today's episode, Alex Nowrasteh explores the effect of immigration on cultural and political institutions in developed countries, as well as the future of immigration policy under the Biden a...
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Daniel P. Gross: Lessons in crisis innovation from World War II from 2021-03-10T05:00
In response to the demands of World War II, America generated an impressive amount of innovation in a short time span. Policymakers look back on this record as a model to aspire to, claiming tha...
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Tim Fernholz, Sara Seager, Stan Veuger,&Matt Weinzierl: The future of space exploration from 2021-03-03T05:00
After beating the Soviet Union in the race to the moon, America lost much of its drive to explore space for several decades. However, with the rise of private pioneers such as SpaceX and Blue Or...
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Leah Brooks: Why does US infrastructure cost so much? from 2021-02-24T05:00
Despite wide agreement that America’s infrastructure quality is relatively low, per-unit infrastructure costs are higher in the US today compared to the rest of the world and to America 50-60 ye...
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Don Braben: The importance of scientific freedom from 2021-02-17T05:00
How can research institutions promote growth, other than simply spending more money on basic R&D? Today’s guest, Don Braben, argues that we need to promote scientific freedom by easing up on...
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Korok Ray: How higher education can further contribute to innovation from 2021-02-10T05:00
America’s university system is the envy of the world, and a major reason for this is that this higher education system is crucial to our innovative capacity. So in today’s episode, Korok Ray exp...
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Joshua D. Wright: The conservative case against weaponizing antitrust from 2021-02-05T05:00
America’s adoption of the consumer welfare standard since the late 1970s has led to the rise of innovative Big Tech companies like Google and Amazon. Other countries, particularly in Europe, wou...
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Darrell M. West: Policymaking in the era of artificial intelligence from 2021-01-27T05:00
With every year, artificial intelligence becomes increasingly advanced. Innovators are creating and refining applications for AI in industries ranging from health care to transportation. Many ec...
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Michael Strain: Evaluating Biden's $1.9 trillion economic relief plan from 2021-01-20T05:00
When Joe Biden becomes the 46th president today, he will inherit an economy that continues to struggle under the weight of the COVID pandemic. In response, Biden has announced an ambitious early...
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Claude Barfield: Trade policy challenges for the Biden administration from 2021-01-13T05:00
The incoming Biden administration will inherit a trading landscape that has been shaped by President Trump’s protectionism. The key question is: How much continuity will there be between Trump a...
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Johan Norberg: The history and psychology of progress from 2021-01-06T05:00
Humans are both ‘traders’ and ‘tribalists’ by nature. We’re traders because we have exchanged knowledge and goods throughout history. Indeed, the story of human progress has been the story of hu...
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Jeff Kosseff: Setting the record straight on Section 230 from 2020-12-30T10:57
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has come under a lot of fire recently. But wh...
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Amitabh Chandra: Can America improve its health care system? from 2020-12-09T07:55
Health care policy is difficult, featuring intractable trade-offs that make it nearly impossible to satisfy everyone. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that one of our two political parties has in...
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Jim Tankersley: The riches of this land from 2020-12-02T05:00
Should Americans look back nostalgically on the economy of the 1950s and 1960s? If so, what lessons should policymakers learn from this time period, and how can they be applied to boost economic...
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Jim Tankersley: The riches of this land from 2020-12-02T05:00
Should Americans look back nostalgically on the economy of the 1950s and 1960s? If so, what lessons should policymakers learn from this time period, and how can they be applied to boost economic op...
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Michael Clemens: What have economists learned about immigration? from 2020-11-25T00:00
It seems like, not long ago, arguments against immigration focused almost entirely on illegal immigrants. And then it became, “Actually, we’re also concerned about low-skilled immigration.” And ...
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Philip Coggan: How did the world get so rich? from 2020-11-18T10:00:14
Philip Coggan discusses the history of the world economy and explores its lessons for today's economic challenges, including the need for greater innovation, the rise of China, and the disruptio...
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Mervyn King: How to handle radical uncertainty from 2020-11-11T10:00:31
Mervyn King explores how some uncertainty is unavoidable and how statistical forecasts can lead us astray if we're not careful.
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Nate Morris: Entrepreneurial environmentalism from 2020-11-02T10:00:50
Nate Morris discusses his experience as the founder of Rubicon — an innovative waste management software company — as well as the relationship between environmentalism and markets.
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Richard Reeves, Isabel Sawhill,&Michael Strain: A new contract with the middle class from 2020-10-28T09:00:43
Brookings's Richard Reeves and Isabel Sawhill discuss their new report, "A New Contract with the Middle Class," with AEI's Jim Pethokoukis and Michael Strain.
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Ronald D. Moore: The sci-fi optimism of ‘For All Mankind,’ ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ and ‘Star Trek’ from 2020-10-21T09:00:15
Many Americans view our space program skeptically, wondering why we should bother spending money on it when we have so many problems to fix on...
Ronald D. Moore: The sci-fi optimism of ‘For All Mankind,’ ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ and ‘Star Trek’ from 2020-10-21T09:00:15
Famed science fiction TV producer and writer Ronald D. Moore discusses his new show, For All Mankind, and explores the optimism found throughout his career's work.
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Scott Winship: Poverty, inequality, and opportunity in America from 2020-10-14T09:00:03
Scott Winship addresses the many misconceptions surrounding levels of poverty, as well as the degree and importance of inequality, in the United States, and he also explores how much economic mo...
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Casey Mulligan&Michael Strain: Has Trumpian populism succeeded? from 2020-10-07T09:00:31
Casey Mulligan and Michael Strain explore the extent to which President Trump's policies can be considered "populist" and whether populism deserves credit for the administration's successes. Listen
Kevin Davies: Genome editing and the CRISPR revolution from 2020-09-30T09:00:10
Kevin Davies explains how the development of CRISPR will revolutionize the field of genome editing, with massive innovative and ethical implications for humanity to contend with.
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Sanjai Bhagat: Shareholder capitalism vs. stakeholder capitalism from 2020-09-23T09:00:23
Sanjai Bhagat explores whether shareholder capitalism or stakeholder capitalism is a better model to promote responsible, long-term corporate governance.
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Matthew Yglesias: One billion Americans from 2020-09-16T09:00:49
Matthew Yglesias discusses his new book, One Billion Americans, and makes the case that America can become a revived superpower if we take steps to rapidly increase our population.
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Glenn Hubbard: Looking back and ahead on the US economy from 2020-09-09T09:00:57
R. Glenn Hubbard discusses the state of the economy as the Great Pandemic continues to unfold, as well as explores the past 15 years' worth of economic developments and what the future of the US...
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Caleb Watney: America’s slowing innovation engine from 2020-09-02T08:00:04
Caleb Watney discusses how the COVID pandemic has adversely affected US immigration flows, universities, and cities — all of which are critical to America's long-term innovation capabilities. Listen
Jonathan Gruber, Tony Mills, Margaret O’Mara,&Bret Swanson: Boosting economic growth by funding science from 2020-08-26T09:00:47
A panel of experts discusses public support for research and development. They explore whether the government provides enough support for science research and how the government can best direct ...
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Jason Crawford: Lessons from studying the roots of progress from 2020-08-19T09:00:05
Jason Crawford discusses the history of human progress and explores how policymakers can promote more technological and moral progress in the present.
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Ronald Bailey: Global trends every smart person should know from 2020-08-12T09:00:51
Ronald Bailey gives the case for long-term optimism based on many positive global trends including declining violence and the dramatic reduction in extreme poverty. He also discusses why pessimi...
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Scott Gottlieb, Rick Hess,&Michael Strain: COVID-19 this fall from 2020-08-07T18:48:22
Scott Gottlieb, Rick Hess, and Michael Strain all join Jim Pethokoukis to discuss the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in America, exploring the public health and economic aspects of the c...
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Ed Finn: Telling stories of a better future from 2020-08-05T09:00:36
Professor Ed Finn joins the podcast to discuss why Americans have become less future-oriented over the past few decades and how we can reverse this trend by offering hopeful stories about the fu...
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Arthur Diamond: Sustaining innovative dynamism from 2020-07-29T09:00:34
Professor Arthur Diamond joins the podcast to discuss how innovative dynamism can be promoted and sustained in the long term.
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Douglas Irwin: The post-COVID future of international trade from 2020-07-22T09:00:55
Douglas Irwin explores how the pandemic has affected the international trade landscape — with China and the world more broadly. He also discusses the USMCA and the 'Phase One' deal with China. Listen
Nicholas Crafts: Is the age of fast economic growth really over? from 2020-07-15T09:00:34
Nicholas Crafts joins the podcast to evaluate how artificial intelligence will affect productivity growth in America over the next few decades, asserting that artificial intelligence will be val...
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John Van Reenen: Why America needs a ‘Grand Innovation Challenge Fund’ from 2020-07-08T09:00:15
John Van Reenen joins the podcast to discuss his recent Hamilton Project proposal to increase public support for R&D through a Grand Innovation Challenge Fund.
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Toby Ord: Existential risk and the future of humanity from 2020-07-01T09:00:04
Toby Ord joins the podcast to explain why safeguarding humanity’s future from natural and manmade existential threats is the defining challenge of our time.
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Nicole Gelinas: Can cities weather the pandemic? from 2020-06-24T09:00:24
Nicole Gelinas joins Political Economy to explore the future of cities in the wake of the pandemic, considering the impending budget crises for state and local governments as well as the challen...
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Mike Masnick: Exploring the future of work through science fiction from 2020-06-17T09:00:34
Mike Masnick joins Political Economy to discuss how technological progress will change the nature of work, while also discussing current content moderation practices on the internet.
The ...
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Adam Thierer: How ‘evasive entrepreneurship’ can beat the regulatory state from 2020-06-12T09:00:17
Adam Thierer joins Political Economy to discuss how many entrepreneurs, particularly in the tech industry, are circumventing regulations in order to innovate without permission.
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Michael Strain: Assessing the economy, post-COVID lockdown from 2020-06-05T17:54:50
Michael Strain joins Political Economy to assess the latest jobs report and discuss the path to a post-lockdown economic recovery.
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Matt Ridley: How innovation works from 2020-06-03T09:00:16
Matt Ridley discusses his new book, "How Innovation Works", and explores how America can encourage more innovation going forward.
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Anton Howes: Human progress and the Royal Society of Arts from 2020-05-27T09:00:48
Anton Howes discusses the history of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers, and Commerce, and explores the role it played in Britain's technological rise.
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Eli Dourado: How to make America innovate again from 2020-05-20T09:00:49
Eli Dourado explores why Americans became less future-oriented over the past several decades and suggests ways that the US can begin to re-prioritize innovation going forward.
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Tony Mills: World War II shows the importance of basic science research from 2020-05-13T09:00:39
Tony Mills explains how basic, theoretical scientific research was crucial to generating WWII-era innovations and how these lessons can be applied to modern day R&D support.
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Chad Syverson: The COVID crisis and economic growth from 2020-05-06T09:00:59
Chad Syverson explores how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect America's capacity for economic growth, in both the short- and long-term.
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Lane Kenworthy: The case for social democratic capitalism from 2020-04-29T09:00:54
Lane Kenworthy explains the case for expanding social democratic capitalism in America.
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James Robinson: The narrow corridor to liberty from 2020-04-22T09:00:49
James Robinson discusses the relationship between state and society, and how strong institutions in both are necessary for liberty.
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Roger Bootle: The AI economy from 2020-04-15T09:00:13
Roger Bootle discusses how artificial intelligence and digital technologies will impact productivity and the labor market, both in the long term and as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and ...
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Matt Frost: An alternative to climate despair from 2020-04-08T09:00:39
Matt Frost explains how an "abundance" agenda will do more to combat climate change in the long run than a fatalistic "austerity" agenda, which would forego the innovation and wealth that is nec...
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Dietrich Vollrath: Is America’s economy fully grown? from 2020-04-01T09:00:56
Dietrich Vollrath discusses his new book, 'Fully Grown: Why a Stagnant Economy Is a Sign of Success,' and explores the implications of an economy that grows more slowly because of shifts in demo...
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Garett Jones: The case for ‘10 percent less democracy’ from 2020-03-25T09:00:37
In this week's Political Economy, Garett Jones discusses his new book, 10% Less Democracy, and explains how more policymaking should be entrusted to independent experts rather than voters.
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Stan Veuger: Handle the coronavirus recession by preventing a business collapse from 2020-03-18T20:58:55
In an additional episode of Political Economy this week, Stan Veuger explains how we can mitigate the harms of the impending recession by preventing a business collapse.
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Ben Thompson: Big Tech monopoly, data privacy, and the rise of China from 2020-03-18T10:00:41
In this week's Political Economy, Ben Thompson discusses Big Tech's dominance, data privacy, content moderation, the rise of China, and more.
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Kyle Pomerleau: What’s next for taxes? Coronavirus stimulus, the Trump tax cuts, and beyond from 2020-03-11T09:00
In this week's Political Economy, Kyle Pomerleau discusses the future tax plans of both the Trump administration and the Democratic presidential candidates. He also reflects on the Tax Cuts and ...
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Branko Milanovic: The future of capitalism from 2020-03-04T10:00:30
In this week's Political Economy, Branko Milanovic discusses the future of capitalism, the political significance of inequality, and the compatibility of capitalism and democracy.
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Hal Varian: In defense of Big Tech from 2020-02-26T10:00:55
Google economist Hal Varian addresses the concern that technological growth may have been stagnant since the 1960s, and that Big Tech is responsible for the lack of innovation.
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Erik Brynjolfsson: Can AI help us overcome the productivity paradox? from 2020-02-19T10:00:04
Erik Brynjolfsson discusses the increasing importance of artificial intelligence, the challenge of translating breakthrough technologies into economic growth, how a genius shortage might be a bo...
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Paul Vigna: How blockchain could change the world from 2020-02-12T10:00:27
Paul Vigna joins Political Economy to discuss the future of cryptocurrency, and blockchain technology more broadly. We discuss the many applications of blockchain, as well as whether this techno...
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Michael Strain: The American Dream is not dead from 2020-02-05T10:00:36
Michael Strain joins Political Economy to discuss his new book, The American Dream Is Not Dead. We evaluate claims about stagnant wages and declining mobility. We also highlight the importance o...
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Thomas Philippon: How America gave up on free markets from 2020-01-29T10:00:41
On this episode, Thomas Philippon discusses the rise of market concentration in America over the past two decades, and how this has led to declining innovation and higher prices for consumers. W...
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Alain Bertaud: How markets shape cities from 2020-01-22T10:00:37
On this episode, Alain Bertaud explores what makes for a well-managed city, and he asserts that a respect for market forces is critical when shaping urban policy.
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Kimberly Clausing: The progressive case for globalization from 2020-01-15T10:00:06
On this episode, Kimberly Clausing makes the progressive case for globalization, describing how free trade and immigration are good for Americans while also stressing that more can be done to he...
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Peter Klenow: Reflections on a decade of slow economic growth from 2020-01-08T10:00:32
On this episode, Peter Klenow discusses the state of economic growth in America and considers the factors that may influence GDP and productivity growth in the future.
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Lori Ann LaRocco: Trade wars have consequences from 2020-01-01T10:00:41
On this episode, Lori Ann LaRocco reflects on the effects of the United States' trade war with China, and the future of US-China trade relations in light of the recently announced Phase One trad...
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Will Rinehart: Big Tech, broadband access, and artificial intelligence from 2019-12-18T14:00:09
On this episode, Will Rinehart discusses criticisms of Google, Facebook, and Amazon, defending them against charges of corporate concentration and exploitative data use. We also discuss rural br...
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Daniel Shoag: Reduce inequality and boost growth by building more housing from 2019-12-11T10:00:28
On this episode, Daniel Shoag talks to us about why housing prices have skyrocketed in many cities, and how this could be fixed in order to unlock a great deal of economic potential.
The ...
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Dalibor Rohac on globalism, nationalism, and conservatism from 2019-12-04T10:00:38
On this episode, Dalibor Rohac joins us to make the case for a globalist approach to international relations in an era where the political mainstream has taken a nationalist turn.
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Stephen Davies on the origins and future of the wealth explosion from 2019-11-27T10:00:17
On this episode, economic historian Stephen Davies discusses his new book, The Wealth Explosion. He explains the origins of Western prosperity, and he discusses how the world can maintain and ex...
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Bryan Caplan on open borders from 2019-11-20T11:05:45
According to George Mason University economist Bryan Caplan, both the United States and the rest of the world would benefit greatly if they opened their borders and allowed anyone in the world t...
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Enrico Moretti on tech hubs and economic opportunity from 2019-11-13T10:00:24
On this episode, Enrico Moretti discusses how high-tech clusters can be better governed, and he evaluates policies that might boost economic opportunity in areas that have been left behind.
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Carl Benedikt Frey on the technology trap from 2019-11-06T10:00:06
On this episode, Carl Benedikt Frey assesses the possible effects of automation on employment and economic growth in both the short and long term.
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Stian Westlake on the rise of the intangible economy from 2019-10-30T09:00:49
What is an “intangible asset,” and why are we investing so much in them? How are these so-called intangibles reshaping our economy, as well as our fundamental approach to economic concerns? Join...
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Deirdre McCloskey on why liberalism works from 2019-10-23T20:55:26
On this episode, Deirdre McCloskey talks about some of the important ideas in her new book, "Why Liberalism Works."
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Scott Lincicome on the trade war from 2019-10-16T08:00:04
On this episode, Scott Lincicome talks about the ultimate economic costs of the trade war with China, and about who bears those costs.
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Andrew McAfee on capitalism, tech progress, and the environment from 2019-10-08T08:00:55
On this episode, Andrew McAfee talks to us about his new book, More from Less, and how we can continue to get great economic results from fewer resources.
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Michael Strain on inequality in America from 2019-10-02T09:00:12
On this episode, Michael Strain talks to us about popular proposals to combat wealth inequality in America.
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Margaret O’Mara on Silicon Valley’s past, present, and future from 2019-09-25T18:24:50
On this episode, Margaret O'Mara talks to us about her new book, The Code, a history of the rise of Silicon Valley.
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Matt Weinzierl on the economics of space from 2019-09-18T19:36:47
On this episode, Matt Weinzierl joins to discuss the economics of space exploration.
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Binyamin Appelbaum on the economists’ hour from 2019-09-13T17:33:55
In our populist moment, do economists still have a place in policy debates? Did Milton Friedman’s solutions to the 1970’s economic problems create modern inequality? Who have markets helped, and...
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Desmond Lachman on Brexit, trade wars, and the future of the global economy from 2019-08-29T21:04:21
Will the United Kingdom crash out of the European Union without a deal? When will the Chinese trade war end? And how will the global – and US – economy be affected by these developments. Today, ...
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Adrienne Mayor on ancient visions of the future from 2019-08-22T16:00:06
How did the ancient Greeks think about technology? Were they techno-optimists or pessimists?
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Alan Viard on America’s tax system after the TCJA from 2019-08-15T20:17:30
On this episode, AEI's Alan Viard returns to discuss the effects of the 2017 tax cuts and the future of American tax policy.
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Ryan Bourne on Joseph Schumpeter, the tech giants, and the case against monopoly fatalism from 2019-07-31T18:24:56
On this episode, Cato's Ryan Bourne discusses his recent paper, “Is This Time Different? Schumpeter, the Tech Giants, and Monopoly Fatalism.”
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Avi Loeb on the search for life beyond Earth from 2019-07-18T19:10:02
On this episode, astronomy professor Avi Loeb discusses his recent work on federal leadership in science and technology innovation, how to think about the future of space exploration, and the in...
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Jeff Kosseff on the twenty-six words that created the internet from 2019-06-27T18:43:21
On this episode, cybersecurity professor Jeff Kosseff discusses his new book "The Twenty-Six Words that Created the Internet" (Cornell University Press, 2019) about the past, present, and future...
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Scott Kupor on venture capital and how to get it from 2019-06-13T15:03:12
On this episode, Andreessen Horowitz's Scott Kupor discusses his new book “Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It” (Penguin Random House, 2019).
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Alex Trembath on the Green New Deal, climate change, and the case for nuclear energy from 2019-06-06T17:29:32
On this episode, the Breakthrough Institute's Alex Trembath discusses how we can achieve a high-growth, high-energy future with a smaller carbon footprint.
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Jonathan Gruber on jump-starting America from 2019-05-21T17:19:37
On this episode, economics professor Jonathan Gruber discusses his new book "Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream."
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Tyler Cowen on big business from 2019-05-10T19:34:34
On this episode, economics professor Tyler Cowen discusses his new book "Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero."
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Safi Bahcall on nurturing the next ‘loonshot’ from 2019-05-02T19:12:15
On this episode, author and physicist Safi Bahcall discusses how to create structural incentives for innovation and what federal policy can do to help.
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Benedict Evans on where the tech industry is taking us next from 2019-04-04T15:17:50
On this episode, Andreessen Horowitz's Benedict Evans discusses why we respond the way we do to technological change and where the tech industry is taking us next.
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Huawei and the battle to build the 5G backbone from 2019-03-28T15:19:05
On this episode, AEI's Claude Barfield discusses the race to build the world's 5G backbone and how the Trump administration should police Chinese intellectual property theft.
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Will artificial intelligence change the economy for the better? from 2019-03-15T15:04:51
On this episode, Professor Robert Seamans discusses AI's impact on the economy, how it will change the nature of work, and whether regulation is needed to keep the AI industry competitive.
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Who’s protecting the consumer in the age of Big Tech? from 2019-03-05T18:46:45
On this episode, Neil Chilson discusses the economics of privacy, the complexities of content moderation, and whether Big Tech has become anticompetitive.
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How to think about a wealth tax from 2019-02-26T16:59:10
On this episode, AEI's Alan Viard walks us through how to think about some of the new tax policy proposals emerging out the Democratic presidential primary race.
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Brian McCullough on ‘How the Internet Happened’ from 2019-02-21T18:41:44
On this episode, podcaster and serial entrepreneur Brian McCullough discusses the rise of the early internet companies, the dot-com bubble, and whether today's Big Tech companies poses a threat ...
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Red flags in Xi’s China from 2019-02-14T15:01:11
On this episode, Oxford University's China Centre research associate George Magnus discusses his latest book “Red Flags: Why Xi’s China is in Jeopardy.”
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Ep. 127: Tim Wu on ‘The Curse of Bigness’ — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2019-02-06T15:55:12
On this episode, Columbia Law professor Tim Wu discusses his latest book "The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age."
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What does Medicare for All really mean? from 2019-01-31T21:48:52
On this episode, AEI's Benedic Ippolito discusses the oft ignored implications of the health care plans popular among 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls.
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Ep. 125: What can we learn from the great economists? — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2019-01-24T15:10:34
On this episode, economics professor and BBC presenter Linda Yueh discusses how twelve of the world's greatest economists might respond to today's economic crises.
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What is Modern Monetary Theory? from 2019-01-17T21:22:02
On this episode, economist and AEI scholar Stan Veuger discusses his latest article for AEI Economic Perspectives titled Modern Monetary Theory and Policy.
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Ep. 123: Could China have been stopped? — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2019-01-11T16:16:15
Zack Cooper joins the podcast to discuss the ongoing trade war and how the US might counter China’s rising influence.
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Ep. 122: William Kerr on ‘The Gift of Global Talent’ — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-12-21T20:59:03
Nations compete across many dimensions, but in the coming years perhaps no competition will be as fierce or as important as the one for talent. Harvard Business School Professor William Kerr exp...
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Ep. 121: Who will surveil the surveilers? — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-12-14T16:41:28
As technology advances, there will be no hiding from surveillance. What we should instead fight for is transparency: the watchers must feel just as exposed as the watched.
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Ep. 120: The myth of the retail apocalypse — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-11-29T22:00:39
According to economist Michael Mandel, not only is the economy adding more jobs thanks to the massive online retailers allegedly wreaking havoc across the United States, these new jobs actually ...
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Ep. 119: ‘The Fourth Age’: Smart machines and the future of humanity — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-11-19T14:53:01
Author and technologist Byron Reese joins the show to explain why humanity is on the verge of new inventions as transformative as our discovery of fire and agriculture.
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Ep. 118: Reihan Salam on US immigration policy — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-11-06T15:00:01
Reihan Salam joins the show to discuss his new book, "Melting Pot or Civil War? A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders."
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Ep. 117: Adrian Wooldrige on ‘Capitalism in America: A History’ — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-10-30T20:30:25
The author and editor and columnist for The Economist joins the show to discuss his and Alan Greenspan's new book.
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Ep. 116: Our impending entitlement crisis, and what to do about it — Political Economy Podcast with James Pethokoukis from 2018-10-19T16:01:26
To discuss how deleterious this debt load will be for the United States, and what steps can be taken to prevent it, I am joined by my AEI colleague James Capretta.
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Ep. 115: Meet the new NAFTA, same as the old NAFTA? — Political Economy Podcast with James Pethokoukis from 2018-10-10T14:02:43
Trade expert Claude Barfield joins me to discuss NAFTA 2.0, otherwise known as USMCA, as well as US trade policy more broadly.
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Ep. 114: Facts and falsehoods about the US labor market — Political Economy Podcast with James Pethokoukis from 2018-10-01T21:41:12
Moody's Analytics economist Adam Ozimek joins me the show to talk unemployment, wage growth, and all things economic policy.
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Ep. 113: Our infinite desire for growth — Political Economy Podcast with James Pethokoukis from 2018-09-20T20:15:41
French economist Daniel Cohen joins the show to discuss his book, "The Infinite Desire for Growth."
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Ep. 112: What happens when ideas become harder and harder to find — Political Economy Podcast with James Pethokoukis from 2018-09-07T15:14:13
Just to maintain our current overall rate of economic growth, the economy has to double its research efforts every 13 years -- at least according to Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom. He joins m...
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Ep. 111: Is Silicon Valley home to this century’s robber barons? from 2018-08-29T15:40:06
Nicolas Petit joins me to discuss these "Frightful Five" firms and argues that far from being monopolies, they engage in cutthroat competition with one another, benefiting the economy as a whole...
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Ep. 110: Clashing over commerce, then and now from 2018-08-15T20:33:15
Douglas Irwin, author of "Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy," joins me to discuss the ongoing trade war, lessons from American economic history, and much more.
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Ep. 109: ‘Give People Money’? Annie Lowrey on the case for a Universal Basic Income from 2018-08-09T17:54:28
To discuss UBI -- it's history, its track record, and its future -- I was joined by Annie Lowrey, author of the new book "Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revol...
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Ep. 108: The dawn of the Asian century, or the end? from 2018-08-01T13:43:01
It seems a good time to revisit my 2017 conversation with Asia expert Michael Auslin, author of"The End of the Asian Century: War, Stagnation, and the Risks to the World's Most Dynamic Region."The ...
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Ep. 107: How to think about the Trump tax cuts from 2018-07-25T13:30:16
Opinion journalists and politicians have lots to say about December's tax reform package. Some claim it's an historic success, others say it's already shown itself to be a failure. To get a fair as...
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Ep. 106: To understand economics, think like a physicist— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-07-18T19:37:57
In this episode, we discuss the book the Financial Times calls"the future of growth theory,"and discuss everything from economic development to America's big tech firms to Friedrich Hayek. The pos...
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Ep. 105: What’s old is new again, international trade edition from 2018-07-12T13:51:28
In April 2016 I talked with AEI trade expert Claude Barfield about trade deficits, the WTO, US-China relations, and more. Two years later, our conversation may be even more relevant now than it was...
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Ep. 104: What is driving America’s housing crisis? from 2018-07-05T14:30:47
Lynn Fisher, co-director of AEI's Center on Housing Markets and Finance, joins the show to discuss. The post https://www.aei.org/multimedia/ep-104-what-is-driving-americas-housing-crisis/ (Ep. 104...
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Ep. 103: Is capitalism just not radical enough?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-06-28T18:55:07
This episode's guest advocates abolishing private property as we know it and ditching one person democracy, one vote democracy. The post https://www.aei.org/multimedia/ep-103-is-capitalism-just-no...
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Ep. 102: How will the US-China trade war end? from 2018-06-19T20:39:31
Derek Scissors joins the podcast to discuss the likely impact of the tariffs, how China cheats, whether the US should have allowed China to join the WTO, and much more. The post https://www.aei.or...
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Ep. 101: Artificial intelligence and the hunt for the master algorithm— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-06-18T16:13:49
Pedro Domingos joins Political Economy to discuss his new book"The Master Algorithm."The post https://www.aei.org/multimedia/ep-101-artificial-intelligence-and-the-hunt-for-the-master-algorithm/ (E...
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Ep. 100: Live from AEI with Michael Strain and Stan Veuger— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-05-16T16:00:46
In this special 100th episode of the Political Economy Podcast, I'm joined by my colleagues Michael Strain and Stan Veuger and a live audience at AEI, in the first of a possibly annual AEI-Ricochet...
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Ep. 99: What’s wrong with American education?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-05-07T16:00:30
What is wrong with our education system, and what can be done about it? Economist and education expert Eric Hanushek joins me to discuss this and a lot more. The post https://www.aei.org/multimedi...
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Ep. 98: Obamanomics — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-04-24T13:00:04
Jason Furman was one of President Obama’s top economists, from the start of his campaign through the end of his presidency, and served as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2013 thro...
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Ep. 97: Big Business gets a bad rap— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-04-16T13:00:49
“Small business is the basis of American prosperity.” “Small businesses are overwhelmingly responsible for job creation and innovation.” “Small business owners are the basis for democracy in Americ...
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Ep. 96: Ask an economist— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-04-09T14:30:05
On this special episode of Political Economy, we structured the podcast around one theme: “Questions you always wanted to ask an economist, but were too afraid to ask.” After soliciting questions f...
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Ep. 95: Is it time to break up Big Tech?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-03-30T22:00:06
In a recent column for Bloomberg View, Michael Strain concedes “Big Tech” may be monopolistic, but argues that is no reason to break them up. Despite the wide variety of sins Google, Apple, Amazon,...
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Ep. 94: Can Amazon save the US health care industry?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-03-22T16:00:39
Earlier this year, Amazon announced it was teaming up with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway to change how health care is provided to their 1 million plus employees. Stressing their venture would be ...
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Ep. 93: The case against education— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-03-07T13:00:39
The American education system is a waste of both time and money — at least according to Bryan Caplan, author of the new book, The Case Against Education. Rather than actually impart useful skills, ...
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Ep. 92: America the Ingenious— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-02-14T17:00:53
Americans pride themselves on being exceptional. And one of the qualities that makes this nation exceptional is its proclivity to innovate. But from whence does America’s unique capacity for produc...
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Ep. 91: The state of the safety net— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-01-31T22:00:38
Welfare, entitlements, safety net — these terms are often used interchangeably, but they have different connotations and stigmas attached to them, and people often use them to describe different th...
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Ep. 90: Is Bitcoin a bubble?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-01-24T17:00:12
2017 saw a meteroic rise in the value of cryptocurrencies — followed by a disappointing start to 2018. Here to explain the mechanisms and purpose behind these new cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and ...
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Ep. 89: Our stagnant labor market— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2018-01-17T16:29:10
Americans are no longer moving. And that’s a problem for the economy, adversely affecting everything from productivity growth, to income inequality, to monetary policy. The post https://www.aei.or...
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Ep. 88: Inequality and Poverty in the US— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-12-21T19:42:04
Economist Bruce Meyer joins the podcast to discuss his research on income inequality, the earned income tax credit, and the best methods for reducing poverty. The post https://www.aei.org/multime...
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Ep. 87: Googlenomics— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-12-13T22:14:16
In this episode I talk with Google's chief economist, Hal Varian, about the tech industry, the future of the economy, and much more. The post https://www.aei.org/multimedia/ep-87-googlenomics/ (Ep...
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Ep. 86: ‘The Captured Economy’— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-12-01T14:00:26
I talk with the Niskanen Center's Brink Lindsey and Steve Teles about their new book,"The Captured Economy: How the Powerful Enrich Themselves, Slow Down Growth, and Increase Inequality.” The post...
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Ep. 85: The end of traffic— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-11-21T22:00:53
The world is on its way to ending traffic, and that’s in part thanks to the pioneering work of transportation researcher and thought leader David Levinson. In this episode, we discuss how autonomou...
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Ep. 84: WTF Future?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-11-03T21:03
In the new book, “WTF: What’s the Future, and Why It’s Up to Us,” founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media Tim O’Reilly argues Silicon Valley and the innovation it’s fostering can be either a fount of ama...
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Ep. 83: Start-up culture is nothing new to America— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-10-25T18:28:05
In"Americana: A 400 Year History Of American Capitalism,"author Bhu Srinivasan contends it was America's unique spirit of innovation and ambition that drove its breakneck economic growth and helped...
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Ep. 82: How technology is changing business— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-10-10T16:00:10
Technological innovation is already transforming the economy, and this change will accelerate in the future. To discuss what these changes mean for business and society at large, I’m joined by MIT’...
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Ep. 81: Enable workers or replace them?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-09-27T17:21:15
As the next generation of robots arrive in the workplace, will they enable workers or replace them? According to MIT’s Daron Acemoglu, this distinction is the difference between technology that rai...
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Ep. 80: When the West got rich— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-09-08T04:00:49
Why did the West grow rich in the 18th century after thousands of years of nearly zero economic growth? Joel Mokyr, an economic historian at Northwestern University, contends that it was the cultur...
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Ep. 79: The Economics of Marriage— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-08-21T16:00:24
In this episode of the Political Economy Podcast, James Pethokoukis and Brad Wilcox discuss the role of marriage in society. The post https://www.aei.org/multimedia/the-economics-of-marriage/ (Ep....
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Ep. 78: Will AI In The Workplace Kill Jobs?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-08-02T19:49:45
Looking at Silicon Valley today, you might think the US is poised for a technological explosion. That’s certainly animating many of the fears of mass joblessness once artificial intelligence arrive...
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Ep. 77: A Stuck Economy?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-07-24T20:08:45
The US economy appears to be stuck at around 2% GDP growth, much less than the 3.5% it has averaged between World War II and the Great Recession. One reason is that productivity growth – that is, o...
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Ep. 76: Blue Collar Conservatives— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-07-10T20:27:07
Republicans invoke Ronald Reagan constantly. They sing his praises every chance they get, and seem to believe there is no public policy problem that a good dose of Reaganism can’t fix. But has the ...
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Ep. 75: The Favored Fifth— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-06-30T20:33:55
We’ve grown accustomed to hearing a lot about the one percent. Yet it’s the “favored fifth” – the top 20 percent of the income distribution – that Brookings Senior Fellow Richard Reeves asserts is ...
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Ep. 74: A True Conservative Tradition— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-06-26T20:46:28
Has America ever had a true conservative tradition? We are here with Patrick Deneen to discuss that question, and his book, Conserving America?: Essays on Present Discontents. Patrick J. Deneen hol...
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Ep. 73: The Retreat of Western Liberalism— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-06-13T20:54:12
With increasingly populist figures gaining traction across the world (even winning or nearly winning major elections), it seems as if the values of western liberalism are on the decline. But are th...
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Ep. 72: Net Neutrality— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-05-24T21:01:27
Ajit Pai. Net Neutrality. Spectrum. These and other buzzwords are now circulating not just in the mouth...
Ep. 71: Healthcare: The Road Ahead— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-05-15T21:07:03
With a bill having narrowly passed the House last week to repeal and replace Obamacare, the Senate is r...
Ep. 70: Conservatism in an Age of Alienation— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-05-05T21:14:30
After 100 some days of the Trump presidency, the Republican Party and the conservative coalition, broadly understo...
Ep. 69: The Future of The EuroZone— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-04-28T21:21:21
The French presidential election might be the last act in a three part play featuring Part I: the Brexi...
Ep. 68: Peak America with Tyler Cowen— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-04-05T21:25:35
Some have argued that we are at Listen
Ep. 67: The Asian Century?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-02-16T22:33:36
Is this really the “Asian Century”? Many have conjectured yes, that China and the Far East as a whole c...
Ep. 66: The State of the Welfare State— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-02-13T22:40:50
With a new administration, we have reason to hope that the welfare state may change, morph, make it more simple fo...
Ep. 65: Californiastan— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-02-02T22:44:53
In 2013, Joel Kotkin Listen
Ep. 64: Are We Still Dynamists?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-01-25T16:09:36
It has been nearly twenty years since the prescient publication of “The Future and its Enemies,” in which author V...
Ep. 63: What Now, China Stock?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-01-11T16:23:40
It was “the paper that shook the world of economics,” according to Bloomberg. The paper, written by Dav...
Ep. 62: Corporate Short-Termism— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2017-01-09T16:35:42
Throughout the recent election, politicians painted Wall Street banks as the reigning lords of the Amer...
Ep. 61: The Future of ObamaCare— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-12-20T16:43:14
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to enter office and kick off his 100 days, health care reform ...
Ep. 60: Transformational Change— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-11-11T16:52:52
When we think about our collective economic future, is it dismal or dazzling? Or a bit of both? Chris K...
Ep. 59: Is Cash King?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-11-01T17:54:31
Cash is king, right? There is, after all, some $4,200 in cash circulating for every person in the US, a...
Ep. 58: Income inequality isn’t all bad is it?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-10-20T19:28:40
Democrats often seem obsessed with income and wealth inequality. They blame it for weak economic growth...
Ep. 57: Ideas That Stick— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-10-17T19:36:15
Ever wonder why some ideas stick, become successful technologies, make a lot of money and embed themsel...
Ep. 56: Is The American Dream Alive and Well In Scandinavia?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-10-11T19:54:12
The American dream is a fundamental component of our folklore and our policy goals. Life, liberty, and ...
EP. 55: Jobs Theory with Clayton Christensen— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-10-05T20:20:43
It has been over twenty years since Clayton Christensen proposed the theory of disruptive innovation in...
Ep. 54: Work, Power, and Status in the 21st Century— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-09-28T13:29:45
What will history ultimately record as the most dramatic industrial revolution? Ryan Avent makes his ca...
Ep. 53: Are We Entitled To Entitlement Programs?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-09-19T13:33:35
Entitlement programs, policies fighting discrimination of specific classes of workers such as working p...
Ep. 52: What’s The Value of Pre-K?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-09-06T13:39:09
One pillar of the Democratic platform this election is universal pre-K, lauded by Hillary Clinton, Bern...
Ep. 51: Fixing the Cost of College— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-08-25T14:00:47
We heard a lot this election cycle, from the Democrats especially, about making college education affor...
Ep. 50: America’s ‘Coming Apart’ Election— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-06-30T19:51:47
Is America coming apart? Some days, it certainly seems so. Take the tumultuous 2016 election cycle, and add to it ...
Ep. 49: When Robots Rule the Earth— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-06-13T20:10:51
It is one thing to talk about how robots will change economics, or how they might take our jobs. But how will they...
Ep. 48: Is Big Government Slowing Down Tech Progress?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-06-02T20:35:06
The twenty-first century economy is a rapidly evolving creature. What with automation, driver less cars, drones, a...
Ep. 47: The Political Philosophy of Silicon Valley— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-05-23T15:13:49
Recently quite a lot has been made of the tech world’s involvement in politics — from accusations that social medi...
Ep. 46: Ask What the Robots Can Do for You— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-05-12T15:30:24
Almost 200 years after Mary Shelley made AI an object of fear and awe in Frankenstein, humanity is looking at a pr...
Ep. 45: To Mars and Beyond— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-04-28T15:37:13
Just this week, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, in a series of tweets, announced its plan to reach Mars in unmanned missions by 2018. While NASA has announced its own plan for landing humans there by 2030, Mus...
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Ep. 44: Is the US Really Getting “Trumped” on Trade? — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-04-07T18:38:24
Trade and trade partnerships hit the American public in a big way this past summer in the form of the Trans-Pacifi...
Ep. 43: The Bare Minimum — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-03-29T17:37:48
Earlier this week Californian legislators reached a “Listen
Ep. 42: Hello Larry — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-03-10T19:42:22
Polls show Americans are skeptical about tax cuts, free trade, and may even be warming to socialism (at least in t...
Ep. 41: Handle With Care: China’s Porcelain Economy — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-02-25T19:45:56
China often seems to be the only country that can possibly compete with or overtake the US in economic horsepower....
Ep. 40: Will America’s Slow-growth Economy Ever Get Better?— Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-01-26T20:06:05
Not only is this an historically weak recovery, but there are deeper signs of trouble. A big one: Productivity gro...
Ep. 40: The Hive Mind — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2016-01-05T20:10:47
Is America smart enough? In his new book, Listen
Ep. 39: The Economics of Homelessness — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2015-12-22T20:18:54
Should you give a homeless person money or food, or just keep walking? It’s a quandary many Americans face, especi...
Ep. 38: The Rise of the Robot Economy — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2015-12-17T20:58:20
People joke about the world being taken over by robots. But when someone as high profile as Steven Hawking says “T...
Ep. 37: Inequality and the Middle Class — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2015-12-15T21:04:21
Anyone following the news knows income inequality is at the front of political debate.
New findings from...
Ep. 36: IKEAmerica: Should the US really be more like Sweden? — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2015-11-24T22:08:31
Many “progressive” Democrats, including Hillary Clinton rival Bernie Sanders, argue America should model itself on...
Ep. 35: What Every Conservative (and Liberal too!) Should Know About Taxes — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2015-11-17T22:12:50
With the presidential election season in full swing, candidates in both parties are unveiling sweeping tax reform ...
Ep. 34: What Killed the American Entrepreneur? — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis from 2014-09-26T16:14:49
Where are all the startups? The pace of US business creation has been declining for 30 years, leading to less inno...