The Answer Is Transaction Costs

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<p><b>"</b><b><em>The real price of everything is the toil and trouble of acquiring it." </em></b><em>&nbsp;</em>-Adam Smith (WoN, Bk I, Chapter 5)</p><p><br>In which the Knower of Important Things shows how transaction costs explain literally everything. Plus TWEJ,&nbsp; and answers to letters.<br><br>If YOU have questions, submit them to our email at taitc.email@gmail.com&nbsp;<br><br>There are two kinds of episodes here:&nbsp;<br>1. For the most part, episodes June-August are weekly, short (&lt;20 mins), and address a few topics.&nbsp;<br>2. Episodes September-May are longer (1 hour), and monthly, with an interview with a guest.<br><br><br><br>Finally, a quick note:&nbsp; This podcast is NOT for Stacy Hockett. He wanted you to know that.....</p>

Barking Cats: On the "Nature" of Bureaucracy

10 Jun 2025

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Transaction costs are the friction in the gears of society, but the worst transaction costs are the ones that reflect government

Pins: Division of Labor is Limited by Transaction Costs

3 Jun 2025

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Adam Smith's pin factory example from "The Wealth of Nations" demonstrates how dividing labor into specialized tasks dramatically

Commerce and Sociology: Novak on Entangled Political Economy

27 May 2025

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) What happens when we stop seeing politics and markets as separate spheres and start recognizing their deep entanglement? Mikayla

The Paradox of Political Rationality: Lynch

29 Apr 2025

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Why do harmful policies like tariffs keep coming back despite universal condemnation from economists? The answer lies in the

Curation Bubbles, Verification, and the Splintering of Ideology: Green

26 Mar 2025

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) What happens when we no longer consume scarce information through trusted, verified institutions, but instead through an abundance

The Socialist Generation Debate: Boettke

25 Feb 2025

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new)  Join economist Peter Boettke as he discusses how transaction costs impact market efficiency and our everyday decisions. We delve

Transaction Costs and Constitutions: India's Balancing Act, with Shruti Rajagopalan

28 Jan 2025

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) What if transaction costs could shape entire political and economic systems? Join us for an insightful discussion with Shruti

Political Capitalism and the Power of Elites: Randall Holcombe

24 Dec 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) This episode explores the intersection of democracy and capitalism, focusing on the concept of political capitalism and its relation

Prison Gangs and Governance: David Skarbek

19 Nov 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Curious about how the world of prison economics operates? Get ready to uncover a hidden universe with our guest, David Skarbek, a

Certainty, Common Law, and Statutory Law: Todd Zywicki of Scalia Law

22 Oct 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Todd Zywicky, professor at George Mason's Scalia Law School, challenges some conventional legal doctrine, taking up the views of

From Law to Legislation: A Natural Process

30 Sep 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Have you ever wondered how common law rules and market prices both "emerge"? Inspired by the works of James Buchanan, F.A. Hayek,

Why Bosses Don't Wear Bunny Slippers: TAITC

27 Aug 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Ever wondered why firms exist in a market-driven economy? This month's episode promises to unravel this question by diving deep into

Price Gouging or Price Information?

20 Aug 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Can high prices during emergencies actually save lives?  Using North Carolina as an example, we dissect the economic and legal

All Housing is Affordable Housing

13 Aug 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Are housing regulations making affordable homes a pipe dream? We promise you'll gain a deeper understanding of how transaction costs

We Get Letters!

6 Aug 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) What is it that beach parking lots are actually selling? Why do beer bottles cost more than cans? And just what are costs of the

Shibumi! Legit Idea, or Shady Dealings?

30 Jul 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) You can throw shade, but can you own the idea of shade? Shibumi's sunshade has become an essential part of the coastal landscape,

Slavery, Indentured Servitude, and the Problem of Financing Education

23 Jul 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Not everyone realizes that the modern financial system has enabled us to end historical practices such as indentured servitude and

Bees, Oranges, and Externalities: The Answer is Transaction Costs

16 Jul 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Bees and Valencia oranges from my family's farm in rural central Florida provide a snapshot of externalities and transaction costs.

Parking Lots, Transaction Costs of the Price Mechanism, and the Pork Pie Fedora Rogue

9 Jul 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Two seemingly similar parking lots at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, couldn't be more different in the emergent behaviors they

Monkey See, Monkey App! And IP Walks Into a Bar....

2 Jul 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) The method of much of social science is "comparative statics." There's an amazing natura experiment going on, after Hurricane Maria

Baseball, Dollar Dogs, Apple Pie and Transaction Costs

25 Jun 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Why would a baseball stadium limit the number of $1 hot dogs per customer on Dollar Hot Dog Night? Find out as we work on this

Dam Shame: It's not easy being government

18 Jun 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) I have been interested lately in a paper Bill Keech and I were working on a decade ago, It was called "The Anatomy of Government

Corner Crossing Conundrum: Trespassing, Airspace, and Property Rights

11 Jun 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) What if crossing a mere corner of private land could land you in legal hot water? This episode tackles the thorny issue of corner

The Riddle is Transaction Costs: That's What the Money is For!

4 Jun 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Can a single $100 bill solve an entire town's debt crisis? This riddle is a window into transaction costs. I rely on Jeffrey Rogers

From Commons to Coase and Beyond, With Steven Medema

28 May 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) What if understanding the hidden costs in every transaction could revolutionize how we see economics?  Stephen Medema of Duke

Desert Town Dilemmas and the Problem of Property Rights

30 Apr 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new)  We embark on a journey through the lenses of Hume, Smith, and Coase, piecing together the roles of observation and empirical study

Caldwell: Hayek's Intellectual Journey

26 Mar 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Come along on a journey through the corridors of economic history and methodology with our esteemed guest, Bruce Caldwell from the

Making Deals With Shadows: The Economics of Ransomware and Cybersecurity

27 Feb 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) The digital realm is rife with invisible threats, and this episode doesn't shy away from the gritty realities of ransomware and the

Current Event: Smart Grids, DERs, and the Economics of Energy

30 Jan 2024

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Unlock the secrets of the energy market evolution with economist Professor Lynn Kiesling, who brings her expertise on transaction

The 5G Revolution, Huawei Controversy, and Global Trade Dynamics

19 Dec 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) TAITC tries to navigate the complex world of 5G, Huawei, and the telecom revolution with special guest John Pelson, author of the

Permissionless Innovation: Unshackling Potential or Unleashing Chaos?

21 Nov 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) What limits innovation? Is that good? I talk to Adam Thierer, senior fellow at the R Street Institute, exploring the concept of

Neutrality, Security, and Ethereum: the Future of Global Transaction Costs

31 Oct 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Are you intrigued by the transformative potential of blockchain and Ethereum? This conversation with Ryan Berckmans, an Ethereum

Effective Altruism and the Transaction Costs of Maximizing Expected Value

26 Sep 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) A thought-provoking conversation about Effective Altruism (EA) with technologist Ben Goldhaber, as we explore its intersections with

Motives and Morals of Taxes, and an Homage to Bob Barker

29 Aug 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) There are three reasons to impose taxes, it seems: 1. To discourage behavior "we" don't like 2. To raise revenue for things "we"

All You Can Eat, or By the Ounce?

22 Aug 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) There are many different pricing and packaging schemes for serving food in restaurants, and they all seem to coexist. But there are

The Devil Went Down to Grievance: Tuh, Taxes, and HOAs

15 Aug 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Are HOAs an argument for anarchy, or an example of it? Ex post recontracting as a form a of aggression, when the enforcer of

The Red Dots Three, Parsley, and Counting Sheep

8 Aug 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) The listener letter last week asked about the the three "red dots" that are used to identify liquor stores in South Carolina. Turns

Packing Out Your Trash, Brown M&Ms, and $100 Bills on the Sidewalk

1 Aug 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) How do you trade off your own interests against the interests of others? And what role do transaction costs play? A discussion of

Academic Publishing, Talking Frogs, and Nailing Your Head to the Floor

25 Jul 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) What do Monty Python, George Akerlof, and the academic publishing industry have in common? They're all part of the explanation for

Faith and Loyalty through the TC Lens

18 Jul 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Transaction costs can help institutions build loyalty and commitment among their members. Starting with the biblical story of

Lettuce Again, and Lumber

11 Jul 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) How is buying lettuce like buying lumber? Each is idiosyncratic, and has to be sorted. Imposing the sorting costs on the buyer is

Conventional Wisdom, Chesterton Fences, and "Excuse me"

4 Jul 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) (NOTE: SORRY for audio glitch earlier. Fixed now!) BR asks about the economic content of "old sayings." We talk about habits,

Dollar Hot Dogs, Coupons, and Bidding for Wallets

27 Jun 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Last week's letter asked about the role of transaction costs in rationing discounted products, or "sales," like "Dollar Hotdog

Women in Prison, and ALL Costs are Transaction Costs

20 Jun 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Last week's letter asked if charging prices below the "market" price might be rational, but might be an antitrust violation.  The

Dating, Marriage, and the Costs of Search

13 Jun 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Episode 6 takes up the question of "matching," and the transaction costs of dating and marriage.  Some resources:  Ashley

Roads, Public Goods, and Focal Points

6 Jun 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Episode 5: Notes and Sources  Vaughn Baltzly, "Publicized Goods, or the Promiscuity of the Public Goods Argument."

Middlemen: From Mancgere to Amazon

30 May 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Does Starbucks have surge pricing? What is a Mancgere? Should the Stomach go to the Wheat, or should the Wheat come to the

Propriety, Norms, and Traffic Congestion: Episode 3

23 May 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) The third episode for TAITC: First, we take up the question of traffic congestion. Then, does the transaction cost approach have a

Exchange Takes "Place," and the Strange Case of Lettuce

16 May 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) Why would sellers go to a "place" where many others are also selling the same product? Wouldn't it better to go someplace off by

TAITC: Episode 1

9 May 2023

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186249/fan_mail/new) The introductory episode for TAITC: "The Answer is Transaction Costs!"  The new weekly podcast from Duke University's Mike Munger