EconTalk
EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford's Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it's like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, and more. EconTalk has been taking the Monday out of Mondays since 2006. All 900+ episodes are available in the archive. Go to EconTalk.org for transcripts, related resources, and comments.
Seiko, Swatch, and the Swiss Watch Industry (with Aled Maclean-Jones)
16 Feb 2026
How did an industry survive a technology that should have made it obsolete? Aled Maclean-Jones explains to EconTalk's Russ Roberts how Japanese quartz watches nearly wiped out Swiss watchmaking with
A Military Analysis of Israel's War in Gaza (with Andrew Fox)
9 Feb 2026
What does war look like when fought under the harshest scrutiny? Veteran soldier and military researcher Andrew Fox talks about his first-hand experience in Gaza with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. He and
How to Flourish (with Daniel Coyle)
2 Feb 2026
Author Daniel Coyle talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts on the art of flourishing: why it's a natural phenomenon rather than mechanical; how taking life's "yellow doors"--or detours from a straight,
Zionism, the Melting Pot, and the Galveston Project (with Rachel Cockerell)
26 Jan 2026
What happens when a writer discovers her "boring" great-grandfather was actually a household name across the Russian Empire who helped 10,000 Jews escape to Texas? Rachel Cockerell's The Melting
Nature, Nurture, and Identical Twins (with David Bessis)
19 Jan 2026
Are your genes your destiny? Despite famous studies of identical twins that seem to answer in the affirmative, mathematician David Bessis says: Not so fast. He and EconTalk's Russ Roberts take a deep
The Mattering Instinct (with Rebecca Newberger Goldstein)
12 Jan 2026
Philosopher and author Rebecca Newberger Goldstein discusses her new book, The Mattering Instinct, which argues that our lives are a quest to validate our inherent self-centeredness. Tracing this
Conversation, Interintellect, and Arcadia (with Anna Gat)
5 Jan 2026
If technology is ruining the art of conversation, maybe it can save it, too. Anna Gat--poet, screenwriter, playwright, and founder of Interintellect--talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts on how she's
In Defense of Intuition (with Gerd Gigerenzer)
29 Dec 2025
Psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer explains the power of intuition, how intuition became gendered, what he thinks Kahneman and Tversky's research agenda got wrong, and why it's a mistake to place intuition
David Deutsch on the Pattern
22 Dec 2025
A world-class physicist makes a shocking claim: across 2,500 years and every kind of society, there has been a recurring moral exception carved out just for Jews--the idea that hurting Jews is, in
Free Will Is Real (with Kevin Mitchell)
15 Dec 2025
Are we truly characters with agency, or are we just playing out our programming in the great video game of life? Contrary to those in his field who claim that free will is an illusion, neuroscientist
Colonialism, Slavery, and Foreign Aid (with William Easterly)
8 Dec 2025
Can the promise of economic progress ever justify conquest, coercion, and control over other people’s lives? Economist William Easterly joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to argue no--and to rethink
The Perfect Tuba: How Band, Grit, and Community Build a Better Life (with Sam Quinones)
1 Dec 2025
Journalist and author Sam Quinones talks about his newest book, The Perfect Tuba: Forging Fulfillment from the Brass Horn, Band, and Hard Work with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. Known for his reporting
The Status Game (with Will Storr)
24 Nov 2025
Will Storr talks about his book The Status Game with EconTalk host Russ Roberts, exploring how our deep need for respect and recognition shapes our behavior. The conversation delves into how we
The Wonder of the Emergent Mind (with Gaurav Suri)
17 Nov 2025
How is your brain like an ant colony? They both use simple parts following simple rules which allows the whole to be so much more than the sum of the parts. Listen as neuroscientist and author Gaurav
Shampoo, Property Rights, and Civilization (with Anthony Gill)
10 Nov 2025
Why is it okay to take the little shampoo bottles in hotels home with you but not the towels? And what stops people from taking the towels? Listen as political scientist Anthony Gill discusses the
Primal Intelligence (with Angus Fletcher)
3 Nov 2025
What do Shakespeare, Hollywood storytelling, and military special operations have in common? They all excel at inventing new plans, or improvising when we're facing radical uncertainty. Listen as
A Mind-Blowing Way of Looking at Math (with David Bessis)
27 Oct 2025
What if math isn't about grinding through equations, but about training your intuition and changing how your brain works? Mathematician and author David Bessis tells EconTalk's Russ Roberts that the
Twenty Years of Freakonomics (with Stephen Dubner)
20 Oct 2025
Quantitative, contrarian, and nuanced: these are the hallmarks of the Freakonomics approach. Hear journalist and podcaster Stephen Dubner speak with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the 20th anniversary
The Magic of Tokyo (with Joe McReynolds)
13 Oct 2025
What drives the seeming relentless dynamism of Tokyo? Is there something special about Japanese culture? Joe McReynolds, co-author of Emergent Tokyo, argues that the secret to Tokyo's energy and
The Invisible Hierarchies that Rule Our World (with Toby Stuart)
6 Oct 2025
Status isn't fixed; it's transferred and "bestowed," shaping who gets resources, attention, and opportunity. So argues author Toby Stuart of UC Berkeley in his book, Anointed. He and EconTalk's Russ
Don Boudreaux on Law and Legislation
11 Dec 2006
Don Boudreaux of George Mason University talks about the fundamental principles of economics and civilization: spontaneous order and law. Drawing on volume one of Friedrich Hayek's classic, Law,
Bryan Caplan on Discrimination and Labor Markets
4 Dec 2006
Bryan Caplan and Russ Roberts discuss the economics of discrimination and government's regulation of labor markets. They talk about the role of the profit motive in reducing or eliminating
Virginia Postrel on Style
27 Nov 2006
Author and journalist Virginia Postrel talks about how business competes for customers using style and beauty, going beyond price and the standard measures of quality. She looks at the role of
Stanley Engerman on Slavery
21 Nov 2006
Stanley Engerman of the University of Rochester talks about slavery throughout world history, the role it played (or didn't play) in the Civil War and the incentives facing slaves and slave owners.
Sam Peltzman on Regulation
13 Nov 2006
Sam Peltzman of the University of Chicago talks about his views on safety, regulation, unintended consequences and the political economy of bad regulation. The focus is on his pioneering studies of
Richard Thaler on Libertarian Paternalism
6 Nov 2006
Richard Thaler of the U. of Chicago Graduate School of Business defends the idea of libertarian paternalism--how government might use the insights of behavioral economics to help citizens make better
Clint Bolick Defends Judicial Activism
31 Oct 2006
Clint Bolick, co-founder of the Institute for Justice and President of the Alliance for School Choice makes the case for judicial activism. He and Russ Roberts discuss school choice, interstate wine
Skip Sauer on the Economics of Moneyball
23 Oct 2006
Skip Sauer of Clemson University and Russ Roberts discuss the economics of Michael Lewis's Moneyball. Lewis claims that the Oakland As found an undervalued asset--the ability of a baseball player to
Walter Williams on Life, Liberty and Economics
16 Oct 2006
Professor, Radio Host, and Syndicated Columnist Walter Williams of George Mason University talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about his early days as an economist, his controversial view of the Civil
Larry Iannaccone on the Economics of Religion
9 Oct 2006
Larry Iannaccone of George Mason University talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the economics of religion. Iannaccone explains why Americans are more religious than Europeans, why Americans
Michael Munger on Private vs. Public Risk-Taking
3 Oct 2006
Mike Munger and Russ Roberts discuss the differences between public and private risk-taking. Their conversation includes the history of Honda, the Apple computer and even the use of turkey carcasses
Darius Lakdawalla on the Economics of Obesity
25 Sep 2006
Russ Roberts talks with Darius Lakdawalla of Rand and the National Bureau of Economic Research on the economics of obesity, how much fatter are Americans and why. How much is due to the spread of
Ed Glaeser on the Economics of Paternalism
18 Sep 2006
Economist Ed Glaeser of Harvard University talks with host Russ Roberts about the dangers of soft paternalism--various forms of government regulation that fall short of outright bans or taxes but
Richard Epstein on Legislators vs. Wal-Mart
11 Sep 2006
Russ Roberts and Richard Epstein discuss the attempts to use legislation to handicap Wal-Mart. They also discuss the evolution of the union movement and the constitutionality of various legislative
Milton Friedman on Capitalism and Freedom
4 Sep 2006
Russ Roberts talks to Milton Friedman about the radical ideas he put forward almost 50 years ago in Capitalism and Freedom. Listen to the most influential economist of the past 50 years discuss the
Milton Friedman on Money
28 Aug 2006
Russ Roberts talks with Milton Friedman about his research and views on inflation, the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke, and what the future holds.
The Political Economy of Power
14 Aug 2006
Russ Roberts talks with Hoover Institution and NYU political scientist Bruce Bueno de Mesquita about his theory of political power--how dictators and democratically elected leaders respond to the
Chris Anderson and the Long Tail
7 Aug 2006
Russ Roberts talks with Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine about the ideas in his new book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More. Topics include the weird world of internet
John Cogan on Improving the Health Care System
31 Jul 2006
Russ Roberts talks with Stanford University's John Cogan about what's wrong with America's health care system and how to make it right.
Making Schools Better: A Conversation with Rick Hanushek
24 Jul 2006
Russ Roberts and Rick Hanushek, of Stanford University, talk about why the standard reforms such as more spending or better educated teachers have failed and what needs to be done in the future.
Robert Barro on Growth
17 Jul 2006
Russ Roberts interviews Robert Barro, Harvard University Professor and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow, on the economics of growth, what the developed world can do to help poor people around the
An Interview with Gary Becker
10 Jul 2006
Russ Roberts interviews Gary Becker, of the University of Chicago, on the challenges of being an intellectual maverick, the economic approach to human behavior, the influences of Adam Smith and
Michael Munger on Giving Away Money: An Economist's Guide to Political Life
23 Jun 2006
Mike Munger, of Duke University, and Russ Roberts talk about the economics of politics, rent-seeking, lobbying and the sometimes perverse incentives of the political world.
Russ Roberts on Intermittent Explosive Disorder: Mental Illness or Made-Up Malady?
16 Jun 2006
Russ Roberts looks at the economics and science of intermittent explosive disorder--violent rage out of proportion to its cause. Was the recent study that discovered this problem good science or
Richard Epstein on the Economics of Organ Donation
5 Jun 2006
Richard Epstein, law professor at the University of Chicago, and Russ Roberts discuss the market for kidneys. Should people be allowed to buy and sell kidneys? How might a market for kidneys actually
Alex Tabarrok on the Economics of Medical Malpractice
30 May 2006
Alex Tabarrok of George Mason U. and Russ Roberts talk about medical malpractice, why insurance premiums vary by state, price gouging by insurance companies, the politics of being a judge and an idea
Don Cox on the Economics of Inheritance
4 May 2006
Don Cox of Boston College and Russ Roberts discuss the economics of inheritance, estates and the family. They look at how parents divide their time and money between their children and our concerns
Skip Sauer on the Economics of Sports
18 Apr 2006
Skip Sauer of Clemson University and Russ Roberts talk about the economic impact of sports stadiums, how to create incentives in baseball, football and soccer, and the virtues and failings of
Michael Munger on Ticket Scalping and Opportunity Cost
10 Apr 2006
Michael Munger of Duke University talks with Russ Roberts about the economics of ticket scalping, examining our reactions to free and found goods, gifts, e-Bay, value in use vs. value in exchange,
Don Cox on the Economics of Parenting
16 Mar 2006
Don Cox of Boston College talks with Russ Roberts about how creating incentives can ease daily life with toddlers and young children.