Thomas Sowell – Basic Economics

Thomas Sowell has studied and taught economics, intellectual history, and social policy at institutions that include Cornell University, UCLA, and Amherst College. Now a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Sowell has published more than a dozen books, the latest of which is a revised and updated edition of his classic volume, Basic Economics.

Recorded on Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Cast

Thomas Sowell

Thomas Sowell

Related

Limiting Federal Spending Growth to Balance the Budget

Many think that balancing the federal budget would require deep cuts in entitlement programs. This paper shows to the contrary that the budget can be balanced within 15 years through modest and sustained federal spending restraint and moderately higher economic growth. Key to this restraint is to limit the growth in the average future value of entitlement benefits per recipient to today’s level, after adjusting for inflation and rising healthcare costs. 

November 10, 2026

Working Papers

The Anatomy of Capital Returns over the Very Long Run: Germany, 1465–2025

Economics Working Paper 26128

November 6, 2026

Articles

We Know Price Setting Leads To Disaster, But We Still Do It Every Year In Medicare

How do prices work in functioning markets?

November 4, 2026