In this podcast Russell Roberts, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and EconTalk host, discusses, with James Otteson of Yeshiva University, Adam Smith. The conversation begins with a brief sketch of David Hume and his influence on Smith and then turns to the so-called Adam Smith problem.

Robert Barro, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Paul M. Warburg Professor of Economics at Harvard University, and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, debates, with James Galbraith, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin, what is wrong with the US economy, the effectiveness of fiscal austerity versus stimulus, and ways to spur growth.

Former World Bank chief James D. Wolfensohn and historian Niall Ferguson gave a gloomy assessment of the world economy and said that while the outlook for the U.S. is dim, that for Europe is far worse...

Tom Keene talks about Michael Spence's article, "Why Public Investment".

I'm starting to work on a paper that I'll give at the APEE (Association for Private Enterprise Education) meetings in Cancun in April. The working title for the paper, although I might change it when it comes time to submit to a journal, is "Economic Inequality: When and How Does It Matter?"

Bad government policy has kept the economy caged. Here’s how to spur growth quickly.

George Washington University political science professor Henry Farrell recently wrote a piece titled "Dark Leviathan." He states his case so well that I won't try to paraphrase it. Instead, I'll quote one of the opening paragraphs

Writing last week on the Cato at Liberty blog, Steve Hanke argued that Milton Friedman would have supported the “Audit the Fed” bill recently introduced in the Senate.

Three commenters whom I respect and whose work I respect--John Goodman, Tim Worstall, and Scott Sumner--made critical comments on my most recent blog post, "Fringe Benefits and Stagnating Wages." My basic point is right, but I blew the equilibrium.