The Curious Task

Alex Aragona speaks with Mike Munger as he explores what's truly happening when we see rapid price changes during a crisis, and whether suppliers raising their prices in a time of crisis is wrong. References 1. “Is Capitalism Sustainable?” by Michael Munger Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Sustainable-Michael-Munger/dp/1630691739   2. “Three Undeniable Problems with Anti-Gouging Laws” by Mic...

Alex speaks with the Consumer Choice Centre's David Clement about why Canada's marijuana legalization regulations missed the mark, and what government could have done to make legalization work.  References from Episode 38 with David Clement: Here are a few articles by David Clement on marijuana legalization Globe and Mail:  Ottawa is baking a bitter taste into its rules around edibles Globe and Ma...

Alex Aragona chats with Cardus' Ray Pennings as he explores the benefits of more school choice to both students and society, and look at some data to see if, and how, it works.  References from Episode 37 with Ray Pennings: You can check out the Canadian Cardus Survey  here You can read the U.S. Cardus Education Survey 2018  here You can read the Cardus survey on Who Chooses Ontario Independent Sc...

Alex Aragona chats with Jason Brennan's about his response to G.A. Cohen's book and question "Why Not Socialism?" and his thoughts on ideal capitalism. References from Episode 36 with Jason Brennan: You can purchase Jason Brennan’s book Why Not Capitalism on Amazon Canada  here

Alex Aragona speaks with Jesse Walker as they explore whether a human being truly set foot on the moon. References 1. “Rebels on the Air: An Alternative History of Radio in America” by Jesse Walker Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rebels-Air-Alternative-History-America/dp/0814793827   2. “The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory” by Jesse Walker Link: https://www.amazon.ca/United-States-Paran...

Matt Bufton talks with Alex Aragona about the effects the response to COVID-19 will have on freedom, the proper government response to a pandemic, how lifting certain regulations can help, and more.  References from Episode 34 with Matt Bufton: You can read the Atlantic article referenced in the podcast   here You can read more about hand sanitizer regulations being relaxed  here Check out more in...

Alex Aragona speaks with Scott Beyer as he explores the basic tenets of market urbanism and the ideas behind market driven solutions to problems in our communities. References from Episode 33 with Scott Beyer: You can check out Scott’s website The Market Urbanism Report  here You can check out the popular Market Urbanism Report Facebook page  here

Alex Aragona speaks with Jason Sorens as he explores what it takes for a group to secede or gain independence from a state, and whether Alberta could leave Canada. References from Episode 32 with Jason Sorens: You can purchase Jason Sorens’ book on Secessionism on Amazon Canada   here You can listen to Jason Sorens’ appearance on the Danielle Smith show in Alberta  here

Alex Aragona speaks with Christopher Freiman as he explores why you might be happier, and ultimately contribute more to society, if you choose to ignore politics. References from Episode 31 with Chris Freiman: You can purchase Chris Freiman’s book when it’s out   here You can check out the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog  here You can purchase Bryan Caplan’s book ‘The Myth of the Rational Voter’...

Alex Aragona and Adam Bartha discuss whether populism is a threat to liberalism and what political landscapes look like after political realignment. References from Episode 30 with Adam Bartha: You can read Adam’s article referenced in this episode  here You can read Dr. Steven Davies’ article on The Great Realignment  here

Jacob Levy speaks with Alex about how liberals should approach the ideas of freedom of association and civil society, and what that means for the way groups interact with other groups and the state.  References from Episode 29 with Jacob Levy: You can purchase Jacob Levy’s book Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom on Amazon Canada  here You can purchase the book Seeing Like a State by James C. Scot...

Alex Aragona speaks with economist Vincent Geloso about whether we should care about inequality, and how we should approach measuring and understanding it.  References from Episode 28 with Vincent Geloso: For further reading, you can check out this paper written by Vincent Geloso and Steve Horwitz, one of our other previous podcast guests,  here

Alex Aragona speaks with Trevor Burrus as he explores the many ways the drug war has failed drug addicts and society. References from Episode 27 with Trevor Burrus: You can read the article ‘Locked Up and Loaded’ that Alex refers to in this episode that was written by Trevor  here

Alex Aragona speaks with Kevin Vallier about conflicts in politics and how ideology aggravates them, and whether liberal institutions can help us trust each other more. References from Episode 26 with Kevin Vallier: You can purchase Kevin Vallier’s book Must Politics be War  here You can purchase the book Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know here You can purchase From Politics to the Pews  he...

Alex Aragona speaks with Glenn fox as he explores whether environmentalism from a free market perspective creates a contradiction. References from Episode 25 with Glenn Fox: If you have Sage journal subscription, you can read Glenn Fox’s research on this subject in an article  here You can read more about Carl Menger on The Library of Economics and Liberty  here

Alex Aragona talks with Sandy Ikeda as he explores why a city can't be thought of, and specifically designed as, a work of art. References from Episode 24 with Sandy Ikeda You can read an article from Sandy Ikeda entitled What is a city? on the Market Urbanism website  here Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design that Sandy mentioned on the podcast can be purchased on Amazon Canada  here Sandy a...

Alex Aragona talks with Mike Munger as he explores his views on the sustainability of capitalism and the factors that contribute to it. References from Episode 23 with Michael Munger You can order Michael Munger’s book Is Capitalism Sustainable on Amazon Canada  here You can order his book Tomorrow 3.0 on Amazon Canada  here

Alex Aragona talks with Matt Bufton about the future of liberalism (and why it's not as bad as you might think!). References from Episode 22 with Matt Bufton Fear the Boom and the Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Round Two You can purchase a copy of F.A. Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit at Amazon Canada  here You can read F.A. Hayek’s essay The Intellect...

Alex Aragona chats with Alex Tabarrok on this very special Christmas episode of The Curious Task as he explores whether gift giving is inefficient, and if there are better ways to give to others. References from Episode 21 with Alex Tabbarok You can watch a video of Alex Tabbarok and Tyler Cowen discuss gift giving  here Giving to my Wild Self article can be found  here

Alex Aragona speaks with James Stacey Taylor as he makes the case for a market for organs. References from Episode 20 with James Stacey Taylor You can purchase James Stacey Taylor’s book Stakes and Kidneys in Amazon Canada  here

Alex Aragona talks with Lauren Hall as she explores the problems with modern healthcare systems and some of the possible remedies. References from Episode 19 with Lauren Hall: You can read more from Lauren Hall on the subject of rights violations in delivery rooms  here

Alex Aragona speaks with the Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh about why immigration is important to a free society, and the common misconceptions some people have that keep them from being more open to immigration.  References from Episode 18 with Alex Nowrasteh: You can read Alex Nowrasteh’s studies and commentaries on  his page  at the Cato Institute’s website Check out Jens Hainmueller’s paper o...

Alex Aragona chats with Sarah Burns about whether American foreign policy is broken as a result of a breakdown of the separation, and increased centralization, of power.  References from Episode 17 with Sarah Burns: You can buy Sarah Burns’ book The Politics of War Powers: The Theory and History of Presidential Unilateralism  here on Amazon Canada

Alex Aragona chats with Alain Bertaud as he shares his thoughts on how cities truly flourish and how urban planners should approach their role.  References from Episode 16 with Alain Bertaud: You can buy Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities  here on Amazon Canada

Alex Aragona speaks with Jen Dirmeyer as she explores what markets do for us and the different ways they impact our lives. References 1. “The Use of Knowledge in Society” by Freidrich August von Hayek Link: https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/hayek-use-knowledge-society.pdf