Economics Explored

David Graeber's BS jobs thesis (previously covered in EP95) lacks microeconomic foundations, according to Dr Nicholas Gruen. In EP97, Economics Explored host Gene Tunny speaks with Nicholas about BS jobs and also about Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Nicholas is a big believer in the potential of CBDC, which he has written about in the Financial Times.  About Dr Nicholas Gruen Dr Nicholas Gr...

Rachel Nolan, a former Queensland Government finance minister, speaks with Economics Explored host Gene Tunny about how government budgets are developed and just how much flexibility governments actually have. Rachel Nolan is Executive Director of the McKell Institute and is an honorary Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Queensland. Rachel was a member of the Queensland Parliament...

Is it possible that a large proportion of jobs in advanced economies such as the US, UK, and Australia are mostly BS or pointless, as the late David Graeber who was an Anthropology Professor at LSE, suggested in his 2018 book BS Jobs ? Economics Explored host Gene Tunny discusses the controversial thesis of BS Jobs with his Adept Economics colleague Tim Hughes. Links related to the conversation in...

While the internet and social media have badly affected traditional media, they have led to the emergence of a rapidly growing new media or independent media sector. For instance, leading podcaster Joe Rogan was reportedly paid $100 million to move his hugely popular podcast to Spotify. And independent journalists like Matt Taibi, Bari Weiss, and Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti are making decent li...

Economics Explored host Gene Tunny and Dr Brendan Markey-Towler discuss the theory of public choice, which assumes  politicians and bureaucrats are self-interested and pursue their own agendas. They consider what this means for the growth of government and the types of political institutions we should have.  Please send any comments or questions to contact@economicsexplored.com  

A conversation on how nuclear energy can provide zero-carbon, reliable energy, and why it should potentially be considered as a key part of the world's response to climate change. A discussion between Economics Explored host Gene Tunny and Adept Economics Research Officer Ben Scott.  Links relevant to the conversation include: Does nuclear energy have a future in Australia? What’s going on with th...

David Johnson of Stanford speaks about his work and teaching on Negotiation and Design Thinking (e.g. David's Stanford course Negotiation by Design: Applied Design Thinking for Negotiators ). David provides some great insights into how design thinking can help improve our negotiating skills. As part of this discussion, host Gene Tunny and David reflect on how better negotiating skills, gained thro...

Professor Douglas Allen from Simon Fraser University, Canada has concluded COVID lockdowns have been the greatest peacetime policy failure in Canada's history. Professor Allen speaks with Economics Explored host Gene Tunny in this episode of Economics Explored . Links relevant to the conversation include: Professor Allen's Lockdown CBA for Canada Economist: Lockdowns ‘Greatest Peacetime Policy Fai...

A conversation on just how worried we should be about future inflation in this time of MMT and QE between Economics Explored host Gene Tunny and returning guest Darren Brady Nelson , chief economist of the Australian libertarian think tank LibertyWorks and a policy adviser to the Heartland Institute. Charts of data referred to in this episode: Charts on CPI, money supply, US 10 year bond yield, an...

Dr Brendan Markey-Towler returns to the program to speak about the important insights of Evolutionary Economics, which owes a lot to Joseph Schumpeter's perspective on economic growth emphasising creative destruction. Brendan is the co-author of the 2020 book Economics of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Internet, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain , published by Routledge. He has a PhD in Eco...

Economics Explored host Gene Tunny discusses saving and investing for retirement with Sarah Holden, Senior Director of Retirement & Investor Research at the Investment Company Institute ( ICI ). ICI is the leading association representing regulated funds globally, including US mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Sarah has a Ph. D. in economics and has studied retirement trends and polic...

Economics Explored host Gene Tunny talks about the big challenge of decarbonizing economies to respond to climate change. Among other issues he considers the uncertainty around the impacts of climate change, the future of coal, and optimal policy responses to climate change.  Relevant links include: A Study of Long-term Global Coal Demand by Queensland Treasury Structural Adjustment Policies Becom...

Discusses the requirements and process for the development of public infrastructure business cases in Australia, with a case study of a current business case process relating to an irrigation dam which program host Gene Tunny is involved in. While Australian examples are used, the insights and lessons are relevant internationally. In many respects, Australian processes and requirements for develop...

A conversation on economics and religion, including on whether Jesus was a socialist and whether religion influences economic growth. Economics Explored host Gene Tunny speaks with Darren Brady Nelson , Chief Economist of LibertyWorks, an Australian libertarian think tank, and a policy advisor to the Heartland Institute. Links related to the conversation Darren's articles on religion and economics...

Cities such as Portland, USA are pushing back against NIMBYism and embracing medium-density development, the so-called Missing Middle Housing, while others such as Brisbane, Australia, are discouraging it. Economics Explored host Gene Tunny speaks with Australian urban planning expert Natalie Rayment about the economic and social costs and benefits of urban planning/zoning rules.  About this episo...

Economics Explored host Gene Tunny speaks with Professor Gigi Foster of the University of NSW about her research on female breadwinning, where a woman earns more than her male partner.  What does female breadwinning mean for relationship satisfaction and longevity? Does thinking about partnership formation as taking place in a market help us understand relationship choices and dynamics? About this...

In a March 2021 Financial Times article Dr Nicholas Gruen proposed an independent fiscal policy advisory body so that fiscal policy is freed from political tinkering. Economics Explored host Gene Tunny speaks with Dr Gruen about his proposal in this episode.  Dr Gruen is CEO of Lateral Economics and a Visiting Professor at King's College, London.  He has advised Australian Government Ministers, in...

Brisbane, Australia looks set to host the 2032 Olympics. It's claimed there's a new model for delivering Olympics which will mean the host city will actually benefit from it. But can the claims be believed particularly given the experience of previous host cities such as Montreal and London, and when there are secret meetings of the City Council to finalise the bid? Economics Explored host Gene Tu...

One year on from when many countries started imposing tough COVID-19 control measures, Economics Explored host Gene Tunny asks eminent Australian finance Professor Peter Swan whether lockdowns pass a cost-benefit analysis test. Professor Swan says he stands by his view expressed last year that they do not. Listen to this episode to hear why Prof. Swan believes this is so. About this episode's gues...

What is Anarcho-capitalism? And what would a libertarian analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic tell us? Economics Explored host Gene Tunny has a thought-provoking conversation with Loyola University's Professor Walter Block, whose Wikipedia entry describes him as "an American Austrian School economist and anarcho-capitalist theorist . "  Regarding anarcho-capitalism check out Walter's books: The Priva...

A conversation on the importance of the Treasury department to government and economic management. Economics Explored host Gene Tunny speaks with Paul Tilley about his 2019 book Changing Fortunes: A History of the Australian Treasury . Paul Tilley was an economic adviser to governments for 32 years, working at senior levels in all parts of Treasury, as well as other key agencies such as the Depart...

QUT's Dr Stephen Whyte speaks with Economics Explored host Gene Tunny about insights from behavioural economics and science regarding COVID responses.  Stephen is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Behavioural Economics in the School of Economics & Finance, QUT. His research focus explores large scale decision making in mate choice settings. His work takes a multi-disciplinary approach in studying...

Economics Explored host Gene Tunny discusses the US Fed's new approach to inflation targeting with Michael Knox, the Chief Economist of leading Australian wealth management firm Morgans.  The approach implies the Fed will allow the economy to run hot for a while during the recovery from the pandemic recession. The conversation revolves around Michael's recent note: The Fed - Allowing the economy t...

Economics Explored host Gene Tunny is joined by Darren Brady Nelson of LibertyWorks and the Heartland Institute to discuss the economics of industry assistance or so-called corporate welfare. Gene and Darren also consider the concept of crony capitalism.  This episode’s topic was prompted by an interview request host Gene Tunny had from an Australian ABC journalist regarding the Australian Governm...

A conversation on fiscal stimulus and the government spending multiplier with Professor Fabrizio Carmignani , Dean (Academic) of Griffith Business School. Fabrizio and Economics Explored host Gene Tunny discuss:  how the size of the multiplier (and the degree of crowding out) varies with the state of the economy; how vouchers might be a more effective stimulus than cash handouts; how governments r...