Faith and Economics

This week's podcast is a continuation and part 2 of the last show, "E-communist or Economist?" Peter continues going through his paper he wrote on a survey conducted on economists, entitled "New Survey Shows Economists Are Warming Up to Central Planning". In this episode, we describe what is causing economists to shift their beliefs so much in the past 20 years.  Quote of the Cast  "Cult...

This week the Gwartney team talks about a recent article Dr. Peter Jacobsen published for FEE. The article is titled "New Survey Shows Economists Are Warming Up to Central Planning." The show goes through the different survey questions that were brought up in the article. Russ, Peter, and Justin chime in about the changes from 1990 to 2021.  Timeline: We are all socialists? / 1:45 Spend! Taxe...

This week the Gwartney team talks about what has been happening in Canada. The team goes over the current situation of truckers blocking major roads and adding congestion to the city of Ottawa. This is a friendly protest against the vaccine mandates that are happening all around Canada. Some people are upset and some are enjoying the content from the peaceful protest. Hear what the team has to say...

Julia Norgaard joins the Gwartney team this week to talk about the Pope and economics. Julia R. Norgaard received her Ph. D. from George Mason University where she was a Ph. D. fellow at the Mercatus Center and a graduate lecturer. In 2015, she received her master's degree in economics from George Mason University. Dr. Norgaard received her BA in economics with a minor in mathematics from the...

This week the Gwartney team welcomes special guest Tim Hsiao. Tim is the Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at the University of Arkansas Grantham. Tim's areas of specialization are applied ethics, social philosophy, and environmental ethics. Tim has a wonderful article on, "The Moral Case for Gun Ownership," which we found very intriguing. Tim is a concealed carry instructor and mas...

This week the Gwartney team talks about war! Are we on the brink of world war 3? Give a listen to our show to see what the three professors have to say about what is going on between Russia and Ukraine. What is the role of economics during a war?  Timeline: Should the US back Ukraine or back off? / 1:45 Different modes of combat / 5:20 Look out for your clientele government / 9:50 Action...

This week the Gwartney team looks at a topic that Dr. Jacobsen was researching. Peter was looking into what states people are leaving from the most. He noticed that New York, California, and Illinois are the top three states with the highest declining population rate. We discuss the reasons why this might be. Give it a listen to see if you think we got it right.  Timeline: Net Domestic Migrat...

In this week's episode, the Gwartney team takes a look into the future with their early 2022 predictions. What policies do you think are sticking around this year? Russ and Peter discuss what the economy is going to look like in the upcoming year, and my personal favorite is the prediction of who is winning the Super Bowl this year. If you like the show please share it with friends.  Timeline...

This week the Gwartney team talks about Covid policies. Were these policies put into place using cost-benefit thinking or were they politically motivated? Dr. Jacobsen helps us understand James M. Buchanan's thoughts about how to fully understand opportunity costs. Are Christians more likely to not be afraid of the virus? There is a lot in this show that we know you will like, enjoy!

This week the Gwartney team talks about the death penalty. When should the death penalty be used and is it always justified. What are your thoughts on the death penalty? See if your thoughts align with anyone on the Gwartney team. 

This week the team talks about the 'Smash & Grabs' that have happened in the San Fransisco area. We have now seen them happen around the nation but we stick to the big ones happening in SF. We talk about why these thief's are allowed to be doing this with no consequences. Then we get into how we can fix this problem and make it better for everyone. What policies would you consider implementing...

The experience machine or pleasure machine is a thought experiment put forward by philosopher Robert Nozick in his 1974 book Anarchy, State, and Utopia. It is an attempt to refute hedonism by imagining a choice between everyday reality and an apparently preferable simulated reality. The Gwartney team is led through this thought experiment by Dr. Justin Clarke as he explains what Nozick is trying t...

This week's show the Gwartney team talks about the price of gas, and why we keep seeing it rise. The first half is full of what happened to our oil reserves and why prices continually rise higher. The second have of the show gets into inflation. What does this mean for our future with inflation and rising prices of goods? Give the show a listen to see what the team has to say. 

Inspired by Mark Hemingway's article "The Myth Of ‘Fact-Checking’: How Facebook Created The World’s Largest Censorship Operation"

Child labor laws in America have been in the headlines for years. Should they be more strict or should teenagers be allowed to work and gain experience? What about child labor laws in other countries, what can we do about those? Give a listen to this week's podcast and listen to what the Gwartney team has to say about child labor.  Timeline: Addressing the Narrative - 3:40 Cutting the Pie - 6...

This week the Gwartney team talks about free will. There was a three-part series that we did previous to Peter joining the team, so we wanted to hear his thoughts. Justin gives us a little background on who a determinist is, a free will advocate, and then who are the compatibilists? What does God have to do with all of this? Enjoy the show! Timeline: Deterministic - 2:15 Compatibilists - 4:30 Illu...

This week the Gwartney team talks about the map and territory distinction. Why are we talking about maps and territory on the show? Well, it is actually quite important. Are there people out there trying to change the maps to make the territory look different. Give a listen to what the team has to say about this distinction and why it might be very important today.  Timeline: Look at the terr...

In this week's episode, the Gwartney team talks about some moral requirements we might have. Justin brings up moral acts that are supererogatory. Supererogatory is the technical term for the class of actions that go “beyond the call of duty.” Roughly speaking, supererogatory acts are morally good although not (strictly) required. Although common discourse in most cultures allows for such acts and...

The Gwartney Institute talks about Robert Nozick's, the Tale of the Slave! Join the team as Justin guides us through Nozick's writing to discover how free we humans truly are. Click the link to follow along! https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil215/Nozick.pdf  Timeline:  No Longer Tale of the Slave? - 9:00 We Are Slaves - 17:45 Is Free-er better? - 21:05 Freedom Within Constraints...

This week the Gwartney team talks about China's social credit scoring system. We recently went to a presentation in Witchita, KS where we saw Abigail Devereaux talk about this social credit system. She highlights the dangers of a social credit system and why it shouldn't be used in a centralized way. Private rating systems help us make great decisions, but this social credit system attacks freedom...

The Gwartney team talks about debt and deficits on this week's show. Should we be concerned with where the national debt is currently? What can we do to help get us out of this problem? Listen to find out! Timeline: Social Debt is Ok- 5:15 Tools of Government- 9:00 Laffer Curve- 9:50 Looking for Free Money- 20:35 The exodus of People- 23:30 Vulkar- 26:00 These People are People- 31:10 Quote of the...

The Gwartney team wants to welcome Chris Coyne to the show this week! This week the team talks to Chris about his book, Manufacturing Militarism. Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall detail how military propaganda has targeted Americans since 9/11. From the darkened cinema to the football field to the airport screening line, the U.S. government has purposefully inflated the actual threat of te...

This week the Gwartney team talks about two different thought experiments brought up by Dr. Justin Clarke on Abortion. These thought experiments run through the first and second half of the show. The team then analyzes each of the arguments brought up by the experiment to see which one is better in comparison. The first thought experiment is Judith Jarvis Thomson's, A Defence of Abortion. The seco...

In this episode, the Gwartney team takes a look at some Classical Liberal priors. This article by Donald J. Boudreaux discusses his personal 20 priors that play a significant role in discussions of society and economics. The team goes through the second 10 in this episode discussing how we feel about each one. If you would like to read each prior as we go along with them the link is below: https:/...

In this episode the Gwartney team takes a look at some Classical Liberal priors. This article by Donald J. Boudreaux discusses his personal 20 priors that play a significant role in discussions of society and economics. The team goes through the first 10 in this episode discussing how we feel about each one. If you would like to read each prior as we go along with them the link is below: https://w...