Faith and Economics

Thank you for listening to our 50th episode! This week we share a debate sponsored by the Gwartney Institute featuring Dr. Levi Russell and Dr. Justin Clarke. Should all drugs be legal? After listening to the debate, tell us what you think! info@gwartneyinstitute.org

The crew engages in a wide-ranging discussion of the cooperative business form. History, policy, efficiency, and comportment with Biblical lessons are all discussed. Show notes: Small is Still Beautiful by Joseph Pearce Mondragon Cenex Harvest States Ace Hardware

This week we interviewed Dr. P.J. Hill, Senior Fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center and Professor Emeritus of Economics at Wheaton College. What can economics tell us about being good stewards of God's creation? Dr. Hill's Site

This week we discuss an article review written by Gwartney Institute Graduate Assistant Jacob Maichel for our blog. The article discusses the notion that many modern inventions profit from our addictive impulses and that, allegedly, the profit motive enhances this suboptimal situation. Should we be concerned? What are the moral issues at play? Limbic Capitalism: Article Review

The crew discusses the role of social media and smart phones in the recent decline in labor productivity. Do smart phones provide a net benefit to our productivity or are they partly to blame for reductions in our productivity growth over the past 10 years? Show notes: Labor Productivity Article B.S. Jobs - NPR

Professor Justin Clark joins the regular crew to discuss an important philosophical topic: subjectivity in economics. How do philosophers understand the term "subjective" with regard to economics? How do markets play into our ability to apprehend the value of things? Show notes: Why God Has Created Us to Value Different Things - Dr. Anne Bradley

We interview Professor Tony Gill about his work on the issue of tipping. Why do people give tips to service employees? Why don't employers just pay them more? How do we understand the morality of the institution of tipping? "The Political Origins of Religious Liberty" by Dr. Tony Gill Brief op ed on Dr. Gill's article Dr. Gill's article on tipping Anti-Tipping video Humanomics - Vernon Smith Verno...

The crew discuss the economics and morality of recycling. Is recycling a good idea? Should it be subsidized? Is recycling local-only or does it cross national boundaries? Links: NPR story mentioned by Russ Popular Mechanics article Mises Institute article 1 Mises Institute article 2 China bars U.S. recycling

The crew discusses the economic and moral implications of the federal government's choice to move the USDA's Economic Research Service and National Institute for Food and Agriculture to the Kansas City area. What does this move mean for USDA-ERS and -NIFA employees? Their work? Will the public benefit from this move?

Russ and Levi discuss the difficulty of participation in evil. Is it wrong to buy products from people who do horrible things? If we invest in companies that do bad things, are we guilty of their bad actions? Cooperation in Evil Chart

The crew tackles the issue of tithing from the perspectives of faith, economics, and community. Are Christians obligated to give a tenth of their income? What economic circumstances make giving difficult or easy?

The whole crew discusses automation and technological change and how economic policy should address these issues. Tucker Carlson on Ben Shapiro's Sunday Special

Russ, Levi, and Jacyn discuss the prohibition of work on the Sabbath and how we can apply it to our lives. What types of work are prohibited? How should we set economic policy consistent with this commandment? The Sunday Rest video

Russ and Levi interview the President of Ottawa University's home campus on his faith, work, and the history of Zimbabwe. Reggies' charisma and experience as an academic, pastor, and administrator shine through the interview. You will love this one!

The whole team has an informative conversation on Dave Ramsey's personal finance philosophy and tactics. Russ, who teaches a personal finance course here at Ottawa University, explains Ramsey's system and the rest of the crew ask questions.

Note: This episode was recorded on June 3, 2019 Russ and Levi discuss the trade war between President Trump and the Chinese government over the past 9 months. Are tariffs a good idea from a financial and economic perspective? How should we think about the ethical concerns with tariffs from a Christian perspective? CNBC report on tariff impacts

Russ and Levi interview Dr. Randall Holcombe of Florida State University. Dr. Holcombe discusses the concepts in his recent book Political Capitalism . Do we live in a free market economy? How does the government interact with the profitability of businesses in the U.S.? Check out our interview and Dr. Holcombe's book for more information!

Russ and Levi interview Dr. Jim Gwartney, our institute's namesake. This is a wide-ranging discussion on Jim's life, experience at Ottawa University, and his opinions on the state of the world economy. Common Sense Economics book

Russ and Levi interview Dr. Vernon Smith, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. Dr. Smith discusses his faith and its impact on his views on economics and social behavior.

Dr. Anne Bradley of the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics joins us to discuss income inequality. What should Christians think about income inequality? Is it a pernicious threat or an inevitable and benign characteristic of a free society?

Russ and Levi discuss the economic and political costs and benefits of federalism in our own time. We draw on the Christian concept of subsidiarity to examine the ethical implications of devolving Federal power to the states!

Levi and Russ discuss the concept of the universal destination of goods. What are the limits of property rights? How do we understand moral obligations to help others financially? Show Notes Faith and Economics - Federal Food Programs: Efficiency and Ethics Faith and Economics - Universal Basic Income The Religious Roots of Modern Poverty Policy Lecture by Edward Feser Blog article by Jacyn Dawes

Russ and Levi discuss tariff policy and the costs associated with recent tariffs designed to protect American jobs. How should we evaluate the costs and benefits of tariffs? 

Drs. Maria Pia Paganelli, Derek Yonai, and Michael Thomas join us to discuss Adam Smith's body of work and its implications for the place of economics in social science today.

We dig into the mailbag for this episode! How do economists understand government debt? Can this understanding inform our ethical views of debt? Show Notes: U S Debt Clock Dr. Bob Murphy on Intergenerational Debt Burdens