The Curious Task

Alex Salter dives into Federal Reserve policies during the pandemic, what it got right and wrong, and what the lasting impacts will be. References from The Curious Task Episode 89 with Alex Salter Alex Salter is the co-author of Money and the Rule of Law along with Peter Boettke and Daniel Smith. His book can be purchased from Amazon  here. To read more about the Federal Reserve’s actions during t...

Dan and Sabine discuss their newest policy brief with the Mercatus Center, and what changes they'd like to see to Canadian and American immigration policy as it relates to movement between the two countries. References from The Curious Task Episode 88 with Dan Griswold & Sabine El-Chidiac The policy brief co-authored by Daniel Griswold and Sabine El-Chidiac titled “Deepen Us-Canada Ties with a...

Alex Aragona explores standard readings of Lockean property rights theories with Bas van der Vossen, and then explore Bas' idea on what might be missing from these traditional understandings and interpretations.  References from The Curious Task Episode 87 with Bas van der Vossen Bas van der Vossen explores the historical entitlement theory, including some of the points he included in his presenta...

Alex Aragona speaks with Matt Warner as he explores the dilemma that outsiders face when trying to do good for others, and why local knowledge is so important.  References from Episode 86 with Matt Warner Matt Warner is the author of, Poverty and Freedom: Case Studies on Global Economic Freedom, which can be purchased from Amazon Canada  here . Eric Beinhocker’s book, The Origin of Wealth, was men...

Alex Aragona speaks with Paul Robinson about whether Russia is trying to meddle with Western democracy, and if he thinks the recommended solutions might be worse than the alleged threat. References from Episode 85 with Paul Robinson You can listen to Paul Robinson speak about military intervention on The Curious Task Paul Robinson regularly writes on his blog Irrussianality, which you can read onl...

Alex Aragona speaks with Scott Scheall as he explores how the knowledge problem and other epistemological considerations must be considered before political incentives. References from Episode 84 with Scott Scheall Scott Scheall is the author of the book, F. A. Hayek and the Epistemology of Politics: The Curious Task of Economics, which can be purchased from Routledge  at this link . You can read...

Alex Aragona speaks with Shikha Dalmia about minority groups as defenders of rights and freedoms, and the North American libertarian movement during and after Donald Trump's presidency. References from Episode 83 with Shikha Dalmia You can read Shikha’s articles published at Reason Foundation  here  and her articles in The Week  here .  Here  are some statistics of the the share of votes for Donal...

Alex Aragona chats with Art Carden as he explains the kind of deal we need to make if we want to see great prosperity. References from Episode 82 with Art Carden Art Carden is the co-author of the book, Leave Me Alone and I’ll Make You Rich, with Deirdre McCloskey, which is available on Amazon Canada  at this link (Kindle Edition and Hardcover) . Art references Shylock from  The Merchant of Venice...

Alex Aragona speaks with Erik Kimbrough as he explores the role social norms, groups, and other factors play in our decision making processes. References from Episode 81 with Erik Kimbrough You can find a list of Erik’s work  here , or on  SSRN  and  RePEc  ( Erik Kimbrough ), some of which were quoted during this episode and formed the basis of discussion. These include Erik’s discussions on norm...

Alex Aragona chats with Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski as they explore the policies that can hurt businesses, and their work on the Doing Business North America index. References from Episode 80 with Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski Ross Emmett and Stephen Slivinski are directors of the Doing Business North America project. Their 2020 report forms the basis of this episode and can be found at thei...

Alex Aragona speaks with Peter Jaworski as he explores his definition of libertarianism, and how different kinds of morality can lead to certain conclusions about libertarian institutions. References from Episode 79 with Peter Jaworski Peter Jaworski is the co-author of the book, Markets without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests, which is available for purchase on Amazon Canada  at th...

Alex Aragona speaks with Sandra Peart as she traces the life of John Stuart Mill and explores some of the key pillars of his thinking. References from Episode 78 with Sandra Peart Sandra Peart is the author of  Towards an Economics of Natural Equals: A Documentary History of the Early Virginia School ,  Escape from Democracy: The Role of Experts and the Public in Economic Policy , and the Essentia...

Alex Aragona speaks with James Tooley as he retells some of his experiences discovering quality private education solutions in poorer communities, and how they compared to the government's offerings. References from Episode 77 with James Tooley The E. G. West Centre at Newcastle University is the namesake of economist E. G. West.  This page  will direct listeners to his various articles and report...

Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Horwitz as he explores what drives human progress, and why the market is so crucial to that. References from Episode 76 with Steve Horwitz Steve Horwitz is the author of Austrian Economics: An Introduction; Microfoundations and Macroeconomics: An Austrian Perspective; Monetary Evolution, Free Banking, and Economic Order; and Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalis...

Alex Aragona speaks with Clark Neily as he explores the causes of America's policing problems, and policies that may fix them. References 1. “Terms of Engagement: How Our Courts Should Enforce the Constitution’s Promise of Limited Government” by Clark M. Neily Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Terms-Engagement-Enforce-Constitutions-Government/dp/1594036969   2. “A Libertarian Vision for Criminal Justice...

It's our 2020 roundup episode! Alex Aragona chats with Matt Bufton and Sabine El-Chidiac about topics and ideas surrounding liberalism in the past year, and choose their favourite Curious Task episodes from 2020. References from Episode 74 with Sabine El-Chidiac and Matt Bufton Matt mentions the 1992 Los Angeles riots stemming from the police brutality against Rodney King. An article on these inci...

Alex Aragona speaks with Mike Tanner as he explores the factors that contribute to the persistence of poverty, and different policy recommendations that can help alleviate it. References from Episode 73 with Mike Tanner Mike Tanner is the author of  Going for Broke: Deficits, Debt, and the Entitlement Crisis ,  Leviathan on the Right: How the Rise of Big Government Conservatism Threatens Our Freed...

Alex Aragona speaks with Janet Bufton as she explores where and how the tenets of classical liberalism come into play for those who call themselves libertarians. References from Episode 72 with Janet Bufton Janet Bufton manages the  Liberal Studies Guides project  and is a consultant at  Adam Smith Works , whose websites have been hyperlinked. You can read more about Adam Smith’s thoughts on a sys...

Alex Aragona speaks with David Skarbek as he explores the different governance structures that prisoners live under and create in prisons around the world. References from The Curious Task Episode 71 with David Skarbek You can purchase The Puzzle of Prison Order by David Skarbek He looks specifically at the American prison system in his earlier book The Social Order of the Underworld, which is ava...

Alex Aragona speaks with Mustafa Akyol as he explores whether Islam can be compatible with liberalism, and his recent research on freedom in Muslim-majority countries. References from Episode 70 with Mustafa Akyol Mustafa Akyol is the author of Rethinking the Kurdish Question: What Went Wrong, What Next? (Turkish),  Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case For Liberty ,  The Islamic Jesus: How the Ki...

Alex Aragona speaks with Kevin Vallier as he explores the different tenets of political and social polarization, and whether the divisions we're seeing today can be reversed. References from Episode 69 with Kevin Vallier Kevin Vallier is the author of  Liberal Politics and Public Faith: Beyond Separation ,  Must Politics Be War?: Restoring Our Trust in Open Society , and  Trust in a Polarized Age...

Alex Aragona speaks with Sabine El-Chidiac as she explores the different ways civil society solutions help refugees succeed when they move to their new home. References from Episode 68 with Sabine El Chidiac You can find Sabine's work on this topic mentioned in the podcast at Police Options  here The Government of Canada’s website  contains a list of all the programs under which economic immigrant...

Alex Aragona speaks with Tom Palmer as he explores the institutions and conditions that cause peace and war. References from Episode 67 with Tom Palmer Tom Palmer’s book, Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this  link . Tom has additionally wrote and/or edited the following works: The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't T...

Alex Aragona speaks with Virginia Postrel as she explores how her newest book traces how textiles shaped our modern societies. References from Episode 66 with Virginia Postrel Virgina Postrel is the author of  The Power of Glamour: Longing and the Art of Visual Persuasion ;  The Substance of Style: How The Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness ;  The Future and I...

Alex Aragona speaks with Eric Merkley as he explores the reasons why the public often mistrusts experts. References from Episode 65 with Eric Merkley Eric has a list of his publications on his  website .  Alex references the following excerpts from Eric’s article “Anti-Intellectualism, Populism, and Motivated Resistance to Expert Consensus,” which can be accessed through an active account with Oxf...