The Curious Task

Matt speaks with Bruce Pardy about the rule of law in Canada, implications of the notwithstanding clause, the evolving interpretation of the Charter, and the balance between individual rights and state power.  References Friedrich Hayek - "The Road to Serfdom" - https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/0226320553 Discussed in relation to emergent order and skepticism of imposed r...

Alex speaks with Rosolino Candela about the morality and dynamics of illicit markets, focusing on the transition from central planning to privatization in post-Soviet Russia and the role of property rights in shaping economic behaviors and attitudes. References: Rosolino's Website - https://www.rcandela.com/   Timothy Fry - Property Rights and Property Wrongs - https://doi.org/10.1017/978131666172...

Matt speaks with Matt Zwolinski about Bleeding Heart Libertarianism and the diverse perspectives within libertarian thought, discussing its history, philosophical foundations, and contemporary issues, including debates on social justice, individual rights, and the role of government. References: The BHL blog: https://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/   Hayek on SEP including his thoughts on social ju...

Alex speaks with Chris Coyne about the complexities and ramifications of war, focusing on the interplay between media narratives, propaganda, and the impact on civil liberties, drawing insights from Coyne's book co-authored with Abigail Hall, which is a satirical guide on war strategies and their broader societal implications. Episode Notes: Chris and Abigail's book "How to Run Wars": https://www....

Sabine speaks with Greta Lynn Uehling about her research on the effects of war on relationships, an underexplored topic in conflict studies. Episode Notes: - Greta's book "Everyday War: Conflict in Donbas, Ukraine": https://a.co/d/09MHkjov   - Homer's "The Illiad": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad   - Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv: knu.ua   - A primer on the concept of "Understan...

Alex speaks with Marc-William Palen about the evolution of left-wing visions of free trade from the mid-19th century through the Cold War, highlighting key movements and figures like the Anti-Corn Law League, Karl Marx, and the Fair Trade movement, and contrasting these with protectionist and imperialist policies of the era. Episode Notes: Marc-William's book "Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a...

Matt speaks with Joanna Baron about how government measures during the pandemic undermined civil liberties in North America and beyond.  Episode Notes: - Brian Bird's PhD Thesis: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/4j03d4180   - Fraser Institute:  https://www.fraserinstitute.org/   - The Forgotten Fundamental Freedoms - Dwight G. Newman https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id...

Sabine speaks with Jonathan Blanks about why and how systemic racism exists in society, and what can potentially be done to curb it in various aspects of institutional life.  Episode Notes: - The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity: https://freopp.org/ - An article by Jonathan on defining systemic racism: https://freopp.org/what-systemic-racism-is-and-isnt-1213c1c972ff - Ghettoside: A Tru...

Alex speaks with Kevin Erdmann about how zoning, the 2008 economic crisis, and the desire to live away from "those people" is effecting the state of housing today.  Episode Notes: Kevin's page at the Mercatus Centre: https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/kevin-erdmann The Erdmann Housing Tracker: https://kevinerdmann.substack.com/   Kevin on X: https://x.com/KAErdmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5...

Alex speaks with Dominic Parker about his 2024 paper with Dean Lueck entitled "The Economic Origins And Extent Of America's First Environmental Agencies" Episode Notes: Dominic's paper: https://aae.wisc.edu/dparker/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2024/11/Lueck-and-Parker-Agencies-November-2024.pdf   Some history on the conservation movement from 1850-1920 via the American Library of Congress: https://...

Alex speaks with Ryan Bourne as he explores the misconceptions around inflation and the dangers of price controls, emphasizing how prices act as signals to coordinate economic activity and promote growth. Ryan explains the adverse effects of government intervention in setting prices, such as shortages, quality declines, black markets, and inefficient resource allocation. Episode Notes: - Ryan’s bo...

Alex speaks with Donner prize nominee Kent Roach about a topic that many Canadians may overlook when thinking about issues that are recurring at home: wrongful convictions and its victims.  Episode Notes: - Kent's award-winning book "Wrongfully Convicted: Guilty Pleas, Imagined Crimes, and What Canada Must Do to Safeguard Justice" https://a.co/d/d9mB5cN - Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions:...

Matt speaks with Ethan Nadelmann about drug decriminalization, legalization, and the slow end to the drug war in Canada and the United States, and how successes and failures in both countries compare to those abroad. Episode Notes: The Drug Policy Alliance website: https://drugpolicy.org/ Some history on Portugal's Drug Harm Reduction Programs: https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/portugals-h...

Matt speaks with Craig Biddle about objectivism and the legacy of Ayn Rand, and how it all ties to classical liberalism, the American ideal, and post-modernism.  Episode Notes: Craig's work for the Objective Standard: https://theobjectivestandard.com/author/cbiddle/   Craig on X: https://twitter.com/CraigBiddle   Free Ayn Rand books courtesy of the Ayn Rand Institute, including almost all of those...

Alex speaks with Bryce Tingle about corporations, how these unique legal entities are governed, how changes we have made to corporate governance has discouraged companies from joining Canada’s public markets, and how the decline in our public market is hurting Canadians. 

 Episode Notes: 1. Bryce’s article “Returning Markets To The Centre Of Corporate Law” https://jcl.law.uiowa.edu/sites/jcl.law....

Matt speaks with Eric Merkley about NIMBYism, the surprising touchpoints for unity between left and right on the subject of housing, and how uncovering the true motivations of NIMBYs has altered Eric's view of the housing crisis.  Episode Notes: "Housing for Me, but not for Thee", Eric's paper serving as the basis for most of this conversation: https://osf.io/preprints/7vmt3   Eric on X: https://t...

Sabine speaks with Ben Klutsey about political polarization, commonalities between the United States and Canada, and his documentary on the subject entitled "Undivide Us"  Episode Notes: The documentary's website with more information, a trailer and the option to request a screening: https://undivideusmovie.com/   Kevin Vallier's "Trust in a Polarized Age":  https://a.co/d/gDm6pjz   John Inazu's "...

Alex speaks with Rachael LaRose about the hidden costs of the pandemic, especially as they effected our commercial relationships, loose ties with individuals that once provided much value to our lives, and orthodox communities who rallied to prioritize faith in the face of fear. Episode Notes: - Rachael's webpage with past publications, etc.: https://www.rachaelbehr.com/   - "The Strength of Weak...

Matt speaks with Sam Bowman about the global housing crisis and why, in English-speaking countries in particular, a growing consensus across the political divide is pointing to problems with central planning, NIMBYism and a supply limit as the causes.  Episode Notes: Sam Bowman’s on substack: https://substack.com/@sambowman   Sam on "Vetocracy": https://www.sambowman.co/p/democracy-is-the-solution...

Alex speaks with Akshaya Kamalnath about her work on Corporate Diversity, the social pressures and cultural trends that corporations are facing, as well as the jurisdictional realities of handling diversity, amongst other issues. Episode Notes: Akshaya's page at ANU: https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/kamalnath-a   Akshaya's blog: corporatelawacademic.wordpress.com "Legal and Market Initia...

In May 2022, Alex spoke with Deirdre McCloskey in a wide-ranging conversation that addresses the economic, philosophical, and political reasons why liberalism just works. We're reposting that important conversation today on The Curious Task.  References 1. “Why Liberalism Works: How True Liberal Values Produce a Freer, More Equal, Prosperous World for All” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey  Link: https:...

Alex speaks with Alex Nowrasteh about nationalism as more of an innate tendency towards ethnic tribalism than anything resembling patriotism, and how this tendency may never disappear, but is worth resisting nonetheless.  Episode Notes: Alex's page at the Cato Insitute: https://www.cato.org/people/alex-nowrasteh   Alex on X:  https://twitter.com/alexnowrasteh?lang=en   Alex's book "Wretched Refuse...

Alex speaks with Oyebade Oyerinde about the state of federalism in Nigeria, and how western ideas of democracy, liberalism and centralization of powers have influenced the current state of politics in the African nation.  Episode Notes: "Polycentric Interstate Federalism Among The Yoruba Of Nigeria: Lessons For Growing An International Federal Order" by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://cosmosandtaxi...

Sabine speaks with Jason Kuznicki about the present, past, and future influence of technology on gender and why he questions the uproar made about a choice made by individuals in the market about their own self-expression and identity. Episode Notes: Jason's article "Gender as Essence and as Economic Choice" http://tinyurl.com/2p9byb5d   The Cosmos + Taxis issue on gender: http://tinyurl.com/2p9by...

Alex speaks with Marian Tupy about the notion that human progress has increased quality of life worldwide for centuries, making today the greatest time to be alive in the history of human life (in spite of what you may have heard elsewhere). Episode Notes: - Marian's book "Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet" on Amazon...