The Human Action Podcast

Jason Purcell is an analyst at a major financial institution with a specialty in bond analysis. He joins Bob to discuss his historical analysis of yield curves (in both UK and US) going back to the 1870s, which shows that central banks do indeed manipulate short-term interest rates. Bob's Article on the Inverted Yield Curve: Mises.org/HAP457a Goerge Selgin's Cato Article on the Fed: Mises.org...

Bob critiques MMT godfather Warren Mosler's recent interview on the Odd Lots podcast, where Mosler argued that the Fed rate hikes have been fueling the strong economy. Bob's Critique of Stephanie Kelton's MMT Documentary: Mises.org/HAP456a Join us in Fort Myers, Florida, on November 9, 2024, to cut through the political noise and discuss the state of the economy. Distinguished speakers Tom DiLoren...

Are wealthy people getting wealthier because they work harder? Dr. Jonathan Newman is back on the show to discuss Robert Reich's latest videos about debunking economic myths. Robert Reich incorrectly blames the free market when businesses act on incentives provided by the government. He condenses this information into short, impactful videos for his audience. However, most of what Reich talks abou...

Kyle Anzalone from AntiWar.com and the Libertarian Institute joins Bob to discuss the timeline of Wikileaks and why the US government disliked Julian Assange. This week, Assange was offered his freedom in exchange for admitting to espionage charges, but what exactly did he do? And how can the US prosecute Assange when he is not a US citizen? Bob and Kyle review the facts, including how Wikileaks b...

Bob continues his feud with George Selgin, explaining why the alleged free banking period in Scotland doesn't show that free-market banks would carry low reserve ratios. Reason Debate Between Bob and George Selgin: Mises.org/HAP453a George Selgin Interview on Free Banking: Mises.org/HAP453b Selgin's Response to Bob on Twitter: Mises.org/HAP453c Rothbard's Economic Controversies: Mises.org/HAP453d...

In a new YouTube series , former US Secretary of Labor Robert Reich promises to explode ten "economic myths." Jonathan Newman joins Bob to respond to the first two episodes in the series, regarding whether economics is an objective science, and whether government intervention interferes with a free market. Robert Reich's 'Debunking Economic Myths' Series: Mises.org/HAP452a Bob's JLS Article on Kev...

Economics researcher Joakim Book joins Bob to discuss his recent article on the dollar's international dominance at the American Institute for Economic Research.  US Sanctions incentivize foreign governments to find alternatives to the dollar, but none have successfully escaped Washington's grip. Joakim argues that alternative payment systems are in the works, but even international banking t...

Jonathan Newman returns to help Bob dissect a Twitter thread melting down about Rep. Massie's new bill to End the Fed. The X thread discussing the "End the Fed Bill": Mises.org/HAP450a Selgin, Lastrapes, and White, "Has the Fed Been a Failure?": Mises.org/HAP450b Bob's Article, "Putting the Country Back on Gold": Mises.org/HAP450c The Mises Institute is giving away 100,000 copies of Murray Rothbar...

Garett Jones is Associate Professor of Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He joins Bob to discuss his book, detailing the impact that immigrants' culture has on the institutions of their new home. Professor Jones' New Book, The Culture Transplant: Mises.org/HAP449a The Mises Institute is giving away 100,000 copies of Murray Rothbard's, What Has Government Done to Our Mone...

Mateusz "Matt" Machaj holds a PhD in economics and is a Fellow with the Mises Institute, who has also won both the Douglas E. French and the Lawrence Fertig prizes in Austrian economics. He joins Bob to discuss his new booklet from Routledge, which explains how mainstream economists have responded to the recent bout of price inflation. Dr. Machaj's Monetary Policy and Inflation: Mises.org/HAP448a...

Stephanie Kelton is the star of a new documentary film touting the alleged brilliance of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). Murphy gives a comprehensive critique of the film, covering the flaws in its theory, history, and policy recommendations. Finding the Money Documentary: Mises.org/HAP447a Bob's Book on MMT, Understanding Money Mechanics: Mises.org/HAP447b Radford's Paper on P.O.W. Camps: Mises.org...

The Mises Institute's Connor O'Keeffe recently wrote an article detailing the campus protests over the happenings in Gaza. Connor joins Bob to discuss his article, the recent antisemitism bill, and why we should be defunding universities.  Connor's Article on the Campus Protests: Mises.org/HAP446a Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Ron Paul's Gold, Peace, and Prosperity...

Recently on Twitter, as a reaction to an FT post worrying about the growing debts of various governments, fans of MMT were posting screenshots from a May 2020 FT debate involving Stephanie Kelton. The implication was that Kelton had correctly predicted that government debt would be benign. Bob and guest Jonathan Newman dissent. Stephanie Kelton and Edward Chancellor's Debate on Government Debt: Mi...

Historian David Beito has a new book from the Independent Institute titled, "The New Deal's War on the Bill of Rights." He joins Bob to discuss issues such as the Japanese concentration camps and the government's mass surveillance of telegrams. David's new book, The New Deal's War on the Bill of Rights: Mises.org/HAP444a Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Ron Paul's Gold, Pe...

Simon Guenzl joins Bob to push back on Dave Smith's recent appearance, where Dave had made the case against open borders. Guenzl has published a libertarian critique of the Hoppean framework. The debate revolves around the status of government property. Bob plays devil's advocate, especially with a lightning round of "hard cases" for Guenzl at the end. Simon's paper, "Public Property and the Liber...

Nick Gillespie, editor-at-large for Reason, recently got into a friendly dispute with Bob over whether American libertarians were being too pessimistic. He joins Bob to make the case for optimism, while Bob demurs. Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFree

On March 26 Bob gave this talk at Oklahoma State, where he was invited by the Free Enterprise Society. He assumed the students had no prior knowledge of the topic and made the case, from scratch, for a voluntary society with privately provided legal and defense services. Bob's article, "Libertarian Law and Military Defense" in Libertarian Papers: Mises.org/HAP441a Human Action Podcast listeners ca...

Ryan McMaken recently gave a talk at Oklahoma State outlining the history of secessions and making the case that they promote liberty and peace. He joins Bob to discuss his major themes and to address common objections. Ryan's Talk at Oklahoma State: Mises.org/HAP440a Breaking Away: The Case for Secession: Mises.org/HAP440b Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's...

Christian Sandström is a Swedish economist who joins Bob to discuss his new (co-edited) book , which makes the case that massive government funding projects aren't necessary to promote science or industrial growth. Dr. Sandströmm's Moonshots and the New Industrial Policy: Mises.org/HAP439a Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilizatio...

Tom DiLorenzo spent a long and productive career in academia before assuming his current position as president of the Mises Institute. He joins Bob to discuss his early days getting into economics, and some of his important work on antitrust policy. He also discusses his popular books on Abraham Lincoln. Though it all, Tom stresses the importance of the Austrian viewpoint. Tom's Paper on the Origi...

Brent Johnson of Santiago Capital created the "dollar milkshake" theory, which says that in a global sovereign debt crisis, the USD, gold, and US stock market will all rise. He joins Bob for a friendly disagreement over the dynamics of a decline in foreign demand to hold USD. The ZeroHedge Debate: Mises.org/HAP437a Bob's Post-Game Analysis of the Debate: Mises.org/HAP437b Brent Johnson Explains Th...

Dave Smith makes the Rothbardian/Hoppean case for government restriction on immigration, arguing that it's a second-best solution given the undeniable fact of government control of "public" property. Bob plays devil's advocate to raise possible objections to Dave's framework. Rothbard, "Nations by Consent": Mises.org/HAP436a Hans-Hermann Hoppe, "On Free Immigration and Forced Integration": Mises.o...

On February 13, 2024, Bob participated (with Jim Rickards, Brent Johnson, and Michael Every) in a ZeroHedge debate on the fate of the USD. In this episode of the Human Action podcast, Bob highlights some of the key issues and explains why he thinks his side won. The ZeroHedge Debate: Mises.org/HAP435a Brent Johnson's Milkshake Theory: Mises.org/HAP435b Egert's Article on the Public Debt Threshold:...

Bob goes solo to give a point-by-point rebuttal to James Lindsay's recent essay arguing that "national divorce means national suicide." Bob argues that James employs inconsistent claims and ignores the tremendous economic boon to an independent Texas. James Lindsay's Article "National Divorce is National Suicide": Mises.org/HAP434a Bob's Book "Common Sense: The Case for an Independent Texas": Mise...

Academic VP of the Mises Institute, Joe Salerno, joins Bob to discuss his talk at the Supporters Summit, centering on the mainstream's focus on "rules vs. discretion" in monetary policy. Salerno explains how President Eisenhower's administration marked a pivot away from the ideology of inflation. Dr. Salerno's Talk at the 2023 Supporters Summit: Mises.org/HAP433a   Join Tom DiLorenzo, Joe Sal...