The New Liberal Podcast

Why do nations fight when it's clear how incredibly destructive war is?  Economist and political scientist Chris Blattman joins the show to discuss his new book, Why We Fight.  He discusses how the world is probably more peaceful than it gets credit for, the factors that cause peace to sometimes breaks down, and how we can build a world with less violence and less conflict. Further reading: Is the...

Who's trying to shut down your taco trucks? Kyle Sweetland joins the podcast to discuss the regulation of food trucks and his recent report "Food Truck Truth". We talk about the history of food trucks, whether or not food trucks harm brick and mortar restaurants, and what many cities are doing to try to shut down and stop food trucks. What does the evidence say, and what should we do with food tru...

A Patreon-exclusive episode, now unlocked and free!  PPI's trade guru Ed Gresser joins the show to talk about the economic sanctions on Russia. What impact will they have on Russia and on us? Will Russia's economy collapse? Will this cause inflation in the United States? Can Europe survive without Russian oil and gas? Listen to find out! Further reading: Sign up for Ed's new Trade Fact of the Week...

Newly elected Congresswoman Shontel Brown from Ohio's 11th district joins Jeremiah to discuss her special election victory and joining Congress.  They cover issues like the war in Ukraine, why having a local political background matters, how Congress is more productive than you think, and how Democrats can win with a positive, uplifting vision for America.   To make sure you hear every episode, jo...

The fourth entry in our Liberalism Around the World series is here, focusing on Brazil!  Jeremiah is joined by the executive director of Livres, Magno Karl, as well as the Neoliberal Brazil chapter lead Fernando Moreno.  How does Brazil's history of authoritarianism influence their politics? What are the most important issues facing Brazil today, and what are the liberal solutions to those issues?...

What really happened during San Francisco's School Board recall, and what can we learn from it?  Organizers Autumn Looijen, Siva Raj and Steven Buss join the show to talk about the process of organizing the SF School Board recall.  We discuss why it was necessary to recall the Board, why this sort of thing pops up in San Francisco so consistently, what the driving factors behind the recall's succe...

As countries around the world increase sanctions on the Russian economy, one crucial sector has not yet seen sanctions - oil and gas. Paul Bledsoe is a former advisor to the Clinton White House, Congress and the Department of the Interior on climate and energy policy and he joins the podcast to talk about how Europe is dependent on Russian natural gas and what can be done about it. How badly does...

Jeremiah records an ad-hoc episode as the Russian invasion of Ukraine takes place on February 24th.  In this episode, he talks about what this means for liberal democracy globally, Russia's contempt for international norms and how they abuse claims of 'genocide' or 'Nazism', the international struggle between authoritarianism and liberalism, and why so many on both the right and the left fell for...

What's gone wrong with America's housing market, and how can we fix it?  Economist Jenny Schuetz joins the podcast to discuss her new book about housing policy, 'Fixer Upper'.  We discuss state vs local control of housing policy, the history of housing and NIMBYism in America, and which policies would help and which would hurt in fixing our housing market. Check out Fixer Upper - https://www.amazo...

The New York Times declared a 'victory lap' for MMT - but is that justified? Ben Ritz and Eric Leeper join the show to discuss Modern Monetary Theory.  What exactly does MMT say, and why is it so hard to pin down MMT's advocates to a firm position? What does the current inflation mean for the theory, and why don't mainstream economists accept it? Ultimately, what's wrong with MMT? Check out the ne...

This week's episode is a joint episode with Andrew Heaton's 'The Political Orphanage' podcast, and we're discussing identity politics.  Was Joe Biden's promise to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court a mistake?  What exactly is identity politics?  Other than race and gender, what are the identities that drive our politics? Check out The Political Orphanage! https://politicalorphanage.libsyn...

This week, we're sharing an episode from Radically Pragmatic, a podcast from the Progressive Policy Institute.  PPI's Director of Health Policy Arielle Kane sits down with a panel of experts, including Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA) and Dr. Leana Wen to discuss living with COVID in the New Year and beyond. As the world continues to grapple with the reality that this virus is here to stay, how do...

What's going on with the tech antitrust bill being debated in the Senate?  PPI's Michael Mandel and Malena Dailey join the show to discuss tech platforms, the consumer welfare standard, all things antitrust.  Does Big Tech need to be more regulated, and if so how? are there other industries more deserving of antitrust enforcement? Read Michael and Malena's work:  https://www.progressivepolicy.org/...

Jeremiah recounts the best books from 2021, including books on gentrification, political organizing, economic growth, comedy's role in society, economic dynamism, the history of evolution, and much more!  Part 1 of this episode - https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-neolib-podcast/episode/best-books-of-2021-part-1-85453491 Utopia, LOL? -  http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/utopia-lol/ There Goes the...

On the one year anniversary of the armed insurrection and invasion of the US Capitol, what is the state of American democracy?  Jeremiah explores how the GOP base and GOP officials are still in thrall to Donald Trump, the steps the GOP is taking to potentially subvert the 2024 presidential election, and how worried you should be about America's future democratic prospects. Referenced:  "Trump's Ne...

What exactly are Organ Procurement Organizations? And how are so many of them failing and stopping Americans from getting the organs they need?  Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-8) and Jennifer Erickson join the podcast to talk about reforming America's system for organ donation. When 90% of Americans approve of organ donation, why do we still have critical shortages of so many organs? And what...

It's another mailbag episode!  Jeremiah takes listener questions on the most neoliberal charities, Beto in Texas, trans acceptance in the UK, whether liberalism is too successful for its own good, the Child Tax Credit, the suburbs, Argentina, how to stop from despairing at the current political moment, and much more. To get your question featured on the next mailbag episode, send your question or...

How bad is inflation, and what can we do about it?  Economist and commentator Alan Cole joins the podcast to discuss all things inflation. We discuss whether inflation is 'transitory' or not, how wage growth factors into the picture, when we might see a return to more normal inflation numbers, and whether the government is lying to you about the real inflation rate.   Check out Alan at https://ful...

What should we expect in the 2022 midterms next year? Former Jeb Bush comms director and current Bulwark writer Tim Miller joins the podcast to talk about next year's midterm elections. What does each party want the midterm elections to be about?  What's wrong with Democratic messaging that's caused Biden's popularity to slip? Is a GOP wave unavoidable? What are the odds Democrats can keep the Sen...

One of the central questions of economics is "Why are some countries rich and some countries poor? And how did rich countries become rich in the first place?" Economic historian Joel Mokyr joins the podcast to discuss these questions and more.  Why did the Industrial Revolution happen in England, and not elsewhere? How did political fragmentation lead to the flourishing of innovations? What lesson...

Conversations about the crypto world often seem like a pitched battle between supporters and detractors.  Vitalik Buterin joins the show to discuss what really matters and what's really showing promise in crypto.  We discuss why so many are skeptical of crypto, whether cryptocurrency has too much space in the discussion, and what the most interesting and innovative non-currency applications of cry...

What's new in the world of green technology? Noah Smith joins the show to discuss advances in solar, wind, battery and nuclear power, and why some of those technologies keep getting cheaper while others don't.  We also discuss other climate related moonshots like carbon capture technology and geothermal power, and why it's so important to invest in basic green tech research now.   Follow Noah at n...

What's been going on with the US and global supply chains?  PPI's Ed Gresser joins the podcast to discuss supply chain disruptions, how the supply chain was impacted by the COVID pandemic, how to make our supply chains more resilient, and what the vision for US trade policy should be moving forward.   Sign up for Ed's new Trade Fact of the Week newsletter at this link - https://tinyurl.com/tradefa...

What can be done to help Afghan refugees in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan?  Jessica Gronert from the Save Settle Support Initiative joins the show to discuss the situation in Afghanistan today, how organizations like hers are trying to get more Afghans out of the country, why the US immigration system is so slow at dealing with this situation, and how you can help. Check out th...

Why does the policy world underrepresent women's voices, and what can we do about it? Jasmine Stoughton of the Mosaic Economic Project joins the show to talk about the Mosaic Project's work to amplify the voices of women experts in policy areas like technology, economics and more. We discuss the talent pipeline for women with expertise, how to break up the 'Old Boys Club' in Washington DC, and why...