Lawrence B. Glickman is my guest on this episode. He’s the Stephen and Evalyn Milman Professor in American Studies at Cornell University. We’ll be talking about his latest book, “Free Enterprise: An American History.” It covers what American politicians and the public mean when they talk about free enterprise, how that meaning has changed from the 19th century to the present, and whether the term “free enterprise” has a precise meaning.

Nelson Lichtenstein, another historian of ideas, wrote this about Glickman’s new book, “In this sweeping intellectual and cultural history, Lawrence Glickman proves a sure guide to the economically vague yet politically talismanic meaning of the phrase ‘free enterprise.’ He demonstrates that the most enduring features of American business conservatism have long expressed themselves through this maddingly mythic construction.”

Lawrence Glickman has also published historical books about the living wage and consumer activism. He teaches a popular course called “Sports and Politics and American History” at Cornell University.

Here is a transcript of this episode.

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