IPI Policy Basics Podcast

Barbara Kolm of the Hayek Institute in Vienna, Austria is our special guest as IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews interviews Barbara about Hayek and his important contributions to economic and individual liberty.

Taking advantage of IPI Research Fellow Bartlett Cleland's presence in-studio, we discuss the problems with the state and federal legislative attempts to "protect children online" through age verification and other schemes. Hint: The problems are overwhelming and underappreciated. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.

There was a rash of stories in the early days of 2024 about how, finally, Mickey Mouse had entered the public domain, and that this was somehow a triumph for the general public. Sounds like time for an explainer about the public domain, and why, for the most part, consumers are better off when creativity, distribution and promotion of creative works is incentivized. IPI President Tom Giovanetti with IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.

IPI President Tom Giovanetti explains why every year the country is faces with the issues of tax extenders, why they are important but also why they are a symptom of a dysfunctional congressional process. With IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.

IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews explains the (mostly) psychological phenomenon of the Wealth Effect, which can accelerate either a good economy or a bad economy. And he uses "Bidenomics" as an illustration of an attempt to turn the reverse wealth effect into the wealth effect. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti.

What's the truth about the gender pay gap? Is it explained by misogyny and discrimination, or by the choices women make? Maybe a combination of the two? Is it getting better? And with women outnumbering men in colleges, universities, and graduate programs, is it about to disappear altogether? IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews shares some information from the book "The Myth of Inequality" on the gender pay gap with IPI President Tom Giovanetti.

IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews takes us through the history of third-party presidential candidates in recent history, explaining that third party candidates never come close to winning but in some cases the third party candidate has arguable affected the outcome of the election. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti.

We welcome IPI Research Fellow Dr. Dan Garretson to help us with an explainer on artificial intelligence (AI): What it is, what it isn't, and how should we think about its impact on consumers, the economy, and the future? IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews demonstrates how "2001: A Space Odyssey" influences his thinking, and IPI President Tom Giovanetti can't resist asserting that a free society gives us all the tools we need to manage technological revolutions.

IPI President Tom Giovanetti explains at least part of the current dysfunction of Congress, and the dysfunction of the Republican Party, by explaining that while compromise may be a vice in religion, theology and ethics, compromise is the essence of democracy. Compromise is simply negotiation, and negotiation is necessary for self-government. Otherwise, we fall into the biggest concern of the Founders; namely, that a faction gains political power and then rules over their opponents. We see this play out when parties think they can only accomplish things when they control both Congress and the White House until the next midterm election. And we end by reading former Senator Phil Gramm's recollection of how compromise was necessary for the Reagan agenda to become law and whip inflation, grow the economy, and win the Cold War.

In recognition of World IP Day, the Institute for Policy Innovation, an accredited Non-Governmental Organization affiliated with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), discusses the importance of intellectual property protection. With IPI Senior Research Fellow Bartlett Cleland and IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.