Scarcity is natural, but abundance can be created.

In this episode, I explain why free-market capitalism has been so effective at turning scarce resources into greater prosperity. From Julian Simon’s famous wager to housing, energy, healthcare, AI, and data centers, the same economic lesson keeps appearing: prices communicate scarcity, entrepreneurs respond to opportunity, and competition encourages people to produce more.

Markets aren't perfect, and capitalism doesn't guarantee every price will fall. But government price controls and restrictions often manage scarcity rather than solve it.

The better question for policymakers is: What is preventing people from producing more?

Listen to learn why human ingenuity, economic freedom, and market signals remain some of our greatest tools for creating abundance. Get show notes and more at vanceginn.substack.com.

#Economics #FreeMarkets #Capitalism #EconomicFreedom

The political left and right increasingly agree on one dangerous idea: Washington should direct more of the economy.

Industrial policy, tariffs, subsidies, and economic nationalism are being sold as ways to rebuild manufacturing, strengthen families, and make America more prosperous. But replacing market decisions with political direction does not create prosperity. It concentrates power, protects favored industries, and forces families and businesses to pay the bill.

That is the focus of my conversation with Dr. Paul Mueller, Senior Research Fellow and Director of Defending Freedom and Combatting Collectivism at the American Institute for Economic Research. Paul studies entrepreneurship, economic growth, monetary economics, and political economy. He also hosts AIER’s The Economist Next Door, which brings economic ideas to everyday Americans.

We discuss his AIER paper examining the New Right’s growing embrace of industrial policy, protectionism, and government-directed investment.

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More than 274,000 Texas families applied for Education Freedom Accounts this year. Parents are sending policymakers a clear message: they want more choices for their children.

In this episode, I explain how Education Savings Accounts empower families, why funding should follow students, how competition can improve education while encouraging greater efficiency, and why states should lead instead of Washington.

Educational freedom isn't about protecting one type of school. It's about giving every child the opportunity to succeed.

Listen now and read my new educational freedom policy guide at VanceGinn.com.

Economics is often reduced to numbers and policy debates. But its deeper question is simple: How can people peacefully cooperate to improve their lives?

That is the focus of my latest conversation with Abigail R. Hall, professor of economics at the University of Tampa, Senior Fellow with the Independent Institute, and Senior Affiliated Scholar with the Mercatus Center.

Abby joined me to discuss her new book with , Austrian Economics: An Introduction. The book explains how human action, subjective value, prices, entrepreneurship, and dispersed knowledge allow people to cooperate without central direction.

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Free-market capitalism is often portrayed as a system that exploits workers, enriches the powerful, and leaves ordinary people behind. Critics argue it rewards greed over people and creates opportunity only for those already at the top. The message is repeated so often that many simply accept it as fact. But what if the opposite is true?

In today's episode of This Week's Economy, we're examining one of the most overlooked ideas in economics: how free markets uplift everyday people. We'll explore how free-market capitalism disperses economic power across millions of individuals instead of concentrating it in the hands of government, creating opportunities for workers, entrepreneurs, and consumers alike. Rather than promising equal outcomes, free markets create the conditions for greater opportunity, rising living standards, and the freedom to build a better life.

Listen to the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and visit my website for more information about Ginn Economic Consulting.

Inflation is usually discussed as a policy problem, but families experience it as a daily burden that changes how they save, spend, plan, and build their lives. It shows up at the grocery store, in rent and mortgage payments, in childcare costs, in interest rates, and in the growing feeling that even when people work hard, they are still falling behind. But inflation does more than raise prices. It changes behavior.

That is why I enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Jeffrey L. Degner, Research Fellow in Economics and Economic Freedom at the American Institute for Economic Research. Jeff is the author of Inflation and the Family, which challenges the common view that inflation is just a macroeconomic variable. His work shows how inflation reshapes household decision-making, weakens institutions, shortens time horizons, and erodes the foundations families need to plan and thrive. Before joining AIER, Jeff spent years in education, from high school to higher education, and most recently served as Dean of the School of Business at Cornerstone University.

His research brings together economics, history, and moral philosophy to explain why sound money matters beyond markets. It matters for families.

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Why does everything still feel so expensive?

In this week's episode of This Week's Economy, I connect the dots between inflation, tariffs, housing, the Federal Reserve, and entrepreneurship to explain why affordability remains the defining economic issue facing American families.

The lesson is simple: affordability isn't created by government spending more. It's created by policies that expand production, encourage investment, and let people prosper.

Every regulation has a cost, even when it doesn't appear on a tax bill.

This week, I talk with Richard Morrison of the Competitive Enterprise Institute about why regulation shapes prices, innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunity. We discuss ESG, financial regulation, corporate governance, and why policymakers should focus on clear, predictable rules instead of using private markets to advance political goals.

Free enterprise depends on competition, accountability, and the rule of law—not politics disguised as markets.

Subscribe for more conversations on economics, policy, and freedom.

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Government spending should not grow faster than the people paying for it.

In this episode of This Week’s Economy, I examine the latest Sustainable Budget Project results and compare state spending growth with the responsible benchmark of population growth plus inflation.

Only eight states kept state-funded spending within that limit over the past decade, while just three, Colorado, North Dakota, and Texas, met the standard for both state-funded and total spending. Meanwhile, states such as California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York allowed spending to grow far beyond taxpayers’ means.

We also look at the federal government, where spending increased 81.9% over the decade compared with sustainable growth of only 32.4%.

These numbers matter because spending drives taxes, debt, and future economic opportunity. Responsible budgeting creates room for lasting tax relief, stronger reserves, and greater prosperity.

Listen now and learn how your state compares.

Watch the full episode, subscribe, and visit VanceGinn.com for more economic insights, and get show notes and subscribe to my newsletter at vanceginn.substack.com.

Too much of modern politics is built on false choices. Left or right. Win or lose. Good or bad. My side or your side. That may work for cable news, campaign fundraising, and social media algorithms, but it does not work well for families, communities, or good policymaking. Real life is more complicated than our political categories allow.

That is why I enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Lauren Hall, Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Lauren’s work sits at the intersection of political theory, human behavior, healthcare regulation, family, culture, and real-world decision-making. She is the author of The Medicalization of Birth and Death and Family and the Politics of Moderation. She also writes at Radical Moderate’s Guide to Life, where she challenges the binary thinking that dominates politics and culture.

Her idea of radical moderation is not about being weak, vague, or halfway between two bad options. It is about taking complexity seriously. It means recognizing tradeoffs, respecting pluralism, and admitting that no political tribe has a monopoly on truth.

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