The AIER Standard

In this episode Ethan sits down with Chris Coyne at the Mercatus Markets and Society Conference to discuss his research on noxious markets. The conversation touches on the role of states in the perpetuation of weapon sales in conflict zones. Coyne's perspective applies an economic-public choice perspective to analyzing foreign policy decisions and how well intentioned programs end up doing more harm than good.

Chris Coyne is a Professor of Economics at George Mason University and the Associate Director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center

On this episode Ethan sits down with the great Professor Chandran Kukathas, the Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Singapore Management University and former Chair of Political Theory at the London School of Economics. The conversation covers his work on questions of nationalism, ethnic identity, and political order. Chandran also discusses his research into the work of Friedrich Hayek and the great economist's contributions to the advancement of not just human liberty but the field of political science.

On this episode of the AIER Standard, Ethan sits down with Carroll Ríos de Rodríguez, a public choice professor and trustee at Universidad Francisco Marroquínas in Guatemala well as the president of the Instituto Fe y Libertad. Carroll also founded UFM's public choice center.

Ethan asks Carroll about her intellectual journey, her efforts in creating a foothold for liberty minded economic and political ideas in Latin America, and general questions about the volatile nature of politics in the Latin world.

On this episode of the AIER Standard, Ethan interviews Feler Bose, an economics professor at Indiana University East at the Public Choice Conference in Seattle. There has been much research on the correlation between economic freedom and prosperity. However, not much has been done on what leads to economic freedom. Feler's research compares differing governance structures among different American state governments to uncover relationships with policies that maintain business friendly environments. He also tosses in a taste of his most recent research on sexual freedom and its relationship to economic philosophies.

In this episode of the AIER Standard Ethan sits down with Nikolai Wenzel a professor of economics and a new member of the faculty at AIER. The discussions covers both Nikolai and Ethan's journey from left leaning progressives as undergraduates to passionate advocates for markets as professionals. Nikolai then focuses on the content of his forthcoming book which is aimed at posing market solutions to problems that are usually seen as areas for greater state action. The conversation covers a plethora of topics such as Socialism, education reform, poverty, data privacy, property rights, and intellectual bias elite academia.

Is God dead in America? Can a free society be a secular one? Why does religion still play a powerful role in daily life despite the advent of the modern state?

To answer these questions and more, Ethan Yang sits down with AIER Visiting Scholar and Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington, Tony Gill. Tony is the author of numerous academic papers exploring the resilience and role of religion in political and economic life. The discussion explores the technical functions of faith in society and how it plays into solving collective action problems.

This conversation is especially timely today as religiosity declines in many Western countries, and critical discussions on longstanding institutions, such as religion, are widespread.

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** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and his guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. **

1:52 Why is Religion Still Relevant

7:15 What Services Do Religions Provide

10:00 Religion and Economic Growth

12:30 Religion as Local Governance

18:39 Buchanan, the Role of the Supernatural, and the State

23:40 Why Religion Lasts Longer than the State

27:00 The Importance of the Separation of Church and State

29:10 Is Society Too Godless

35:30 Does Modernity Lead to Secularism

On this episode of the AIER Standard, Ethan sits down with Pete Earle to speak about dedollarization, a global trend of reducing usage of the US Dollar. As American currency declines, rival countries like China rise to take its place. Pete explains the reasons for the US Dollar's decline and comments on where he thinks trends are headed. Finally, Pete offers important insight on how the US government can maintain its financial reliability in a world that is growing increasingly skeptical.

*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***

1:21 China and Brazil Get Off the Dollar

7:20 Why Was the US Dollar Made the Dominant Global Currency

12:00 Can China’s Yuan or Another Currency Replace the Dollar?

15:40 Why Can’t the EU or BRICS Replace the US Dollar

20:00 What Happens if the US Dollar Falls From Grace

28:00 Bretton Woods III and the New Order

33:00 Cryptocurrency and the Dollar

37:30 Can We Save the Dollar?

In this episode of the AIER Standard, Ethan Yang sits down with the incoming president of the Public Choice Society, Christian Bjørnskov, who is the author of an award-winning paper on the use of emergency powers. The conversation explores why and how emergency powers paradoxically cause greater problems during periods of crisis, the most recent being the Covid-19 Pandemic. Furthermore, Chris offers insight into how Scandinavian countries like Denmark and Sweden keep their political leaders accountable beyond legal limitations, which are ultimately just words on paper.

Chris is a professor at Aarhus University and a researcher at the Research Institute of Industrial Economics in Stockholm.

*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***

In this episode of the AIER Standard, Ethan Yang sits down with AIER Senior Faculty and Former Senate Banking Committee Economist Tom Hogan to discuss the future of central banking. Their discussion gets to the root of today's pressing monetary issues, inflation, runaway spending, politicized Federal Reserve policy, and faltering confidence in money. They touch on the incentives and limitations that have driven central banking to where it is today from the prior status quo inspired by Milton Friedman and the gold standard. Finally, the conversation explores emerging ideas to reform the global monetary system, such as the idea of a Bretton Woods III based on commodity standards and the use of cryptocurrency.

The decline of American higher education is a common yet existential conversation.

Every persuasion has its critique: college is getting too expensive yet increasingly unproductive. Elite academia is overtaken by radical Leftists. Elite academia is inaccessible to minorities. American colleges continue to bow to extreme student activists. American colleges refuse to make substantive changes to serve the demands of students.

Ultimately, we are presented with a problem that must be confronted. Higher education is essential for fostering bright minds to lead society into the future, providing the necessary skills to power an advanced economy, and teaching the core values of our civilization. However, academia, like any institution, is filled with self-interested stakeholders and conflicting incentives that lead to mission drift and corruption. This begs the question of whether American higher ed can be reformed or is it drastic action needed.

Phil Magness is a coauthor of the book Cracks in the Ivory Tower, where he applies a public choice analysis to American higher education to highlight its critical, self-destructive tendencies. He explains from a realist, analytical perspective the incentives powering certain trends, such as skyrocketing tuition, falling academic rigor, and ideological uniformity.

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