The Great Antidote

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What makes some states thrive while others trap people in place? And what does it really mean to be free to move, grow, and flourish?

In this episode, I talk with economist Justin Callais about the deep connections between personal fulfillment, economic mobility, and institutional quality. We begin with the personal: why real change starts internally, and how self-mastery and agency are prerequisites for meaningful, external progress. Then, we zoom out to ask: what kinds of systems make it easier for people to rise?

We explore questions like:

• What is economic mobility—and what does it look like in practice?
• Why is Utah the top-performing states on the Archbridge Institute’s Social Mobility Index, while Louisiana lags behind?
• How do factors like governance quality, opportunity, and freedom of movement shape people's life outcomes?
• What role do individuals, institutions, and state policies play in promoting (or restricting) upward mobility?

Justin Callais is the chief economist at the Archbridge Institute. He studies development economics, polycentric governance, and the institutional roots of freedom and flourishing.

If you’ve ever wondered why where you live matters—or what it takes to build a society where people can truly move up in life—this conversation is for you.

Want to explore more?

• James Heckman on Inequality and Economic Mobility, an EconTalk podcast
• Raj Chetty on Economic Mobility, an EconTalk podcast
• Arnold Kling, The Kids Are...Different, at Econlib
• Kerianne Lawson on Equal Economic Freedoms, a Great Antidote podcast
• Jeremy Horpedahl on the Real Cost of Thriving Index, a Great Antidote podcast

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Remember the Amazon HQ2 frenzy? When nearly every U.S. state competed to become Amazon’s next home, offering billions in tax breaks and incentives? I do — I grew up right next door to Crystal City, Virginia, the site Amazon ultimately chose.

In this episode, I talk with economist Peter Calcagno about targeted economic incentives—the controversial policy tool that fueled the Amazon HQ2 bidding war and countless other corporate deals.

We explore questions like:

• What are targeted incentives?
• Do they actually create economic development and job growth?
• Why do politicians favor targeted incentives over other tools?
• Who wins—and who loses—when states compete this way?

Peter Calcagno is a professor of economics at the College of Charleston and director of the Center for Public Choice and Market Process. He’s also a fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, where he studies public choice theory and fiscal policy.

If you’ve ever wondered whether government subsidies for big business pay off—or if they just create unfair advantages—this conversation is for you.

Want to explore more?

• Peter Calcagno, Follow the Money, at EconLog.
• Russell Sobel, Who Really Gains from Billions in Economic Development Incentives? at Econlib.
• Lauren Heller, Prosperity Without a Price Tag, at Econlib
• Randy Simmons on Public Choice, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Art Carden, From Here to Serenity: How Public Choice Makes Me Less Cynical, at Econlib.

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What if modern economics has overlooked what truly makes us human?

In this episode, Bart Wilson joins us to explore humanomics—an approach to economics that reintroduces meaning, culture, and moral judgment into how we understand economic behavior.

We talk about how economists miss the mark by assuming too much about how rational we really are—and too little about what it means to be human.

Wilson shares insights from his experimental work with non-human primates, showing how comparing monkey behavior to human decision-making can reveal deep truths about markets, cooperation, and fairness.

We explore big questions all economists should grapple with: What is humanomics, and how does it challenge traditional models? What makes human goals different from animal instincts? Can monkeys and other animals help us understand moral behavior in economics?

Bart Wilson is a professor of Economics and Law at Chapman University and the Director of the Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy. He is the co-author (with Vernon Smith) of Humanomics and the author of Meaningful Economics. His research spans experimental economics, moral philosophy, and decision-making in both humans and non-human primates.

Join us for a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation about the future of economics, human nature, and what monkeys can teach us about meaning.

Want to explore more?

• Maria Pia Paganelli, "Humanomics: Moral Sentiments and Wealth of Nations for the Twenty-First Century," at Econlib.
• Vernon Smith on Markets and Experimental Economics, an EconTalk podcast.
• From the Shelf with Arnold Kling: Bart Wilson, Jack Hope, and Chris Martin, a discussion of Nichaol Raihani's The Social Instinct.
• Charles Noussair on Experimental Economics and Testing Institutions, a Great Antidote podcast.

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What is it like to grow up under a dictatorship? The speakers of The Dissident Project don’t have to wonder — they’ve lived it. And they’ve escaped.

In this episode, Grace Bydalek joins us this week to discuss her work with The Dissident Project, which brings survivors of authoritarian regimes into American high schools to share their powerful, firsthand stories. From Cuba and Venezuela to Russia and beyond, these voices bring the reality of life without freedom into the classroom.

We talk about why these stories matter — especially for students who may never have questioned their own liberties. Why high schoolers? Why now? And does this kind of civic education actually make a difference?

Join us for a moving and timely conversation about freedom, resilience, and the importance of living for something larger than yourself.

Grace Bydalek is the Director of The Dissident Project, an initiative of the nonprofit Young Voices dedicated to educating American students about the dangers of authoritarianism. She is also a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, a ministry apprentice at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and is currently pursuing a master’s in theology. Oh — and she’s also an actor.

Want to explore more?

• Daniel DiMartino on Life in Venezuela and Immigration, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Arthur Brooks on Love Your Enemy, an EconTalk podcast.
• Bryan Caplan, Communism, in the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.

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Ryan Streeter is the executive director of the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. Today, he tells us about his time in the intersection of think tanks, government, and academic communities. We talk about cities, the importance of mobility and growth, how to foster those characteristics, skepticism of government, and living in and creating a community that fosters social cohesion and critical thinking. 

Want to explore more?

• Alain Bertaud on Urban Planning and Cities, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Raj Chetty on Economic Mobility, an EconTalk podcast.
• Scott Winship on Poverty and Welfare, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Charles Murray on Dignity and the American Dream, a Future of Liberty podcast.
• Jeremy Horpedahl, Americans are Still Thriving, at Econlib.

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We’ve talked about objectivism before on the podcast, but that was fairly introductory. Today, for the first time ever, I host two guests on the podcast to discuss the limitations of objectivism and where it fails to depict the good life. We talk about how they got interested in Rand’s thought, how they philosophically dealt with works that were mostly fiction, and where their philosophy, individualistic perfectionism, diverges from Rand’s and fills in some important blanks. 

Den Uyl is a resident scholar at Liberty Fund, and Rasmussen is a professor emeritus in philosophy at St. John’s University and senior affiliated scholar at the Center for Economic Inquiry at Creighton University. Together, they have written extensively on the subject, including editing a collection called The Philosophic Thought of Ayn Rand. They’ve written a lot on the topic at the Journal for Ayn Rand Studies. Den Uyl has a book on the subject, titled The Fountainhead: An American Novel.

Want to explore more?

• Jennifer Burns on Ayn Rand and the Goddess of the Market, an EconTalk podcast.
• Timothy Sandefur on Freedom's Furies, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Caroline Breashears, Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, and the Power of Stories, at Econlib.
• Craig Biddle on Philosophy and Objectivism, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Dianne Durante on Innovations in Sculpture, a Great Antidote podcast.

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Join us today for a fun conversation about all things government, UK and US, with Lord Daniel Hannan of Kingsclere! 

Lord Hannan is a member of the House of Lords. Today, we talk about how the U.K.’s legislative is structured, what is up with executive power, the importance of the West and cohesion on the freedom front, and the idiocy of tariffs. 

Want to explore more?

• Yuval Levin on Burke, Paine, and the Great Debate, an EconTalk podcast.
• Phillip Klein on Fight Club Conservatives versus Disney, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Robert Higgs, Government Growth, in the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.
• Troy Senik on Grover Cleveland, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Is There a Role for Monarchy in a Free Society? A Liberty Matters forum at the Online Library of Liberty.

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Bob Ewing is the founder of the Ewing School and hosts a Substack called Talking Big Ideas (go check it out). He has also gifted me most of the great books that I’ve read. 

Today, we talk about how he got started and how many of the great lessons in life are learned. We talk about counter-intuitive ideas, how to find the answers to them, and how to effectively communicate them. He talks to us about kettle bells and quotes (almost) every great author under the sun. 

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We talk a lot about civil society and the importance of local, communal networks which hold us up when we’re down and inspire us to be good, striving members of society. But what does that actually look like? How do civil institutions get built, and what does it take? 

Today, I’m excited to welcome Rachel Ferguson to the podcast. She is the director of the Free Enterprise Center at Concordia University in Chicago and an affiliate scholar at the Acton Institute. She is the president of the board at Love the Lou, a neighborhood stabilization project which we are talking about today. 

Join us for an honest and inspiring conversation about why civil society matters, how it is built, what threatens it, and what the implications of civil society (or the lack thereof) are on the ground. How do institutions we speak of conceptually actually change people’s lives, in real and concrete ways? Tune in to find out. 

Want to explore more?

• Megan McArdle on Failure, Success, and the Up Side of Down, an EconTalk podcast.
• Arnold Kling, The Role of "We" versus the Role of "I," at Econlib.
• Anna Claire Flowers on F.A. Hayek and Social Structure, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Aviral Chawya. Social Cohesion and Economic Prosperity, at AdamSmithWorks.
• Anthony Gill on Religion, an EconTalk podcast.

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Jo Jensen is the founder of MovieGoer and she’s currently the SVP of Digital and Entertainment Strategy at Touchdown Strategies, a PR firm. and is an Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellow. Since all fellows have ventures over there, she’s currently writing a book called “America Has a Girlfriend Problem.”

Today, we talk about the anxiety of my generation and how to unplug, attempting to grow comfortable with discomfort. We talk about how things have changed and how we can become more active, willing to take leaps that will either succeed or teach us fundamentally important lessons. 

We also talk about her work with growing audiences and relationships. The first step is always caring about others and seeing their potential. Then we move on to talk about America’s Girlfriend Problem, addressing the issues which disproportionately affect single women in America today. 

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