Episode summary:
Günter Fehlinger talks with Dan Mitchell, president of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity and a U.S. economist focused on global economic reform. They discuss reform success stories (Switzerland, Estonia, Eastern Europe) and current test cases like Argentina under Milei, plus the EU–Mercosur deal and the broader case for free trade. The conversation also covers Trump’s tariff policy (“Liberation Day”), U.S. fiscal risks, Europe’s growth gap (welfare state + demographics), and reform prospects in Germany (Merz), Italy (Meloni), and Venezuela/Iran (economic freedom as the end goal).

Chapters (estimated):

• 00:00 Intro & Dan Mitchell joins the show
• 05:00 Best-practice economies: Switzerland, Estonia, Eastern Europe
• 10:00 Argentina under Milei: inflation down, poverty falling
• 15:00 Next reforms: labor law, taxes, reducing the shadow economy
• 20:00 EU–Mercosur & the case for free trade
• 25:00 Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs: why it backfires
• 30:00 U.S. policy mix: taxes, spending, Fed pressure, bubble risks
• 35:00 Venezuela after Maduro: oil leverage and reform paths
• 40:00 Iran protests: freedom as the goal, intervention dilemmas
• 45:00 EU vs. U.S.: why the growth gap widened
• 50:00 10 years of Brexit: freedom without reform?
• 55:00 Germany (Merz) & Italy (Meloni): constraints and opportunities
• 60:00 Flat tax outcomes: what it improves—and what it can’t fix
• 65:00 U.S.–Europe: allies, shared heritage, strategic tensions

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