The Curious Task

Matt speaks with Colin Craig about the Canadian healthcare system, discussing its inefficiencies, long wait times, and potential reforms, while comparing it to healthcare models in other countries and offering practical suggestions for improvement. References Health Reform Now - the documentary that informs much of this conversation: Link: https://secondstreet.org/new-documentary-health-reform-now/ "Universal Health Care: What the United States Can Learn from the Experience of Other Developed Nations" Panel featuring Karen Davis Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2838163/ "The Healthcare Fix: Universal Insurance for All Americans" by Laurence J. Kotlikoff Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Healthcare-Fix-Universal-Insurance-Americans/dp/0262113147 "Cross-Border Healthcare" Link: https://www.pgeu.eu/cross-border-health-care/#:~:text=The%20Cross%2DBorder%20Healthcare%20Directive,provided%20certain%20conditions%20are%20fulfilled. "Analytical methods to assess the impacts of activity-based funding (ABF): a scoping review" Link: https://healtheconomicsreview.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13561-021-00315-1 "Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2022 Report" by Bacchus Barua and Mackenzie Moyer Link: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/waiting-your-turn-wait-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2022 "The Overton Window" Link: https://www.mackinac.org/OvertonWindow Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald. To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

To celebrate Sabine’s time at the ILS and her work with the Curious Task, we’re revisiting Sabine’s first appearance as a guest on the podcast. — Alex Aragona speaks with Sabine El-Chidiac as she explores the different ways civil society solutions help refugees succeed when they move to their new home. References from The Curious Task Episode 68 with Sabine El-Chidiac You can find Sabine's work on this topic mentioned in the podcast at Police Options here The Government of Canada’s website contains a list of all the programs under which economic immigrants are admitted into Canada. Here is some more information about the express entry pathway. As Sabine noted in the podcast, admission under the Provincial Nominee Program is dependent upon what the destination province deems to be their biggest occupational and employment goals and needs. This link provides a brief overview of the program and hyperlinks to province-specific guidelines. You can read more about the UNHCR’s Refugee Status Designation process on their website here, as well as their procedural standards here. This is the link to the Government of Canada’s guide to the private refugee sponsorship process. Sabine mentioned the work of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto to accommodate and build a community for refugees by performing fundraisers and food drives amongst the parishioners. You can read their mission statement on their website. Sabine’s article, The success of the privately sponsored refugee system, discusses some of the themes from this podcast, such as the principle of civil society, and is available for reading on Policy Options. Here is a link to the Rapid Impact Evaluation of the Syrian Refugee Initiative developed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2016. It compares the outcomes, living standards, and satisfaction of government and privately sponsored Syrian refugees between 2015-2016. This is a link to the joint statement to the UN General Assembly by the Ministers of Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Spain, and New Zealand speaking in favour of community-led sponsorship approaches that Alex briefly mentions on the podcast. Here is a link to the official PSR cap published by the Government of Canada. Some examples of the lobbying against PSR caps include the Canadian Council for Refugees and the Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association. Alex and Sabine discuss Danby Appliances’ CEO Jim Estill’s sponsorship and hiring of over fifty refugee families in Guelph, Ontario. You can read more about this in the article linked here. On the podcast, Sabine shares the inspiring story coming out of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia with regards to how the refugees who were once sponsored to the area eventually became systems of support for new incoming refugees. You can follow the community work for refugees in Haida Gwaii through one of their local newspaper’s website.

Alex speaks with Mark Koyama about the historical context and economic implications of the Manila Galleon trade, focusing on how monopolistic practices increased the risk of shipwrecks and the broader lessons for contemporary economics about the unintended consequences of monopoly power. References "Shipwrecked by Rents" by Mark Koyama, Desiderio Desideri, and Fernando Arteaga Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304387823001967 "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128 "Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance" by Douglass C. North Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Institutions-Institutional-Change-Economic-Performance/dp/0521397340 "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smWN.html "The East India Company: A History" by Philip Lawson Link: https://www.amazon.ca/East-India-Company-Philip-Lawson/dp/0582073855 "Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World" by Niall Ferguson Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Empire-How-Britain-Made-Modern/dp/0141007540 "The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Empire" by William Maltby Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Fall-Spanish-Empire/dp/1403917922

Summary Alex speaks with Jacob Levy about the concept of a liberal party, exploring its philosophical foundations, historical context, and touch on all of these points within the context of Jacob's article "The Liberal Party Idea" (2024). References The Liberal Party Idea by Jacob Levy: Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381323406_The_liberal_party_idea_and_American_ideology "On Liberty" by John Stuart Mill Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34901/34901-h/34901-h.htm "The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847 "The Federalist Papers" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay Link: https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/full-text "Reflections on the Revolution in France" by Edmund Burke Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Reflections-Revolution-France-Edmund-Burke/dp/0199539022 "Democracy in America and Two Essays on America" by Alexis de Tocqueville Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Alexis-Tocqueville/dp/0140447601 "Two Treatises of Government" by John Locke Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Treatises-Government-John-Locke/dp/1616190345 "Political Liberalism" by John Rawls Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Political-Liberalism-John-Rawls/dp/0231130899 Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald. To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Sabine speaks with Nathan Goodman about the complexities of border control and domestic policy, focusing on how these issues intersect with libertarian philosophy, the economic implications of immigration, and the ethical considerations of state power in regulating borders. References "The Law of Peoples" by John Rawls Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Law-Peoples-John-Rawls/dp/0674005422 "The Machinery of Freedom: A Guide to Radical Capitalism" by David D. Friedman Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Machinery-Freedom-Guide-Radical-Capitalism/dp/1507785607 "Anarchy, State, and Utopia" by Robert Nozick Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465097200 "The Ethics of Liberty" by Murray Rothbard Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Ethics-Liberty-Murray-N-Rothbard/dp/0814775594 "Borders of Justice" edited by Etienne Balibar, Sandro Mezzadra, and Ranabir Samaddar Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Borders-Justice-Etienne-Balibar/dp/1439906858 "Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom" by Ilya Somin Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Free-Move-Migration-Political-Freedom/dp/0190054581 "Politics in Plural Societies: A Theory of Democratic Instability" by Alvin Rabushka and Kenneth A. Shepsle Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Politics-Plural-Societies-Democratic-Instability/dp/0205617611 Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald. To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Alex speaks with Ignacio Cofone about the intricacies of privacy in the digital era, examining how personal data is collected, inferred upon, and the legal frameworks that govern these practices, as elucidated in Ignacio Cofone's book, "The Privacy Fallacy." Episode Notes: "The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy" by Ignacio Cofone Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Privacy-Fallacy-Power-Information-Economy/dp/1316518116 "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power" by Shoshana Zuboff Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Age-Surveillance-Capitalism-Future-Frontier/dp/1541758005 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Link: https://gdpr.eu/ "Privacy and Freedom" by Alan F. Westin Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Privacy-Freedom-Alan-F-Westin/dp/1935439979 "Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, Version 2.0" by Lawrence Lessig Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Code-Laws-Cyberspace-Lawrence-Lessig/dp/0465039146 "Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X "The Right to Privacy" by Samuel D. Warren and Louis D. Brandeis Link: https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~shmat/courses/cs5436/warren-brandeis.pdf Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald. To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Matt speaks with Bruce Pardy about the rule of law in Canada, implications of the notwithstanding clause, the evolving interpretation of the Charter, and the balance between individual rights and state power. References Friedrich Hayek - "The Road to Serfdom" - https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/0226320553 Discussed in relation to emergent order and skepticism of imposed rules. Magna Carta - "The Magna Carta" - https://www.archives.gov/files/press/press-kits/magna-carta/magna-carta-translation.pdf Mentioned as a historical document marking the beginning of limiting the king's power. U.S. Bill of Rights - "The Bill of Rights" - https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights Cited as a document that transferred power from the legislature to the courts in the American context. Section 33 - The Notwithstanding Clause - "Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" - https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art33.html Discussed as a controversial clause allowing legislatures to override certain rights. Adam Smith - "The Wealth of Nations" - https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128 Referenced in discussions on free markets and the role of government. John Locke - "Two Treatises of Government" - https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Treatises-Government-John-Locke/dp/1616190345 His ideas on government and individual rights were mentioned. Milton Friedman - "Capitalism and Freedom" - https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Freedom-Anniversary-Milton-Friedman/dp/0226264211 Cited in discussions about the role of government in economic affairs. Thanks Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald. To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Alex speaks with Rosolino Candela about the morality and dynamics of illicit markets, focusing on the transition from central planning to privatization in post-Soviet Russia and the role of property rights in shaping economic behaviors and attitudes. References: Rosolino's Website - https://www.rcandela.com/ Timothy Fry - Property Rights and Property Wrongs - https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316661727 Peter Boettke - Soviet Studies - https://www.peter-boettke.com/soviet-studies Classical Economics - https://www.britannica.com/money/classical-economics Constantine Menges - https://www.hudson.org/domestic-policy/an-appreciation-of-constantine-menges Ayn Rand - Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand - https://aynrand.org/novels/objectivism-the-philosophy-of-ayn-rand/ Ludwig von Mises - Human Action - https://mises.org/library/book/human-action Milton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom - https://ctheory.sitehost.iu.edu/resources/fall2020/Friedman_Capitalism_and_Freedom.pdf

Matt speaks with Matt Zwolinski about Bleeding Heart Libertarianism and the diverse perspectives within libertarian thought, discussing its history, philosophical foundations, and contemporary issues, including debates on social justice, individual rights, and the role of government. References: The BHL blog: https://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/ Hayek on SEP including his thoughts on social justice and libertarianism: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/friedrich-hayek/ John Tomasi and Matt Zwolinski's book "The Individualists" - https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691155548/the-individualists Roderick Long on natural rights and libertarianism - http://freenation.org/a/f42l1.html Eric Mack's page on Tulane U website, including works - https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/philosophy/people/eric-mack-phd Ralph Nader on a libertarian alliance with "liberals"/progressives - https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2014/05/21/ralph-nader Billy Christmas on PhilPeople - https://philpeople.org/profiles/billy-christmas A summary of American Libertarianism and consequentialism including a reference to Richard Epstein - https://usapoliticaldatabase.weebly.com/consequentialist-libertarianism.html

Alex speaks with Chris Coyne about the complexities and ramifications of war, focusing on the interplay between media narratives, propaganda, and the impact on civil liberties, drawing insights from Coyne's book co-authored with Abigail Hall, which is a satirical guide on war strategies and their broader societal implications. Episode Notes: Chris and Abigail's book "How to Run Wars": https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=145 1. Bruce Winton Knight's "How To Run A War": https://www.amazon.com/How-Run-War-Bruce-Knight/dp/B000OMR1KG 2. Herman and Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent": https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499 3. Noam Chomsky's website: https://chomsky.info/ 4. Alexis de Tocqueville's biography, including reference to his distinction between hard and soft despotism: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexis-de-Tocqueville 5. Otto Neurath's "Through War Economy to Economy in Kind" https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-010-2525-6_5 6. Abigail Hall and Christopher Coyne "Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror": https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Militarism-Government-Propaganda-Terror/dp/1503628361

Sabine speaks with Greta Lynn Uehling about her research on the effects of war on relationships, an underexplored topic in conflict studies. Episode Notes: - Greta's book "Everyday War: Conflict in Donbas, Ukraine": https://a.co/d/09MHkjov - Homer's "The Illiad": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad - Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv: knu.ua - A primer on the concept of "Understanding Everyday Peace": https://heller.brandeis.edu/news/items/releases/2019/winter-2019-magazine-everyday-peace.html - The UNICEF report on Mental Health: https://www.unicef.org/topics/mental-health - The Battle of Ilovaisk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ilovaisk - The Fullbright program website: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about - The Geneva Convention at ICRC: https://www.icrc.org/en/document/geneva-conventions-1949-additional-protocols

Alex speaks with Marc-William Palen about the evolution of left-wing visions of free trade from the mid-19th century through the Cold War, highlighting key movements and figures like the Anti-Corn Law League, Karl Marx, and the Fair Trade movement, and contrasting these with protectionist and imperialist policies of the era. Episode Notes: Marc-William's book "Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691199320/pax-economica Marx on Free Trade: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1888/free-trade/#:~:text=Only%20under%20Free%20Trade%20can,%2C%20wage%2Dlaborers%20there%3B%20hereditary The Eric Schliesser episode of the Curious Task mentioned by Alex: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/special-episode-5-eric-schliesser-%e2%80%94-what-is-neoliberalism/ Journal of Liberal History's summary of the history of the Anti-Corn Law League: https://liberalhistory.org.uk/history/anti-corn-law-league/ Overview of the history of the Opium Wars: https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china#:~:text=The%20Opium%20Wars%20in%20the,China%20lost%20both%20wars. A primer on the origins of Fair Trade and the Haslemere Declaration: https://imperialglobalexeter.com/2018/05/03/what-fair-trade-was-originally-about-the-haslemere-declaration-of-1968/

Matt speaks with Joanna Baron about how government measures during the pandemic undermined civil liberties in North America and beyond. Episode Notes: - Brian Bird's PhD Thesis: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/4j03d4180 - Fraser Institute: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/ - The Forgotten Fundamental Freedoms - Dwight G. Newman https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3803888 - Joanna's book with Christine Van Geyn "Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever" https://a.co/d/0aNNzvLW - "Let's Declare a Pandemic Amnesty" by Emily Oster https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/covid-response-forgiveness/671879/

Sabine speaks with Jonathan Blanks about why and how systemic racism exists in society, and what can potentially be done to curb it in various aspects of institutional life. Episode Notes: - The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity: https://freopp.org/ - An article by Jonathan on defining systemic racism: https://freopp.org/what-systemic-racism-is-and-isnt-1213c1c972ff - Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America (2015) by Jill Leovy https://a.co/d/8f9JGqB - 13th trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6IXQbXPO3I

Alex speaks with Kevin Erdmann about how zoning, the 2008 economic crisis, and the desire to live away from "those people" is effecting the state of housing today. Episode Notes: Kevin's page at the Mercatus Centre: https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/kevin-erdmann The Erdmann Housing Tracker: https://kevinerdmann.substack.com/ Kevin on X: https://x.com/KAErdmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Kevin's book "Shut Out: How a Housing Shortage Caused the Great Recession and Crippled our Economy" on Amazon Canada: https://a.co/d/gIh82Og

Alex speaks with Dominic Parker about his 2024 paper with Dean Lueck entitled "The Economic Origins And Extent Of America's First Environmental Agencies" Episode Notes: Dominic's paper: https://aae.wisc.edu/dparker/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2024/11/Lueck-and-Parker-Agencies-November-2024.pdf Some history on the conservation movement from 1850-1920 via the American Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/00529694/

Alex speaks with Ryan Bourne as he explores the misconceptions around inflation and the dangers of price controls, emphasizing how prices act as signals to coordinate economic activity and promote growth. Ryan explains the adverse effects of government intervention in setting prices, such as shortages, quality declines, black markets, and inefficient resource allocation. Episode Notes: - Ryan’s book that serves as the basis for most of the discussion: https://a.co/d/6B4n1Uf - Summary of Friedman, Monetarist School and the K-percent rule https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/monetarism.asp#:~:text=In%20his%20book%2C%20%22A%20Monetary,a%20fixed%20percentage%20per%20year - Explanation of greedflation: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/what-is-greedflation-and-is-it-driving-higher-prices/ - Kahneman and Thaler's research: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1806070 - Clemens on minimum wage https://econweb.ucsd.edu/~j1clemens/pdfs/ClemensMinWageCatoPolicyAnalysis867.pdf

Alex speaks with Donner prize nominee Kent Roach about a topic that many Canadians may overlook when thinking about issues that are recurring at home: wrongful convictions and its victims. Episode Notes: - Kent's award-winning book "Wrongfully Convicted: Guilty Pleas, Imagined Crimes, and What Canada Must Do to Safeguard Justice" https://a.co/d/d9mB5cN - Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions: https://www.wrongfulconvictions.ca/ - The Innocence Project at Cardozo: https://innocenceproject.org/about/ - Blackstone's ratio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstone%27s_ratio - Charles Smith (pathologist) background: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/dr-charles-smith-the-man-behind-the-public-inquiry-1.864004 - R v Gladue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_v_Gladue - Richard Catchaway case: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/richard-catcheway-wrongful-conviction-1.4681737 - The Morin case on CRWC https://www.wrongfulconvictions.ca/cases/guy-paul-morin - The Goudge report on pediatric forensic pathology: https://wayback.archive-it.org/16312/20211207211516/https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/goudge/index.html - The David Milgaard case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Milgaard

Matt speaks with Ethan Nadelmann about drug decriminalization, legalization, and the slow end to the drug war in Canada and the United States, and how successes and failures in both countries compare to those abroad. Episode Notes: The Drug Policy Alliance website: https://drugpolicy.org/ Some history on Portugal's Drug Harm Reduction Programs: https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/portugals-harm-reduction-policies Philip Owen's obituary highlighting some of his successes in Vancouver as mayor: https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2021/10/02/dtes-philip-owens-four-pillars// Larry Cambell's call for opioid legalization: https://globalnews.ca/news/3260074/make-prescription-opioids-legal-says-senator-and-former-mayor-larry-campbell/ "Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" on Amazon Canada: https://a.co/d/36Y1M4L Peltzman's original article studying drug availability: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1830639 Ed Preble's "Taking Care Of Business": https://doi.org/10.3109/10826086909061998

Matt speaks with Craig Biddle about objectivism and the legacy of Ayn Rand, and how it all ties to classical liberalism, the American ideal, and post-modernism. Episode Notes: Craig's work for the Objective Standard: https://theobjectivestandard.com/author/cbiddle/ Craig on X: https://twitter.com/CraigBiddle Free Ayn Rand books courtesy of the Ayn Rand Institute, including almost all of those referenced throughout this episode: https://aynrand.org/students/free-books/ Craig's talk "Choosing a Philosophy for Loving Life": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzhwsK6dyuE

Alex speaks with Bryce Tingle about corporations, how these unique legal entities are governed, how changes we have made to corporate governance has discouraged companies from joining Canada’s public markets, and how the decline in our public market is hurting Canadians. Episode Notes: 1. Bryce’s article “Returning Markets To The Centre Of Corporate Law” https://jcl.law.uiowa.edu/sites/jcl.law.uiowa.edu/files/2023-09/Tingle_Final.pdf 2. Bryce’s profile at UofCalgary https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/bryce-tingle 3. Jensen and Meckley’s “The Theory Of The Firm” https://www.sfu.ca/~wainwrig/Econ400/jensen-meckling.pdf 4. Introduction to Douglass North’s theory of Institutions: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40803-016-0028-8 5. Summary of Montesquieu’s “Doux Commerce” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doux_commerce 6. Mill on Trade As a Social Act: https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/five.html 7. The Voltaire quote referenced regarding the London Stock Exchange: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7351337-go-into-the-london-stock-exchange-a-more-respectable

Matt speaks with Eric Merkley about NIMBYism, the surprising touchpoints for unity between left and right on the subject of housing, and how uncovering the true motivations of NIMBYs has altered Eric's view of the housing crisis. Episode Notes: "Housing for Me, but not for Thee", Eric's paper serving as the basis for most of this conversation: https://osf.io/preprints/7vmt3 Eric on X: https://twitter.com/EricMerkley Eric's article on the subject on Policy Options: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/march-2024/nimby-housing-opinion/ Some background on Premier Ford's backtracking on housing policy: https://www.robinsappleby.com/post/bridge-beat/conservative-housing-policy-backtrack.-a-setback-to-home-builders-and-new-home-owners-alike

Sabine speaks with Ben Klutsey about political polarization, commonalities between the United States and Canada, and his documentary on the subject entitled "Undivide Us" Episode Notes: The documentary's website with more information, a trailer and the option to request a screening: https://undivideusmovie.com/ Kevin Vallier's "Trust in a Polarized Age": https://a.co/d/gDm6pjz John Inazu's "Learning To Disagree": https://a.co/d/1OmKckQ Kevin Vallier on the Curious Task: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-isuwy-d16f34

Alex speaks with Rachael LaRose about the hidden costs of the pandemic, especially as they effected our commercial relationships, loose ties with individuals that once provided much value to our lives, and orthodox communities who rallied to prioritize faith in the face of fear. Episode Notes: - Rachael's webpage with past publications, etc.: https://www.rachaelbehr.com/ - "The Strength of Weak Ties" Mark S. Granovetter https://www.jstor.org/stable/2776392 - A summary of Ostrom's work on the governance of the commons: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2012/06/17/elinor-ostroms-work-on-governing-the-commons-an-appreciation/ - Rachael's coverage of the Orthodox Jewish community's healthcare action during the pandemic: https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2024/larosehealthcare.html

Matt speaks with Sam Bowman about the global housing crisis and why, in English-speaking countries in particular, a growing consensus across the political divide is pointing to problems with central planning, NIMBYism and a supply limit as the causes. Episode Notes: Sam Bowman’s on substack: https://substack.com/@sambowman Sam on "Vetocracy": https://www.sambowman.co/p/democracy-is-the-solution-to-vetocracy Sam’s “Housing Theory of Everything” article: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-housing-theory-of-everything/ Works in Progress website: https://worksinprogress.co/ Michael Giberson on Manser Olson's theory of concentrated costs and dispersed benefits: https://knowledgeproblem.com/2010/10/17/concentrated-benefits-and-dispersed-costs/ Comparison of UK vs. US GDP per capita: https://countryeconomy.com/countries/compare/usa/uk

Alex speaks with Akshaya Kamalnath about her work on Corporate Diversity, the social pressures and cultural trends that corporations are facing, as well as the jurisdictional realities of handling diversity, amongst other issues. Episode Notes: Akshaya's page at ANU: https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/kamalnath-a Akshaya's blog: corporatelawacademic.wordpress.com "Legal and Market Initiatives to Increase Diversity in Corporations—A Cross-Jurisdictional Analysis" by Akshaya Kamalnath https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/vol46/iss1/5/

In May 2022, Alex spoke with Deirdre McCloskey in a wide-ranging conversation that addresses the economic, philosophical, and political reasons why liberalism just works. We're reposting that important conversation today on The Curious Task. References 1. “Why Liberalism Works: How True Liberal Values Produce a Freer, More Equal, Prosperous World for All” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Liberalism-Works-Liberal-Prosperous/dp/0300235089 2. “The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Virtues-Ethics-Age-Commerce/dp/0226556646 3. “Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain Modern World” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Dignity-Economics-Explain-Modern/dp/0226556743 4. “Bourgeois Equality: How Ideas, Not Capital or Institutions, Enriched the World” Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Equality-Capital-Institutions-Enriched/dp/022633399X 5. “Dierdre N. McCloskey presents the lecture ‘The Impossibility of Policy’ hosted by the Erasmus Forum” by the Cato Institute Link: https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/deirdre-n-mccloskey-presents-lecture-impossibility-policy-hosted 6. “1984” by George Orwell Link: https://www.amazon.ca/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934 7. “Forever Flowing” by Vasily Grossman Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88459.Forever_Flowing

Alex speaks with Alex Nowrasteh about nationalism as more of an innate tendency towards ethnic tribalism than anything resembling patriotism, and how this tendency may never disappear, but is worth resisting nonetheless. Episode Notes: Alex's page at the Cato Insitute: https://www.cato.org/people/alex-nowrasteh Alex on X: https://twitter.com/alexnowrasteh?lang=en Alex's book "Wretched Refuse?: The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions": https://a.co/d/2JePWpU

Alex speaks with Oyebade Oyerinde about the state of federalism in Nigeria, and how western ideas of democracy, liberalism and centralization of powers have influenced the current state of politics in the African nation. Episode Notes: "Polycentric Interstate Federalism Among The Yoruba Of Nigeria: Lessons For Growing An International Federal Order" by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://cosmosandtaxis.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/kunleoyerinde_ct_vol10_iss11_12.pdf "Polycentric and Centralized Federalism in Africa" (Chapter 3) by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666902716/Issues-of-Governance-Security-and-Development-in-Contemporary-Africa "Does Polycentric Order Make Sense?" by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://isonomiaquarterly.com/archive/volume-2-issue-1/disorder-in-west-africa-does-polycentric-order-make-sense/ "Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems" By Elinor Ostrom https://web.pdx.edu/~nwallace/EHP/OstromPolyGov.pdf

Sabine speaks with Jason Kuznicki about the present, past, and future influence of technology on gender and why he questions the uproar made about a choice made by individuals in the market about their own self-expression and identity. Episode Notes: Jason's article "Gender as Essence and as Economic Choice" http://tinyurl.com/2p9byb5d The Cosmos + Taxis issue on gender: http://tinyurl.com/2p9byb5d Jason's newsletter "Pacification": http://tinyurl.com/yeycjzj

Alex speaks with Marian Tupy about the notion that human progress has increased quality of life worldwide for centuries, making today the greatest time to be alive in the history of human life (in spite of what you may have heard elsewhere). Episode Notes: - Marian's book "Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet" on Amazon Canada: https://a.co/d/boeFBP3 - Marian's profile and bio on the FEE website: https://fee.org/people/marian-l-tupy/ - An article breaking down the Malthusian thinking in the Avengers movie referenced by Marian https://carnegiemnh.org/defeating-thanos-and-his-malthusian-mission-of-population-control/ - A Youtube video giving some history and context for the Simon - Ehrlich bet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw2mn40BVo0

Sabine speaks with Aeon Skoble about the harms of limiting access to information, including book bans and why a better understanding of ideas we disagree with often strengthens rather than weakens our arguments in support of the ideas we endorse. Episode Notes: - “Free Speech and the Function of a University” Aeon J. Skoble https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2081&context=br_rev - A brief history of Hume’s works being banned: https://oll.libertyfund.org/publications/reading-room/2023-10-25-donway-hume-great-work-on-religion-banned - A handy breakdown from the University of Notre Dame on J.S. Mill’s case for disagreement and free speech in “On Liberty”: https://philife.nd.edu/j-s-mills-on-liberty-seek-disagreement/ - Jacob Mchangama’s book “Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media” https://a.co/d/8lcEV6a

Alex speaks with Eric Schliesser about the growing declarations of the end of liberalism and what this means for the socio-political future in general. Episode Notes: Eric Schliesser’s page at the University of Amsterdam https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/s/c/e.s.schliesser/e.s.schliesser.html#Publications Kevin Vallier’s episode of this podcast discussing religious anti-liberalism: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/197-kevin-vallier-what-are-the-new-religious-threats-to-liberalism/ Adrian Vermeulen’s publications https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/adrian-vermeule/ Tom Pink’s page at King’s College London: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink Yoram Hazony’s book on conservatism: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink Jacob Levy on borders and liberalism: https://www.niskanencenter.org/law-and-border/

Sabine speaks with Akiva Malamet and Mikayla Novak about the effects of market forces on gender as a social construct, the unlikely pairing of free markets and gender in an age of socialist feminist theory, and their recent co-authored article in Cosmos + Taxis. Episode Notes: "Gender as a Discovery Process: Social Construction, Markets, and Gender" Akiva Malamet and Mikayla Novak https://cosmosandtaxis.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/malamet_novak_ct_vol11_iss11_12_epub.pdf Randall Holcombe on Spontaneous Order: https://doi.org/10.1177/1473095212458270 David Pozen "We Are All Entrepreneurs Now": https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1044021 Immanuel Kant first introduces the concepts of "phenomena" and "noumena" in his critical philosophy, particularly in his work titled "Critique of Pure Reason" (Kritik der reinen Vernunft), which was first published in 1781. Isreal Kirzner on Entrepreneurship: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Kirzner.html Jason Kuznicki "Human, Transhuman, Transgender.": https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/human-transhuman-transgender

Sabine Speaks with Ryan Thorpe about the state of Journalism in Canada and about how bills C-18, C-11 and government subsidies for journalism are compromising an industry necessary for democratic participation in an age when accountability is more important than ever. Episode Notes: Ryan's page on the Winnipeg Free Press website: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/biographies/ryan-thorpe A primer on Canada's Bill C-18: https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/understanding-bill-c-18-canada-s-online-news-act-and-its-proposed-rules-explained-1.6488532 Canadaland's statement regarding denial of government subsidies: https://www.canadaland.com/how-to-support-canadaland/ A legal perspective on Bill C-11: https://www.lexpert.ca/legal-insights/exploring-the-controversy-around-bill-c-11/380414 Sy Hersh's C-SPAN speech describing how he exposed the My Lai massacre: https://www.c-span.org/video/?62006-1/vietnam-war-lai-massacre Torstar losing approximately 50 million dollars a year: http://surl.li/pqchw Blacklocks reporter on the memo to Pablo Rodriguez demonstrating the failure of public subsidies to Canadian media: https://www.blacklocks.ca/media-bailout-failed-memo/

Matt speaks with Tyler Cowen about his recent book "GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter?", as they discuss the case for and against each of the top finalists, and the interactive AI features that Tyler has integrated into the book's online release. Episode Notes: The full book plus all interactive AI features can be found for free here: https://goatgreatesteconomistofalltime.ai/en

Alex speaks with Peter Boettke and Matthew Mitchell about their recent book co-authored with Konstantin Zhukov about the unusual rise of Estonia from the ashes of Stalinism to their current status as one of the freest nations on earth. Episode Notes: The conversation focusses on the book "Road To Freedom" which can be read in its entirety here: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/road-to-freedom-estonias-rise-from-soviet-vassal-state-to-one-of-the-freest-nations-on-earth_0.pdf A similar publication on the economic history of Poland by these same authors can be read in its entirety here: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/road-to-socialism-and-back-an-economic-history-of-poland-1939-2019.pdf

Alex speaks with Nick Cowen about democracy, markets, and his forthcoming article "Include The Ignorant" Episode Notes: - Jason Brennan "Against Democracy" https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691178493/against-democracy - On the Compatibility of Epistocracy and Public Reason by Thomas Mulligan https://www.jstor.org/stable/24575740 - Hayek on Limited Democracy, Dictatorships, and the ‘Free’ Market: An Interview in Argentina, 1977 "Birsen Filip" https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-91358-2_10

Alex speaks with Mike Munger about the state of classical liberalism in an era in which conservatism seems intent on wielding the tools of central planning and the left prefers the term "progressive" to "liberal". Episode Notes: The Classical Liberal Diaspora by Mike Munger: https://t.co/xoRnPIUXXi The Articles of Confederation: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Articles-of-Confederation Preamble to the United States constitution: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/us Fusionism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusionism Albert Jay Nock and The Remnant: https://mises.org/library/isaiahs-job Chile rewriting its constitution: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/chilean-congressional-council-finalizes-new-draft-constitution-again-2023-10-30/

Sabine speaks with Lauren K Hall, who defends the notion that feminism is an emergent order, and speaks about her recent special edition of Cosmos+Taxis. Episode Notes: All articles in the most recent edition of Cosmos+Taxis are linked here: https://cosmosandtaxis.org/current-issue/ Sarah Blaffer Hrdy "The Woman That Never Evolved": https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1khdr6b Kimberle Crenshaw "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics": https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=uclf

Matt speaks with Clara Piano about the relationship between economic freedom, fertility, and the roles that modernization and increasing well-being for women have on the number of babies that are born in countries around the world. Episode Notes: "The Fertility Gap and Economic Freedom" by Clara Piano & Lyman Stone https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4564080 "The Fertility Benefits of Economic Freedom" by Clara E. Piano https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-fertility-benefits-of-economic-freedom "The Best Policy for Supporting Families Is “Do No Harm”" by Clara E. Piano https://www.aier.org/article/the-best-policy-for-supporting-families-is-do-no-harm/ Some history on "The Population Bomb" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/book-incited-worldwide-fear-overpopulation-180967499/

Sabine speaks with Sarah Skwire about the fascinating world of Shakespeare and why there are so many lessons we can learn from a pre-enlightenment playwright about markets, politics, and the human condition. Episode Notes: - Mike Huemer's Post on Shakespeare: https://fakenous.substack.com/p/why-i-hate-shakespeare - "The Comedy of The Errors" https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/the-comedy-of-errors/read/#:~:text=Synopsis%3A,named%20Dromio%2C%20as%20their%20servants. - Sarah on Shakespeare and Immigration: https://fee.org/articles/even-shakespeare-knew-that-kicking-out-immigrants-harms-us-all/ - Adam Smith on Human Sympathy: https://www.adamsmithworks.org/documents/smith-on-sympathy-lauren-hall-12-1 - Summary of Shakespeare's "Sir Thomas More": https://nosweatshakespeare.com/sir-thomas-more-play/ - Adam Smith's misrecollection of Othello https://www.adamsmithworks.org/speakings/skwire-smith-shakespeare-slips-end-of-othello - Intro to "Measure for Measure": https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/measure-for-measure/ - Commentary on the Political Theology of First Samuel: https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-testament/samuel-kings-chronicles-and-work/from-tribal-confederation-to-monarchy-1-samuel/

Alex speaks with David Friedman about defenses, definitions and critiques of Anarcho-Capitalism in David's work and in others'. Episode Notes: - Summary of David's book "The Machinery of Freedom" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machinery_of_Freedom - Some of Ayn Rand's views on Libertarianism and Anarcho-Capitalism: http://aynrandlexicon.com/ayn-rand-ideas/ayn-rand-q-on-a-on-libertarianism.html - Some of David's comments on his Father's views of his work can be found here: https://www.econlib.org/archives/2011/07/david_friedmans_1.html - The Stanford Encyclopedia's entry on Anarchism https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/anarchism/#:~:text=Libertarianism%20and%20anarcho%2Dcapitalism%20also,the%20idea%20of%20social%20development. - "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" - Robert A. Heinlein https://a.co/d/4gmWZrP - "The Private Enforcement of Law" - Landes and Posner https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=259376 - "Law Enforcement, Malfeasance, and Compensation of Enforcers" - Gary S. Becker and George J. Stigler https://laws21.classes.ryansafner.com/readings/Becker-Stigler-1974.pdf

Matt speaks with Iain Murray about the estrangement of conservative liberalism from identitarian forms of conservative nationalism and the intriguing alliances that may arise in the future between freedom-loving libertarians and some unlikely allies. Episode Notes: Iain's book "The Socialist Temptation" https://a.co/d/5AUQHQp One of Iain's articles on the subject https://cei.org/blog/european-populism-is-nationalist-conservatism/ "Do Libertarians Have a Political Home Anymore?" by Iain Murray https://www.acton.org/religion-liberty/volume-35-number-1-2/do-libertarians-have-political-home-anymore Summary of Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Elegy Ezra Klein's comment on "Everything Bagel Liberalism" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/opinion/democrats-liberalism.html

Sabine speaks with Atlas Network's Brad Lips about what's in store for the liberty movement all over the world. Episode Notes: - The Atlas Network https://www.atlasnetwork.org/who-we-are - Brad's book "Liberalism and the Free Society in 2021" https://a.co/d/0Bcor8q - The Free Market Foundation https://freemarketfoundation.com/ - Article summarizing Margaret Thatcher's relationship with Anthony Fisher https://philanthropydaily.com/margaret-thatcher-and-antony-fisher-free-markets-and-philanthropy/ - Watler Williams on South Africa https://www.annistonstar.com/the_st_clair_times/stclair_opinion/walter-williams-ridding-south-africa-of-apartheid-and-what-replaces-it-column/article_da26121e-ad32-11e8-ba86-7783725cd2d4.html - Centre for Civil Society in India https://ccs.in/

Matt speaks with Mark Mercer about academic freedom, the changing mission of universities themselves, and what role faculty, administrators, and students should play in shaping the future of the institution. References: Mark’s Interview in C2C Journal: https://c2cjournal.ca/2023/05/confronting-the-post-academic-university-in-conversation-with-mark-mercer/ Peter March at St. Mary’s: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/students-protest-prof-who-posted-cartoons-1.623017 Kathleen Lowrey at University of Alberta: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/u-of-a-professor-says-she-was-dismissed-over-views-that-biological-sex-trumps-transgender-identity-for-policy-decisions Tomáš Hudlický at Brock University: https://niagaraindependent.ca/remembering-professor-tomas-hudlicky-and-how-poorly-brock-university-treated-him/ The Chicago Principles: https://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/reports/FOECommitteeReport.pdf

Alex speaks with Cory Massimino about the concept of prison abolition and how this position corresponds with natural rights theory and recent movements demanding the end of prisons as we know them. Read some of Cory’s published and unpublished pieces on prison abolition here: thttp://corymassimino.com/tag/prison-abolition/

Matt speaks with Seth Kaplan about his book Fragile Neighborhoods, and why a decision as simple as where we choose to live can often make the difference between lives of prosperity and lives of uncertainty and strife. Seth's book can be ordered here: https://a.co/d/aqUzRny

In March of 2023, Alex spoke with Noah Schwartz about gun control in Canada and how recent attempts to review firearms policy have failed to address root issues and the causes of violence and crime. References 1. “On Target: Gun Culture, Storytelling, and the NRA” by Noah Schwartz Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Target-Gun-Culture-Storytelling-NRA/dp/1487548443/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 2. “Firearms Act, 1995” by Justice Laws Website Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/f-11.6/ 3. “Firearms Licensing” by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Link: https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/licensing 4. “A Right to Bear Arms? Canadian Cases” by Leonid Sirota Link: https://doubleaspect.blog/2012/04/15/a-right-to-bear-arms-canadian-cases/ 5. “Nova Scotia Shooting Incident - Timeline” by Public Safety Canada Link: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20200730/021/index-en.aspx 6. “Bill C-21” by the Parliament of Canada Link: https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-21

In April of 2023, Alex speaks with Monica Guzman about the need for curiosity as a remedy for the increasing polarization in American discourse and her recent book on the subject "I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times" Monica's book: https://a.co/d/j6xKME7