The Curious Task

Alex speaks with Geoff Kellow about the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin and whether they can help us better understand the connection between markets and virtue. References 1. “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” by Benjamin Franklin Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Autobiography-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/1508475091 2. “Benjamin Franklin and Adam Smith: Two Strangers and the Spirit of Capitalism” by Geoff Kellow Link: https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/50/2/321/134723/Benjamin-Franklin-and-Adam-SmithTwo-Strangers-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext 3. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

Alex speaks with Dan Smith about the lack of accountability in the contemporary world of monetary policy and why greater discretion may not be the answer. References 1. “Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions” by Peter Boettke, Alexander Salter, and Daniel Smith Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Money-Rule-Law-Predictability-Institutions/dp/1108479847 2. “Who Is Ben Bernake? Why Is He Important?” by Julia Kagan Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/benbernanke.asp 3. “Federal Reserve Independence” by Peter Boettke and Daniel Smith Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2135232 4. “An Episodic History of Modern Fed Independence” by Daniel Smith and Peter Boettke Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2135233 5. “Everything You Need to Know About the Federal Reserve Scandal” by Better Markets Link: https://bettermarkets.org/newsroom/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-federal-reserve-trading-scandal-exposing-pandemic-profiteering-at-americans-central-bank-leadership-failures-cover-up/ 6. “Sweep Accounts Definition: Types and How They Work” by Investopedia Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sweepaccount.asp 7. “What LawMicro Has to Teach LawMacro: An Exploration of the Rule of Law and Monetary Policy” by Peter Boettke, Alexander Salter, and Daniel Smith Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4721380

Alex speaks with Bruce Caldwell on the history of one of the world's most exclusive intellectual societies. References 1. “Hayek’s Challenge: An Intellectual Biography of F.A. Hayek” by Bruce Caldwell Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Hayeks-Challenge-Intellectual-Biography-F/dp/0226091937 2. “Hayek: A Life, 1899-1950” by Bruce Caldwell Link: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo136253636.html 3. “Mont Pelerin 1947: Transcripts of the Founding Meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society” by Bruce Caldwell Link: https://www.amazon.com/Mont-P%C3%A8lerin-1947-Transcripts-Founding/dp/0817924841 4. “Cicely Veronica Wedgewood” by The British Academy Link: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1408/97p521.pdf 5. “Ludwig Von Mises” by EconLib Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Mises.html 6. “Frank Hyneman Knight” by EconLib Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Knight.html 7. “Lionel Robbins” by EconLib Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Robbins.html 8. “Marshall Plan (1948)” by National Archives Link: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/marshall-plan#:~:text=On%20April%203%2C%201948%2C%20President,economic%20infrastructure%20of%20postwar%20Europe.

Alex Aragona speaks with Victor M. Muniz-Fraticelli about whether the monarchy might seem absurd, and whether a little absurdity can be a good thing. References 1. “The Monarchy and the Constitution” by Vernon Bogdanor Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Monarchy-Constitution-Vernon-Bogdanor/dp/0198293348

Alex Aragona speaks with Maria Pia Paganelli as she sheds light on the historical context of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, and some of the surprising insights within it that make it more relevant than ever today. References 1. “The Routledge Guidebook to Smith’s Wealth of Nations” by Maria Pia Paginelli Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Routledge-Guidebook-Smiths-Wealth-Nations/dp/1138686158 2. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960 3. “The Adam Smith Problem in Reverse: Self-Interest in The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments” by Maria Pia Paginelli Link: https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/40/2/365/38402/The-Adam-Smith-Problem-in-Reverse-Self-Interest-in?redirectedFrom=PDF

Alex Aragona speaks with Emily Nacol as she breaks down both the origins and contemporary puzzles of the concept of risk. References 1. "An Age of Risk: Politics and Economy in Early Britain" by Emily Nacol Link: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691165103/an-age-of-risk?srsltid=AfmBOoqPrhGB4AqvPOCalJPxFfkdI6iTXt5dkYsLvm5jCerE2A063rcP 2. “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960 3. “Second Treatise of Government” by John Locke Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm 4. “A Treatise of Human Nature” by David Hume Link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/bigge-a-treatise-of-human-nature 5. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

Alex Aragona speaks with Andrew Sabl as he explores what he means by "realist liberalism" and how it works to curb some of the misguided tendencies of other liberalisms. References 1. Liberalism Beyond Markets by Andrew Stabl Link: https://www.niskanencenter.org/liberalism-beyond-markets/ 2. Realist liberalism: an agenda by Andrew Stabl Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13698230.2017.1293916 3. A Look Back: Sedition, Free Speech and the President by Scott Bomboy Link: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/a-look-back-sedition-free-speech-and-the-president 4. Presidential Power and Modern Presidents by Richard E. Neustadt Link: http://ereserve.library.utah.edu/Annual/POLS/3150/Curry/neustadt.pdf 5. “The Meaning of the Welfare State” by F.A. Hayek Link: http://bev.berkeley.edu/ipe/Hayek%20The%20Meaning%20of%20the%20Welfare%20State.pdf

Alex Aragona speaks with Michelle Schwarze as she presents what she means by resentment, and whether there is a place for it in politics. References 1. "Recognizing Resentment: Sympathy, Injustice and Liberal Political Thought" by Michelle Schwarze Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Recognizing-Resentment-Michelle-Schwarze/dp/1108478662 2. Second Emancipation Proclamation letter from Martin Luther King to President Kennedy Link: https://www.crmvet.org/info/emancip2.pdf

Alex Aragona speaks with Stefan Kolev as he tours through the origins of Ordoliberalism and some of its fundamental principles. References 1. When Liberty Presupposes Order: F. A. Hayek’s Contextual Ordoliberalism by Steven Kolev Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-history-of-economic-thought/article/when-liberty-presupposes-order-f-a-hayeks-contextual-ordoliberalism/E3B96673B94952167704B24FC3A91857 2. “Old Chicago” and Freiburg: Why Ordoliberalism Was No “German Oddity” by Steven Kolev Link: https://www.promarket.org/2021/07/25/chicago-freiburg-ordoliberalism-neoliberalism-germany/ 3. The quote is from “Power Is Evil in Itself”: The Ordoliberal Quest for a Privilege-Free Order by Steven Kolev Link: https://www.promarket.org/2021/03/28/ordoliberal-privilege-free-order-walter-eucken-franz-bohm-germany/

Alex Aragona speaks with Travis Smith as he explores some key insights from Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. References 1. “Superhero Ethics” by Travis Smith Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Superhero-Ethics-Comic-Heroes-World/dp/1599474549 2. “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Tocqueville-Mansfield-Winthrop/dp/0226805360 3. “Democracy in America, Volume 2” by Alexis de Tocqueville Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Vol-Alexis-Tocqueville/dp/0679728260

Alex Aragona speaks with Caroline Breashears as she explores concepts from Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments, and connects them to various characters and stories in English literature. References 1. “Eighteenth-Century Women's Writing and the 'Scandalous Memoir’” by Caroline Breashears Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Eighteenth-Century-Womens-Writing-Scandalous-Memoir/dp/3319486543 2. “The Practical Morality of Life: Adam Smith, George Anne Bellamy, and the Theatre” Link: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-practical-morality-of-life.html 3. “The Theory of Moral Sentiments and on the Origins of Language” by Adam Smith Link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/smith-the-theory-of-moral-sentiments-and-on-the-origins-of-languages-stewart-ed 4. “Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination” by J.K. Rowling Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Very-Good-Lives-Importance-Imagination/dp/0316369152 5. “1984” by George Orwell Link: https://www.amazon.ca/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934 6. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Frankenstein-Mary-Shelley/dp/1512308056

Alex Aragona speaks with Pete Boettke as he presents his thinking on whether the world needs more classical liberalism, and how understanding the principles of liberalism might be the way to a better world. References 1. “The Struggle for a Better World” by Pete Boettke Link: https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Better-World-Peter-Boettke/dp/1942951876 2. “Hayek on the Role of Reason in Human Affairs” by Intercollegiate Studies Institute Link: https://isi.org/hayek-on-the-role-of-reason-in-human-affairs/#:~:text=Hayek's%20argument%20is%20primarily%20directed,socially%20autonomous%20human%20reason%20capable 3. Read more about Frederick Douglass and Lysander Spooner on Abolitionism Link: https://teachdemocracy.org/images/pdf/Abolitionists-and-the-Constitution.pdf 4. “National Economic Planning: What is Left?” by Don Lavoy Link: https://www.amazon.com/National-Economic-Planning-What-Left/dp/1942951264 5. “Politically Impossible” by W.H. Hutt Link: https://mises.org/library/book/politically-impossible 6. “The Theory of Economic Policy in English Classical Political Economy” by Lionel Robbins Link: https://mises.org/library/book/theory-economic-policy-english-classical-political-economy 7. “Liberty’s Dawn: A People's History of the Industrial Revolution” by Emma Griffin Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Libertys-Dawn-Peoples-Industrial-Revolution/dp/0300205252 8. “So Who is Carmen Segarra? A Fed Whistleblower Q&A” by Jake Bernstein Link: https://www.propublica.org/article/so-who-is-carmen-segarra-a-fed-whistleblower-qa 9. “Rothbard and the Nature of the State” by Matt Palmer Link: https://mises.org/mises-daily/rothbard-and-nature-state 10. “Libertarianism as Humanism: Remembering Steve Horwitz” by Trevor Burrus Link: https://www.cato.org/blog/libertarianism-humanism-remembering-steve-horwitz

Alex Aragona speaks with James Otteson as he tours through the seven deadly sins of economics, and how they can avoiding them can improve your thinking on public policy and in personal matters. References 1. "Seven Deadly Economic Sins: Obstacles to Prosperity and Happiness Every Citizen Should Know" by James Otteson Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Seven-Deadly-Economic-Sins-Prosperity/dp/1108843379 2. “Adam Smith and the Great Mind Fallacy” by James Otteson Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-philosophy-and-policy/article/abs/adam-smith-and-the-great-mind-fallacy/06F55076F21567E6F95D2310C4DDE540 3. Learn more about Dierdre McCloskey on her website Link: https://www.deirdremccloskey.com 4. “The Confusion of Language in Political Thought” by F.A. Hayek Link: https://iea.org.uk/publications/research/the-confusion-of-language-in-political-thought

Alex Aragona speaks with Moshe Lander about the supposed economic benefits of building sports and entertainment stadiums, and why those claims may not be as accurate as most people may think. References 1. “New Calgary event centre deal finalized, construction expected to begin in 2024” by Adam Toy Link: https://globalnews.ca/news/10007181/update-calgary-flames-arena-deal/

Alex Aragona speaks with Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili as she tours through some of her findings from Afghanistan, how she found Hayek in Afghanistan, and what the customs she observed say about polycentric authority and "anarchy as a policy alternative." References 1. “Land, the State and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/land-the-state-and-war/A7B8C98CB24780A3CC0EA1CD265D888A 2. “Informal Order and the State of Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/informal-order-and-the-state-in-afghanistan/5B0FB8D4B407988910AE737DB46C0E66 3. “Customary Organization and Support for the State” by Jennifer Murtazashvili Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/informal-order-and-the-state-in-afghanistan/customary-organizations-and-support-for-the-state/AD9A7954B84975E3C85854BE6B332D3C 4. “The Origins of Private Property Rights: States or Customary Organizations?” by Jennifer Murtazashvili Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-institutional-economics/article/origins-of-private-property-rights-states-or-customary-organizations/7DA1623EC21CD53C9BAE843D2C2D38E5 5. “The Collapse of Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili Link: https://www.murtazashvili.org/content/files/2022/01/Murtazashvili---2022---The-Collapse-of-Afghanistan.pdf 6. “Warlords, Strongman Governors and the State in Afghanistan” by Dipali Mukhopadhyay Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/warlords-strongman-governors-and-the-state-in-afghanistan/BCA6CD9EA581F78D88C295D613381835#fndtn-information

In Special Episode 2's celebration of 100 episodes, Curious Task host Alex Aragona pointed to Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser as one of his favourites, so we're re-releasing it! In this episode, Alex Aragona speaks with Eric Schliesser as he explores the history of the term "neoliberalism," its eventual evolution, and what neoliberalism means today. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release! References from The Curious Task Special Episode 5 with Eric Schliesser Here is a list of Eric Schliesser’s publications. Dr. Karen Horn and Dr. Stefan Kolev’s joint work, entitled Economic Thinking, has a German version available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link. Walter Lippmann’s book, The Good Society, which went on to become an international hit as for “its insight of neoliberalism as the intellectual status quo in the 19th century” can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. Marxist Scholar David Harvey’s book, A Brief History of Neoliberalism, where he equated neoliberalism “to everything he hated about capitalism” is available on Amazon Canada at this link. Mishel Foucault’s lecture series where he traced the history of neoliberalism from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries was published as The Birth of Biopolitics, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. Mark Buchanan’s article Wealth Happens analyzes the the “butchers and bakers” quote that was mentioned in passing by Alex Aragona at this online publishing from The Harvard Business Review. Milton Friedman’s article, Laws That Do Harm, is available for viewing at the Center of the American Experiment’s blog, which features the quote to “judge public policies by their results, not their intentions.” According to Eric Schliesser, the harm principle is a core liberal value and can be extended to markets. You can read about the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s lesson on John Stuart Mill’s version of the harm principle (Chapter 3.6) here. You can read Milton Friedman’s The Basic Principles of Liberalism here. You can watch Milton Friedman speak about the enemies of markets on the American Enterprise Institute’s website at this link. The Elgar Companian to the Chicago School of Economics can be purchased directly from the publishers here. Alex Aragona quotes this blogpost, How ‘Neoliberalism’ came to refer to Everything I reject from Digressions&Impressions.

In Special Episode 2's celebration of 100 episodes, Curious Task producer Sabine El-Chidiac pointed to Episode 67 with Tom Palmer as one of her favourites, so we're re-releasing it! In this episode, Tom Palmer talks about the institutions and conditions that cause peace and war, and why the concept of war might be closer to home than some might think. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release! References from The Curious Task Special Episode 4 with Tom Palmer Tom Palmer’s book, Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. Tom has additionally wrote and/or edited the following works: The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't Tell You (link) After the Welfare State (link) Why Liberty (link) Self-Control or State Control? You Decide (link) Peace, Love, and Liberty - the basis of this episode from which many of quotes, interview references, and military case studies were selected (link) Dignity and Democracy with co-author Matt Warner (publication coming out next year) Erik Gartzke found that trading countries are less likely to war in his article, The Capitalist Peace, which is available online. Tom’s Interview with a Businessman for Peace with Chris Rufer on peacemaking in business and trade, appears in Chapter 4 of Peace, Love, and Liberty. Frédéric Bastiat’s was an economist and peace advocate who argued the costs of long-term consumption from tax-produced weaponry in his book, That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, which can be read on the Mises Institute’s website. Robert Higgs’ article, Wartime Prosperity? A Reassessment of the U.S. Economy in the 1940s, (featured in The Journal of Economic History) clarified how productive efforts in jeeps and vans shipped to other countries do not constitute economic benefit due to the lack of private vehicle production. This article can be accessed here through an active JSTOR account or your educational institution. Tom’s essay, Peace is a Choice, presents a case study on political science professor and former US government official Madeline Albright and her view of the exemplary nation and how professors have a tendency to think about wars differently than those who have witnessed them. This is a chapter in Peace, Love, and Liberty. A transcript of Colin Powell’s infamous 2003 speech to the United Nations on the disarmament of Iraq which touches on themes of human lives and consequence can be read on The Washington Post archives. Tom’s recommended two German novels of the Great War to enrich an understanding of war from different perspectives on anguish and glory, respectively: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque (link) and Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (link). Parker Thomas Moon’s book, Imperialism and World Politics, highlights the devaluation of important political science questions when personal pronouns are employed during conflict. This book is available on Google Books at this link. Joshua Greene’s book discussing our psychological propensities to cooperate and designate teams to destroy other groups, Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them is available on Amazon Canada for purchase here. Robert Musil’s book, The Man Without Qualities, explores how a nation exists to offset responsibilities without remorse and is available for purchase on Amazon at this link. Samuel P. Huntington’s study, The Clash of Civilizations?, noting how much territory is under military control can be viewed at this link through an active JSTOR or partner institution account. Tom cites Carl Schmitt and his theory on the irreconcilibity of conflicts as a foundation for solidarity in the podcast. An overview of Schmitt’s essential works was published by John P. McCormick from the University of Chicago in the Annual Review of Political Science at this link. Chapter Five of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, covering the types of friendships human beings can have, was briefly mentioned on the podcast and can be read at this link courtesy of McMaster University’s Faculty of Social Sciences. Ernesto Laclau emphasizes the importance of identifying the enemy for successful populist rhetoric in his book, On Populist Reason, available on Amazon Canada here. George Orwell’s essay on how language can be operationalized to “obscure pure violence,” Politics and the English Language, can be accessed online at this link.

In Special Episode 2, Matt Bufton pointed to The Curious Task Episode 77 with James Tooley as one of his favourites. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release! References from The Curious Task Special Episode 3 with James Tooley The E. G. West Centre at Newcastle University is the namesake of economist E. G. West. This page will direct listeners to his various articles and reports. James’ book, The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey Into How the World’s Poorest People are Educating Themselves is the basis of today’s discussion and can be purchased from Amazon Canada here. You can read more about the John Templeton Foundation’s work at this link. Here is a link to James’ case study research about for-profit private education in India. This is The Economist article about Indian private schools educating 50% of the population that James mentions briefly on the podcast. Here is a synopsis of The Elementary Education Act of 1870 which mandated public education for schoolchildren between five to thirteen years of age. James’ book with the Independent Institute, Really Good Schools can be purchased here.

To celebrate reaching 100 episodes, host Alex Aragona, producer Sabine El-Chidiac, and executive producer Matt Bufton look back on the origins and growth of the podcast, some of their favourite episodes, and so much more in this very special bonus episode. References from The Curious Task Special Episode 2 with Matt Bufton, Sabine El-Chidiac and Alex Aragona You can listen to Graeme Thompson discuss Canadian Liberalism here. Dennis Rasmussen discusses if America failed here. The very first episode of The Curious Task with Nigel Ashford can be listened to here. Alex Salter talks about central banking on The Curious Task here. Matt mentions that two of his favourite episodes on The Curious Task are Mustafa Akyol on freedom in the Muslim world here, and James Tooley on private education here. The Beautiful Tree by James Tooley can be purchased from Amazon here. Sabine mentions that two of her favourite episodes on The Curious Task are Tom Palmer on what is war good for here, and Jacob Levy on civil society here. Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom by Jacob Levy can be purchased from Amazon here. Alex mentions that two of his favourite episodes on The Curious Task are Aeon Skoble on anarchy here, and Eric Schliesser on neoliberalism here. You can learn more about our Patreon here.

In honour of Steve Horwitz (1964-2021), we are re-releasing his conversation with Alex Aragona on what drives progress — a topic near and dear to Steve's heart. References from The Curious Task Special Episode 1 with Steve Horwitz Steve Horwitz is the author of Austrian Economics: An Introduction; Microfoundations and Macroeconomics: An Austrian Perspective; Monetary Evolution, Free Banking, and Economic Order; and Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions which are available for purchase on Amazon Canada (titles hyperlinked). This article entitled Persistent Fallacies by Vuk Vukovic recounts the misconceptions surrounding growth and is a response to the book, Why Nations Fail, featuring an anecdote on Paul Samuelson’s forecast of the USSR overtaking the US economy that was referenced by Steve in the episode. In case you missed Virginia Postrel’s episode on The Curious Task and wish to catch up with her research, her book, The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. The Cato Institute published an article by Adam D. Thierer on permissionless innovation, which also provides an overview of Deidre McCloskey’s contributions to the theory. It can be read here. You can read Steve’s article, Privilege and the Liberal Tradition, on libertarianism.org. Here is an excerpt on Ludwig’s von Mises’ concept of peaceful transference from his book, Liberalism: In the Classical Tradition. You can learn more about Robert Higgs’ concept of regime uncertainty through this downloadable PDF published by the Independent Institute. This article by Gerald P. O’Driscoll, Jr. is an introduction to “sound money” that Steve also talks about during the podcast. You can watch Hans Rosling’s TED video on The Magic Washing Machine at this link. The joint research on inequality published by Steve and Vincent Geloso is available for reading here. Here is the article written by Steve on Tyler Cowen’s joint article on The Great Stagnation, which is also available for reading online at this link. Here is some more background on precision medicine that Steve mentions briefly on the podcast. Here is the link to the 2007 panel discussion with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates that Alex mentions in the podcast. The Back to the Future trilogy and Demolition Man can be purchased and/or streamed from Amazon Canada. You can read more about John Stuart Mill’s “experiments of living” at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s website (Chapter 4.6).

Tyler Cowen chats with Alex Aragona about all things food — great things to eat, where to find them, and how an economist gets lunch. References from The Curious Task Episode 100 with Tyler Cowen You can purchase An Economist Gets Lunch by Tyler Cowen from Amazon here. You can read more from Tyler Cowen at the blog Marginal Revolution here. Find their course materials at Marginal Revolution University here. Tyler Cowen also has a food blog here. Read more about locavorism in The Locavore's Dilemma by Pierre Desrochers and Hiroko Shimizu, available through Amazon here.

Alex Aragona peaks with Aeon Skoble as he outlines his ideas on what anarchism is, how we should think on it, and how it overlaps with classical liberal ideas. References from The Curious Task Episode 99 with Aeon Skoble Aeon Skoble is author of Deleting the State and editor of a collection of essays called The Simpsons and Philosophy. He has a chapter titled “What Is the Point of Anarchism” in The Routledge Handbook of Anarchy and Anarchist Thought. Read more from Aeon Skoble on the blog Radical Classical Liberal here. Aeon Skoble mentions Robert Nozick, who argues for a minimal state in Anarchy, State, and Utopia available for purchase here. Aeon Skoble further discusses Robert Nozick in this video produced by the Fraser Institute here. Learn more about the prisoner’s dilemma here. The relationship between anarchism and law is explored by Bruce Benson in his book The Enterprise of Law, available for purchase here.

Alex Aragona speaks with SmithTweeters Janet Bufton and Sarah Skwire as they describe what drew them to the idea of reading through all of The Wealth of Nations and providing an ongoing commentary on Twitter, and how Adam Smith's ideas remain relevant. References from The Curious Task Episode 98 with Janet Bufton and Sarah Skwire Janet Bufton previously spoke on The Curious Task, which you can listen to here. Sarah Skwire has also appeared on The Curious Task here. You can read the #WealthofTweets here. The digression on silver in the Wealth of Nations can be read online here. Previous Smith Questionnaires can be watched on YouTube here. Learn more about the works of Adam Smith from Adam Smith Works here. Sarah and Janet reflect on their experience with the #WealthofTweets here.

Alex Aragona speaks with Anton Howes about when the sparks of innovation started in Britain, and what fanned the flames moving forward. References from The Curious Task Episode 97 with Anton Howes You can read more about the Age of Invention at the substack where Anton Howes writes about his ideas here. You can also find his working paper titled The Spread of Improvement here. Deirdre McCloskey details her arguments about ethics and commerce in her series which begins with Bourgeois Virtues, available for purchase from Amazon here. The European Guilds by Sheilagh Ogilvie is available for purchase through Princeton Press here.

Bill Easterly tours some of the concepts from his book The Tyranny of Experts, and explores why technocrats imposing their own form of economic development on cultures and peoples can produce more harm than good. References from The Curious Task Episode 96 with Bill Easterly You can purchase a copy of The Tyranny of the Experts by Bill Easterly here. The End of Poverty by Jeff Sachs can be found on Amazon here. The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek can be purchased here.

Alex Aragona speaks with Dennis Rasmussen about his findings on how the American Founding Fathers truly felt about the experiment they designed and built as time went on. References from The Curious Task Episode 95 with Dennis Rasmussen Dennis Rasmussen previously joined The Curious Task to speak about his book The Infidel and the Professor, and you can listen to that episode here. The book discussed on this episode of The Curious Task is Fears of the Setting Sun by Dennis Rasmussen, which can be purchased from Amazon here. The rising sun armchair can be seen digitally here. More information on the Federalists can be found here, and the Anti-Federalists here. The soundtrack to Hamilton can be listened to here.

Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about the classical liberal tradition in Canada, and what the evolution of that tradition has looked like. References from The Curious Task Episode 94 with Graeme Thompson A collection of the speeches of Wilfred Laurier can be found in an edited edition by Arthur Milnes, available from Amazon here. Macdonald Laurier and the Election of 1891 by Christopher Pennington can be found from Penguin House here. Graeme Thompson’s piece “Whatever Happened to Laurier” can be found in the National Post here. Graeme mentions positive and negative liberty by Isaiah Berlin, which is discussed on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy here. The works of Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, and J.S. Mill can be read for free through the Online Library of Liberty.

Jacob Levy gives a tour of his thoughts on the conversations surrounding social justice, and how liberals might consider the topic from the perspective of social "injustice". References from The Curious Task Episode 93 with Jacob Levy You can listen to Jacob Levy’s other appearances on The Curious Task here and here. Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom by Jacob T. Levy can be purchased from Amazon here. You can purchase Free Market Fairness by John Tomasi from Amazon here. You can read more concepts of spontaneous and emergent order found in Hayek here. Judith Shklar lays out her argument about injustice in her book The Faces of Injustice (which can be purchased here).

In honour of her birthday, Sandy Ikeda explores the ideas of Jane Jacobs and reflects on how her thinking on urban centres is still relevant today. References from The Curious Task Episode 92 with Sandy Ikeda You can listen to Sandy Ikeda discuss “Why Can’t a City Be a Work of Art?” on The Curious Task here. A copy of Jane Jacob’s Death and Life of Great American Cities can be purchased from Amazon here. Some of her other works include The Economy of Cities (available here) and Systems of Survival (available here). For those who want to learn more about Austrian economics, our friends at the Frasier Institute have released an introduction to the subject here. You can read more about the thoughts Sandy Ikeda has on Urban Design and Social Complexity here.

Terence Kealey speaks about the history of state involvement in funding science and technology, and why it may not be as good or innovative of an idea as it may seem. References from The Curious Task Episode 91 with Terence Kealey You can purchase a copy of Sex Science and Profits by Terence Kealey on Amazon here. The story of Katalin Karikó is explored in detail in this article. Terence Kealey has a chapter in Visions of Liberty, available for purchase here.

Alex Aragona speaks with Nick Cowen as he explores the current state of sex work regulation, and what approaches regulators could (and should) take when considering the increasing online landscape for these services. References from The Curious Task Episode 90 with Nick Cowen Nick Cowen is the author of Neoliberal Social Justice. You can read the first chapter of his book here. Nick Cowen’s article Sex Work and Online Platforms: What Should Regulation Do? can be downloaded and read here. Within the article, the section which specifically explores the various models of sex work regulation begins on page 5. Markets without Limits by Peter Jaworski and Jason Brennan can be found here. Michael Munger speaks more about transaction costs in the economy with our friends at Econtalk here. An explanation of the key debates currently about sex work can be found by following this link.

Alex Salter dives into Federal Reserve policies during the pandemic, what it got right and wrong, and what the lasting impacts will be. References from The Curious Task Episode 89 with Alex Salter Alex Salter is the co-author of Money and the Rule of Law along with Peter Boettke and Daniel Smith. His book can be purchased from Amazon here. To read more about the Federal Reserve’s actions during the financial crisis from Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve Donald Kohn, see here. Alex Salter’s most recent commentary on the Federal Reserve at AIER can be found here and here. Alex Salter discusses the Federal Reserves response to COVID-19 here. For more information about the accountability and transparency of the federal reserve, see the report from Scott Sumner at the Mercatus Center found here.

Dan and Sabine discuss their newest policy brief with the Mercatus Center, and what changes they'd like to see to Canadian and American immigration policy as it relates to movement between the two countries. References from The Curious Task Episode 88 with Dan Griswold & Sabine El-Chidiac The policy brief co-authored by Daniel Griswold and Sabine El-Chidiac titled “Deepen Us-Canada Ties with a Post-COVID-19 Agreement for the Free Movement of People can be found here. Dan Griswold’s book Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization can be purchased on Amazon here. For more information on Canadian Immigrants in the United States, see this information from the Migration Policy Institute here. Dan Griswold explains his stance on Employment-Based Immigration Policies found in Australia and Canada in an interview with the Washington Journal here. Find Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration and Political Freedom by Ilya Somin available for purchase here. Ilya Somin also appeared on the Curious Task to speak about voting with your feet here.

Alex Aragona explores standard readings of Lockean property rights theories with Bas van der Vossen, and then explore Bas' idea on what might be missing from these traditional understandings and interpretations. References from The Curious Task Episode 87 with Bas van der Vossen Bas van der Vossen explores the historical entitlement theory, including some of the points he included in his presentation about Robert Nozick’s version during the podcast, at this link. You can read John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government online at this link. Chapter 5, On Property, forms the basis of much of this week’s discussion, This article titled, John Locke: Some Problems in Locke’s Theory of Private Property, on libertarianism.org features Nozick’s famous tomato juice analogy that objects Locke’s principle of labour mixing, and is also an extension of the discussion brought up by Bas during this episode. Here is an excerpt by Bas van der Vosen on Hume’s idea of property rights as convention. You can access Bas van der Vossen’s work on the “Enough and As Good” Lockean proviso here. Here is a paper by Hillsdale College on the appropriative water rights doctrine in the Western United States that Bas briefly mentions during the podcast. Bas mentions the water shortages that California faces from waterway droughts. An article that details the “Tahoe to tap” option can be accessed at this link.

Alex Aragona speaks with Matt Warner as he explores the dilemma that outsiders face when trying to do good for others, and why local knowledge is so important. References from Episode 86 with Matt Warner Matt Warner is the author of, Poverty and Freedom: Case Studies on Global Economic Freedom, which can be purchased from Amazon Canada here. Eric Beinhocker’s book, The Origin of Wealth, was mentioned by Matt because it makes a Hayekian case for use of knowledge in society and that there is more than one type of knowledge in an array of complex adaptive systems. This book can also be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. Matt mentions Jeffrey Sachs’ crop yield project in Uganda during the podcast. You can read some of Sachs’ work for the Africa Growth Initiative here. Francis Fukuyama’s book, The End of History, can be purchased from Amazon Canada at this link. Stephen Holmes co-authored the book, The Light That Failed, with Ivan Krastev, which is also available for purchase on Amazon Canada here. Why Nations Fail is another book cited by Matt during the podcast. It was co-authored by James Robinson and is available on Amazon Canada here. You can read Mohamed Bouazizi’s story and how it ignited the Arab Spring here. Mauricio Miller’s book, The Alternative, is listed on Amazon Canada at this link. Amartya Sen’s book, Development as Freedom, can be found on Amazon Canada here. You can explore Jeremy Shapiro’s work on development economics on his website. Samantha Power’s memoir, The Education of an Idealist, is available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link. Daron Acemoglu and James Robinsson’s book, The Narrow Corridor, was also mentioned by Matt during the podcast and can be purchased here. You can read Freedom House’s report on the state of democracy around the world in 2021 here.

Alex Aragona speaks with Paul Robinson about whether Russia is trying to meddle with Western democracy, and if he thinks the recommended solutions might be worse than the alleged threat. References from Episode 85 with Paul Robinson You can listen to Paul Robinson speak about military intervention on The Curious Task Paul Robinson regularly writes on his blog Irrussianality, which you can read online He is also the author and editor of several books, which can be found here. Alex references an essay on disinformation which was published on the CRTC website, which can be read Paul Robinson talks specifically about disinformation on his blog in the post “Watching the Disinformation Watchers” which can be read Alex suggests you read the unpublished introduction to Animal Farm by George Orwell, which can be found

Alex Aragona speaks with Scott Scheall as he explores how the knowledge problem and other epistemological considerations must be considered before political incentives. References from Episode 84 with Scott Scheall Scott Scheall is the author of the book, F. A. Hayek and the Epistemology of Politics: The Curious Task of Economics, which can be purchased from Routledge at this link. You can read The Green New Deal resolution presented during the 1st session of the 116th Congress here. David Hume’s essay, Of the Independency of Parliament, where he talks about political writers as a maxim and how every man ought to be a knave, is available for reading at this link. Scott references James Buchanan’s idea of “politics without romance” in public choice theory where the assumption of knowledge is a starting point from his co-authored book, The Calculus of Consent. This book can be accessed here. You can read more about Milton Friedman’s work on command economies here.can Scott cites F. A. Hayek’s book, The Use of Knowledge in Society, to the argument that gathering data is not a problem for central planning, but that the particular circumstances of time and place are what determine success. This book can be accessed here. You can read F. A. Hayek’s work, Cosmos and Taxis, here. You can read Scott’s op-ed with Parker Crutchfield, There Are No Experts On That for Which We Really Need Experts, published on the American Institute for Economic Research at this link.

Alex Aragona speaks with Shikha Dalmia about minority groups as defenders of rights and freedoms, and the North American libertarian movement during and after Donald Trump's presidency. References from Episode 83 with Shikha Dalmia You can read Shikha’s articles published at Reason Foundation here and her articles in The Week here. Here are some statistics of the the share of votes for Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election by ethnicity, produced by Statista. This is the Washington Post article by Radley Balko that was referenced by Shikha during the podcast, titled, Meet the police chief turned yoga instructor prodding wealthy suburbanites to civil war. Here is Ward Connerly’s biography. You can access the full text of the Federalist Papers by James Madison at this link. The Liberty Fund has a full version of the letter written by Lord Acton to Bishop Creighton which includes the famous quote, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” (1887) at this link. This link will direct you to the original text of The Civil Rights Act (1964). This is an article detailing the history of the poll tax in America. This is a BBC article that discusses the exclusion of Muslims from the reforms to India’s Citizenship Act. Shikha briefly mentions the population dynamics inAntebellum America. Here is an article on the demography of the slave population in Antebellum America for extended reading that was featured in The Journal of Interdisciplinary History. This is the codification of Title XI of the Education Amendments Act (1972). The Washington Post has an article on Barry Goldwater’s history that was released in commemoration of his passing in 1998 and can be accessed here. You can read more articles written by David French, a Christian conservative critical of Trump and proactive on the topic of religious freedom, at his profile on The Dispatch here. This is a link to some quotes by Samuel Johnson on liberty.

Alex Aragona chats with Art Carden as he explains the kind of deal we need to make if we want to see great prosperity. References from Episode 82 with Art Carden Art Carden is the co-author of the book, Leave Me Alone and I’ll Make You Rich, with Deirdre McCloskey, which is available on Amazon Canada at this link (Kindle Edition and Hardcover). Art references Shylock from The Merchant of Venice and Iago from Othello, whose full texts are accessible through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s website (titles hyperlinked). This is an interactive graphic by Our World in Data on the world literacy rate overtime. Here is a link to a further elaboration of Adam Smith’s quote that “people of the same trades seldom meet together … but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices” and one of “the great deal of ruin in a nation” that were mentioned by Art (Courtesy of the Adam Smith Institute). This is a link to William Nordhaus’ working paper on the gains from innovation. You can read more about Fred Shuttlesworth on the encyclopedia website of the King Institute at Stanford University at this link. You can watch the 2007 D5 Conference that hosted Steve Jobs and Bill Gates together and features a question on the “desktop paradigm” on Youtube at this link. You can read Thomas Malthus’ An Essay on the Principle Population on The Library of Economics and Liberty website. Here is a link to the Youtube series, Free to Choose, featuring Milton Friedman. You can purchase John Kenneth Galbraith’s book, The New Industrial State, on Amazon Canada at this link. Here is a list of the Top 10 Fortune 500 companies. Andrew McAfee’s book, More from Less, talks about the dematrialization of economic growth and can be purchased on Amazon Canada here. Art mentions Robin Hanson’s concept of the Futures Market during the podcast. You can read more about it in this article by Robin Hanson. Thomas Sowell’s book, A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles, is available on Amazon Canada at this link.

Alex Aragona speaks with Erik Kimbrough as he explores the role social norms, groups, and other factors play in our decision making processes. References from Episode 81 with Erik Kimbrough You can find a list of Erik’s work here, or on SSRN and RePEc (Erik Kimbrough), some of which were quoted during this episode and formed the basis of discussion. These include Erik’s discussions on norm-compliance (with Mark Pickup and Eline de Rooij), corruption, social preferences (with Alexander Vostroknutov), and marriage (with Mahsa Akbari). This is a rundown of The Dictator Game in economics as presented by Daniel Kahneman et al. This is the paper written by George Stigler and Gary Becker, Accounting for Taste, that was mentioned by Erik in the podcast. You can read about Adam Smith’s impartial spectator and sentiments at this link (Adam Smith Institute). You can read more about the economist Douglass North at this link (The Library of Economics and Liberty). The book, The WEIRDest People in the World by Joe Henrich, that was mentioned by Erik is available on Amazon Canada at this link. Friedrich Hayek’s quote that “Man is much a rule-following animal as a purpose-seeking one” is from his book, Law, Legislation and Liberty, which can be accessed here.

Alex Aragona chats with Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski as they explore the policies that can hurt businesses, and their work on the Doing Business North America index. References from Episode 80 with Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski Ross Emmett and Stephen Slivinski are directors of the Doing Business North America project. Their 2020 report forms the basis of this episode and can be found at their website at this link. Here is a link to the Doing Business Report by the World Bank that was briefly mentioned in the podcast. You can read the Philadelphia Inquirer’s article on the barriers of doing business in Philadelphia here. An in-depth explanation of the DBNA’s methodology and business categories is available for reading at this link. The DBNA Land Use index was inspired by The Wharton Residential Land Use Regulatory Index, which can be accessed here. Here are the recent rankings of the DBNA report, which includes a comparison of the performance in cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States (including the top five and five lowest-performing cities). You can interact with the data collected by DBNA at this link. Virginia Postrel’s book, The Future and its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress, can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. Here is an article on the Bootleggers and Baptists problem coined by Bruce Yandle.

Alex Aragona speaks with Peter Jaworski as he explores his definition of libertarianism, and how different kinds of morality can lead to certain conclusions about libertarian institutions. References from Episode 79 with Peter Jaworski Peter Jaworski is the co-author of the book, Markets without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests, which is available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link. Peter mentions B. van der Vossen’s article on self-ownership published on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which can be read here. The general article on libertarianism starts at this link. You can read more about Jonathan Haidt’s moral foundations theory on the website, moralfoundations.org. Peter mentions the three-way division between people cited in Jason Brennan’s book, Against Democracy, which is also available on Amazon Canada at this link. This article on libertarianism.org captures David Hume’s is-ought dichotomy that was briefly mentioned by Peter during the podcast. The Acton Institute publishes many articles that demonstrate how their theological views endorse libertarian institutions on their website, acton.org. You can read John Stuart Mill’s libertarian conclusions in On Liberty at this link. Peter mentions Chris Freiman during the episode, who has published blogposts on learnliberty.org. You can read more about the natural rights argument of Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in this article on libertarianism.org. The Lockean-Nozick justification of property rights has also been written about in this article on libertarianism.org. Here is the link to Ayn Rand’s book, The Virtue of Selfishness, that explores the concept of ethical egoism. Michael L. Frazer has a book on Adam Smith’s theory of sentimentalism and how it departs from that of David Hume, which can be accessed here. You can purchase Michael Huemer’s book, Ethical Institutionalism, that was recommended by Peter at this link. Jan Narveson makes a contractarian case for libertarianism in this article on libertarianism.org. Here is Roderick Long’s article, Eudaimonist Libertarianism, that was published on bleedingheartlibertarians.org. Dan Sanchez published an article called, In Defense of Mises’s Utilitarianism, through the Mises Institute and is available for reading here. Here is Kevin Vallier’s article, A Rawlisan Case for Libertarianism, which also draws parallels to F. A. Hayek. You can explore Milton Friedman’s natural rights-oriented political philosophy in his book, Capitalism and Freedom, which can be purchased from Amazon Canada at this link. Here is a joint article by John Tomasi and Matt Zwolinski called, A Bleeding Heart History of Libertarianism, which was published in Cato Unbound and can be read at this link. This is a link to the Libertarian Party of the United States. Deirdre McCloskey elaborated on her idea of The Great Enrichment in this article published on the Foundation for Economic Education.

Alex Aragona speaks with Sandra Peart as she traces the life of John Stuart Mill and explores some of the key pillars of his thinking. References from Episode 78 with Sandra Peart Sandra Peart is the author of Towards an Economics of Natural Equals: A Documentary History of the Early Virginia School, Escape from Democracy: The Role of Experts and the Public in Economic Policy, and the Essential John Stuart Mill, some of which are available for purchase on Amazon Canada (titles hyperlinked). The liberal themes of social tyranny, expression, and democracy were drawn from John Stuart Mill’s works, On Liberty (Batoche Books), and Utilitarianism (McMaster, Batoche Books) which are available for reading online (titles hyperlinked). David Ricardo’s book, On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, can be read online on McMaster University’s Faculty of Social Sciences website at this link. You can read The Later Letters of John Stuart Mill (1849-1873) that were referenced by Sandra throughout the podcast on Liberty Fund’s website here. Here is one journal article on Wordsworth’s influence on Mill by Liz McKinnell. The United Kingdom Parliament has published the following websites on the reformative legislative legacy of John Stuart Mill while he was an MP: John Start Mill Amendment and John Stuart Mill and the 1866 Petition. This is a link to the cartoon ridiculing John Stuart Mill’s franchise for women as “persons” published by Punch Magazine. This is the harsher cartoon, “Miss Mill Joins the Ladies,” published by Judy. Here is a link to Hayek on Mill, which was edited by Sandra and features Hayek’s skepticism of Mill’s originality and the Taylor-Mill correspondence that was published by Hayek.

Alex Aragona speaks with James Tooley as he retells some of his experiences discovering quality private education solutions in poorer communities, and how they compared to the government's offerings. References from Episode 77 with James Tooley The E. G. West Centre at Newcastle University is the namesake of economist E. G. West. This page will direct listeners to his various articles and reports. James’ book, The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey Into How the World’s Poorest People are Educating Themselves is the basis of today’s discussion and can be purchased from Amazon Canada here. You can read more about the John Templeton Foundation’s work at this link. Here is a link to James’ case study research about for-profit private education in India. This is The Economist article about Indian private schools educating 50% of the population that James mentions briefly on the podcast. Here is a synopsis of The Elementary Education Act of 1870 which mandated public education for schoolchildren between five to thirteen years of age. James’ book with the Independent Institute, Really Good Schools is set for release in March 2021 and can be preordered here.

Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Horwitz as he explores what drives human progress, and why the market is so crucial to that. References from Episode 76 with Steve Horwitz Steve Horwitz is the author of Austrian Economics: An Introduction; Microfoundations and Macroeconomics: An Austrian Perspective; Monetary Evolution, Free Banking, and Economic Order; and Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions which are available for purchase on Amazon Canada (titles hyperlinked). This article entitled Persistent Fallacies by Vuk Vukovic recounts the misconceptions surrounding growth and is a response to the book, Why Nations Fail, featuring an anecdote on Paul Samuelson’s forecast of the USSR overtaking the US economy that was referenced by Steve in the episode. In case you missed Virginia Postrel’s episode on The Curious Task and wish to catch up with her research, her book, The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. The Cato Institute published an article by Adam D. Thierer on permissionless innovation, which also provides an overview of Deidre McCloskey’s contributions to the theory. It can be read here. You can read Steve’s article, Privilege and the Liberal Tradition, on libertarianism.org. Here is an excerpt on Ludwig’s von Mises’ concept of peaceful transference from his book, Liberalism: In the Classical Tradition. You can learn more about Robert Higgs’ concept of regime uncertainty through this downloadable PDF published by the Independent Institute. This article by Gerald P. O’Driscoll, Jr. is an introduction to “sound money” that Steve also talks about during the podcast. You can watch Hans Rosling’s TED video on The Magic Washing Machine at this link. The joint research on inequality published by Steve and Vincent Geloso is available for reading here. Here is the article written by Steve on Tyler Cowen’s joint article on The Great Stagnation, which is also available for reading online at this link. Here is some more background on precision medicine that Steve mentions briefly on the podcast. Here is the link to the 2007 panel discussion with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates that Alex mentions in the podcast. The Back to the Future trilogy and Demolition Man can be purchased and/or streamed from Amazon Canada. You can read more about John Stuart Mill’s “experiments of living” at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s website (Chapter 4.6).

Alex Aragona speaks with Clark Neily as he explores the causes of America's policing problems, and policies that may fix them. References 1. “Terms of Engagement: How Our Courts Should Enforce the Constitution’s Promise of Limited Government” by Clark M. Neily Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Terms-Engagement-Enforce-Constitutions-Government/dp/1594036969 2. “A Libertarian Vision for Criminal Justice” by Clark Neily Link: https://www.libertarianism.org/essays/libertarian-vision-for-criminal-justice 3. “Sagging Pants and the Long History of ‘Dangerous’ Street Fashion” by Gene Demby Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/09/11/347143588/sagging-pants-and-the-long-history-of-dangerous-street-fashion 4. “America’s Criminal Justice System is Rotten to the Core” by Clark Neily Link: https://www.cato.org/blog/americas-criminal-justice-system-rotten-core 5. “Varsity Blues Scandal Explained” by BC Law Link: https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2023/12/varsity-blues-sandal-explained/ 6. “Qualified Immunity FAQ” by Legal Defense Fund Link: https://www.naacpldf.org/qualified-immunity/#:~:text=The%20doctrine%20of%20qualified%20immunity,engaging%20in%20violent%20and%20abusive 7. “Cop Who Accidentally Shot 10-Year-Old When Aiming For Family Dog Can’t Be Sued, Federal Court Rules” by Nick Sibilla Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicksibilla/2019/07/18/cop-who-accidentally-shot-10-year-old-when-aiming-for-family-dog-cant-be-sued-federal-court-rules/ 8. “Ferguson Riot and Ferguson Unrest (2014-2015)” by BlackPast Link: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ferguson-riot-and-ferguson-unrest-2014-2015/

It's our 2020 roundup episode! Alex Aragona chats with Matt Bufton and Sabine El-Chidiac about topics and ideas surrounding liberalism in the past year, and choose their favourite Curious Task episodes from 2020. References from Episode 74 with Sabine El-Chidiac and Matt Bufton Matt mentions the 1992 Los Angeles riots stemming from the police brutality against Rodney King. An article on these incidents can be found on National Public Radio’s website at this link. You can learn more about the international movement to defund the police here. Matt briefly talks about polls coming from the United States on whether parents would mind their children marrying across party lines. One such poll was conducted by YouGov and can be accessed here. You can register for Stephen Davies’ upcoming online lecture with the Institute for Liberal Studies (Friday, January 15 at 12:00 PM) here! If you need a refresher on Steve Davies’ episode with The Curious Task, consider giving it a relisten at this link. Sabine reference’s Steve Horowitz’s book Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions as well as a previous Curious Task episode with him (titles hyperlinked). Matt notes that fusionism was at its peak during the Reagan era. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute has an article recounting the relationship between Reagan and libertarians in this article. Mises Wire has an article about Murray Rothbard and War and his effort to unite anti-Vietnam war sentiment in the United States. This work is available for viewing here. Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine design occurred over two days and can be read in detail in this article by Business Insider. If you are interested in Maude Barlow’s criticisms of economic globalization and trade, visit this page on The Council of Canadians’ website that recaps Barlow’s interview with CBC Radio.To delve deeper into the discussions on educational alternatives and belief in experts, Episode 53 and Episode 65 of The Curious Task provides a holistic overview. The Curious Task in Review: Our Producers’ Favourite Episodes From 2020! Matt recommended Episode 40 with Pete Boettke: “What Is The Curious Task of Economics?” A great primer for the rest of this podcast Sabine recommended Episode 29 with Jacob Levy: “How Should Liberals Think of Civil Society?” Explores the greater themes in liberalism, such as tensions between pluralism and rationalization and in-group and out-group oppression Alex recommended Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser: “What Is Neoliberalism?” May be a part of the project of rehabilitating the connotations of neoliberalism and other permanent frustrations with the term

Alex Aragona speaks with Mike Tanner as he explores the factors that contribute to the persistence of poverty, and different policy recommendations that can help alleviate it. References from Episode 73 with Mike Tanner Mike Tanner is the author of Going for Broke: Deficits, Debt, and the Entitlement Crisis, Leviathan on the Right: How the Rise of Big Government Conservatism Threatens Our Freedom and Our Future, and The Inclusive Economy: How to Bring Wealth to America’s Poor. All titles are hyperlinked and available for purchase on Amazon Canada. You can read more about the United States’ government spending on anti-poverty policies and programs at the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions website here. Mike likens the final step of self-actualization in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to the policy goal of self-sufficiency for welfare programs. An explanation of the Hierarchy can be accessed here in a study by Robert J. Taormina and Jennifer H. Gao. Articles by the Cato Institute and the Foundation for Economic Education discuss how poverty traps are a fixture of the welfare system (organizations hyperlinked). Here is a study by Elaine Maag, C. Eugene Steuerle, Ritadhi Chakravarti, and Caleb Quakenbush on how marginal tax rates are at a high point for those who leave welfare and take their first job. Mike references a poll conducted by the Cato Institute on whether the government should prioritize welfare spending or economic growth, which can be found at this link. This article by the Foundation for Economic Education on the Davis-Bacon Act features Walter Williams’ congressional opinion on the union labour as well as Miles Allgood’s sponsorship of Act, both of which were quoted in the podcast. Mike looks to William Julius Wilson’s theory on “marrigiablility” and how that may be impacted by criminal convictions. This theory was developed in his work, The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy, and is available for purchase on Amazon Canada here. Here is an investigation by the United States Department of Justice into the Ferguson Police Department following the murder of Michael Brown. The report investigates topics Mike touches on in the podcast, including how fines from parking violations can be a large source of revenue for the police. Here is the Wikipedia article on the murder of Eric Garner that was mentioned by Mike during the episode. Here is a link to an education watchdog’s cross-sectional study of the mathematical and reading proficiencies of students hailing from different neighbourhoods in Oakland that Mike mentions briefly this episode. To complement Mike’s discussion on zoning, The Local Government Commission released a report on single-family zoning and affordable housing supply in California and can be accessed through this link. A local news release on Former Labour Secretary Robert Reich’s preventative housing development efforts in Berkeley can be found here. Here is an entry by Dean Karlan, Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan, and Jonathan Zinman in The Review of Income and Wealth on how inaccessible banking may be a barrier to reducing poverty.

Alex Aragona speaks with Janet Bufton as she explores where and how the tenets of classical liberalism come into play for those who call themselves libertarians. References from Episode 72 with Janet Bufton Janet Bufton manages the Liberal Studies Guides project and is a consultant at Adam Smith Works, whose websites have been hyperlinked. You can read more about Adam Smith’s thoughts on a system of natural liberty, the rules of commercial society, and the decisions people make at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at this link. Follow this link to learn more about the non-aggression principle as libertarian philosophy. In the podcast, Janet mentions Adam Smith’s caution against business people who can turn economic power into political power to harm consumers. His argument against monopolies was summarized by Heinz D. Kurz in the article, Adam Smith on markets, competition, and violations of natural liberty, available here. Alex and Janet discuss how Milton Friedman identified differently overtime: early into his career he described himself as a neoliberal, which is evident in his essay, Neo-Liberalism and its Prospects, (The Curious Task also dedicated Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser to discussing neoliberalism) and later as a “liberal without adjectives” on The Donahue Show, and towards the end of life, he advocates for consequentialist freedom (all references hyperlinked). Like Milton Friedman, Murray Rothbard strongly identified as a libertarian (as evident in his work, For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, which can be accessed at this link) but along with Rockwell was a pioneer of the paleo-libertarianism movement which aimed to unite traditional conservatives. Its origin story first featured in Rothbard’s essay, Right-Wing Populism: A Strategy for the Paleo Movement, which available for reading at this link. Here is the Wikipedia article for Ron Paul’s 2012 Presidential Campaign, where he ran with the Republican Party on principles such as anti-war but economic freedom. Robert Nozick coined the term “nightwatchman state” in his work, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. The Freeman was a libertarian magazine by the Foundation for Economic Education that was consulted by Ronald Reagan. Archives of the magazine can be accessed on the FEE’s website at this link. This link will direct you to a historical run-down of fusionism by Libertarianism.org. Janet references Steve Davies’s appearance to discuss the pandemic on Episode 45 of The Curious Task. If you would like a refresher on the topics covered in that episode, here is the link. More readings on cosmopolitanism are available at this link.

Alex Aragona speaks with David Skarbek as he explores the different governance structures that prisoners live under and create in prisons around the world. References from The Curious Task Episode 71 with David Skarbek You can purchase The Puzzle of Prison Order by David Skarbek He looks specifically at the American prison system in his earlier book The Social Order of the Underworld, which is available for purchase here.