Alex Aragona speaks with Ilya Somin as he explores how you can vote with your feet and if it is effective. References from Episode 47 with Ilya Somin: You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government Is Smarter, on Amazon Canada at this link You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, The Grasping Hand: “Kelo V. City of New London” and the Limits of Eminent Domain, on Amazon Canada at this link You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, Free to Move: Foot Voting,...
Jun 24, 2020•57 min•Ep. 47
Alex Aragona speaks with Dennis Rasmussen as he traces the friendship between Adam Smith and David Hume, and how it helped shaped modern thought. References from Episode 46 with Dennis Rasmussen: You can purchase Dennis Rasmussen’s book, The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought, on Amazon Canada at this link. You can purchase David Hume’s book, A Treatise of Human Nature , on Amazon Canada at this link You can read Adam Smith’s book, A ...
Jun 17, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 46
Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Davies as he explores what he thinks life after the pandemic will look like, including our relationship with the welfare state. References from Episode 45 with Steve Davies: You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, Empiricism and History, at Amazon at this link You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, The Wealth Explosion: The Nature and Origins of Modernity , at Amazon at this link You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, The Economics and Politics of Brexit: The Realignment ...
Jun 10, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 45
Alex Aragona talks with Shikha Sood Dalmia as she explores the story of a Sikh-Canadian broadcaster's rise to fame, and what stories like these mean for the broader immigrant community when it comes to joining, and changing, the world around them. References from Episode 44 with Shikha Dalmia: You can read Shikha Dalmia’s original Reason article about this topic at this link
Jun 03, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 44
Alex Aragona speaks with Ben Perrin as he explores the causes of, and solutions to, the opioid crisis in Canada and the United States. References from Episode 43 with Ben Perrin: You can purchase Ben Perrin’s new book Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis at Amazon Canada at this link You can listen to the episode of The Curious Task that Alex mentioned that features Trevor Burrus at this link...
May 27, 2020•57 min•Ep. 43
Everyone should care about economic freedom. But why is economic freedom especially relevant for women? Alex Aragona chats with Sarah Skwire as she explores why economic freedom has been, and is, important for women to cherish and defend. References from Episode 42 with Sarah Skwire: You can check out Adam Smith Works here You can purchase Sarah’s article on Margaret Fell here You can read Sarah Skwire’s article on How the State Became the American Woman’s Real Enemy here Sarah Skwire talks abou...
May 20, 2020•58 min•Ep. 42
Alex Aragona speaks with Russ Roberts as he talks about the ways in which the ideas of Adam Smith can change your life, even so many years later. References from Episode 41 with Russ Roberts You can purchase Russ Roberts’ book How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life at Amazon Canada here You can read the Theory of Moral Sentiments for free on the Online Library of Liberty here...
May 13, 2020•55 min•Ep. 41
Alex Aragona chats with Pete Boettke as he dives into what the curious task of economics is and relates it back to the work of Friedrich Hayek. References from Episode 40 with Pete Boettke You can purchase Pete Boettke’s book on F.A. Hayek on Amazon Canada here Check out Pete Boettke’s economics blog here...
May 06, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 40
Alex Aragona speaks with Mike Munger as he explores what's truly happening when we see rapid price changes during a crisis, and whether suppliers raising their prices in a time of crisis is wrong. References 1. “Is Capitalism Sustainable?” by Michael Munger Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Sustainable-Michael-Munger/dp/1630691739 2. “Three Undeniable Problems with Anti-Gouging Laws” by Michael Munger Link: https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/three-undeniable-problems-with-anti-gouging-laws...
Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 39
Alex speaks with the Consumer Choice Centre's David Clement about why Canada's marijuana legalization regulations missed the mark, and what government could have done to make legalization work. References from Episode 38 with David Clement: Here are a few articles by David Clement on marijuana legalization Globe and Mail: Ottawa is baking a bitter taste into its rules around edibles Globe and Mail: Minor changes could have a major positive impact on Ontario’s cannabis plan Globe and Mail: Health...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 38
Alex Aragona chats with Cardus' Ray Pennings as he explores the benefits of more school choice to both students and society, and look at some data to see if, and how, it works. References from Episode 37 with Ray Pennings: You can check out the Canadian Cardus Survey here You can read the U.S. Cardus Education Survey 2018 here You can read the Cardus survey on Who Chooses Ontario Independent Schools and Why here...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 37
Alex Aragona chats with Jason Brennan's about his response to G.A. Cohen's book and question "Why Not Socialism?" and his thoughts on ideal capitalism. References from Episode 36 with Jason Brennan: You can purchase Jason Brennan’s book Why Not Capitalism on Amazon Canada here
Apr 08, 2020•57 min•Ep. 36
Alex Aragona speaks with Jesse Walker as they explore whether a human being truly set foot on the moon. References 1. “Rebels on the Air: An Alternative History of Radio in America” by Jesse Walker Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rebels-Air-Alternative-History-America/dp/0814793827 2. “The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory” by Jesse Walker Link: https://www.amazon.ca/United-States-Paranoia-Conspiracy-Theory/dp/0062135562...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 35
Matt Bufton talks with Alex Aragona about the effects the response to COVID-19 will have on freedom, the proper government response to a pandemic, how lifting certain regulations can help, and more. References from Episode 34 with Matt Bufton: You can read the Atlantic article referenced in the podcast here You can read more about hand sanitizer regulations being relaxed here Check out more information on the Mercatus COVID-19 Innovation Prizes here...
Mar 25, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 34
Alex Aragona speaks with Scott Beyer as he explores the basic tenets of market urbanism and the ideas behind market driven solutions to problems in our communities. References from Episode 33 with Scott Beyer: You can check out Scott’s website The Market Urbanism Report here You can check out the popular Market Urbanism Report Facebook page here
Mar 18, 2020•58 min•Ep. 33
Alex Aragona speaks with Jason Sorens as he explores what it takes for a group to secede or gain independence from a state, and whether Alberta could leave Canada. References from Episode 32 with Jason Sorens: You can purchase Jason Sorens’ book on Secessionism on Amazon Canada here You can listen to Jason Sorens’ appearance on the Danielle Smith show in Alberta here...
Mar 11, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 32
Alex Aragona speaks with Christopher Freiman as he explores why you might be happier, and ultimately contribute more to society, if you choose to ignore politics. References from Episode 31 with Chris Freiman: You can purchase Chris Freiman’s book when it’s out here You can check out the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog here You can purchase Bryan Caplan’s book ‘The Myth of the Rational Voter’ on Amazon Canada here...
Mar 04, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 31
Alex Aragona and Adam Bartha discuss whether populism is a threat to liberalism and what political landscapes look like after political realignment. References from Episode 30 with Adam Bartha: You can read Adam’s article referenced in this episode here You can read Dr. Steven Davies’ article on The Great Realignment here...
Feb 26, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Jacob Levy speaks with Alex about how liberals should approach the ideas of freedom of association and civil society, and what that means for the way groups interact with other groups and the state. References from Episode 29 with Jacob Levy: You can purchase Jacob Levy’s book Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom on Amazon Canada here You can purchase the book Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott, which was mentioned by Jacob on the podcast, at Amazon Canada here...
Feb 19, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Alex Aragona speaks with economist Vincent Geloso about whether we should care about inequality, and how we should approach measuring and understanding it. References from Episode 28 with Vincent Geloso: For further reading, you can check out this paper written by Vincent Geloso and Steve Horwitz, one of our other previous podcast guests, here...
Feb 12, 2020•49 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Alex Aragona speaks with Trevor Burrus as he explores the many ways the drug war has failed drug addicts and society. References from Episode 27 with Trevor Burrus: You can read the article ‘Locked Up and Loaded’ that Alex refers to in this episode that was written by Trevor here
Feb 05, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Alex Aragona speaks with Kevin Vallier about conflicts in politics and how ideology aggravates them, and whether liberal institutions can help us trust each other more. References from Episode 26 with Kevin Vallier: You can purchase Kevin Vallier’s book Must Politics be War here You can purchase the book Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know here You can purchase From Politics to the Pews here...
Jan 29, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Alex Aragona speaks with Glenn fox as he explores whether environmentalism from a free market perspective creates a contradiction. References from Episode 25 with Glenn Fox: If you have Sage journal subscription, you can read Glenn Fox’s research on this subject in an article here You can read more about Carl Menger on The Library of Economics and Liberty here...
Jan 22, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Alex Aragona talks with Sandy Ikeda as he explores why a city can't be thought of, and specifically designed as, a work of art. References from Episode 24 with Sandy Ikeda You can read an article from Sandy Ikeda entitled What is a city? on the Market Urbanism website here Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design that Sandy mentioned on the podcast can be purchased on Amazon Canada here Sandy appears in the documentary Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, you can find it on all online rental plat...
Jan 15, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Alex Aragona talks with Mike Munger as he explores his views on the sustainability of capitalism and the factors that contribute to it. References from Episode 23 with Michael Munger You can order Michael Munger’s book Is Capitalism Sustainable on Amazon Canada here You can order his book Tomorrow 3.0 on Amazon Canada here...
Jan 08, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 23
Alex Aragona talks with Matt Bufton about the future of liberalism (and why it's not as bad as you might think!). References from Episode 22 with Matt Bufton Fear the Boom and the Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Round Two You can purchase a copy of F.A. Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit at Amazon Canada here You can read F.A. Hayek’s essay The Intellectuals and Socialism here...
Jan 01, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Alex Aragona chats with Alex Tabarrok on this very special Christmas episode of The Curious Task as he explores whether gift giving is inefficient, and if there are better ways to give to others. References from Episode 21 with Alex Tabbarok You can watch a video of Alex Tabbarok and Tyler Cowen discuss gift giving here Giving to my Wild Self article can be found here...
Dec 25, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Alex Aragona speaks with James Stacey Taylor as he makes the case for a market for organs. References from Episode 20 with James Stacey Taylor You can purchase James Stacey Taylor’s book Stakes and Kidneys in Amazon Canada here
Dec 18, 2019•54 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Alex Aragona talks with Lauren Hall as she explores the problems with modern healthcare systems and some of the possible remedies. References from Episode 19 with Lauren Hall: You can read more from Lauren Hall on the subject of rights violations in delivery rooms here
Dec 11, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Alex Aragona speaks with the Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh about why immigration is important to a free society, and the common misconceptions some people have that keep them from being more open to immigration. References from Episode 18 with Alex Nowrasteh: You can read Alex Nowrasteh’s studies and commentaries on his page at the Cato Institute’s website Check out Jens Hainmueller’s paper on cultural anxiety and immigration here Read Alex’s thoughts on the paper on perceptions of chaos by Al...
Dec 04, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 18
