The Human Action Podcast
The Human Action Podcast
Mises Institute
The Human Action Podcast features in-depth interviews on current topics in economics through an Austro libertarian lens.
Erick Brimen Explains the Free City of Próspera
Erick Brimen is the CEO of Honduras Próspera, which is described as a "start up city" that offers choice in regulatory treatment. It is an exciting application of libertarian theory to the messy real world of existing States.Find Out More about Honduras Próspera: Mises.org/HAP486aJoin the Mises Institute on April 26 in Phoenix, Arizona, as we expose the danger and waste of bureaucracy: Mises.org/Phoenix25The Mises Institute is giving away 100,000 copies of Murray Rothbard’s, What Has Government Done to Our Money? Get your free copy at Mises.org/HAPodFree
Feb 8, 2025
Would Trump's Plan to Replace Income Tax with Tariffs Work?
Bob analyzes President Trump's recent remarks praising the revenue capacity of tariffs. He shows that historically, tariffs only bought in a small fraction of what income taxes currently yield, meaning federal spending would have to be sharply cut in order to phase out the income tax.HAPod Ep. 458 on Tariffs vs. Income Taxes: Mises.org/HAP485aBrian Domitrovic's Forbes Article, "Supply-Siders Battle Their Tariff Critics": Mises.org/HAP485bTrump on Tariffs: Mises.org/HAP485cThe Chart Shown in this Episode: Mises.org/HAP485dUse code Action25 to get 10% off your ticket to Educating for Liberty Mises Circle in Tampa on February 22: Mises.org/Tampa25The Mises Institute is giving away 100,000 copies of Murray Rothbard’s, What Has Government Done to Our Money? Get your free copy at Mises.org/HAPodFree
Jan 31, 2025
Murphy and Newman Do a Postgame Analysis of ZeroHedge MMT Debate
Murphy recently squared off against Nathan Tankus in a ZeroHedge debate focusing on Austrian economics vs. Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). Jonathan Newman watched the debate and selected three clips highlighting key areas of dispute. Jonathan and Bob elaborate on the issues and anticipate possible MMT replies.Bob's ZeroHedge Debate with Nathan Tankus: Mises.org/HAP484aBob and Jonathan's Tag-Team Mises University Lecture on MMT: Mises.org/HAP484bBob's Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics Paper on The Deficit Myth: Mises.org/HAP483cWilliam Hutt's The Theory of Idle Resources: Mises.org/HAP484dUse code Action25 to get 10% off your ticket to Educating for Liberty Mises Circle in Tampa on February 22: Mises.org/Tampa25The Mises Institute is giving away 100,000 copies of Murray Rothbard’s, What Has Government Done to Our Money? Get your free copy at Mises.org/HAPodFree
Jan 24, 2025
Lawrence McQuillan Explains the Policy Inferno Behind the California Wildfires
Lawrence McQuillan from the Independent Institute joins Bob to delve into the regulatory failures and mismanagement behind the wildfire crisis in California. They discuss the environmental policies that exacerbate risks, offer practical solutions to firefighting and prevention shortcomings, and examine the role of private stewardship in mitigating future disasters. This episode overall sheds light on how California’s political landscape and approach to wildfires continues to fuel a recurring tragedy.Lawrence's 2017 Article Detailing the CA's Fire Prevention Problem: Mises.org/HAP483aLawrence’s 2019 Golden Fleece Report Submission on Mismanagement in CA: Mises.org/HAP483bLawrence’s 2020 Interview on the Reasons Ca’s Fires Keep Happening: Mises.org/HAP483cLawrence’s 2024 Article on Lessons From the Lahaina Wildfires:: Mises.org/HAP483dUse code Action25 to get 10% off your ticket to Educating for Liberty Mises Circle in Tampa on February 22: Mises.org/Tampa25The Mises Institute is giving away 100,000 copies of Murray Rothbard’s, What Has Government Done to Our Money? Get your free copy at Mises.org/HAPodFree
Jan 18, 2025
The Flaws of GDP Accounting Explained
Bob looks at the misconceptions and misuses of GDP accounting, explaining why this widely accepted metric often paints a misleading picture of economic health.Bob's 2009 Mises Article on Krugman: Mises.org/HAP482aHuman Action Podcast Episode 481 on Business Cycle Theory: Mises.org/HAP482bBob's Mises Article on GDP: Mises.org/HAP482cThe Mises Institute is giving away 100,000 copies of Murray Rothbard’s, What Has Government Done to Our Money? Get your free copy at Mises.org/HAPodFree
Jan 11, 2025
Why Government Relief Spending Only Makes the Recession Worse
Bob walks through diagrams from Hayek's famous LSE lectures to explain the Austrian view of the boom-bust cycle.The Diagrams Referenced in this Episode: Mises.org/HAP481aHayek's Prices and Production: Mises.org/HAP481bRothbard's Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/HAP481cBob's Study Guide to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/HAP481dRoger Garrison's PowerPoint on the Hayekian Triangle: Mises.org/HAP481eThe Mises Institute is giving away 100,000 copies of Murray Rothbard’s, What Has Government Done to Our Money? Get your free copy at Mises.org/HAPodFree
Jan 3, 2025
Matt McCaffrey on Frank Fetter vs. Alfred Marshall on the Theory of Rent
Matt McCaffrey is a former Mises Institute research fellow with an expertise in the American economist (and Austrian fellow-traveler) Frank Fetter. He joins Bob to discuss his newly published journal article exploring the dispute Fetter had with the august British economist Alfred Marshall over the theory of rent.Dr. McCaffrey's Journal Article: Mises.org/HAP480aFrank Fetter's Capital, Interest, and Rent: Mises.org/HAP480bMatt McCaffrey, “Frank Fetter and the Austrian Tradition in the United States”: Mises.org/HAP480cFor just $25, you can receive our December Bundle, including three essential reads:Tom DiLorenzo's Axis of Evil: America’s Three Worst Presidents, Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy,and Murray Rothbard's What Has Government Done to Our Money?. Claim your bundle now at Mises.org/HumanAction24
Dec 28, 2024
Dr. Keith Smith: What Critics Miss About For-Profit Healthcare
Keith Smith, MD is an anesthesiologist and founder of the cash-price Surgery Center of Oklahoma. In the wake of the shooting of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, Keith explains why US health care is so expensive and how to fix it. The Surgery Center of Oklahoma: Mises.org/HAP479aThe Story of the $100 Hospital Aspirin: Mises.org/HAP479bPrimal Prescription: Surviving the 'Sick Care' Sinkhole: Mises.org/HAP479cFor just $25, you can receive our December Bundle, including three essential reads:Tom DiLorenzo's Axis of Evil: America’s Three Worst Presidents, Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy,and Murray Rothbard's What Has Government Done to Our Money?. Claim your bundle now at Mises.org/HumanAction24
Dec 20, 2024
What's More "Wicked" than the Crime of '73?
Using the heavily marketed movie "Wicked" as his news hook, Bob explains that the beloved Wizard of Oz movie involved an allegory of the bimetallism debates of the late 1800s, including William Jennings Bryan's famous "Cross of Gold" speech. Bob fills in the details about the Wizard of Oz lore, and then explains the economics of bimetallism in the United States.Bob's Book, Understanding Money Mechanics: Mises.org/HAP478aThe Wikipedia Article on the Political Interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Mises.org/HAP478bThe Wikipedia Article on the Wicked Novel: Mises.org/HAP478cFor just $25, you can receive our December Bundle, including three essential reads:Tom DiLorenzo's Axis of Evil: America’s Three Worst Presidents, Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy,and Murray Rothbard's What Has Government Done to Our Money?. Claim your bundle now at Mises.org/HumanAction24
Dec 13, 2024
David Glasner on the Sraffa-Hayek Debate
David Glasner is a UCLA-trained economist specializing in monetary theory and the history of economic thought. He has disagreed in print with Murphy's take on the famous Sraffa-Hayek debate. David first explains his general views and then comments on the debate.Bob's Paper, "A Problem With the Pure Time Preference Theory of Interest": Mises.org/HAP477aDavid's Paper "The Sraffa-Hayek Debate on the Natural Rate of Interest": Mises.org/HAP477bFor just $25, you can receive our December Bundle, including three essential reads:Tom DiLorenzo's Axis of Evil: America’s Three Worst Presidents, Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy,and Murray Rothbard's What Has Government Done to Our Money?. Claim your bundle now at Mises.org/HumanAction24
Dec 7, 2024
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