EconTalk

Jessica Riskin talks talks about her book The Restless Clock with host Russ Roberts. How do human beings and machines differ? How has science thought about this distinction? When do we have agency and when are we constrained? She also discusses the implications for how we think about ourselves and the growth of artificial intelligence.

Gary Greenberg talks with host Russ Roberts about the placebo effect. Is it real? How does the placebo effect influence drug testing? Why does it work? Might it be harnessed to improve health care? The conversation concludes with a discussion of how knowledge of the placebo effect has influenced Greenberg's psychotherapy practice.

Patrick Collison talks with host Russ Roberts about the pace of innovation. He argues that despite enormous increases in the numbers of scientists and researchers, the pace of progress in scientific and technological understanding does not seem to be increasing accordingly. The conversation looks at the challenge of measuring innovation and whether the pace of innovation should be a matter of concern and if so, what might be done about it.

Jennifer Doleac talks with host Russ Roberts about her research on crime, police, and the unexpected consequences of the criminal justice system. Topics include legislation banning asking job applicants if they've been in prison, body cameras for police, the use of DNA databases, the use of Naloxone to prevent death from opioid overdose, and the challenges of being an economist who thinks about crime using the economist's toolkit.

Stephen Kotkin talks with host Russ Roberts about the historical significance of the life and work of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Solzhenitsyn's birth.

Ed Dolan talks about employer-based health insurance with host Russ Roberts. He discusses how unusual it is relative to other countries that so many Americans get their health insurance through their employer and the implications the health insurance market. Dolan explores the drawbacks of this structure and makes the case for what he calls Universal Catastrophic Coverage.

Sebastian Junger talks about his book Tribe with host Russ Roberts. He explores the human need to be needed and the challenges facing many individuals in modern society who struggle to connect with others. His studies of communal connection include soldiers in a small combat unit and American Indian society in the 19th century.

Mariana Mazzucato talks about her book The Value of Everything with host Russ Roberts. She argues that economists have mismeasured value and failed to appreciate the role of government as innovator. She argues for a more active role for government in the innovation process and for government to share in revenue proportional to its role in the creation of new technology.

John Horgan talks about his book, Mind-Body Problems, with host Russ Roberts. He interviewed an array of scientists, philosophers, and others who have worked on consciousness, free-will, and what it means to be human. He argues that no single solution to the problems in these areas is likely to be established by science and that our perspective on these questions is inevitably colored by our personal experiences rather than by scientific evidence...

Peter Berkowitz talks with host Russ Roberts about the origins of liberalism and the importance of John Locke. He defends the liberal project of individual rights and liberty and argues that critics of Locke mischaracterize his thought. The conversation closes with an evaluation of the Enlightenment.