Free to Exchange

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Season Five

EPISODE 11 — Crime and Terrorism

EPISODE 10 — Taxes and Behavior

EPISODE 9 — Socialism in Venezuela & USSR

EPISODE 8 — Industrial Revolution

EPISODE 7 — Economics and Gender

EPISODE 6 — Labor Laws and Unemployment

EPISODE 5 — Economic Reformers

EPISODE 4 — Crime and Criminal Justice

EPISODE 3 — Wind Energy

EPISODE 2 — Socialism in Cuba and Georgian Economic Reform

EPISODE 1 — Labor Market Regulation

EPISODE 11 — Crime and Terrorism

Featuring Anne Rathbone Bradley, George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and Academic Director at The Fund for American Studies, and Scott Cunningham, Associate Professor of Economics at Baylor University.

Prof. Powell and Dr. Bradley discuss the economics of terrorism and explain how incentives influence the supply and demand for organized terror. Then, he and Dr. Cunningham examine how mass incarceration impacts drug markets.

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EPISODE 10 — Taxes and Behavior

Featuring Todd Nesbit, Assistant Professor of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Economics at Ball State University, and Frank Stephenson, Henry Gund Professor of Economics at Berry College.

Prof. Powell and Dr. Nesbit discuss the unintended consequences of taxing goods to alter consumer behavior for their own protection. Then, he and Prof. Stephenson talk about the recent campaign to ban plastic grocery bags and the problems created where these policies have been implemented.        

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EPISODE 9 — Socialism in Venezuela & USSR

Featuring Peter Boettke, University Professor of Economics and Philosophy at George Mason University, and Rafael Acevedo, Research Associate at the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University.

Prof. Powell and Prof. Boettke discuss how socialism functioned in the Soviet Union and the ultimate failure that resulted from that economic system. Then, he and Dr. Acevedo discuss the past and current policies that have contributed to the economic crisis in Venezuela and the prospects for reform.        

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EPISODE 8 — Industrial Revolution

Featuring Terence Kealey, Professor of Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Buckingham, and Deirdre McCloskey, Distinguished Emerita Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication for the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Prof. Powell and Prof. Kealey explore the history of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and how the sharing of knowledge and innovation spurred economic growth during the late 18th and early 19th century. Then, he and Prof. McCloskey examine possible causes of the Industrial Revolution and highlight the important role that liberty played in the events that led to this technological advancement and the Great Enrichment that followed.        

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EPISODE 7 — Economics and Gender

Featuring Peter Calcagno, Professor of Economics at the College of Charleston, and Rosemarie Fike, Instructor of Economics at Texas Christian University.

Prof. Powell and Prof. Calcagno discuss the gender gap in U.S. labor markets and possible reasons why men generally make more than women. Then, he and Dr. Fike explore differences in the economic freedoms of men and women across the world and how economic freedom impacts the prospects for prosperity among women.      

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EPISODE 6 — Labor Laws and Unemployment

Featuring Price Fishback, Thomas R. Brown Professor of Economics at the University of Arizona, and Richard Vedder, Distinguished Professor of Economics Emeritus at Ohio University.

Prof. Powell and Prof. Fishback discuss the evolution of labor laws in the U.S. and how standards for work hours, wages and working conditions were adopted over time. Then, he and Prof. Vedder examine the administrative policies which have impacted U.S. unemployment rates throughout history.      

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EPISODE 5 — Economic Reformers

Featuring Marshall Stocker, Vice President and Global Macro Equity Strategist for Eaton Vance Investment Managers, and Gerald O'Driscoll, Senior Fellow for the Cato Institute and former vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Prof. Powell and Dr. Stocker discuss how changes in economic freedom impact outlooks on investment opportunities and strategy, particularly in Vietnam and Serbia. Then, Prof. Powell and Dr. O'Driscoll address questions about the causes of economic stagnation in the Japanese economy.   

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EPISODE 4 — Crime and Criminal Justice

Featuring Roger Koppl, Professor of Finance for the Whitman School of Management and Faculty Fellow for the Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute at Syracuse University, and Daniel J. D'Amico, Lecturer in Economics and Associate Director of the Political Theory Project at Brown University.

Prof. Powell and Prof. Koppl discuss pervasive flaws within the criminal justice system that may contribute to the U.S. prison population which holds the highest incarceration rate in the world. Then, he and Dr. D'Amico examine the economic organization of Mexican drug cartels and how violence associated with these cartels has increased over time.   

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EPISODE 3 — Wind Energy

Featuring Andy Swift, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas Tech University, Associate Director of the National Wind Institute, and Director of the Texas Wind Institute, and Cutter González, Energy Project Campaign Manager and Policy Analyst for the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Prof. Powell discusses the economics of wind energy in the U.S. with Prof. Swift and Mr. González. Then they explore whether or not this industry should be subsidized by the government or not.  

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EPISODE 2 — Socialism in Cuba and Georgian Economic Reform

Featuring Vincent Geloso, Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics at Bates College and, and Robert Lawson, Jerome Fullinwider Centennial Chair in Economic Freedom at the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.

Prof. Powell and Dr. Geloso discuss socialism in Cuba and how the adoption of socialist policies impact economic development. Then, he and Dr. Lawson examine economic reform in the Republic of Georgia and the consequences of Georgia's Rose Revolution. 

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EPISODE 1 — Labor Market Regulation

Featuring Jacob Vigdor, Daniel J. Evans Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington, and Daniel J. Smith, Associate Professor of Economics at Middle Tennessee State University.

Prof. Powell and Dr. Vigdor discuss the economic effects of Seattle's new minimum wage law and any potential lessons for other areas of the United States considering similar measures. Then, he and Dr. Smith discuss occupational licensure and how its impacts on the operation of labor markets. 

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