Academic VP of the Mises Institute, Joe Salerno, joins Bob to discuss his talk at the Supporters Summit, centering on the mainstream's focus on "rules vs. discretion" in monetary policy. Salerno explains how President Eisenhower's administration marked a pivot away from the ideology of inflation. Dr. Salerno's Talk at the 2023 Supporters Summit: Mises.org/HAP433a   Join Tom DiLorenzo, Joe Salerno, and Patrick Newman in Tampa on February 17: Mises.org/Tampa2024Use code "Action24" for 15% off admission.   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Dr. Guido Hülsmann's How Inflation Destroys Civilization: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Economist Peter St. Onge summarizes some of the major financial and government news stories of the day. Bob's Mises University Talk 'Price Inflation: Corona vs. QE': Mises.org/HAP432a   Join Tom DiLorenzo, Joe Salerno, and Patrick Newman in Tampa on February 17: Mises.org/Tampa2024Use code "Action24" for 15% off admission.   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Bob goes solo to discuss a recent Twitter controversy, in which opponents of a proposed tax argued that unrealized capital gains couldn't possibly be a form of income. Bob cites both Austrian theory and corporate accounting practice to respond that all capital gains are income, which is not to say that they ought to be taxed. The dispute is important because understanding the definition of "income" sheds light on the role of market prices in guiding entrepreneurial action. Bob Talks to David Schizer on the Moore Ruling: Mises.org/HAP431a Bob's Econlib Article on Capital and Income: Mises.org/HAP431b   Join Tom DiLorenzo, Joe Salerno, and Patrick Newman in Tampa on February 17: Mises.org/Tampa2024Use code "Action24" for 15% off admission.   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Economic giant Robert Solow died in December 2023. He was a Nobel laureate, and four of his PhD students went on to also receive the Nobel. He is known for the growth model named in his honor.  Garett Jones of GMU joins Bob to discuss the work of Solow, focusing on the possible tension between the Solow model's conclusions about capital accumulation vis-à-vis the Austrian School. Join Tom DiLorenzo, Joe Salerno, and Patrick Newman in Tampa on February 17: Mises.org/Tampa2024Use code "Action24" for 15% off admission.   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Murray Sabrin joins Bob to discuss his upcoming online course on the economics of the US healthcare system, including practical solutions. The course begins in mid-January 2024.   Dr. Sabrin's New Online Course: Mises.org/HAP429a IPAK-EDU.org is offering the following discounts: 50% off until Jan 6th with code: COUNTMEIN  25% off after January 6th with code: JACKSAYS75   Join Tom DiLorenzo, Joe Salerno, and Patrick Newman in Tampa on February 17: Mises.org/Tampa2024Use code "Action24" for 15% off admission. Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Tyler Cowen is Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics and chairman of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. With Alex Tabarrok, he runs the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution. Tyler joins Bob to discuss his latest book. Tyler's New Book for Free: Mises.org/HAP428a Tyler's Blog: Mises.org/HAP428b   Join Tom DiLorenzo, Joe Salerno, and Patrick Newman in Tampa on February 17: Mises.org/Tampa2024Use code "Action24" for 15% off admission. Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

On a recent installment of the Pynx debate series, Bob had a friendly debate with Dean Baker on a soft or hard landing in 2024. In this episode of the Human Action Podcast, Bob comments on the key disputes, underlying the differences between the Austrian and Keynesian frameworks. Bob's Debate with Dean Baker: Mises.org/HAP427a Bob's Paper on the Inverted Yield Curve: Mises.org/HAP427b   Join Tom DiLorenzo, Joe Salerno, and Patrick Newman in Tampa on February 17: Mises.org/Tampa2024Use code "Action24" for 15% off admission. Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Daniel Miller, founder and president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, joins Bob to discuss the exciting developments in the push for a referendum on Texas secession. Daniel explains the prospects and then answers common objections to the idea. Daniel Miller's Website: Mises.org/HAP426a Bob's Pamphlet on Texas Independence: Mises.org/HAP426b   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Ivory Tower economists continue to tell us that the US economy is booming, but consumers disagree. Paul Krugman has a new explanation for the economic gloom: Republicans. In a recent New York Times article, Krugman touts that partisanship and media bias drive a wedge between consumer sentiment and economic reality. But is this actually what’s going on? Dr. Jonathan Newman is back with Bob to break down Krugman's shifting economic predictions and to consider the trajectory of the US economy. Krugman's NYT Article from 2021 on Inflation: Mises.org/HAP425a Krugman's NYT Article on Begin Wrong About Inflation: Mises.org/HAP425b Jonathan and Bob's HAP Episode on The Fed's 'Soft Landing': Mises.org/HAP425c   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

The US Government will face another round of federal debt expansion in 2024, but will there be enough creditors to allow their continued spending? Investors are not buying Treasury Debt at forecasted rates, foreign investors are exiting federal debt, and even the Federal Reserve is reducing its treasury holdings. Dr. Jonathan Newman recently wrote for the Mises Wire on this topic, and he joins Bob to break down the data and explain what is up with treasuries and the future of the dollar. Dr. Newman's Article on The Treasury's Creditors: Mises.org/HAP424a   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Nicolás Cachanosky was a co-author on the dollarization proposal for Argentina that Javier Milei publicly endorsed. Nicolás explains to Bob the outlines of the proposal, which involves replacing pesos with USD for bank deposits, currency in circulation, and central bank liabilities. How to Dollarize Argentina: Mises.org/HAP423a Rear More from Nicolás: Mises.org/HAP423b The Human Action Podcast Episode with Peter Lewin: Mises.org/HAP423c   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Murray Sabrin has a long history with the Austrian movement and is one of two people who had Murray Rothbard on his PhD committee. He talks with Bob about his memoir, From Immigrant to Public Intellectual: An American Story. Murray Sabrin's Substack: Mises.org/HAP422a From Immigrant to Public Intellectual: An American Story: Mises.org/HAP422b Rothbard's America's Great Depression: Mises.org/HAP422c Bob's Blog on the Distortion of Hoover: Mises.org/HAP422d The Mises Circle in Fort Myers: Mises.org/HAP422e   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Mises' work explains how laissez-faire economies have incentives to be peaceful with each other, and how, inversely, tariffs and protectionism create isolation, instability, and war. His words are especially prescient today as conflicts rage and tensions between superpowers continue to rise—mirroring the rise in state power across the globe. Dr. Jonathan Newman joins Bob to break down the history of warfare, how states fund war, and why war is more destructive in the modern era. Dr. Newman's Article on the History of Warfare: Mises.org/HAP421a Dr. Murphy on Private Military Defense: Mises.org/HAP421b 'Free Trade vs. Protectionism' MisesU 2023 Lecture: Mises.org/HAP421c Bob and Jonathan's Talks from the Mises Circle in Fort Myers: Mises.org/HAP421d   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy: Mises.org/HAPodFree

"Econ Bro" (who wishes to remain anonymous) is a Nigerian scholar who realized the limits of his conventional economics training and then discovered the work of Murray Rothbard and other Austrians. He now seeks to help his country and the world by spreading the truth. Econ Bro's Article on The State as a Rejection of God Part 1: Mises.org/HAP420a Econ Bro's Article on The State as a Rejection of God Part 2: Mises.org/HAP420b   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Recently Yaron Brook and Bryan Caplan debated the merits of anarchism at the Soho Forum. Bob critiques Brook's opening statement.   The Soho Forum Debate: Mises.org/HAP419a Bob's Book on Market Anarchy, Chaos Theory: Mises.org/HAP419b Rothbard's Book on Natural Rights and the State, For a New Liberty: Mises.org/HAP419c Hans-Herman Hoppe's Book on Private Defense, The Private Production of Defense: Mises.org/HAP419d   Join us in Fort Myers on November 4 to cut through the campaign talking points and offer an uncompromising look at what is coming next. Use Code "FL2023" for $10 off admission: Mises.org/FL23 Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Brian Albrecht joins Bob to discuss the work of this year's Nobel (Memorial) Prize Winner Claudia Goldin, with an emphasis on the male-female wage gap. Claudia Golden and Tyler Cowan Discuss The Gender Earnings Gap: Mises.org/HAP418a Claudia Golden's Paper on The Pill: Mises.org/HAP418b More Content from Brian: Mises.org/HAP418c   Join us in Fort Myers on November 4 to cut through the campaign talking points and offer an uncompromising look at what is coming next. Use Code "FL2023" for $10 off admission: Mises.org/FL23 Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Jonathan Newman rejoins Bob to explore more of the mechanics and political implications of the Fed's current state of insolvency. The Mercatus Article on Quantitative Easing: Mises.org/HAP417a Furman's Op-Ed in the WSJ: Mises.org/HAP417b   Join us in Fort Myers on November 4 to cut through the campaign talking points and offer an uncompromising look at what is coming next. Use Code "FL2023" for $10 off admission: Mises.org/FL23 Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Andreas Granath is a recovering socialist who discovered the truth and beauty of Austrian economics and libertarianism. He joins Bob to discuss his recent article explaining the different definitions of "inflation" and why it matters. Andreas' Mises Wire Article on CPI: Mises.org/HAP416a The Silly IMF Tutorial on Inflation: Mises.org/HAP416b Bob's Mises University Lecture on Price Inflation: Mises.org/HAP416c Yaron Brook & Łukasz Dominiak Debate on Minarchy vs. Anarchy: Mises.org/HAP416d   Join us in Fort Myers on November 4 to cut through the campaign talking points and offer an uncompromising look at what is coming next. Use Code "FL2023" for $10 off admission: Mises.org/FL23 Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Per Bylund's How to Think About the Economy: Mises.org/HAPodFree

Alex Pollock has decades of experience in financial markets, including a position as President of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. He explains to Bob the mechanics of the Fed's current insolvency and its implications for ordinary Americans. Join us in Fort Myers on November 4 to cut through the campaign talking points and offer an uncompromising look at what is coming next. Use Code "FL2023" for $10 of-f admission: Mises.org/FL23

Dr. Jonathan Newman joins Bob to break down the data used in a popular productivity vs. pay graph. They show why you should be wary of charts coming from agenda-driven institutions and how you can spot manipulated data. The charts mentioned during this episode are available at: Mises.org/HAP414Charts Gene Epstein on the Bob Murphy Show: Mises.org/HAP414a The Economic Policy Institute 2022 Paper: Mises.org/HAP414b The Economic Policy Institute 2015 Paper: Mises.org/HAP414c Gene Epstein's Mises University 'Dirty Data' Lecture: Mises.org/HAP414d FRED Blog Post on the Chart and Price Indices: Mises.org/HAP414e   Join us in Fort Myers on November 4 to cut through the campaign talking points and offer an uncompromising look at what is coming next. Use Code "FL2023" for $10 off admission: Mises.org/FL23

Lawyers for two of the Proud Boys convicted for their role in the January 6 assault on the Capitol are filing appeals claiming that they are being subject to a "trial tax," being punished for rejecting a plea deal offer. Bob uses the occasion to explain his long-standing objection to plea deals. Article on the 'Trail Tax' Imposed on the Proud Boys: Mises.org/HAP413a Ex-Proud Boys Leader Sentenced Despite Not Being in Washington on Jan. 6th: Mises.org/HAP413b Twitter Thread on Plea Deals and Justice: Mises.org/HAP413c   Join us in Fort Myers on November 4 to cut through the campaign talking points and offer an uncompromising look at what is coming next. Use Code "FL2023" for $10 off admission: Mises.org/FL23

Ryan McMaken joins Bob to discuss the surprisingly negative reaction (from a Reason writer and Tyler Cowen) to Oliver Anthony's hit song, "Rich Men North of Richmond." Ryan and Bob defend the lyrics, arguing that Anthony doesn't say anything objectionable from either a libertarian or economic perspective. Listen to Oliver Anthony's "Rich Men North of Richmond": Mises.org/HAP412a Christian Britschgi's article in Reason on Oliver Anthony: Mises.org/HAP412b Tyler Cowan's Bloomberg Editorial: Mises.org/HAP412c   Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime. Use Code "HA23" for $45 off admission: Mises.org/Nashville23

Peter Lewin joins Bob to discuss his work with Nicolás Cachanosky on uniting Austrian capital theory with mainstream finance. Peter's New Book on Capital and Finance: Mises.org/LewinBook   Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime. Use Code "HA23" for $45 off admission: Mises.org/Nashville23

Peter St. Onge joins Bob to discuss his latest piece at Mises.org on "China's Doom Loop." They cover a wide range of topics, including the contrast in leadership between Xi Jinping and Deng Xiaoping, the dollar as global reserve currency, the Belt and Road Initiative, and Jim Rogers' prediction that the 21st century would belong to the Chinese empire. Peter's Article on China: Mises.org/HAP410a   Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime. Use Code "HA23" for $45 off admission: Mises.org/Nashville23

Jonathan Newman joins Bob to discuss the argument being put forth by Alan Blinder, James Galbraith, and other progressive economists, who claim that the Federal Reserve's rate hikes couldn't possibly be responsible for the quelling of consumer price inflation. Jonathan and Bob stress the important role of expectations as a "transmission mechanism" from Fed policy to impacts on prices. Galbraith's Article on the Fed's 'Soft Landing': Mises.org/HAP409a The Paper on the Forward Guidance Paradox That Mentions Krugman: Mises.org/HAP409b   Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime: Mises.org/Nashville23

Ryan McMaken joins Bob to discuss the recent US Women's World Cup elimination, and to dispel the myth that markets are discriminatory. After defending Megan Rapinoe's failed penalty kick, they dismantle her outspoken views on "equal pay" in sports, and examine the left's claim that law is required to fix prejudice in the labor market. Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime: Mises.org/Nashville23

As Fed staffers no longer predict an impending recession, economists on social media are all assuring themselves that Americans are in store for a "soft landing." Mises Fellow Jonathan Newman joins Bob to explain why the data still support the case for recession and point out the eerie similarity to the calm before the storm in 2008. Robert Lucas' Nobel Prize Winning Lecture: Mises.org/HAP407a Bob's Eerie Article from 2007 on the Recession: Mises.org/HAP407b 'Bernanke Was Wrong' Compilation: Mises.org/HAP407c 'Peter Schiff Was Right' Compilation: Mises.org/HAP407d   Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime: Mises.org/Nashville23

David Brady, Jr. discusses his recent article at mises.org, in which he argues that the newly launched "FedNOW" system isn't a CBDC. Even so, there are dangers from FedNOW, such as exacerbating bank runs. David also explains the new Mises Apprenticeship program, of which he is a member. David's Article on Mises.org: Mises.org/HAP406a George Selgin Cato Article on FedNow: Mises.org/HAP406b   Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime: Mises.org/Nashville23

George Gammon, host of the popular Rebel Capitalist show, warns that the Fed won't have to force the public to adopt a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Instead, the public might clamor for it, being promised safe, high-interest checking accounts at the Fed, just like Jamie Dimon. The Rebel Capitalist show: Mises.org/HAP405a   Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime: Mises.org/Nashville23

Robbie "The Fire" Bernstein is a co-host with Dave Smith of the popular podcast Part of the Problem, as well as his own podcast Run Your Mouth. He joins Bob to walk through the shocking and hilarious moves by Biden officials to downplay recent allegations of corruption. Find More from Robbie Including His Tour Dates: Mises.org/HAP404a $5.1M Payment to Biden Businesses: Mises.org/HAP404b Biden Attorneys on The Hunter WhatAspp Message: Mises.org/HAP404c   Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime: Mises.org/Nashville23

Bob walks through a recent interview of MMT champion Warren Mosler, in which he claims that Fed rate hikes lead to larger government interest expenses and hence support economic growth and inflation. Bob presents both theoretical and empirical evidence against Mosler's claims. Bob's Debate with Warren Mosler: Mises.org/HAP403a Bob's Review of Stephanie Kelton: Mises.org/HAP403b Bob's EconLib  Article on Austerity: Mises.org/HAP403c Technical Article on Why the Treasury Can't Overdraft: Mises.org/HAP403d     Join us in Nashville on September 23rd for a no-holds-barred discussion against the regime: Mises.org/Nashville23

The Mises Institute's Executive Editor Ryan McMaken joins Bob to discuss his latest article, in which Ryan spells out the state of the M2 money supply and possible implications for consumer prices and an impending recession. Ryan's Mises.org article on M2: Mises.org/HAP402a Ryan's QJAE article on the inverted yield curve: Mises.org/HAP402b

Mises Institute Fellow Patrick Newman joins Bob to discuss a recent tweet from Stephanie Kelton, which argued that the government's "red ink makes our black ink possible." Patrick and Bob point out that these MMT tautologies are very misleading at best. Patrick also lays out the argument in his journal article, saying that MMT's debt monetization won't cause a boom-bust cycle, but will still reduce living standards.

University of Rochester economist Steve Landsburg joins Bob to discuss the abysmal performance of ChatGPT on his undergraduate exam. They also discuss the importance of market prices in guiding behavior and the unexpected problems with the government handing out "free" goodies. Bob's article "Superman Needs an Agent:"  Mises.org/HAP400a Steven's Book The Armchair Economist: Mises.org/HAP400b More Economic brainteasers: Mises.org/HAP400c  

Jonathan Newman joins The Human Action Podcast to discuss his recent Twitter controversy over the claim that market prices can be "wrong" (i.e. in disequilibrium) if they are "sticky." Jonathan Newman's Twitter controversy on sticky prices: Mises.org/HAP399a Joe Salerno on Mises's Monetary Theory: Mises.org/HAP399b Bagus and Howden on market disequilibrium and sticky prices: Mises.org/HAP399c  

Per Bylund joins Bob to discuss his new paper at the QJAE, which points out several flaws in the MMT claim that money is valued in order to pay taxes. Per's QJAE article: Mises.org/HAP398a

Heritage Fellow Peter St. Onge joins Bob to set the record straight on several popular talking points about the debt ceiling. Bob on selling Gov't resources to reduce the National Debt: Mises.org/HAP397a

Bob originally invited Brian Albrecht (Chief Economist of the International Center for Law & Economics) to discuss the work of Armen Alchian, but on the day of recording, Robert Lucas happened to die. Bob and Brian discuss rational expectations, real business cycle theory, and how Alchian cracked the military's top secrets. Brian on Alchian's famous "Costs and Outputs" paper: Mises.org/HAP396a

Dr. Paul Cwik joins Bob to discuss the inverted yield curve's "signal" of an impending recession. Dr. Cwik's dissertation on inverted yield curves and economic downturns: Mises.org/HAP395a Bob on the link between inverted yield curves and recessions: Mises.org/HAP395b Bob's Understanding Money Mechanics: Mises.org/Mechanics

Jonathan Newman joins Bob to critique a recent Twitter argument where some were claiming that supercomputers solved the socialist calculation problem. The Twitter thread on AI and Socialism: Mises.org/HAP394a Bob on Socialism and calculation vs knowledge: Mises.org/HAP394b Karras Lambert and Tate Fegley on economic calculation and AI: Mises.org/HAP394c

Are NASA contracts propping up the private space industry? Or are Government regulations stifling the private space race? Dr. Eli Dourado, Senior Research Fellow with the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University, joins Bob to discuss the recent "successful failure" of the exploded SpaceX launch and the differences between government and privately funded space travel. Dr. Dourado on NASA contracting private companies to build their shuttles: Mises.org/HAP393a Dr. Dourado on the Artemis moon program: Mises.org/HAP393b

Professor Per Bylund joins Bob to debunk the worries over AI and to question whether the latest version of chatbots should even be called "intelligent." Per on Robots Taking your Jobs: Mises.org/HAP392a

Jonathan Newman joins Bob to dissect Paul Krugman's latest NYT op-ed, in which he derides Ron DeSantis as paranoid for thinking a central bank digital currency (CBDC) could be used to control citizens. Krugman's op-ed in the New York Times: Mises.org/HAP391a Bob breaking down negative interest rates: Mises.org/HAP391b

Jeff and Bob review the history and impact of The Human Action Podcast—formerly Mises Weekends—and discuss where the podcast is headed.  Get Jeff's new book A Strange Liberty: Politics Drops Its Pretenses: Mises.org/Strange

Bob is joined by guest Peter St. Onge to discuss how SVB's CEO, as well as Bernie Madoff, had key positions advising the Fed and SEC. Then they discuss how we should think about central banks losing money. How the SEC was Charmed by Madoff: Mises.org/HAP389a Bob's Understanding Money Mechanics: Mises.org/HAP389b

With commercial banks exposed by the recent bailouts, Americans question whether “their money” is truly safe despite the promises of FDIC insurance. Jeff and Bob walk through the mechanics of how a full reserve bank could work in a truly free market based on the concepts and taxonomy of Mises’s Theory of Money and Credit. Mises's A Theory of Money and Credit: Mises.org/TMC Bob's study guide to A Theory of Money and Credit: Mises.org/HAP388a John Cochran, 'The Safest Bank the Fed Won't Sanction': Mises.org/HAP388b

This past weekend saw extraordinary actions by the Fed to address the meltdown of Silicon Valley Bank. Did the central bank break the law by effectively authorizing unsecured loans to banks based on the face value—rather than significantly lower market value—of those banks' Treasury holdings? Bob's study guide to A Theory of Money and Credit: Mises.org/HAP387a Jeff on the Fed as the ultimate bank: Mises.org/HAP387b

Progressives view all aspects of human life as a struggle against forces of oppression. Earlier this week on BBC, Professor Mariana Mazzucato suggested governments across the West should simply print money not only to help Ukraine, but also to finance other "wars" against climate change, inequality, and more. Should national treasuries essentially adopt a permanent wartime footing and print far more money, as Mazzucato and Warren Mosler recommend?  Hint: Jeff and Bob say "No."   Jeff's article "A Permanent Wartime Economy": Mises.org/HAP386a Bob's debate with Warren Mosler: Mises.org/HAP386b Bob's article in The American Conservative on the Greenbacker movement: Mises.org/386c

With global worldwide debt now over $300 trillion and interest rates rising, the US dollar is once again a relative safe haven in a slowing economy. Currencies competing with the Dollar face a deadly race to stave off a sovereign debt crisis. Is the dollar now unbound, as the dominant political tool of the dominant nation? The Dollar Milkshake Theory: Mises.org/HAP385a Thorsten Polleit, The Global Currency Plot: Mises.org/HAP385b Bob's book, Understanding Money Mechanics: Mises.org/Mechanics

Tom Woods joins the show for a look at the hottest political topic of the day, namely national divorce. This is a spirited discussion of the politics, economics, and mechanics of how America might break up.  Watch "The Economics of National Divorce, Part I" with Ryan McMaken: Mises.org/HAP352

With Yale economics professor Yusuke Narita suggesting mass suicide—seppuku—as the answer to Japan's rapidly aging demographics, Jeff and Bob take a hard look at the economics and humanity of greying America. Richard Hanania, "Gerontocracy Versus Western Civilization": Mises.org/HAP383a Bob on opting out of Social Security: Mises.org/HAP383b  

Mises Institute scholar and Troy University business school Dean Allen Mendenhall is among the leading critics of woke capital. He leads a new initiative against the perverse investment practices demanded by ESG/DEI commissars, and joins Jeff Deist to discuss both the origins of "stakeholder" capitalism and what we can do to push back against ideological purity tests in capital markets and corporate America. AllenMendenhall.com "Troy University tackles 'woke' business practices head-on with new program": Mises.org/HAP382a

Back in January Jeff Deist joined the Austrian Economics Discord Server for a live event concerning trends in 2023. Jeff makes the case for viewing today's economy as quite unlike that of 2007—due to steady increases in CPI, more fiscal stimulus relative to monetary stimulus, and ongoing supply shock issues from COVID. This is a far-ranging discussion of the landscape for the Fed, persistent inflation, and a looming recession. Includes Q and A from the audience.

Professor Per Bylund of Oklahoma State University, author of How to Think About the Economy joins Jeff and Bob to dissect how economics went so badly wrong. A discipline rooted in theory, axioms, and deduction has devolved into statistics, models, and hard science envy. Is the economics profession doing any good, or active harm? Per's new book How to Think About the Economy: Mises.org/Primer Gary North and Walter Block debate "Is it Smart to Get a PhD in Economics": Mises.org/HAP380a

Jeff and Bob break down this week's Davos WEF conference and consider whether global elites really have the mechanisms to impose their plans. Johnny Vedmore's analysis of Schwab's origins: Mises.org/HAP379a Scott Greer says America's right-want needs to stop dwelling on Schwab: Mises.org/HAP379b Schwab bragging about penetrating Cabinets: Mises.org/HAP379c

Dr. Peter Klein, professor of entrepreneurship at Baylor University and co-author of the new book Why Managers Matter, joins Jeff and Bob to explain the huge disconnect between supply and demand for labor in post-COVID America. Dr. Klein's new book Why Managers Matter: Mises.org/HAP378a

There is no real housing market in the US. Instead, an unholy trinity of Fannie/Freddie, the US Treasury, and the Federal Reserve Bank operate to distort the market at every turn and drive home prices up dramatically. Mises Institute Senior Fellow Alex Pollock, an economist and former mortgage banker, joins Jeff to describe the reality few Americans know. Alex Pollock's new book Surprised Again: The Covid Crisis and the New Market Bubble : Mises.org/HAP377a Alex Pollock on how the Fed became the world's biggest S&L: Mises.org/HAP377b

Bob and Jeff make their provocative 2023 predictions for the economy, the Fed, politics, world events, and cultural issues.

This week's show features a bare-knuckle discussion between Jeff and José Niño of "El Niño Speaks" on the biggest political, economic, and cultural events of 2022—and what they portend for 2023. You don't want to miss Jeff's unvarnished thoughts on the Left, the Right, the economy, and what is sure to be a turbulent New Year. Read José's Substack: josbcf.substack.com  

Does 2022 America still have legitimate intellectuals? Professor Paul Gottfried joins Jeff and Bob to consider the state of real and pseudo-intellectualism.

Hunter Hastings of Economics for Business joins Jeff for a thoroughgoing discussion of how monetary and fiscal policy distort capital markets and create perverse incentives for financialization rather than real production. Jeff Deist, "Does M&A benefit the economy?": Mises.org/HAP373-A Rothbard's America's Great Depression: Mises.org/AGD The Economics for Business Podcast: Mises.org/E4Bpod

Jeff and Bob break down the good, bad, and ugly behind Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter.

Jeff and Bob record a special Thanksgiving episode for Money Talk 1010 AM on what it really takes to fix the US economy.  Mark Thornton on the coming economic crisis: Mises.org/HAP371A Listen to Jeff on Money Talk 1010 every Thursday at 9:00am ET: Mises.org/MoneyTalk

Jeff and Bob discuss whether the FTX scandal will be used to justify new "crypto" regulations or even the creation of a central bank digital currency. Caitlin Long and Sam Bankman-Fried debating leveraging Bitcoin: Mises.org/HAP370A Mises on circulation credit vs. commodity credit: Mises.org/HAP370B President of the Minneapolis Fed Neel Kashkari on CBDCs: Mises.org/HAP370C

Daniel McCarthy joins Jeff and Bob to consider the deep unseriousness of American politics and electorate.  Willmoore Kendall's The Conservative Affirmation: Mises.org/Kendall  

Jeff joins Chris Casey of WindRock Wealth Management for a deep analysis of next week's punishing midterm elections.

Criticisms of hapless Senate candidate John Fetterman are labeled "ableist," while Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter is deemed fascist. Jeff and Bob take a hard look at the linguistic battlefield and the corruption of language as an institution.  Jeff's paper on language, "Evolution or Corruption?": Mises.org/HAP367-1 George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language": Mises.org/HAP367-2 Ken Smith's Junk English: Mises.org/HAP367-3 Bryan Caplan on "Privilege": Mises.org/HAP367-4

Free Markets are often criticized for producing ugly, dystopian, consumer-driven landscapes, but is this true? Jeff explains how we need more than intellectual appeal to advance the cause of liberty—we need an appeal to beauty. Watch other talks from our 40th Anniversary Celebration: Mises.org/SS2022  

Dr. Bob Murphy and Jeff Deist discuss the nauseating elevation of former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke to Nobel Prize winner.

UK entrepreneur and founder of the Cobden Centre Toby Baxendale joins Bob to discuss meeting Hayek, the history of economists supporting 100% reserve banking, and the tools central banks and governments will use to enact "financial repression."

Daniel McAdams of the Ron Paul Institute joins Jeff and Bob to discuss the economic and political ramifications of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline sabotage.  Read "The Economics of War" from Human Action: Mises.org/HAP363-1 Read a study Bob co-authored on Europe's energy crisis: Mises.org/HAP363-2

Daniel McCarthy, editor of Modern Age, joins Jeff to consider the state of modern conservatism, modern libertarianism, and whether they can or cannot find common ground. Watch Daniel's talk at the LSC 2022: Mises.org/LSC22-McCarthy Read The Conservative Affirmation: Mises.org/HAP362-1

With Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall, hereditary monarchies are under attack as archaic & absurd. Has mass democracy in the West done any better? Ryan McMaken joins Jeff and Bob to discuss. Read Ryan's Article on Monarchs: Mises.org/HAP361-1 Read Hoppe's Democracy: Mises.org/Democracy

Bob and Jeff unravel the corrosive and nonsensical policy of "inflationism," and consider its deep cultural effects. Read Jeff's talk from the recent Ron Paul Institute conference: Mises.org/HAP360-1

Journalist Jordan Schachtel joins the show to discuss Biden's escalating rhetoric against what he terms "ultra-MAGA" semi-fascists. Is America finally past any pretense of democracy?  

Clifton Duncan joins the show to discuss Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, along with the broader question of whether college and student loans are still worthwhile for young people. Jeff's Article, "Is College Worth It?": Mises.org/HAP358-1

Comic Dave Smith joins Jeff and Bob for a compelling look at the poisonous political landscape in post-goodwill America.  

The IRS plans to hire 87,000 new armed agents, while an FBI raid on Trump–the administration's open political rival–draws allegations of corruption. Economists and political scientists, from Mises to Robert Higgs to James Burnham to public choice scholars, explain why mission creep and abuse by state agencies is the rule rather than the exception.  Jonathan Turley on Trump being disqualified from office: Mises.org/HAP356-1 Mises on the managerial state: Mises.org/Bureaucracy James Burnham's The Managerial Revolution: Mises.org/Burnham Bob Murphy Show Episode on the FBI: Mises.org/BMS92  

Has economics fallen to politics? Court economists like Paul Krugman–we might call them "regime economists"–represent a profession in big trouble. Jeff and Bob discuss. Michael Tanner, "PIketty Gets it Wrong": Mises.org/HAP355-1 Bob Murphy on the economics establishment vs. Judy Shelton: Mises.org/HAP355-2 Jeff Deist on Nancy McLean's unprofessional attacks: Mises.org/HAP355-3 Bob's article with Phillip Magness on Piketty: Mises.org/HAP355-4    

Jeff Deist and Connor Mortell host an AMA during Mises University 2022 on the topic of "What You Can Do." Recorded at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, on 30 July 2022.

Connor Boyack, author of the new Tuttle Twins book America's History: 1215-1776, joins the show to make the Rothbardian case for de-bamboozling history. America’s History: A Tuttle Twins Series of Stories: TuttleTwins.com/History Rothbard on Historical Revisionism: Mises.org/HAP353-1

Lots of Americans now openly discuss the idea of National Divorce, focusing on the political, cultural, and social divisions in America. But what about the economics? How would issues like debt, entitlements, and defense be addressed if the US split into two or more new political entities? Mises.org senior editor and economist Ryan McMaken joins Jeff to discuss. Listen to Hoppe on centralization and secession: Mises.org/HAP352-1

Jeff and Bob discuss the effect of rising interest rates on Uncle Sam's ability to service debt—and promote the increasingly less radical idea that a default on Treasury debt is both inevitable and good. Jeff's article on rising rates: Mises.org/HAP351-1 House Budget Committee report on higher interest rates and US debt service: Mises.org/HAP351-2 Rothbard on the ethics of debt repudiation: Mises.org/HAP351-3

When it comes to energy and the environment, Americans not only get the wrong facts, arguments, and narratives–they get the wrong philosophy. Alex Epstein, who recently published perhaps the most important book of our time, joins Jeff and Bob to explain.  Get Alex's new book Fossil Future: Mises.org/Fossil

Mises.org economist and senior editor Ryan McMaken joins Jeff and Bob for a hard look at the economic reality Americans face today. Shostak on the true definition of a recession: Mises.org/HAP349-Shostak Bob's article in the QJAE: Mises.org/HAP349-Murphy

A Google engineer is in hot water for claiming the company's chatbot tech had become sentient. Meanwhile, Jerome Powell presumes to fight inflation technocratically, by raising the Fed Funds rate nearly a full percentage point. So is the engineer correct? Do technology and machine learning portend an end to scarcity and a solution to monetary policy? Jeff and Bob discuss.  Google Engineer Blake Lemoine's interview with LaMDA: Mises.org/HAP348-LaMDA Charles Haywood's on why AI is overblown: Mises.org/348-Haywood Read 'Yes, a Planned Economy Can Actually Work' at Jacobin: Mises.org/348-Jacobin Read Bureaucracy by Mises: Mises.org/Bureaucracy Bob's article on the Socialist Calculation Problem debate: Mises.org/348-Murphy

Today, inflation and prices are soaring. We know that Federal Reserve monetary policy is the cause. But why didn't something similar happen after the 2008 financial crash? Bob Murphy and professor Ross McKitrick discuss the government policies, Fed actions, and banking movements that lead up to the 2008 crisis, and why the current economic situation is different.  Ross McKitrick on inflation then versus now: Mises.org/HAP-McKitrick Bob explains how Keynesians missed the latest bout of price inflation: Mises.org/HAP347-Murphy Bob's book Understanding Money Mechanics: Mises.org/Mechanics

Jeff and Dr. Murphy discuss a recent interview with IMF economist Manmohan Singh in the context of central banks co-opting digital technology for bad ends. Find Manmohan Singh's Interview: Mises.org/HAP-Singh Janet Yellen, "I was wrong about inflation": Mises.org/HAP-Yellen Kristoffer Hansen on the basics of central bank digital currencies: Mises.org/HAP-Hansen Block and Barnett on Maturity Mismatching: Mises.org/HAP-BlockBarnett

Jeff and Bob take a look at the misnamed "World Economic Forum" and its conference this past week in Davos, focusing on their recently published report. Read the WEF's Chief Economists Outlook: Mises.org/WEF22

We spend a lot of time on this show talking about central banking. This week we talk about central bankers themselves, from Powell to Brainard to Lagarde to Greenspan. Robert Aro joins.

Would you give up voting in exchange for no more taxes? Stephan Livera joins the show to discuss the curious distinction between economic freedom and personal or political freedoms, and how we weigh those freedoms.  The Fraser/Cato Human Freedom Index: Mises.org/HFI The Heritage Index of Economic Freedom: Mises.org/IEF

Jeff is solo this week and hosts Tom Woods to ask a simple question: Why do social issues dominate our attention, to the detriment of economics and fiscal reality? Read Jeff's article "Why Social Issues Dominate" Mises.org/Dominate

Our friend Saif, known to the world as Dr. Saifedean Ammous, joins Jeff and Bob Murphy for a demolition of the pseudo-economics behind Green energy. Read Saif's The Fiat Standard: Mises.org/FiatStandard Saif's paper 'Energy Systems and the Knowledge Problem: The Case of Biofuels': Mises.org/SaifEnergy

This week Jeff is solo with very special guest Jimmy Rogers, the famed investor, Alabama native, and fan of Austrian economics.  

Jeff and Bob discuss the mechanics—and pain—required to put an end to inflation. Read Bob's Understanding Money Mechanics: Mises.org/Mechanics

Jeff and Bob discuss whether America has its own oligarchs instead of Hoppe's "natural elites." Hoppe's essay mises.org/Hoppe338 Jeff on the wrong elites: mises.org/WrongElites Bob on Piketty's bad inequality numbers: mises.org/Bob338    

Jeff talks to Keith Weiner of Monetary Metals about why gold still plays a major role in the global economy. Listen to Bob's interview with Keith at mises.org/BMS234 Find out more about Monetary Metals at monetary-metals.com

Bob and Jeff get into the weeds of Disney's shareholders, revenues, and holdings in light of the company's recent spat with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Jeff and Bob discuss the dynamics of the housing market in the context of a recent talk by Alex Pollock. "Hazlitt, Hayek, and How the Fed Made Itself into the World's Biggest Savings and Loan": mises.org/PollockAERC

Jeff and Bob Murphy talk about the state of gross economic ignorance in America today. Lessons for The Young Economist: Mises.org/YoungEcon Understanding Money Mechanics: Mises.org/BobMoney

This week, Jeff and Bob discuss oil prices. Why are gas prices spiking in the US, and what are D.C. politicians planning for oil companies?

Jeff and Bob discuss Biden's SOTU, the immorality of sanctions, and Fed chair Powell's pregnant comments.

A recent New York Times article featuring economist Stephanie Kelton and her (disastrously misguided) book on Modern Monetary Theory garnered criticisms, but not from the usual sources. No less than economist Larry Summers, former Treasury secretary and Harvard president, weighed in to criticize the Times for giving credence to MMT (he likened it to "quack cancer cures").  Reliably leftwing economics writer Noah Smith chimed in on substack to call MMT a "fringe ideology" and lambaste its lack of macroeconomic foundations. But a backlash ensued: several female economists claimed the criticisms of Kelton (and MMT) were rooted in sexism, bemoaning the male-dominated nature of the economics profession. And as with all academic or professional disciplines, "diversity" is now not only a buzzword but an open requirement in hiring. I asked Baylor professor and Mises Institute senior fellow Dr. Peter Klein to join the show and give us his behind-the-scenes view of the increasingly politicized economics profession.  Read the Times article: Mises.org/KeltonNY Bob Murphy's review of Kelton's book: Mises.org/KeltonBook Noah Smith's review of Kelton's Times article: Mises.org/KeltonNoah

To kick off the New Year, Jeff recently had the opportunity to address a Discord channel dedicated to Austrian Economics. His talk focused on the state of economics generally, whether the profession is serving society, how economists failed us throughout the Covid hysteria, and especially the health and relevance of the Austrian school. This is a great survey of the role economics (and economists) should play in society. Also includes questions from the audience, emceed by channel host JW Rich.

The Human Action Podcast wraps up the year with none other than the venerable Professor Paul Gottfried! This is our final show focused on the Old Right, the early 20th century political tradition which animated later libertarian figures like Murray Rothbard. How was this great legacy of peace and freedom on the Right—the Old Republic—lost to Cold Warriors and neoconservatives? Nobody is a better sociologist of American conservatism than Dr. Gottfried, and nobody is more compelling and erudite when it comes explaining how the Right went so horribly wrong (hint: former Commies). Lots of great names discussed, from Rothbard and Nock to Kirk, Strauss, Jaffa, Buckley, Meyer, and even Gore Vidal.  Don't miss this show! Additional Resources Read Professor Gottfried's work on Conservatism: Mises.org/Gottfried-Book

We continue our look at leading figures from the Old Right with guest Tom Woods, who helped publish the late Murray Rothbard's The Betrayal of the American Right. Rothbard admired the courageous and revisionist voices promoting the Old Republic, and shared their antagonism for war and economic intervention. Tom and Jeff discuss great essays like Albert J. Nock's "Isaiah's Job" and Frank Chodorov's "The Ethic of the Peddler Class;" the latter a rousing defense of the merchant class against both bureaucrats and the country-club conservatism which would emerge under William F. Buckley. The old antiwar and anti-New Deal works of figures like Menken, Hazlitt, Howard Buffett, Chodorov, and Nock deserve far wider consideration, especially as the "New Right" spirals into the worst of Buckleyite foreign policy and know-nothing economics. You owe it to yourself to explore this great but underappreciated tradition. Additional Resources Read Rothbard's important work: Mises.org/Betrayal Albert J. Nock's "Isaiah's Job:" Mises.org/HAPNock Frank Chodorov's "The Ethic of the Peddler Class:" Mises.org/HAPChodorov Jeff Leskovar on "The Psychology of Human Action:" Mises.org/HAPLeskova  

HL Mencken is the writer you need to read immediately. He was savagely brilliant, caustic, and witty, but also prolific across genres in ways almost unthinkable of journalists today. His skill with the English language was virtually unmatched in the 20th century, as was his deep and abiding contempt for utopian statism in any form. And his broadsides against two world wars were incredibly courageous at the time. Our great friend Jim Bovard joins the show to discuss Mencken's work, his complicated elitism, his Old Right politics and social views, and the magnificent pleasure of reading this master. "H.L. Mencken, The Joyous Libertarian" by Murray N. Rothbard: Mises.org/Joyous Mencken Wikiquote: Mises.org/HLQ  

Garet Garrett was among the most important figures from the literary, political, and laissez-faire economic traditions of the Old Right, but his name is hardly known today. In 1938 he penned "The Revolution Was," a remarkable essay about FDR's revolutionary New Deal and, more importantly, how it was accomplished. FDR's revolution had already happened, though few Americans  understood it or grasped what the triumph of an administrative state would mean. The New Deal was a revolution "with the form," because the old trappings of constitutionalism and separation of powers remained intact. What had changed was the substance of American government, engineered through skillful propaganda and marked by radically increased control over the nation's capital and businesses. This essay is entirely relevant to our current politics, and explains with tremendous clarity the the ongoing revolution happening under our noses today. Ryan McMaken joins Jeff Deist for a deep exploration of the essay and its lessons for us today.  You owe it to yourself to read this masterpiece. Read Garet Garrett's prescient essay: Mises.org/GaretWas

This week's show features a panel discussion recorded in late October at our annual Supporters Summit. Panelists Ryan McMaken, Jeff Deist, Mike Maharrey, and Tho Bishop lay out real strategies for achieving decentralization.  Includes an introduction by Joey Clark. Recorded in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 22, 2021.

Daniel McAdams of the Ron Paul Institute joins the show to discuss what might be termed the Ron Paul Doctrine: a combination of laissez-faire at home, decentralized domestic political power (up to and including secession), robust free trade, and strict non-intervention abroad, This doctrine—which mirrors Mises's prescription for a liberal society—makes no phony distinctions between foreign and domestic policy, or between military and economic interventions. It places peace and property at the center of a free society, and calls for humility rather than hubris in politics. Daniel also gives his thoughts on Dr. Paul's doctrine as it applies today to China, Turkey, Russia, and Iran.

We wrap up our look at Murray Rothbard's sprawling two volume An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought with Dr. Joe Salerno, Rothbard's friend and colleague. This show covers the second volume exclusively, starting with the Frenchman JB Say and working through Ricardo, the British Currency School, John Stuart Mill, and finally Karl Marx. Salerno has penetrating insights about all of these thinkers, from Say's understanding of production to Ricardo's erroneous systemization of Adam Smith. He also has great background regarding Mises and the Currency School vs. Banking School debate, on free banking and full reserve banking, and on Mill's deep misconception of money. The show ends with a thorough look at Rothbard's treatment of Marx over more than 100 pages: Marx's sick view of man as a collective, his hatred for the division of labor, his absurd and deterministic "laws of history," his materialism as a replacement for spiritualism, and the underlying folly of "superabundant production." You don't want to miss this show! Additional Resources Read Rothbard's important work: Mises.org/APHET

We continue our look at Murray Rothbard's two volume An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought with a show focused on Adam Smith. Rothbard attacked him mercilessly as a plagiarist who set economic theory back decades with his muddled views on value and price. But was this criticism justified, or was Smith actually an early and valiant proponent of laissez-faire? Our guest Hunter Hastings defends Smith in this rollicking discussion, while Professor Jonathan Newman is not so sure. They also discuss the Scottish Enlightenment and Smithian thinkers like Bentham and Malthus, and even tackle the contentious question of whether Smith produced Marx. Don't miss this! Additional Resources Read Rothbard's important work: Mises.org/APHET

Was Adam Smith the founder of modern economics? Not so, says Murray Rothbard in his staggering two-volume An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought. Dr. Patrick Newman joins the show for a look at Rothbard's treatment of economics before Smith—from the Ancient Greeks all the way to the Scottish Enlightenment—and his take no prisoners revisionist approach. Jeff Deist and Dr. Newman cover Aristotle and Plato, Aquinas, Protestants and Catholics in the Middle Ages, Spanish Scholastics, Mercantilists, French Physiocrats and Turgot, and the criminally underappreciated Richard Cantillon. If you're a fan of economics and non-bowdlerized history, don't miss this! Additional Resources Read Rothbard's important work: Mises.org/APHET Find out more about Dr. Newman's new book: Mises.org/CronyismBook

Just a few years prior to his death, Murray Rothbard started one of his most ambitious writing projects: a full-fledged, three volume history of economic thought from a uniquely Austrian perspective. Unfortunately he never wrote the third volume, intended to span the post-Marx marginal revolution all the way through the mid-20th century. But the two existing volumes, over 1000 pages, start with ancient Greece and make their way to Adam Smith, Bentham, JS Mill, Ricardo, and Marx. As always, Rothbard is both compelling and radically revisionist. Contra most economic historians, he believed the proto-economists before Smith had much to offer. Both the Spanish Scholastics and French Physiocrats, for example, showed an understanding of value and subjectivism well before Smith developed his muddled cost theory.  These two volumes (free here in pdf!) are a must read for any student of economics, and Dr. Patrick Newman is the perfect guest to bring them to life. Don't miss this first in a series of episodes on An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought. Additional Resources Read Rothbard's important work: Mises.org/APHET Find out more about Dr. Newman's upcoming book: Mises.org/CronyismBook

On the heels of Biden's vaccine mandate announcement, Dr. Murray Sabrin joins the show to discuss his new book on escaping the state's medical fascism. Universal Medical Care from Conception to End of Life lays out the sobering reality of our unsustainable "health care" system. It explains the ruinous policies which changed doctors from respected guardians of patients to functionaries for government and third party insurance companies—and the unsustainability of our current path. But the book also shows us the way out. The model for market medicine is simple enough: patients pay cash for basic services, have high-deductible catastrophic insurance for emergencies (priced according to actuarial realities), while charitable hospitals and clinics serve the truly poor and indigent. Heroic entrepreneurial doctors already operate in this cash-only marketplace, and Sabrin's book gives us a road map for delivering better and cheaper medical care to millions of Americans. Additional Resources Watch the Mises Institute's Medical Freedom Summit held in June: Mises.org/Med21 Order Dr. Sabrin's fascinating new book: Mises.org/SabrinBook SurgeryCenterOK.com

Having branched to our first novel with All Quiet on the Western Front, the Human Action Podcast begs your indulgence for one of the works of 20th century British satire. Lucky Jim is the late Kingsley Amis's seminal send-up of campus life, and it's among your host's favorite books. The book takes place in 1951, and England is trying but failing to lose its class distinctions. The protagonist Jim Dixon is singularly unfit for the academic life he's chosen, and the opportunities for Amis to skewer both the academy and English society are manifest. Allen Mendenhall of Troy University joins the show to discuss the academic pretenses and foibles punctured by Amis, along with great insights about Amis's background and political views. If you like satire, don't miss this show or this book!

Fans of Austrian economics know hedge fund manager Mark Spitznagel as a brilliant thinker thoroughly steeped in Menger, Böhm-Bawerk, Mises, and Rothbard. His excellent 2013 book The Dao of Capital was rooted in Austrian capital theory and "roundaboutness," and his application of of that theory has proven highly beneficial for his investors.  Now Spitznagel is back with a new book that directly challenges our understanding of risk. Safe Haven asks, and answers, a fundamental question: Can mitigating risk actually add to the bottom line? Can safe havens be truly cost-effective, by adding to CAGR? Mises Institute Senior Fellow Robert Murphy, who consulted on the book, joins the show for a fascinating look at Spitznagel's penetrating and contrarian thesis. If you're interested in the intersection of investing and Austrian economics, don't miss this episode! Mark Spitznagel's Safe Haven: Investing for Financial Storms on Amazon: Mises.org/SafeHaven And, Spitznagel's 2013 book The Dao of Capital: Austrian Investing in a Distorted World on Amazon: Mises.org/Dao

Jeff Deist hosts a solo show to discuss one of his favorite novels from childhood, All Quiet on the Western Front. Its young protagonist Paul Bäumer, barely out of adolescence, narrates the horrors of trench warfare from the perspective only a grunt soldier can provide. Bäumer and his mates lose their innocence, along with various limbs and often their lives. But what makes the book so compelling is not simply the description of wartime savagery, but the dialogue between the men: stripped of any illusions, they see the futility of killing and maiming simply to capture a few more feet of no-man's land. The dialogue in Chapter 9 between the men, arguing about whether states or "people" go to war, is masterful. This is a book every passionate antiwar advocate needs to read time and again. All Quiet on the Western Front on Amazon: Mises.org/AllQuiet Jeff Deist's review of They Shall not Grow Old: Mises.org/ShallNot

Professor Bradley Birzer from Hillsdale College joins the show to dissect Russell Kirk's famous 1981 essay condemning libertarians. Is libertarianism necessarily utopian and unworkable, as Kirk suggests? Is it hubris to imagine we don't need the state—or even God—to prevent social chaos? Do libertarians have more in common with Communists than conservatives? Or was Kirk simply attacking an absurd strawman of the atomistic individual, with Rothbard as the particular (unstated) target of his ire? Dr. Birzer is a thoroughgoing scholar of Kirk, and provides great insights into the context and thinking behind this critique. Russel Kirk's "Libertarians, The Chirping Sectaries": Mises.org/Kirk Rothbard's "Myth and Truth About Libertarianism": Mises.org/HAP77a Dr. Birzer's "Kirk and the Libertarians": Mises.org/HAP77b Hornberger's "An Open Letter to Russell Kirk": Mises.org/HAP77c

Recorded live at Mises University on 24 July 2021. Find Startup Stories: Lessons for Everyday Entrepreneurs at: Mises.org/Startup

Saifedean Ammous, famous for The Bitcoin Standard, has a remarkable new book detailing the effects of fiat money on virtually every aspect of society. In the tradition of Guido Hülsmann's The Ethics of Money Production, Ammous returns with The Fiat Standard. From a framework of Austrian economics, this book explains the sordid history of central banks severing currencies from gold redemption—both to finance war and enjoy the political benefits of default. But it also considers the far-ranging effects of inflation on civilization: as time preference increases, everything gets worse.  Education, food, architecture, family, and science all suffer, as inflation makes us live today at the expense of tomorrow. On the 50th anniversary of Nixon's gold shock, The Fiat Standard is an amazing explication of how the West fell to its current state. You don't want to miss this show, especially Saifedean's epic takedown of fiat academia at the end!

Murray Rothbard's seminal 1965 essay "Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty" reads every bit as well today as it did 50 years ago. Rothbard defines liberalism and conservatism against the backdrop of the European Old Order, and skewers the incoherence of both in their modern forms. This brief work, steeped in history and full of optimism, shows Rothbard as a careful and strategic thinker about ideological and political movements. Mises.org editors Tho Bishop and Ryan McMaken join the show to explain the tremendous descriptive power of this essay, and why we need Rothbard as much as Burnham, Machiavelli, or Sun Tzu when it comes to strategy.  Mentioned in this Episode "Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty": Mises.org/LeftRight

Financial journalist John Tamny has written the definitive book on the disastrous political mismanagement of Covid-19—and the resulting (still unfolding) calamities. When Politicians Panicked is a superb analysis of the economic tradeoffs ignored by alarmist Covid policymakers, and a blow by blow account of their bungling in the early months of 2020. But this is also a book about economic growth, employment, markets and prosperity, with well-supported arguments written in Tamny's clear prose. Tamny helps readers See the Unseen, namely that terrible consequences of lockdowns far exceed any danger posed by the virus. Let's hope the experts he skewers in this book take notice. Mentioned in this Episode When Politicians Panicked: The New Coronavirus, Expert Opinion, and a Tragic Lapse of Reason by John Tamny: Mises.org/Panicked JohnTamny.com

Professor Roberta Modugno joins the show to finish our look at Rothbard's seminal treatise on normative libertarianism, The Ethics of Liberty. Dr. Modugno elaborates on Rothbard's disagreements with Mises regarding ethical justifications for a free society, and defends his uncompromising views on the nature of the state. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Rothbard's The Ethics of LibertyDr. Modugno's Rothbard vs. The PhilosophersDr. Modugno's "How I Discovered Murray Rothbard"

Mises.org editor Ryan McMaken joins the show to tackle some of the toughest and most controversial chapters of Rothbard's groundbreaking treatise The Ethics of Liberty. McMaken and Jeff Deist cover abortion, the rights of children, defamation, and all the "what-ifs" contained in lifeboat situations. They also move into part III of the book, where Rothbard pulls no punches concerning the nature of the state, its internal contradictions, its anarchic relationship to other states, and its inescapable role as predator and parasite. This is a can't-miss episode for anyone who questions the role of government in society. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Rothbard's The Ethics of LibertyJeff Deist: "A Tort Law Approach to Fight Big Tech?"Ryan McMaken: How Defamation Suits are Used to Stifle Free Speech

Lawyer and legal theorist Stephan Kinsella joins the show as we dive into Part II of Rothbard's The Ethics of Liberty, grappling with the foundational issues of crime, proportionality, and contract. When is property justly held? When may injuries to a person or property be addressed with force, and how much force? How do we deal with one another contractually, in terms of promises and expectation? How do we resolve disputes privately? Rothbard presents a remarkable exposition of a theory of liberty, a normative justification for laissez-faire which was sorely lacking. Kinsella does a remarkable job of explaining Rothbard's concepts with force and clarity, so you won't want to miss this episode! Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Rothbard's The Ethics of LibertyRothbard on the “Original Sin” in Land Titles: 1969 vs. 1974 (Nov. 5, 2014)KOL146 | Interview of Williamson Evers on the Title-Transfer Theory of ContractA Libertarian Theory of Contract: Title Transfer, Binding Promises, and Inalienability, Journal of Libertarian Studies 17, no. 2 (Spring 2003): 11-37A Libertarian Theory of Punishment and Rights, 30 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 607-45 (1997)Fraud, Restitution, and Retaliation: The Libertarian ApproachKOL197 | Tom Woods Show: The Central Rothbard Contribution I Overlooked, and Why It Matters: The Rothbard-Evers Title-Transfer Theory of ContractJustice and Property Rights: Rothbard on Scarcity, Property, Contracts…KOL004 | Interview with Walter Block on Voluntary Slavery

Murray Rothbard's The Ethics of Liberty is a sweeping treatise which creates nothing short of a normative political philosophy of liberty. Contra Hume, Rothbard attempts to derive an "ought" from an "is," using natural law precepts and rigorous logic. Professor Walter Block joins the show to discuss the first section of the book, and gives us his unstinting (and always deontological!) take on Rothbard's vitally important treatment of natural law philosophy as the foundation for a free society. There are also lots of great Blockean anecdotes you'll want to hear! The Audiobook version of The Ethics of Liberty is available at Mises.org/EthicsAudio Read Hans-Hermann Hoppe's introduction to the 1998 edition work at Mises.org/EthicsHoppe Find David Hume's A Treatise on Nature at Mises.org/Hume

America's "Old Right"—rooted in 19th century liberalism but birthed in the 1930s to oppose the New Deal—was strongly laissez-faire and non-interventionist. Murray Rothbard wrote the comprehensive story of that movement, it's influences and influence, and its destruction at the hands of Buckleyite Cold Warriorism. Modern conservatism sadly bears little resemblance to the Old Right, and America is worse off for it. Dr. Patrick Newman and Tho Bishop join the show to dissect the book, which is both a critical history and a fascinating political memoir of Rothbard's own journey to libertarianism. Read this historic work at Mises.org/Betrayal

Rothbard called Mises's The Theory of Money and Credit "the best book on money ever written." But Rothbard himself may have written the best money book for lay readers, namely What Has Government Done to Our Money?  Bob Murphy joins the show to discuss this superb and eminently readable tract: a mini-course on money itself, from its origins and uses to its degradation by kings, politicians, and central bankers. In only 119 short pages, Rothbard gives us everything we need to know about this most critical commodity in society—along with the ruinous development of fully fiat (unbacked) state money. Readers also enjoy a brilliant history of money regimes, from early barter to the classical gold standard and the ultimate collapse of the Bretton Woods agreement. Read this fantastic book for free in HTML format: Mises.org/WHGD Bob Murphy's series, "Understanding Money Mechanics": Mises.org/MM Bob Murphy interviews Fed economist David Andolfatto on the devaluation of money, among other topics: Mises.org/BMS175 Hans-Hermann Hoppe reconsiders Hutt's seminal article, "The Yield from Money Held": Mises.org/HoppeHutt

Politics degrades our lives in innumerable ways, from personal relationships to work to places of worship. Even sports and movies now seem to have become deeply politicized. The political class and political system in America appear intent on creating division and hatred rather than cooperation. The two political tribes in America—red and blue—are divided on everything: abortion, guns, immigration, Trump, and now Covid. Is there any way to reclaim some semblance of a truce between these warring nations? Our guest Ross Benes has written an engrossing memoir of his experiences in both worlds, from small town life in his ultra-red Nebraska hometown to his writing career in ultra-blue Brooklyn. It's a fascinating look at how and why we have allowed politicians to alienate us, and a hopeful call for a less political America.   Find Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold​  at Mises.org/RuralBook 

Ryan McMaken joins the show for a lengthy discussion of Rothbard's brief but devastating essay Anatomy of the State. This book demands that readers understand the stark nature of government, without fairy tales or niceties. It applies the same lens to public and private criminality. It challenges every myth surrounding politics and statecraft, ranging from "the government is us" to judicial review. It explains how the state maintains legitimacy, how it expands, how it deals with other states, and ultimately how it works to prevent domestic threats to its power. And it still serves as the baseline analysis for understanding state power, nearly 50 years after Rothbard helped create a burgeoning anarcho-capitalist movement. Anatomy of the State is a book that everyone, from anarchist to statist, needs to read and consider. Read Rothbard's Anatomy of the State at Mises.org/AnatomyBook

Allen Mendenhall joins the show to expand last week's discussion on the intellectual state of America. Are we living in a decidedly anti-intellectual age, or has America always been predisposed toward doers over thinkers? Have Americans simply stopped reading books? Have we lost our ability to think deeply, due to the constant distractions of the digital age? And what does the shift away from any shared baseline cultural knowledge mean for our future? Don't miss this fascinating but sobering discussion. Listen to HAPod episode with Dan McCarthy at Mises.org/HAP63

Daniel McCarthy joins the show to continue last week's discussion of the rapid breakdown of America's political order, with wokeism rising on the Left and Reaganism dying on the Right. McCarthy gives us his critique of the liberal technocratic order, and makes his case for where libertarians go wrong in their utilitarian and acultural approach. His prescription is for a new fusionism, with a reinvigorated Rothbardian populism as one critical element. The legacy of Ron Paul's presidential campaigns, McCarthy explains, is the philosophical critique of welfarism and warfarism. But changing society is a long game—one the Left plays well—so we must do the same. Find McCarthy's article Why Libertarians Are Wrong at Mises.org/McCarthyArticle

Donald Devine is a legend in Washington, DC conservative circles, where he gained fame wrestling civil service bloat as head of Reagan's Office of Personnel Management. His new book The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and the Moral Order  starts with Schumpter's creative destruction and asks the tough question: can capitalism alone hold America together? Channeling Hayek, Devine argues that markets are critical but not sufficient. Free and equal individualism requires a mythos and a logos, a moral order rooted in God, morality, law, or tradition—otherwise we devolve into warring factions. Bureaucratic, centralized, and unworkable government perversely encourages these factions as America rejects its federalist structure and Thomist underpinnings. This is a challenging and far-ranging book, and an excellent one for readers concerned with the tension between Locke's liberty and politically engineered license. Find The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and the Moral Order  at Mises.org/DevineBook

Our great friend Daniel Lacalle joins the show from Madrid to discuss the post-Covid economy from the framework of his newest book, Freedom or Equality. Real human cooperation happens via markets and property, not government or central bank edicts. Socially beneficial behavior needs the right incentives—without prices and profits, we have no way to measure merit or benefit.  If leaders are serious about economic recovery after lockdowns, they need to dispense with authoritarian controls and let markets work. Lacalle considers interest rates, inequality, stakeholder theory, global debt, and much more in this powerful discussion of today's economic reality.   Find Freedom or Equality: The Key to Prosperity Through Social Capitalism at Mises.org/DLbook      

Normally we discuss books on The Human Action Podcast, but this new academic paper by Professor Philipp Bagus is too important to ignore. "COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Mass Hysteria" is the one journal article you need to read this year. In only about ten pages it makes the devastating case that perverse political incentives—along with a nexus of state-connected media and scientists—combine to create and amplify "public health" hysteria. Echoing Hoppe and public choice theory, Bagus explains how politicians enjoy asymmetric rewards for exaggerating risks and creating fear. The result is gross policy errors we will all pay for over many decades. Don't miss this show! Read Dr. Bagus's paper at Mises.org/BagusPaper And read Jeff Deist's summary of the paper at Mises.org/DeistBagus Find Deep Freeze: Iceland's Economic Collapse online at Mises.org/DeepFreeze Find The Tragedy of the Euro​ online at Mises.org/TragedyEuro    

Professor Patrick Newman, known for his incredible work editing Murray Rothbard's The Progressive Era and Conceived in Liberty, just finished a staggering new historical work titled Cronyism: Liberty vs. Power in Early America. Newman joins the show to give us a preview of this tour de force book, which chronicles the special interests and state favoritism embedded in US society almost from the start. The Rothbardian analysis of "liberty vs. power" informs Newman's approach throughout, and history buffs will want to get their hands on this book immediately upon release later in 2021. You will never see the American colonies, revolution, Constitution, or great men like Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson the same way after reading this book. Help the Mises Institute publish Cronyism: Liberty vs. Power in Early America by Dr. Patrick Newman at Mises.org/Cronyism. Read Rothbard's The Progressive Era at Mises.org/ProgEra

Dr. Mark Thornton joins the show to discuss what might just be Murray Rothbard's best book on money and banking: The Case Against the Fed. Written not long before his untimely death, this work is nothing less than a master class on the history of money: the sordid players and interests behind the creation of the Federal Reserve bank; the workings of demand deposits and fractional reserve, inflationism, and the monetary mechanics behind it all. The final pages of the short and penetrating book are especially fascinating, as Rothbard lays out a process for unwinding the Fed and paying off its liabilities using the federal government physical gold holding. End the Fed starts with understanding the Fed, and this book is vital for any lay reader. Find the online version of the book at Mises.org/RothbardFed

Professor Jonathan Newman joins the show for a look at America's Great Depression, Rothbard's classic explanation of a terrible period in US history. This book provides one of the best short surveys of Austrian business cycle theory, along with deep history surrounding the inflationary run-up of the 1920s and the disastrous mistakes made by the "laissez-faire" Hoover administration in the 1930s. Any serious student of booms and busts needs to read this cautionary tale, as does anyone worried about unconstrained monetary policy in the wake of Covid-19 lockdowns. It can happen here, and it can happen again, if Rothbard's counsel goes unheard. Find the online version of the book at Mises.org/GreatDepression Receive a discount on America's Great Depression in the Mises Bookstore with code HAPOD15%

Scott Horton of antiwar.com and the Libertarian Institute has a new book chronicling 20 years of America's "War on Terror." Enough Already is a compelling history of modern US interventionism and a scathing critique of American foreign policy in the Middle East. Horton joins Jeff Deist for a sobering look at American hubris overseas, along with the blowback and destruction it causes. You don't want to miss this conversation. 

Guido Hülsmann's The Ethics of Money Production is a masterclass both on the fundamentals of money and the disastrous moral consequences of monetary "policy." Inflation is not only an economic problem which impoverishes us materially, but a deeply corrosive force in society for individuals. There is no better work to explain the broader implications of central banking which go almost totally unremarked in the financial press. Podcaster Stephan Livera is a big fan of the book and joins the show to explain why you need to read it. Guido Hülsmann's The Ethics of Money Production​: Mises.org/Ethics Listen to Stephan's podcast at StephanLivera.com

Tom Woods joins the show for a special year-end show to make the case for becoming a serious reader in 2021! Read Dr. David Gordon's 2020 book reviews at Mises.org/Gordon2020 Find all episodes of the Human Action Podcast at Mises.org/HAPod

Managerialism, not socialism or capitalism, dominated the West in the latter half of the 20th century. Nobody explained this better than James Burnham in his seminal 1941 book The Managerial Revolution: What is Happening in the World. Burnham challenges both Marxist orthodoxy on class (exploitation happens without capitalism) and libertarian orthodoxy on market firms (managerial control overtakes "owners"). This is hugely important book, and prescient to put it mildly: Burnham's thesis explains both the populist Trump revolution and the Deep State response. To understand modern politics and bureaucracy, and especially the DC Beltway, you need to read this book. Edward Welsch, editor of Chronicles magazine, joins Jeff Deist for a thorough discussion of Burnham and his most influential work.  Watch Dan McCarthy on the history of Burnham at Mises.org/McCarthyBurnham Read Samuel Francis's review of James Burnham's works at Mises.org/FrancisBurnham

Professor Janek Wasserman's book The Marginal Revolutionaries: How Austrian Economists Fought the War of Ideas, is an entertaining and fascinating account of key players and events in the evolution of Austrian school economics. Jeff Deist details the good, bad, and ugly of the book, written by a left-progressive historian from a critical perspective.  Read Jeff Deist's review at Mises.org/DeistWasserman Read David Gordon's review at Mises.org/GordonWasserman Find Hülsmann's biography of Mises at Mises.org/LastKnight Read Mises on the history of the Austrian school at Mises.org/MisesHistory

Ryan McMaken joins the show to discuss Adam Fergusson's seminal history of Weimar-era hyperinflation in Germany, When Money Dies. Americans accustomed to the dollar's king status have no idea how quickly and brutally a currency can lose value, especially when war finance distorts the entire structure of a nation's economy.  What follows is sobering: hunger, violence, crime, and degradation. This fascinating book makes for a great study of how and why inflation rises quickly, and provides a cautionary tale for central banks and fiscal policy makers today.Plus listen to the show for a link to your free copy of the book! Read Hans Sennholz on Hyperinflation at Mises.org/HyperInflation Find Henry Hazlitt's What You Should Know About Inflation at Mises.org/InflationHazlitt Read Lyn Alden's article on inflation at Mises.org/Alden

Professor Per Bylund of Oklahoma State University is the author of The Seen, The Unseen, and the Unrealized. 2020 is the year social scientists failed to show us the unseen, namely the staggering and still unfolding economic, social, medical, and human costs of Covid lockdowns. Dr. Bylund and Jeff Deist discuss Covid and government responses against the backdrop of ripple effects, Say's law, "market failure," and the inability of bureaucrats to make rational tradeoffs. They also discuss Dr. Bylund's upcoming project for the Mises Institute: an Austrian economics primer, under 100 pages, available as a very inexpensive paperback. Find Dr. Bylunds book at mises.org/Unrealized And follow him on Twitter @PerBylund  

Do we fund government or does government fund us? Can sovereign states issue currency at will without risk of default? Are government deficits actually a form of public wealth? And can newly issued currency (rather than taxes or bonds) be used to pay for public works, health care, college, entitlements, and guaranteed jobs? These are the arguments made by Professor Stephanie Kelton in The Deficit Myth, the latest addition to the "Modern Monetary Theory" concept. If it sounds too good to be true, it is—and Dr. Murphy joins the show to explain why.   Read Dr. Murphy's review of The Deficit Myth at mises.org/DeficitMyth

Why don't elections bring harmony and closure rather than ever greater political friction? Hans-Hermann Hoppe explained all of the fundamental problems with mass democracy more than 20 years ago in Democracy: The God That Failed. Jeff Deist finishes his series on this devastating classic with a look at Hoppe's final chapters, critiquing conservatism, liberalism, and constitutionalism. Why do both conservatism and liberalism fail? (hint: democratic mechanisms). Liberalism is property, not majority rule, and all governments tend to attack rather than defend property over time. So what is the best way forward, combining a liberal economic program with the old conservative understanding of natural order? And how do we get there? Don't miss this discussion of Hoppe's most controversial and forward-looking book. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Democracy: The God That Failed from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHoppe

Lawyer and libertarian theorist Stephan Kinsella joins the show to discuss the middle chapters of Hoppe's Democracy, The God That Failed—in particular dealing with "desocialization" of collective property, immigration, and free trade. These are the most controversial and widely-discussed parts of the book, and Kinsella provides a fascinating analysis of property vs. wealth, the problems with public ownership and forced integration, and the concept of rule-setting for state property. And don't miss the final part of the show for his explanation of "Hoppephobia."    Kinsella's article on LewRockwell.com: "A Simple Libertarian Argument Against Unrestricted Immigration and Open Borders" Read Stephan Kinsella's Against Intellectual Property at Mises.org/KinsellaBook Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Democracy: The God That Failed from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHoppe

With an ugly presidential election just three weeks away, we dive into Hans Hoppe's classic Democracy: The God That Failed to puncture some of the myths surrounding democracy and voting. Jayant Bhandari joins the show to discuss Hoppe's controversial thesis concerning monarchy and democracy, time preference and its manifestation in the two systems, the forces constraining monarchs, and the terrible incentives created for democratic rulers. This is a must-listen show for anyone interested in Hoppe's most famous work and its application to the problems western states face today.  Find more from Jayant Bhandari on his website (JayantGhandari.com) and his Twitter account (@JayantBhandari5). Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Democracy: The God That Failed from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHoppe  

Most of you know the great journalist Henry Hazlitt for his remarkable Economics in One Lesson. But in this episode, Jeff Deist discusses Hazlitt's virtually unknown 1942 book A New Constitution Now, which is nothing short of a how-to guide for remaking the US constitutional system. Hazlitt was concerned about FDR's third term and what it meant for presidential power, along with what he saw as the benefits of a quasi-parliamentary government for the US. This is a radical and controversial book, with detailed proposals and serious rebuttals to likely objections. It's a book that deserves a wider audience, especially by those frustrated with the two-party stranglehold on DC. Also, get your free copies of Economics in One Lesson at Mises.org/OneLesson.

Professor Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard, is in the midst of writing a new textbook titled Principle of Economics. But he's writing it in open-source form: drafting, revising, and sharing the manuscript with his online students as the book is created. And unlike most lousy college economics textbooks, his offering is rooted in Austrian theory and contains numerous references to Menger, Böhm-Bawerk, Mises, Rothbard, and Hoppe. Academia is changing, and the way we learn is ripe for disruption. Dr. Ammous is at the fore of these changes, and you don't want to miss this show.  

We have reached the end of Murray Rothbard's definitive treatise Man, Economy, and State!  Dr. Patrick Newman joins the show to wrap up the final chapters—labeled separately as Power and Market—showing Rothbard's economic analysis of government interventions. Newman and Jeff Deist discuss this quintessentially Rothbardian treatment of everything from price controls to taxes to subsidies to "public ownership," presented as always with clarity and devastating logic. Want to find out why the original publisher thought these concluding chapters were too hot for an economics treatise? Don't miss this episode! Read the book free of charge in searchable HTML format here. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Bob Murphy's study guide to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/StudyMES​ Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

Power and Market was never meant to be an addendum to Man, Economy, and State, but a vital part of the book’s unbridled economic analysis of a truly free market — and a searing new typology of interventionism. Dr. Patrick Newman joins the show for a fascinating look at Rothbard’s groundbreaking conceptual work in private defense, private courts, and the stark realities of political incentives. Read the book free of charge in searchable HTML format here. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Bob Murphy's study guide to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/StudyMES​ Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

By day Jeff Booth is an entrepreneur and builder of companies, but now he's written one of the most compelling and important books of 2020. The Price of Tomorrow: Why Deflation is the Key to an Abundant Future makes the case for a better and more prosperous world simply by accepting the natural order of falling prices and fast-improving technology. The book is entirely free of jargon, ideology, and politics, yet pulls no punches when it comes to describing the fiscal and monetary mess we're in. But it is an optimistic book, with a message for every worldview: deflation is a good thing, it is inevitable, and we should embrace it rather than fight it! Mr. Booth was kind enough to join the show, and has a fascinating discussion with Jeff Deist you don't want to miss!

Economist Robert Murphy joins the show to cover Rothbard's excellent treatment of money in Chapter 11 of Man, Economy, and State. Dr. Murphy and Jeff cover why "hoarding" money is socially beneficial; why the velocity of money (and the famous MV=PT equation) is a useless concept, and how new money in society is never neutral. How and why does money maintain purchasing power, and does the interest rate really show the "price" of money? Why do we want "hard" money anyway? This is the show you need to better understand Rothbard's landmark exposition of money in an Austrian framework. Read the book free of charge in searchable HTML format here. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Hans-Hermann Hoppe on Hutt's "The Yield from Money Held": Mises.org/HoppeHutt Bob Murphy's study guide to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/StudyMES​ Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

When Murray Rothbard wrote Man, Economy, and State in the 1950s, monopoly theory was a mess. Even Mises did not have a full understanding of where neoclassical economics went wrong in diagnosing "market failure." But in Chapter 10 of his great treatise, Rothbard demolished the myths surrounding monopolies and cartels. His friend Dr. Walter Block joins the show to discuss Rothbard's breakthroughs and draw downward-sloping demand diagrams for us! We discuss why deadweight loss is nonsense; why government privilege and forced union bargaining are the real culprits; and why cartels are inherently unstable. Even Google should not worry us, says Dr. Block—but with a caveat. Don't miss this show on groundbreaking Rothbardian monopoly insights!  Read the book free of charge in searchable HTML format here. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Dr. Joe Salerno's introduction to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/SalernoMES Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

The Human Action podcast with Jeff Deist continues tracking Rothbard's Man, Economy, and State, this time focusing on the role of entrepreneurs in the production process (Chapter 8). Hunter Hastings joins the show with great insights into the social benefits of profit vs. interest, entrepreneurial risk, progressing and retrogressing economies, and the bunkum known as the "Paradox of Saving." This chapter presents Rothbard's exposition of the individual's (or firm's) role in bringing goods and services to us—while Keynesian and classical economists see capital as a homogenous blog and try to wedge entrepreneurs into mathematical models. You'll also hear why Jeff Bezos is not the devil, why rich kids tend to waste the fortunes created by their parents or grandparents, and why Marx was dead wrong about the little guy. Read the book free of charge in searchable HTML format here. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Economics for Entrepreneurs Podcast: Mises.org/E4Epod Dr. Joe Salerno's introduction to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/SalernoMES Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

Kristoffer Hansen joins the show to discuss everything about interest rates, as detailed by Rothbard in Chapter 6 of Man, Economy, and State. Hansen and Jeff Deist cover the "pure" rate of interest, expressed via time preference, and why the temporal nature of production helps us understand the premium for present goods relative to future goods. Far from exploiting workers or borrowers, capitalists actually advance money today in exchange for a more risky and uncertain return tomorrow—in the process making us all wealthier based on our individual subjective preferences.  At every stage of production, interest helps producers get the capital they need now to bring us, the consumer, all the goods and services we enjoy. This show explains why we can't understand the productive economy without understanding interest rates. Read the book free of charge in searchable HTML format here. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Dr. Joe Salerno's introduction to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/SalernoMES Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

AOC and Paul Krugman are wrong: we can't just pay people money to stay home and expect "stuff" to materialize around us. This show explains why—as we cover Rothbard's Man, Economy, and State Chapter 5, "Production: The Structure," with our great friend Dr. Shawn Ritenour from Grove City College.  Don't miss a great discussion of that critical missing link in mainstream economics—capital theory—and its corollaries, from the temporal and uncertain nature of production to cost fallacies. This show also features plenty of examples from today's economy and a  short but dynamic exposition of the evenly rotating economy by Dr. Ritenour.  Read the book free of charge in searchable HTML format here. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Dr. Joe Salerno's introduction to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/SalernoMES Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES  

Professor Jonathan Newman joins the show to discuss exchange and prices through the lens of Rothbard's Man, Economy, and State (chapters 2–4). This is vintage Rothbard: precise definitions; hardcore explanations of property, prices, and exchange; the problems of "hegemonic" state violence;  and a "beautiful" (per Dr. Newman) conception of social cooperation. Menger and Mises are important in this discussion too, as Rothbard elaborates on the origins of money and the Regression Theorem. Don't miss this great show!   Read the book free of charge in searchable HTML format here. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Dr. Joe Salerno's introduction to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/SalernoMES Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES  

Today's solo show kicks off our reading of Rothbard's landmark Man, Economy, and State with a look at Chapter 1, "Fundamentals of Human Action." So much of what economics texts get wrong is laid out brilliantly here by Rothbard, who gives readers the basics of action, means/ends, time, ranking, factors of production, and capital in this 77 page master class. The short appendix at the end of the chapter alone is a bombshell—demystifying the correct form for economic analysis, and explaining why psychology is not praxeology. Don't miss this introduction to the book you know you need to read!  Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/StudyMES  

Rothbard fans, this is the podcast you don't want to miss! Rothbard scholar Patrick Newman joins Jeff Deist to kick off a series of shows featuring Rothbard's landmark treatise Man, Economy, and State. They discuss the history and background behind this important book, how it changed the landscape, and why the concluding chapters titled "Power and Market" proved so controversial at the time–and remain so today! Dr. Newman calls Rothbard's opus "the best book I ever read," and makes a compelling case for lay readers like you to tackle it. Read the book free of charge in searchable HTML format here. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES Additional Resources Dr. Joe Salerno's introduction to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/SalernoMES Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES  

We've reached the end of Human Action! Tom Woods joins the podcast to discuss Part Seven, "The Place of Economics in Society," and it's a show you don't want to miss. Woods and host Jeff Deist enjoy an engaging and far-ranging discussion of the book's place in history, Mises's frustration with economics co-opting the methods of physical sciences, and the public's seeming inability to overcome anticapitalist propaganda. Mises concludes his great treatise with unmatched clarity and wisdom, reminding us why economics belongs at the forefront of society—and why we all should retain our unwavering sense of élan vital. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources The Sociology of the Development of Austrian Economics by Joe Salerno: Mises.org/SalernoHAP Mises's Élan Vital  by Jeff Deist: Mises.org/Elan Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

We continue our survey of Human Action by finishing up Part Six of the book, Mises's analysis of interventionism—or the so-called "third way" between capitalism and socialism. Mises exposes how state intervention in the market economy makes us all poorer, even while it claims to act against poverty and inequality on behalf of social justice. That perverse "justice" takes the form of currency manipulation, confiscation of land and capital, protectionism for syndicates and unions, and civilization-destroying total wars. This is a solo episode with Jeff Deist, who enjoys Mises's demolition of the hampered market economy masquerading as laissez-faire capitalism. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

Professor Peter Klein from Baylor University joins the show to discuss Part Six of Human Action, where Mises presents his exposition of interventionism in all its manifestations. Mises breaks socialism down into Soviet and German versions; the first purely bureaucratic (state ownership) and the second nominally private but state-directed. He gives us a contrasting definition of laissez-faire, the choice of freedom over government omnipotence. Successive chapters take readers through taxation, restrictionism (tariffs, regulations, labor laws), and price controls (goods, wages, interest rates). Dr. Klein is a fascinating guest with great insights into Mises and "the Hampered Market Economy." This is a conversation you don't want to miss! Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

Ryan McMaken, an economist and editor of Mises.org, joins the show to consider Part Five of Human Action: "Social Cooperation without a Market." This section of the book provides Mises's updated exposition of socialism, the impossible project of substituting 'One Will' for the subjective actions and preferences of everyone in society. Mises gives us the history behind support for socialism, and the enduring appeal of ascribing the best intentions and omniscience to the central state. Can a socialist system really operate using the division of labor? Can mathematical equations lead us to equilibrium, the final and static price for any good or factor? Can the managerial state make the impossible possible? This is a rewarding discussion of socialism from Mises's brilliant and radical point of view.     Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

Professor Mark Thornton and Jeff Deist finish Part Four of Human Action with a look at Chapters 21–24 of the book—a powerful exposition of how social cooperation and market exchange create far more harmony in society than state power. Here Mises explains how we all choose labor or leisure every day, and why wages are not the exploitative pittance socialists imagine. Land and rents have been misconstrued as special factors of production, when in fact market exchange helps us understand their prices just like any other good. These chapters serve as a nice summation of several themes in the book, and set the stage for considering full socialism in Part Five.      Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

Dr. Joe Salerno joins the show for a dynamic look at Human Action Part Four, arguably the meatiest part of the book. Chapters 18, 19, and 20 are where Mises presents the idea of pure time preference, his expanded theory of interest, and the parameters of business cycle theory and malinvestment. Salerno and Jeff Deist consider how time relates to capital; gratitude for society's accumulated wealth; convertibility of capital thanks to stock markets; why holding cash can be productive; originary interest as a ratio, the fallacious classical and Marxist notions of interest, and the boom/bust cycle created by politicians, voters, and bankers who see that inflation "works" for awhile. This is a great discussion of Mises at his best!  Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

We dive into Part Four of Human Action with Professor Jeffrey Herbener, Chair of the Economics Department at Grove City College. This is a fantastic discussion of money and market exchange, with Mises proving timely as ever given the current financial meltdown and crazed response from Washington. Dr. Herbener and Jeff Deist cover catallactics and how imaginary constructs help us understand basic economics; markets as a system of social cooperation; how ordinal preferences find expression in money prices; the structure of production; consumer sovereignty; Mises's conception of monopoly; and the various media of exchange which complicate what ought to be the market's provision of commodity money. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

We continue our series on Human Action with Professor Per Bylund of Oklahoma State University.  Dr. Bylund and Jeff Deist consider Part Three of the book, "Economic Calculation," considering Mises's conception of value and the folly of attempting to define a "unit of value" in a highly subjective world. They discuss socialism and the elementary theory of value and prices; inputs and outputs in barter vs. under monetary exchange; prices as exchange ratios; why change is constant and price "stabilization" efforts fail; why mathematical calculation of money prices may rival the wheel as among the most important human inventions; and why Mises thought praxeology emerged when man started thinking about monetary calculation. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

Our friend  and economist Dr. Robert Murphy joins the show for a discussion of Part Two in Human Action, "Action Within the Framework of Society." This is a great discussion of Mises's view of society and cooperation; Mises on Darwin; the Ricardian Law of Association; the case for treating ideological differences as purely ideological; Mises's utilitarianism as it relates to democracy and anarchism, and the critical importance of exchange and monetary calculation in developing society.  Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

In the second installment of our series on Mises's Human Action, Dr. David Gordon joins the show to walk us through Part One. The beginning of the book is considered its most "philosophical" material, where Mises lays out the basics of praxeology and epistemology as fundamental to understanding economics. Dr. Gordon and host Jeff Deist consider each of the book's first seven chapters, with topics including: Mises's categories of action and causality, a priori disciplines, polylogism, "felt uneasiness," value and preferences, praxeology as it relates to time and uncertainty, probability and its application to human action, and the nature of production.  If you've wanted to read Human Action, this is your opportunity to hear it explained by great economists and scholars! Use the code HAPOD for a discount on the pocket edition of Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study

Human Action is the book you want to read, you need to read, you've thought about reading. So make 2020 the year you do read it! Over the next seven weeks the Human Action Podcast will guide you through this incredibly vital and intellectually transforming work, with a series of guest economists to explain and bring Mises's most important work to life. Our opening show features Dr. Shawn Ritenour of Grove City College, who makes a compelling case for lay readers to engage with Human Action. Jeff Deist and Professor Ritenour share plenty of great background, insights, and anecdotes about Mises and the context surrounding the book, so this is an episode you don't want to miss. Use the code HAPOD for a discount on the pocket edition of Human Action from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHA. Additional Resources Human Action: Mises.org/HumanAction Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Human Action: Mises.org/Study The Mises Reader, edited by Shawn Ritenour: Mises.org/Reader

Dr. Bob Murphy joins the Human Action Podcast to discuss one of the most important issues of all: how money and credit work in today's society. Jeff Deist recently commissioned Murphy to write a series of articles on money mechanics (Mises.org/MoneyMechanics), an exceedingly important topic for critics of the Fed — and today's podcast serves as an introduction to the project. The articles will be compiled into an e-book, with plenty of graphics to simplify the basic process of money creation in a fractional reserve system. If you want to understand how the Fed works, how money and credit come into being, how interest rates arise, and what it all means for you, don't miss this great upcoming series at mises.org. Additional Resources Jeff Deist on Understanding Fed Money Mechanics

Central bankers dismiss gold as a relic, even as they buy up more of it. Politicians dismiss gold as money they don't control and can't expand. Holders dismiss gold as outdated tech. And investors dismiss gold as a static metal paying no yields. So why does gold still matter? Why does it hold value over millennia? Why does it threaten inflationist governments? Why does it seem to be flowing West to East? Why does an ounce of it still trade for more than $1,000, if the critics are right? This is the comprehensive show on gold and its enduring role in today's economy, with Keith Weiner of Monetary Metals.

Negative interest rates are now entrenched reality in Europe, and not just for buyers of sovereign or corporate debt – even retail savings accounts are affected. What does this mean for real people trying to save for retirement? And more broadly, what does it mean for Europe culturally? Not to mention America, since Alan Greenspan tells us negative rates are coming here soon? Our guest Rahim Taghizadegan from the independent Viennese Scholarium joins the show to discuss the anti-economics of negative rates. He is co-author of a new book titled The Zero Interest Trap. He is also a co-author of Austrian School for Investors. 

Marketing guru and fund investor Hunter Hastings joins the Human Action podcast for a look at Economics for Entrepreneurs, a new platform which uses Austrian theory to teach actionable entrepreneurship. Can business acumen be taught, or is it innate? Hunter and Jeff examine consumer sovereignty, value creation, and the theory of the firm, all from a unique Austrian perspective. Austrians have a lot to say about how entrepreneurs ought to think, while business schools fail to adjust to the new decentralized, agile world. Austrian economics provides entrepreneurs with a different set of tools than any business book or MBA program, and our new podcast series will help anyone improve their business or career bottom line. Additional Resources Mises for Business LinkedIn page​ Economics for Entrepreneurs (E4E) podcast  

The late Murray Rothbard has passionate fans and critics alike—but was he really the intransigent person his detractors portray? Was he prickly and difficult, or actually generous and helpful to students and colleagues? Did his reputation as an economist suffer for venturing into philosophy, ethics, history, sociology, and anarchism—even though Hayek did the same? Was Man, Economy, and State really just a rehash of Human Action? Did he deviate from Mises on method? Were Power & Market and the Ethics of Liberty just too radical and off-putting? Professor Patrick Newman considers critics like Arthur Burns, Kirzner, Leland Yeager, Nozick, Mario Rizzo, Selgin/White, Jason Brennan, Bryan Caplan, and of course Mises. If you like Rothbard you don't want to miss this show! Additional Resources In Defense of "Extreme Apriorism" by Murray Rothbard Conceived in Liberty, Volume V coming October 25 Join us for a celebration of Mises and his work in Los Angeles October 25–27. More info available here.

Professor Murray Sabrin, author of the new book Why the Federal Reserve Sucks, joins HAPod to explain why ordinary people should care about — and oppose — the Fed. This is a comprehensive look at central bank mythmaking: how money creation benefits wealthy elites at our expense; what Keynesians, monetarists, and supply-siders get wrong; and, why we should understand the sordid history of money manipulation and tyranny. Subscribe and listen to the Human Action Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

Europe and Asia are awash with $13 trillion in negative yield sovereign and corporate bonds. Alan Greenspan says negative interest rates are coming to America. And the Fed just announced another rate cut, even while Chair Jay Powell and Mr. Trump assure us the economy is better than ever. Economist Bob Murphy joins Jeff Deist to make sense of the nonsensical world of negative interest rates.

Professor Walter Block joins the Human Action Podcast for a fantastic in-depth discussion of Henry Hazlitt and his work. Dr. Block has great insights into Hazlitt's work on inflation, economic fallacies, ethics and utilitarianism, and more, plus great anecdotes about Hazlitt, Mises, and Rand. Economics in One Lesson may be the most important economics book ever written for lay readers, and the Mises Institute will release a new edition of the book later this fall—available free to tens of thousands of students across the world. There is still time to be listed as a patron in the book by donating here! Articles discussed: "The Task Confronting Libertarians" "The Case for the Minimal State" (PDF), page 103

Auburn University professor Dr. Liliana Stern joins a special live episode of the Human Action Podcast for an unvarnished look at the state of economics education today. Why are theory and history ignored, while warmed-over Keynesian models dominate? How can Austrians reclaim their rightful place in the curriculum? Are economics students finding jobs? Why do academic publishing and textbook rackets persist? And why is actual teaching such a low priority? If you care about how economics is taught today, don't miss this show!

Nationalism, globalism, cosmopolitanism, and immigration are heated topics today—but Mises systematically addressed them 100 years ago, in his seminal work Nation, State, and Economy. What is a nation, and what does the nationality principle mean for liberalism? Mises argues that nations arise spontaneously, predating governments. Liberal nations exist to the extent they respect self-determination, peace, and international trade. But illiberal nations produce war and privation, discriminate against minorities, and distort natural migration. So how do we deal with aggressive nationalism? Economist Ryan McMaken, editor of Mises.org, joins Jeff Deist to wrestle with this important and relevant book. Don't miss their great discussion of immigration toward the end of the podcast, referencing Professor Ben Powell's recent paper "Solving the Misesian Migration Conundrum". And use the code HAPOD for a discount on Nation, State, and Economy from our bookstore.

Dr. Mark Thornton, our in-house Cantillon expert, joins the Human Action Podcast to discuss the contributions of this important proto-Austrian thinker. Cantillon may well have written the first true economic treatise, one which lays out a comprehensive theory of production, money, interest, value, method, and trade—almost 150 years before Menger's Principles. And along with the other French physiocrats, Cantillon gave us the concept of lassez-faire that later influenced Adam's Smith's invisible hand. If you want to understand economics today, and the precursors to the Austrian school, you need to know Cantillon and his work. Cantillon's An Essay on Economic Theory, edited by Mark Thornton. Free PDF available. A biography of Cantillon by Mark Thornton. "More on Cantillon as A Proto-Austrian" by Guido Hülsmann. Subscribe and listen to the Human Action Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

In 1944 Ludwig von Mises published Omnipotent Government, his historical treatment of Nazism and its origins in the collapse of German liberalism. This book expands on earlier works like Nation, State, and Economy and Liberalism, applying their analysis to the terrible events of WWII. Europe was up in flames, but Mises skillfully explains how to defeat the total state and its advocates. Professor Matt McCaffrey joins the show to consider this vital book and its absolute relevance today. Everyone interested in peace should read it, and send a copy to a politician who needs it. Read or listen to the book for free here, or enter code HAPOD in our bookstore for $5 off the hardcover edition. Subscribe and listen to the Human Action Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

The Human Action Podcast reviews another overlooked classic by Mises: The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality. This book takes no prisoners, showing how envy motivates progressive and conservative intellectuals who fear dynamic capitalism. The real reactionaries, according to Mises? Socialists who want to keep everyone stuck at one station in life. Our friend Andy Duncan from Mises UK, who recently reviewed the book, joins the show to discuss. Read the book free here, or enter code "HAPOD" in our bookstore to buy a softcover for only $5! Subscribe and listen on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

The twentieth century revolution in America was bureaucratic, not ideological. And in 1944, a new American—Ludwig von Mises—published Bureaucracy, the most important and devastating critique of administrative rule ever written. Clocking in at just over 130 pages, this is Mises at his hard-hitting best. Professor William Anderson joins the Human Action Podcast for an in-depth discussion of both the book and the bureaucratic capture of America it warned against. Subscribe and listen on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

Dr. Joe Salerno joins Jeff Deist to explore another foundational topic: the method of economics. Mises developed praxeology, perhaps his most controversial contribution to economic science. Praxeology starts with fundamental axioms, then derives economic theory by working logically through a deductive process. As such, praxeology is at odds with logical positivism and empiricism—and presents a markedly different approach to economics. Readings Ludwig von Mises, The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science Ludwig von Mises, Human Action, Part One, Chapter II: "The Epistemological Problems of the Sciences of Human Action" Murray Rothbard, "In Defense of Extreme Apriorism" Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Economic Science and the Austrian Method Subscribe and listen on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

Our in-house economist and editor Ryan McMaken joins the Human Action Podcast for a deep dive into Mises's seminal 1927 book Liberalism. This is the definitive podcast on the definitive book on liberal society: its foundations, what it means for property, freedom, peace, economic policy, and immigration.  Readings Liberalism: In the Classical Tradition by Ludwig von Mises"Was Mises a Neoliberal?" by Jeff Deist"Immigration Roundtable: Ludwig von Mises" by Jeff Deist Subscribe and listen on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

What are interest rates, where do they come from, and what purpose do they serve? Smith, Marx, and Keynes got these questions wrong; Turgot, Böhm-Bawerk, and Mises got them right. Economist Jeffrey Herbener from Grove City College explains. Readings "The Brilliance of Turgot" by Murray RothbardProfile of Böhm-Bawerk by Roger Garrison Subscribe and listen on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

It's been almost 100 years since Mises literally wrote the book on socialism. His arguments against central economic planning, still acutely relevant today, have never been refuted—in theory or dismal practice. Joining the Human Action Podcast to discuss this monumental book is Dr. Shawn Ritenour, professor of economics at Grove City College and editor of the Mises Reader. Subscribe and listen on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

The Theory of Money and Credit—Mises's first major work—revolutionized economics by introducing a new theory of how and why money has value. It deserves serious attention, and Dr. Jeffrey Herbener joins The Human Action Podcast for an extended discussion of this seminal work and the achievement it represented.   Subscribe and listen on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

You probably haven't read Carl Menger's Principles of Economics, but you should: it's a groundbreaking work that created a new theory of value and built a foundation for praxeology. Dr. Joe Salerno joins us for the definitive podcast on the founder of the Austrian school. Dr. Joe Salerno's brief biography of Menger Dr. Peter Klein's foreword to Principles of Economics Carl Menger's Principles of Economics online in PDF and ePub formats Subscribe and listen on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

Professor Peter Klein joins The Human Action Podcast to explain how and why. Subscribe and listen on iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify, or via RSS.

This is the last Mises Weekends episode! But don't despair, Jeff will soon be back with a brand new format: The Human Action Podcast. The new show is not radically different, but focuses more exclusively on Austrian economics, its great books, and its great thinkers — with longer, more in-depth interviews. But don't take our word for it, tune in next week to the first show with David Gordon! Your RSS-fed platforms like Stitcher and SoundCloud will continue to support the new show, while Mises.org will still host both streaming and downloadable audio files. And your iTunes subscription will redirect you from Mises Weekends to The Human Action Podcast. This week Jeff takes a hard look at socialism and why it seems to gain greater support in the US and across the West. Do people really understand socialism as Mises did, and do they really want collective ownership of industry? Or do they just want what he termed "pseudo-socialist" economic systems that redistribute wealth? What motivates socialists? And how do they reconcile their moralizing self-regard with the doctrine that socialism is inevitable and inexorable? Mises's Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis. Jeff Deist on why support for socialism persists.

Dr. Joe Salerno will address the annual Students for Liberty conference this week on the topic of his seminal article, "Mises on Nationalism, the Right of Self Determination, and the Problem of Immigration." While Mises had plenty to say about nation states and liberalism, he wrote relatively little about immigration per se. Dr. Salerno and Jeff Deist discuss Mises's conception of nation and state, breakaway movements, borders, and self-determination in polyglot societies. Nationalism and immigration are the most contentious political issues today, and Mises's perspectives remain remarkably fresh and relevant.

Jeff Deist joins Australian podcaster Stephan Livera (twitter) for an in-depth look at money in an era of crazed monetary policy. They tackle how Austrian economics relates to cryptos, why gold still matters, how deflation and "hoarding" are healthy for an economy, and how any challenge to the central bank cartel could create a political upheaval far beyond banking and economics.

Our great friend Daniel Lacalle, author of Escape from the Central Bank Trap, joins the show to discuss the perilous condition facing central banks after a decade of their own malfeasance. Daniel and Jeff discuss absurd reactions to the Fed's tiny interest rate hikes, the fragility of central bank policy in the face of enormous sovereign, corporate, and household debt, why expansionary monetary policy always hurts poor people, and what the Fed and ECB might do– realistically– under current conditions. This is a must-listen interview with one of the best and most visible central bank critics.

The great comic Dave Smith is the proud dad of a newborn baby girl. Will she witness fewer American wars in her lifetime than a girl born in 1918? Dave and Jeff Deist discuss the astounding news from Trump about reducing troops in Syria and Afghanistan, the growing push-back against neoconservative foreign policy from ordinary Americans of all stripes, the impassible rift in Conservatism Inc. caused by Trump, and how Rand Paul may lead a new noninterventionist resurgence.

Professor Carmen Dorobăț grew up in Romania—too young to remember Ceaușescu, but deeply aware of what socialism did to her country. Fortunately, she discovered Ludwig von Mises during her university years and found her passion for economics. She joins Jeff Deist to discuss how Mises's work and legacy paved the way for her and an entire generation of younger scholars.

Climate Change (née Global Warming) is based on three premises: the earth's atmosphere is warming; humans are responsible for that warming; and warming is inherently bad. But even if we accept these premises, what economic trade-offs are warranted in response? No more air conditioning or private automobiles? Heavy carbon taxes? Outlawing relatively cheap fossil fuels and mandating expensive renewable sources? Slower economic growth in the developing world? One child policies? Dr. Robert Murphy joins Jeff Deist to discuss how the political landscape and media narratives fail to consider obvious choices and trade-offs inherent in the climate change debate.

Former Dallas Fed official Danielle DiMartino Booth joins the show just as Chairman Jay Powell faces his first major challenge: will he keep raising rates as promised now that autos, housing, employment, and even tech stocks look soft? And if not, will he effectively signal that the US economy is in big trouble? DiMartino Booth and Jeff Deist discuss Powell's performance to date, the credulity of the financial press, the ugly ticking time bomb of US corporate debt, and whether Austrians and permabears overestimate the Fed's influence on the economy.

Connor Boyack is back with another book in the Tuttle Twins series called The Fate of the Future. It's based on Murray Rothbard's famous Anatomy of the State, and like Rothbard it pulls no punches when describing government as predatory, violent, and coercive. Connor and Jeff Deist discuss why it's so important to offer an early alternative to the fantasyland view of the state that kids get in schools, and how the revolutionary act of home schooling may prove more powerful than any other libertarian activism.

The midterm elections failed to produce an overwhelming Blue Wave, and political rancor in the US remains feverishly high. Now an astonishing new article in The Intelligencer considers the idea of a "federated" America, broken up into several political entities associated via compacts. It's not a dystopian view of a possible future, but rather a clear-eyed projection of what a political breakup of America might actually look like. But is a breakup feasible? Does it have to involve outright secession by several states, or can some form of federalism allow Team Red and Team Blue to live together, even uneasily? Is Mises's conception of true self-determination, implemented by smaller administrative units rather than huge centralized states, lost to us today? Michael Boldin of the Tenth Amendment Center joins Jeff Deist to discuss the realities behind breaking up the US politically.

The legacy media doesn't report news, it produces a show. "The Show" lies to us, divides us, inflames the culture wars, and creates political division. The old broadcast networks, cable channels, newspapers, and magazines all actively work against liberty and correct economics—so the importance of alternative sources for news, economics, history, and politics has never been greater. Jeff Deist spoke on the topic of new and old media at our recent event in Texas.

Dr. Yoram Hazony's new book The Virtue of Nationalism asks several provocative questions: are nation-states necessarily illiberal? Are globalism and universalism inevitable? If so, why do we blithely assume a post-national world will be liberal and benign? Are movements toward supranational governance, always ordered around western political conceptions, a new form of imperialism? And what does history teach us about ordering human affairs to best ensure prosperity, peace, and human flourishing? Ludwig von Mises—quoted in the book—asked these questions almost a century ago in Liberalism, and they're every bit as relevant today in the age of Trump. Dr. Hazony joins Jeff Deist for a compelling interview. Related article: Dr. Joe Salerno on Mises and the nation state.

This week, we feature a recent episode of Ryan McMaken's Radio Rothbard podcast. We continue to hear about how capitalism and industrialization distract us from the important things in life. In reality, the historical record shows that it was industrialization and capitalism that propagated the conditions under which we can afford to treat each other more humanely. Radio Rothbard is a series of short podcasts based on columns and research from the Mises Institute's Mises Wire. Topics include economics, comparative politics, and history. Subscribe to Radio Rothbard today on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, or via RSS.

Almost twenty-five years after his death, unpublished material by Murray Rothbard is still being released. Professor Patrick Newman, editor of The Progressive Era, is hard at work on the long lost fifth volume of Conceived in Liberty—Rothbard's epic history of colonial America. How did one man write so much, and what can he still teach us today? Don't miss this terrific talk from a leading Rothbard scholar.

What's the biggest and most dangerous financial bubble? Sovereign debt issued by profligate governments. And unlike stocks or corporate debt, government bond bubbles harm millions of ordinary people when they burst. Economist Daniel Lacalle joins Jeff Deist to figure out the bizarro world of the bond bubble: negative interest rates, anemic rate spreads between government bonds and "high yield" bonds, and central banks as the unseemly buyers of last resort. They discuss the Fed's interest rate hikes, Jerome Powell's focus on data, the US housing market, and why all of us have a stake in seeing central bank balance sheets shrink. Related article: Daniel Lacalle on the Bond Bubble

Silicon Valley used to be a hotbed of libertarian thought, a place where innovation mattered more than government. Today, companies like Twitter and Facebook serve as de facto editors, banning users like Alex Jones for "wrong-think." Google dominates search, but may steer search results. And Amazon serves nefarious clients like the NSA with its cloud infrastructure. And all of them employ plenty of lobbyists to avoid the kind of government anti-trust suit Microsoft faced nearly 20 years ago. Libertarians oppose regulation, but also oppose censorship and politically correct culling of opinion. Dr. Peter Klein recently addressed these topics and more, in a talk illustrating how the technology sector has drastically changed in recent years—and how tech firms evolved into media companies focused on influence instead of innovation. He argues that social-media companies put on a public facade of being private and free of government influence, but behind the scenes they really lobby for protection against competition.

Allen Mendenhall from Faulkner University Law School joins Jeff Deist to break down the hyper-politicized spectacle of the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. How did the Supreme Court become so wildly powerful, even while rubber-stamping the excesses of the executive and legislative branches? How much longer can America survive having deeply contentious issues like abortion and gun control decided by a de facto super-legislature? Why is the Constitution a malleable "living document" but Supreme Court precedents are sacrosanct? And how will we ever overcome deep-seated public misconceptions about the role and powers of the Court?

We take a break from economics this week to welcome our old friend Jim Bovard for an unflinching look at the disastrous politicization of everything in America. The nasty fight over Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation is only the latest example of a trend Rothbard identified decades ago, one that intensifies in the Trump era. Can we ever make politics matter less again? Can we ever stop filtering everything that happens through a noxious lens of race, sex, class, oppression, and intersectionality? And can we ever stop seeking to vanquish people politically?

This weekend’s show features Jeff’s recent appearance on the radio show Turning Hard Times into Good Times hosted by Jay Taylor. They discuss the big picture aspects of the US economy—namely, what's going on civilizationally with debt and central banking, and the seemingly endless civil wars in the middle east. They also deconstruct the poisoned political landscape in Washington DC, despite the lack of any meaningful policy differences between the two dominant ideologies of today: neoliberalism and neoconservatism. This is an eye-opening discussion about the state of things in DC and beyond.

The intellectual landscape today is far more favorable to markets and Austrian economics than 30, 50, or 100 years ago. Our job is to take the digital means at our disposal and make economics the stuff of everyday life, something relevant to ordinary people. So let’s drop the scrappy underdog posture, the quietism, the retreatism, and the remnant mentality, and fully restore proper economics to its rightful place in academia, business, and civilization itself.

Mary Ruwart is a PhD chemist who worked for 20 years in Big Pharma, and she's seen regulatory capture at the FDA up close. She joins Mises Weekends to discuss the sobering reality of our medical cartel, and what all of us must do in the fight for health freedom in the US. How does government thwart radical research that might eliminate cancer, HIV, and chronic diseases like diabetes? Who really funds the FDA? Why do doctors go along with it? Can we measure how many deaths the FDA causes each year, rather than prevents? And will health supplements or alternative health modalities remain legal and widely available in the US?

Steve Hanke, professor of economics at Johns Hopkins and head of Cato's Troubled Currencies Projects, is an Austrian—but he's an Austrian who looks at markets first and foremost. He also thinks QE was the right thing for the Fed to do in 2008, Austrians are all wrong to focus on the Fed's balance sheet instead of the M4 "broad money" supply, and US debt is a more distant worry than the risk posed by Trump's tariffs. An expert on currencies and inflation, Professor Hanke joins the show to explain what's happening in places like Venezuela and Turkey. How and why do currencies fail, and how can hyperinflation be prevented without bailouts by the IMF? What can stop the vicious cycle of printing money to pay bills when no tax base exists? And what do recent past examples in Bulgaria, Russia, and Yugoslavia teach us?

It turns out the best book on Bitcoin was written by someone who thinks the cryptocurrency is not a particularly good form of payment, not particularly anonymous, and not a good investment for most people. Saifedean Ammous, professor of economics at Lebanese American University, wrote The Bitcoin Standard to cut through the hype and examine crypto technology through a rigorous Austrian lens. The result is a phenomenal book: pro-gold, pro-Mises, and optimistic about the crypto revolution's goal of creating truly private money. This is the guy you should listen to when it comes to Bitcoin. He sits down with Jeff Deist for a thorough and entertaining interview.

As the events of recent weeks demonstrate beyond doubt, political correctness is very real, deeply authoritarian, and wedded at the hip to progressive government. PC is not about respect or inclusivity, but rather a naked attempt to consciously manipulate language in service of progressive ends. Worst of all, PC creates an atmosphere in which we mostly censor ourselves. When libertarians like Daniel McAdams and Scott Horton find themselves de-platformed by twitter, it's time to see the "state-linguistic complex" for what it really is. Jeff Deist addresses the Federalist Society of Montgomery, Alabama, to make sense of it all.

The Constitution represented a coup from the beginning, and it's a dead letter today. The Declaration of Independence, however, is a truly radical libertarian document still worthy of consideration. Judge Andrew Napolitiano, our Distinguished Scholar in Law and Jurisprudence, recently gave a rousing talk at Mises University on the Declaration's natural law tradition–and how federal courts relentlessly and successfully attacked the principles it represented. This is Judge Nap at his scorching best, and you won't want to miss his comments on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Even many libertarians dismiss gold and precious metals as irrelevant in the global monetary system. Ben Bernanke famously told Ron Paul that gold is a commodity, not money. So why do central banks still hold so much of it, Ron asked? Good question. Ronni Stöferle from Incrementum AG joins Jeff Deist to talk about everything related to gold: why it's still money, how it might react to rising interest rates, why the IMF still worries about it, and why so much of it seems to be flowing from West to East. You won't want to miss his analysis of why gold and precious metals are complementary assets with respect to cryptocurrencies, and his call for both camps to join forces and promote Hayek's goal of denationalizing money. Related: Ron Paul on the Dollar Dilemma.