Podcast Episodes 21-30
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Ep. 30: Jenna Robinson: The Higher-Education Arms Race
Fergus Hodgson, March 6, 2017
University tuition rates across the United States have ballooned in recent decades, but that has been to pay for more administrative staff, not more tenured faculty. As campuses offer bells and whistles, parents and prospective students are growing skeptical. More…
Ep. 29: Daniel D’Amico: Myth versus Reality of Mass Incarceration
Fergus Hodgson, February 26, 2017
The United States has a reputation for being the incarceration nation, but is that deserved? Daniel D’Amico demonstrates that this rise of inmates is not unique, and he dispels the notion that US justice stands out for its racial biases. More…
Ep. 28: The War on Cash: Cui Bono?
Fergus Hodgson, February 16, 2017
There is a battle on two fronts that is circling and tightening the strings on cash for transactions. Both intellectual figureheads and policymakers are limiting particular uses of cash and, in some cases, banning higher denominations. More…
Ep. 27: Marco Navarro-Génie: No One Wins a Trade War
Fergus Hodgson, February 11, 2017
The Canadian foreign minister has threatened retaliation if the Trump administration imposes a tariff on imports from the north. Meanwhile, Trump has said he will cancel NAFTA unless there is a significant renegotiation of the treaty. Add the budding wall with Mexico, and a disruptive trade war looms. More…
Ep. 26: Andrés González: The Jig Is Up for Pay to Play in Latin America
Fergus Hodgson, February 4, 2017
The Odebrecht scandal has rocked Latin America with its breadth, implicating 500 elected officials across the region. Andrés González is a professor of international relations at San Francisco University of Quito, Ecuador, and he says that while corruption may remain with us, the rules of the game have changed. This is just the tip of the iceberg waiting to be uncovered, and the old deference towards corruption is fading fast. More…
Ep. 25: Puerto Rico: Tax Haven or Economic Disaster?
Fergus Hodgson, January 27, 2017
While Puerto Rico is losing population big time, some people are going there for tax advantages over the US mainland. What is the truth about the economic status and future of the island? More…
Ep. 24: What Becomes of the Broken European Union?
Fergus Hodgson, January 20, 2017
Brexit is happening, and Election Betting Odds gives it 87 percent likelihood within the first half of 2017. The question then is, what now? What will the European Union look like without the British, the most classical-liberal member nation? More…
Ep. 23: Cris Lingle: Unions Dug Their Own Pension Grave
Fergus Hodgson, January 13, 2017
The American Legislative Exchange Council estimates that public pensions at the state and municipal levels in the United States are 35.1 percent funded. In other words, two thirds of the assumed liabilities do not have backing, to the tune of $5.6 trillion. At the federal level, a conservative estimate from Moody’s places the number at $3.5 trillion. More…
Ep. 22: Tone Vays: Demystifying the Blockchain, Avoiding Digital Snake Oil
Fergus Hodgson, December 30, 2016
If you don’t know what the blockchain is, you are not alone, and Peter Van Valkenburgh of the Coin Center has written that it is a “buzzword with little meaning.” More…
Ep. 21: Maxim Lott: “Fake News” Censorship Is a Cure Worse than the Disease Episodes
Fergus Hodgson, December 21, 2016
Hillary Clinton says fake news puts “innocent lives” at risk and compels a top-down response, while Maxim Lott counters “it’s not clear that we need it at all.” More…
Episodes 51-60 • Episodes 41-50 • Episodes 31-40 • Episodes 11-20