Is the United States victimized by trade? What causes trade deficits? Are higher tariffs a good idea? Can manufacturing jobs return to the United States? Economist Doug Irwin of Dartmouth College answers these questions and more in this wide-ranging conversation with EconTalk's Russ Roberts.
Nov 3
Primal Intelligence (with Angus Fletcher)
<p>What do Shakespeare, Hollywood storytelling, and military special operations have in common? They all excel at inventing new plans, or improvising when we're facing radical uncertainty. Listen as professor of story science Angus Fletcher tells EconTalk's Russ Roberts how we've ... Show More
1h 20m
Feb 2025
Why Tariffs Could Crush Canada’s Economy — ft. Mike Moffatt
Ed and Scott open the show by discussing Apple’s new investment in “American innovation,” Howard Lutnik’s decision to put his sons in charge of Cantor Fitzgerald, and a new Moody’s Analytics report on U.S. consumer spending. Then Mike Moffatt, Founding Director of the University ... Show More
59m 9s
Apr 2025
Will tariffs lead to a recession?
The Trump administration’s tariff moves are turning US trade policy on its head — and fueling concerns about the US economic outlook. So will tariffs send the US into a recession? And, if so, what might that recession look like? Economist and Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, Goldman ... Show More
25m 40s
Apr 2025
Import-extort: what to make of Donald Trump’s titanic tariffs
After months of bluster, he’s finally done it. At a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, Donald Trump overturned decades of American trade policy with a simple signature. The new wave of trade restrictions, if implemented in full, will raise tariffs to the highest level in mo ... Show More
46m 35s
Mar 2025
What are taxes and tariffs?
<p>No matter how old you are, you’re part of the economy, but it can be tricky to understand what the economy actually is. Plus, what are taxes? What’s inflation? What are tariffs and why have they been in the news so much in 2025? In this episode, we break down economic terms an ... Show More
32m 51s
Oct 2024
The cycles of the economy
<p>What causes an economy to fall from a peak? Many economists will argue it’s exogenous shocks but, as Phil and Steve discuss, there’s not too many of those around. Maybe COVID was one, but even that came about because our economic system has drawn us closer to wildlife habitats ... Show More
36m 31s