logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2009
1h 8m

Munger on Shortages, Prices, and Competi...

RUSS ROBERTS
About this episode

Mike Munger of Duke University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the limits of prices and markets, especially in the area of health. They talk about vaccines, organ transplants, the ethics of triage and what role price should play in allocating. The discussion concludes with a discussion of how markets respond to price controls, particularly minimum wages.

Up next
Today
The Magic of Tokyo (with Joe McReynolds)
What drives the seeming relentless dynamism of Tokyo? Is there something special about Japanese culture? Joe McReynolds, co-author of Emergent Tokyo, argues that the secret to Tokyo's energy and attractiveness as a place to live and visit comes from policies that allow Tokyo to e ... Show More
1h 9m
Oct 6
The Invisible Hierarchies that Rule Our World (with Toby Stuart)
Status isn't fixed; it's transferred and "bestowed," shaping who gets resources, attention, and opportunity. So argues author Toby Stuart of UC Berkeley in his book, Anointed. He and EconTalk's Russ Roberts explore why hierarchies persist--reducing conflict, allocating scarce res ... Show More
1h 13m
Sep 29
Eating with Intelligence (with Julia Belluz)
Losing weight should be simple: eat less, exercise more. But according to author and health journalist Julia Belluz, it's complicated. Listen as Belluz talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about her new book, Food Intelligence. Belluz argues that a calorie is pretty much a calorie ... Show More
1h 5m
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2024
Do price controls really help with inflation? With Isabella Weber
When presidential candidate Kamala Harris proposed legislation to ban price gouging, we naturally thought to interview Isabella Weber, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Weber’s paper on the subject lit up economic discussion in the wake of gas and ... Show More
33m 29s
Dec 2020
Essential Workers or Elderly? Larry Brilliant on the Vaccine Debate
As the first rounds of the Covid-19 vaccines become available, a growing debate has emerged as to who should get it first. CDC guidance prioritizes essential workers and those in long-term care, but a growing chorus of voices say authorities should instead focus on the elderly. I ... Show More
55m 9s
Aug 2024
317: VC struggles, drug pricing negotiations, & Novo's abrupt Wegovy decision
STAT's Washington Correspondent John Wilkerson joins us to discuss the first round of drug pricing negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act, which will wrap up by September 1. We also cover the latest news in the life sciences including the merger of AI drug development com ... Show More
28m 52s
Dec 2018
SLP38 Per Bylund - The size of firms
Per Bylund (Assistant Professor at OSU and Fellow of Mises Institute) joins me to discuss how some firms today are larger than what they would be under a free market. The impact of regulation and ways to assess competition in a market are discussed. We also touch on the confusion ... Show More
50m 39s
Apr 2025
EVs, Big Pharma, Tech and the Tariff Threat
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF. Sean Tucker, Editor at Kelley Blue Book, joins to discuss the latest on Tesla and the tariff impact. Brad Carson, President of Americas for Responsible Innovation, continues the tariff conversation and the impa ... Show More
43m 59s
May 2025
Geoffrey Hinton: Nobel Prize Conversations
"When we remember, what we're doing is just making up a story that sounds plausible to us. That's what memories are." Join your host Adam Smith as he speaks to physicist Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI. They discuss Hinton's childhood memories and how his family ... Show More
39 m
Oct 2024
First Reactions | Simon Johnson, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview
“True, genuine, inclusive democracy matters, very clearly.” Simon Johnson, economic sciences laureate 2024, learnt of the award from the congratulatory text messages piling-up on his phone. In this short conversation with the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith, recorded just moments after ... Show More
3m 17s
Feb 2025
Checking In On The Housing Market… And The Future of Pharma & Health Care 2/18/25
A check in on the housing market, as builder sentiment drops to a 5-month low. The concerns they have over looming tariffs, and the latest results out of one of the top players in the space. Plus Pharma in focus, as the country’s health agencies deal with funding cuts and personn ... Show More
43m 36s
Jan 2025
The Truth About Ozempic, Sugar and Big Food - Dr. Peter Attia
Peter Attia, MD, is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of simultaneously lengthening their lifespan and increasing their health span | Buy gold and earn interest on it with *Monetary Metals* - Lea ... Show More
1h 6m
Jul 2
Simon Johnson: Nobel Prize Conversations
"With the great power to invent technology comes a great responsibility." – In this lively and energetic podcast conversation, economic sciences laureate Simon Johnson talks about how the past, future and present are interconnected, as well as how science fiction and history are ... Show More
36m 8s