Why does politics so consistently yield perverse outcomes, of a sort it would be unthinkable to encounter in the private sector? Bob Murphy joins me for a discussion of Public Choice theory, which applies an understanding of economic incentives to the way political institutions operate.
About the Guest
Robert P. Murphy, who holds a Ph.D. in economics from New York University, is a Research Assistant Professor with the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University and a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute. He is the author of numerous books, including Choice: Cooperation, Enterprise, and Human Action (Independent Institute, 2015), as well as study guides to Ludwig von Mises’ Human Action (study guide here) and The Theory of Money and Credit (study guide here), and Murray Rothbard’s Man, Economy, and State (study guide here).
Sponsor
Away carry-ons and suitcases make the perfect gift, with a lifetime guarantee and 100-day trial. There’s a perfect size and color for everyone on your list. Take $20 off a suitcase at awaytravel.com/woods when you use promo code woods at checkout.
Guest’s Blog
Guest’s Twitter
Guest’s Facebook
Selected Books by the Guest
Lessons for the Young Economist (free textbook; click here for a free teacher’s manual)
Chaos Theory (available free)
Understanding Bitcoin (with Silas Barta; available free)
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism (also available as an audiobook)
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal (also available as an audiobook)
The Primal Prescription: Surviving the “Sick Care” Sinkhole, by Doug McGuff, MD and Robert P. Murphy, PhD
Related Episode
Ep. 563 Clueless Voters and Self-Interested So-Called Public Servants: How Public Choice Economics Upends the Cute Fantasies About How the System Really Works (Ivan Pongracic)
Previous Appearances
Ep. 1125 Are Economists Obsessed With “Efficiency”?
Ep. 1116 Debate: Bob Murphy and Dylan Moore on Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) (Bob Murphy and Dylan Moore)
Ep. 1062 Debate: Can the Free Market Provide National Defense? (Bob Murphy and Todd Lewis)
Ep. 1035 How Ludwig von Mises Fixed Economics (But Ingrates Won’t Thank Him)
Ep. 1028 Dave Smith, Bob Murphy, and Tom Woods Free-For-All Aboard the Contra Cruise
Ep. 939 Do We Need the State for Defense?
Ep. 938 Law Without the State?
Ep. 842 Should We Play Nice and Pretend Leftists Aren’t Hypocrites When They’re Suddenly Outraged by Government?
Ep. 824 Do Those 7 Charts Prove Obamacare Has Been a Success?
Ep. 799 Trump’s Carrier Policy: How Should Libertarians React?
Ep. 780 A Gallop Through the History of Economic Thought
Ep. 684 Debate on Free Trade, with Bob Murphy and Vox Day
Ep. 516 Listen to this Episode; Your Life May Depend on It — How to Secede from a Perverse Medical System
Ep. 470 Debate, Murphy vs. Block: May Libertarians Accept Government Money?
Ep. 447 Woods and Murphy Are Pro-Choice, or: Mises Made Easier
Ep. 430 Robert Reich Dead Wrong on $15/Hour Campaign
Ep. 417 Paul Krugman’s Three Huge Errors
Ep. 389 Climate Change and the Bogus Case for Carbon Taxes
Ep. 367 Murphy Takes on Krugman on Recessions, Business Cycles
Ep. 331 No, Progressives, Lower Tax Rates on the Rich Don’t Wreck the Economy
Ep. 316 Who Will Build the Roads?
Ep. 305 Is $2 Gas the Worst Thing to Happen to America
Ep. 291 Japan: Failed Keynesian Experiment
Ep. 270 How Would Libertarians Deal With Ebola?
Ep. 253 Chicago vs. Austria, Bitcoin, and More
Ep. 199 The Fed and the Taper
Ep. 183 Private Defense?
Ep. 159 Piketty’s Problems
Ep. 136 Private Law?
Ep. 123 Climate Change and Liberty
Ep. 96 World-Destroying Fallacies
Ep. 81 Raise the Minimum Wage?
Ep. 67 The Economics of Obamacare
Ep. 48 What’s Wrong with the Economy?
Ep. 38 Murphy Takes on MMT
Ep. 20 Murphy Answers Questions II
Ep. 8 Murphy Answers Questions I
Listener Website Mentioned
Get Bob’s Entire Course
Bob Murphy’s course on the history of economic thought (two courses, actually) are both available at LibertyClassroom.com! (coupons at this link)
The Contra Cruise!
Join Bob Murphy and me for our 2018 cruise, featuring special guests and tons of fun!
Free Resources!
1) Free guide on how to start your blog or website. Click here to get it. Plus, check out my step-by-step video taking you from no blog to a blog in about five minutes!
2) Free publicity for your blog. As a special thanks if you get your hosting through one of my affiliate links (this one for Bluehost, or this one for WP Engine), I’ll boost your blog. Click here for details.
3) Free History Course: The U.S. Presidents — Politically Incorrect Edition. Get access to this 22-lesson course: 22 videos, 22 mp3 files for listening on the go, and a bibliography of reliable books on the presidents. Get it at FreeHistoryCourse.com!.
4) $160 in Free Bonuses. Free signed copy of my New York Times bestseller The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, plus a free 10-lesson bonus course on the foundations of liberty, plus a free year’s subscription to LibertyClassroom.com, when you subscribe to the Ron Paul Curriculum site through RonPaulHomeschool.com.
5) Free Books. Boost your intellectual ammunition with my free libertarian eBooks, including 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians — Answered, Bernie Sanders Is Wrong, and Education Without the State. Find them at TomsFreeBooks.com.
Audio by Chris Williams Audio.
