EconTalk podcast

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EconTalk

EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford's Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it's like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, the conflicts and history of the Middle East, and more. EconTalk has been taking the Monday out of Mondays since 2006. All 1000+ episodes are available in the archive. Go to EconTalk.org for transcripts, related resources, and comments.

EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford's Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it's like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, the conflicts and history of the Middle East, and more. EconTalk has been taking the Monday out of Mondays since 2006. All 1000+ episodes are available in the archive. Go to EconTalk.org for transcripts, related resources, and comments.

 

#1072

Lives Wasted and Well-Lived: David Wolpe on The Death of Ivan Ilyich

What if you did everything right and discovered on yourdeathbed thatyou've wasted your lif... more

19 Oct 2026

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:11

19 Oct 2026


#1071

The Great Fertility Collapse (with Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde)

For the first time in human history, we're not having enough children to keep the world's ... more

12 Oct 2026

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:27

12 Oct 2026


#1070

Addiction, Faith, and the Limits of Willpower (with Meghan O'Gieblyn)

Why do we keep doing things we know we shouldn't? And is that really a failure of will? Au... more

05 Oct 2026

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:03

05 Oct 2026


#1069

Public Choice and Politics Without Romance (with Mike Munger)

Before you give the government new powers, try the Munger Test: cross out "government" and... more

28 Sep 2026

1 HR 19 MINS

1:19:34

28 Sep 2026


#1068

The Death of Reading (with James Marriott)

Are we living in the new Dark Ages? Despite vast technological advances, our societies are... more

21 Sep 2026

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:52

21 Sep 2026


#1067

Incentives Are for Losers (with Adam Mastroianni)

Incentives matter, sure. But what should you do when following the incentives means quietl... more

14 Sep 2026

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:49

14 Sep 2026


#1066

Meritocracy, Exams, and the Knowledge That Matters (with Daisy Christodoulou)

What does a failed 19th-century Chinese civil exam and one of the deadliest wars in histor... more

07 Sep 2026

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:17

07 Sep 2026


#1065

Hamas and the Future of Gaza (with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib)

He lost his childhood homes, dozens of family members, and most of his hearing in his left... more

31 Aug 2026

1 HR 22 MINS

1:22:48

31 Aug 2026


#1064

Are We Alone? Cosmic Loneliness and the Longing to Believe (with Adam Kirsch)

Has the earth been visited by extraterrestrials? Are we alone? Despite no formal evidence ... more

24 Aug 2026

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:50

24 Aug 2026


#1063

The Hidden Cause of the Industrial Revolution (with Ben Southwood)

What if the Industrial Revolution wasn't sparked by the steam engine, but by a quiet legal... more

17 Aug 2026

1 HR 13 MINS

1:13:36

17 Aug 2026


#1062

Ben Sasse on Faith, Family, and Facing Death

Six months into a stage-four pancreatic cancer diagnosis that gave him 90 days to live, Be... more

10 Aug 2026

1 HR 21 MINS

1:21:11

10 Aug 2026


#1061

The Political Economy of Palestine (with Hussein Aboubakr Mansour)

Most discourses about Israel or Palestine are morality plays of good guys vs bad guys. Egy... more

03 Aug 2026

1 HR 27 MINS

1:27:41

03 Aug 2026