Shows / Words & Numbers
Words & Numbers
Words & Numbers is one of the highest-rated economics podcasts in the world. Each episode, Antony Davies and James R. Harrigan dig into economics, political science, and current events to explain what’s actually happening and why it matters.
Episodes
Words & NumbersEpisode 236: Errors We Repeat in Politics, Pt. 2
We all have a tendency to repeat things we hear. But when many people start repeating the same thing, we come to believe that the thing must be true…
Words & NumbersEpisode 235: Errors We Repeat in Politics, Pt. 1
We all have a tendency to repeat things we hear. But when many people start repeating the same thing, we come to believe that the thing must be true…
Words & NumbersEpisode 234: Errors We Repeat in Economics
We all have a tendency to repeat things we hear. But when many people start repeating the same thing, we come to believe that the thing must be true…
Words & NumbersEpisode 233: Disincentivizing Taxes
If there’s a single core principle in economics, it’s that people respond to incentives. Whether governments intend to, imposing taxes on people causes those…
Words & NumbersEpisode 232: A Constitutional Shift
Over the past century and a half, the federal government has quietly morphed from a government based on a constitution to a government based on a…
Words & NumbersEpisode 231: The Misinformation on Inflation
Consumer prices have been rising more than usual since February. James and Ant discuss the nature of inflation, what causes it, and when it is and isn’t a bad…
Words & NumbersEpisode 230: The Words and Numbers Trio Pt. 2
Clark Neily, Rob McDonald, and Howard Baetjer join us for the second part of a free-wheeling conversation on government, history, and economics. Get Your Copy…
Words & NumbersEpisode 229: A Deeper Look into Thomas Jefferson
Historian Rob McDonald joins us to answer the questions, how is it that Thomas Jefferson came to be a slave owner and what could he have done to free his…
Words & NumbersEpisode 228: The Words and Numbers Trio Pt. 1
Clark Neily, Rob McDonald, and Howard Baetjer join us for the first of a multi-part free-wheeling conversation on government, history, and economics. Get Your…
Words & NumbersEpisode 227: Outside of the Accredited Circle
Bob Luddy, founder of Thales College joins us this week to talk about a revolutionary model for higher education that attempts to break the guild system that…
Words & NumbersEpisode 226: Introducing a Little Anarchy
Philosopher Michael Huemer joins us this week to talk about anarchy, chaos, and the fact that the government has a monopoly on power. Get Your Copy of…
Words & NumbersEpisode 225: Shooting for Success
Nav Bhatia, the first fan to be inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame, joins us this week to talk about his passion for basketball, life, and…
Words & NumbersEpisode 224: Charlie Brown’s America
Blake Scott Ball joins us to discuss his book on Charles Schulz and the political narrative in the Peanuts comic that managed to attract both liberals and…
Words & NumbersEpisode 223: More Than a Pipe Dream
Sykes Wilford, founder and CEO of smokingpipes.com joins us this week to discuss his experience as a successful entrepreneur in an industry that has shrunk by…
Words & NumbersEpisode 222: Going Public
Vann Prime, an award-winning public school teacher from (in his words) a standard public school - not rich, not poor, not magnet or charter - joins us to talk…
Words & NumbersEpisode 221: Higher Education’s Cost of Freedom
Nicole Neily, President of Speech First joins us this week to discuss free speech on college campuses. A growing number of colleges have been restricting…
Words & NumbersEpisode 220: Gaining and Giving
Philanthropist, lawyer, entrepreneur, musician, and armchair philosopher John LeFebvre joins us this week to discuss philanthropy, run-ins with the law, and…
Words & NumbersEpisode 219: Unqualified Immunity
Clark Neily returns this week to discuss recent court cases involving developments with qualified immunity. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!…
Words & NumbersEpisode 218: What's So Funny about Tribalism? Feat. Andrew Heaton
This week, comedian and political commentator Andrew Heaton joins us to talk about his forthcoming book on Tribalism. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion…
Words & NumbersEpisode 217: Who Is Paying Their Fair Share?
The latest Congressional Budget Office numbers are out showing how much different income groups pay in federal taxes. We combine these numbers with our…
Words & NumbersEpisode 216: Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob
Russell Shorto joins us this week to discuss his latest book, Smalltime: A story of my family and the mob. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now!…
Words & NumbersEpisode 215: Nothing but Urban Legends
People hear things that sound right or interesting, and then repeat them without checking the facts. This is how urban legends are created. On this week’s…
Words & NumbersEpisode 214: Listener Special #7 Pt. 3
In this multi-part episode, James and Ant answer listener questions. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show…
Words & NumbersEpisode 213: Listener Special #7 Pt. 2
In this multi-part episode, James and Ant answer listener questions. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show…
Words & NumbersEpisode 212: Listener Special #7 Pt. 1
In this multi-part episode, James and Ant answer listener questions. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show…
Words & NumbersEpisode 211: FBI Opening Up!
Former Supervisory Special Agent Martin Gilvary joins us this week to give us an inside perspective on policing in the US. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and…
Words & NumbersEpisode 210: The End of America and the Rebirth of Her Ideals Pt. 2
In this second of a two part series, Max Borders joins us to discuss his recent book, After Collapse: The End of America and the Rebirth of Her Ideals. Despite…
Words & NumbersEpisode 209: The End of America and the Rebirth of Her Ideals Pt. 1
Max Borders joins us to discuss his recent book, After Collapse: The End of America and the Rebirth of Her Ideals. Despite the title and the subject matter, it…
Words & NumbersEpisode 208: “Wage”ing War
Federal policies have been hitting small businesses particularly hard. From the lockdown to heightened IRS scrutiny to an increased minimum wage to an expanded…
Words & NumbersEpisode 207: Political Power Mashup
This week we discuss a smorgasbord of topics related to the division of power among the branches: pardons, judicial review, agencies, and bureaucracy. Get Your…
Words & NumbersEpisode 206: The Dutch Angle
Episode 206: A Dutch immigrant gives us a view of the United States from the outside, and a view of the Netherlands from the inside: immigration, taxes, social…
Words & NumbersEpisode 205: "We Didn't Start the Riots!"
The riots in Washington DC and the riots in Seattle have revealed some troubling hypocrisy. Many of those who were for one were against the other. While the…
Words & NumbersEpisode 204: The Good Old Days
With the start of a new year, James and Ant look at the phenomenon of nostalgia. Why do we tend to look back on the past with a fondness, and what dangers does…
Words & NumbersEpisode 203: Alternative Energy and Economies of Scale
We haven’t seen widespread adoption of alternative energy because, for many decades, energy generated from fossil fuels was cheaper. As with any technology, as…
Words & NumbersEpisode 202: The Christmas Special
This Christmas special is a montage of “best of” moments from Words and Numbers. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all our listeners and supporters! Get…
Words & NumbersEpisode 201: Words and Words
The tool each of us uses most often - language - presents an interesting contradiction. To communicate ideas clearly and efficiently, words must have meanings…
Words & NumbersEpisode 200: The Adventures of Larry Reed
For our 200th episode, Larry Reed joins us to talk about his experiences in spreading the good news of liberty and freedom. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and…
Words & NumbersEpisode 199: A Game of Risk
Many people’s misunderstandings about disparate subjects like insurance, profits, and financial speculators have their roots in a single source - a…
Words & NumbersEpisode 198: Understanding the Gender Pay Gap Pt. 2
In part 2 of this two-part episode, Steve Horwitz joins us to discuss the realities and myths surrounding gender discrimination and the gender pay gap. Get…
Words & NumbersEpisode 197: Understanding the Gender Pay Gap Pt. 1
In part 1 of this two-part episode, Steve Horwitz joins us to discuss the realities and myths surrounding gender discrimination and the gender pay gap. Get…
Words & NumbersEpisode 196: Everything Is Awfully Politicized
One of the unintended consequences of government overreach is that everything becomes politicized. Much of the acrimony in our political environment is due to…
Words & NumbersEpisode 195: Public Defeats and Private Victories Pt. 2
In this second of a two-part series, we continue the conversation with Clark Neily about differences in publicly provided and privately provided goods and…
Words & NumbersEpisode 194: Public Defeats and Private Victories Pt. 1
Some goods and services we choose to provide via the government (mail delivery). Some we choose to provide via markets (grocery stores). And some we choose to…
Words & NumbersEpisode 193: Our Ever-Expanding National Debt
Periodically, the Congressional Budget Office forecasts federal debt, revenue, and spending. For decades, the CBO has underestimated the future debt. If we…
Words & NumbersEpisode 192: Trading with Benefits
The United States is poised to rack up a record trade deficit this year. Politicians and the media will make a big deal about this, but the truth is that trade…
Words & NumbersEpisode 191: Your Post-Game Presidential Debate
James and Ant offer a post-game discussion of the first Presidential debate. Unfortunately, “post-game” is the right word because, for as much as the left and…
Words & NumbersEpisode 190: What the Supreme Court Got Right
We devote plenty of time to discussing things that the government does wrong. This week, we change gears as Clark Neily joins us to discuss things throughout…
Words & NumbersEpisode 189: Living That Post-COVID Life
Little by little, things appear to be getting back to normal following COVID and the lockdown. James and Ant discuss what the world will look like as we…
Words & NumbersEpisode 188: Crypto Coercion
Roger Ver, founder of bitcoin.com joins us this week to discuss the emergence of cryptocurrency as the answer to the problem of inflated sovereign currencies…
Words & NumbersEpisode 187: A (Non-)Comedy of Errors
Andrew Heaton joins us to discuss comedy, politics, and that we can’t seem to laugh at ourselves anymore because our politics have become our religion. Learn…
Words & NumbersEpisode 186: Experiencing Higher Education
Our response to COVID has imposed changes across the whole economy. One of the industries that is likely to bear the lion’s share of those changes is higher…
Words & NumbersEpisode 185: The Depressing Results of Great Depression Policies
Steve Horwitz is back with us this week to discuss the Great Depression. The story that’s commonly handed down in high school history courses doesn’t match…
Words & NumbersEpisode 184: Reevaluating Regulations
Todd Zywicki, Professor of Law at GMU and head of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau’s Task Force on Consumer Financial Law joins us to discuss the pros…
Words & NumbersEpisode 183: Economics’ Roots
For two millenia, economics was a field of philosophy. Starting in the late 1800s, economists began to employ mathematical modeling in their thinking. The…
Words & NumbersEpisode 182: Crossing the Police Line
In past episodes, we’ve discussed problems with policing including qualified immunity and the militarization of police. In this episode, we revisit the topic…
Words & NumbersEpisode 181: The Not So Secret Police
The Constitution leaves policing up to the states. There is no provision for a national police force. Yet, numerous federal policing bodies have emerged and…
Words & NumbersEpisode 180: It’s a Conspiracy, Man!
Conspiracy theories arise in part from our penchant for seeking patterns in random events and in part from our need to feel in control - to be able to explain…
Words & NumbersEpisode 179: Political Party Crashers
The Founders established the three branches of government to provide checks on one another. But parties have come to supplant these institutions as the focus…
Words & NumbersEpisode 178: Facts, Freedom & the Founding, Part 2
Rob McDonald returns for the second of a two-part series in which we discuss the Founding and his new book, The American Revolution. Get Your Copy of…
Words & NumbersEpisode 177: Facts, Freedom & the Founding, Part 1
Rob McDonald joins us this Fourth of July week for the first of a two-part series in which we discuss the Founding and his new book, The American Revolution…