Econtalk
Econtalk is a weekly podcast that has been running since 2006. It’s hosted by Russ Roberts - a religious Jewish economist. There are weeks where the focus is on economic themes, but he also covers a broad range of other interesting areas including culture, philosophy, and history.
Russ is an awesome role model. Unsurprisingly if you have been doing the same podcast for almost twenty years, you get rather good at it. He is kind, intelligent, thoughtful, considerate, curious, wise, engaging and funny. He has changed my mind on a number of important issues; gently, and over time.
Everyone should listen to every episode! However, there are links below to some of my personal, favourite episodes. The subject is not always a great predictor of the outcome.
| Date | Guest | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2019 | Rory Sutherland | Alchemy |
| Oct 10, 2022 | Roland Fryer | Educational reform |
| Apr 20, 2020 | Vinay Prasad | Cancer drugs and medical ethics |
| Aug 28, 2023 | Vinay Prasad | Cancer screening |
| Aug 14, 2023 | Adam Mastroianni | Brain, the ears and what we lean |
| Feb 13, 2023 | Adam Mastroianni | Peer review |
| Apr 01, 2019 | Jacob Stegenga | Medical Nihilism |
| Nov 27, 2023 | Tyler Cowen | The GOAT of Economics |
| Oct 18, 2021 | Rowan Jacobsen | Truffle Hound |
| Feb 21, 2022 | Luca Dellanna | Compulsion, Self-deception and the brain |
Finally, not only is Russ a great podcast host, he is a fantastic guest. His appearance on The Seen and the Unseen is something to behold.
