Rephonic
Artwork for Cato Podcast

Cato Podcast

Cato Institute
Cato Institute
Tariffs
Trump Administration
Donald Trump
China
Libertarianism
Artificial Intelligence
First Amendment
Social Security
Venezuela
United States
Fourth Amendment
Government Shutdown
Constitution
Supreme Court
Trade Policy
JD Vance
Obamacare
Qualified Immunity
Education

Each week on Cato Podcast, leading scholars and policymakers from the Cato Institute delve into the big ideas shaping our world: individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Whether unpacking current events, debating civil liberties, exploring technological innovation, or tracing the history of classical liberal thought, we promise insightful analysis grounded in rigorous resea... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes4847Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
GovernmentNewsPolitics

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Cato Podcast

Latest Episodes

Artificial intelligence could transform productivity, employment, and living standards. But does that mean governments should “act now” to “steer” the technology? Economist John Cochrane joins Cato’s Ryan Bourne to explain why he thinks a prominent e... more

Medicare spent $1.2 trillion in 2025 and still can't show it's saving lives. The Cato Institute's Laura Bondank-Harmon is joined by Michael Cannon and David Hyman to mark the program's 60th anniversary, explaining how it broke health care pricing and... more

Prediction-market pioneer Robin Hanson joins Cato's Ryan Bourne to explain this new industry's promise, how betting can improve decision-making, and whether we should worry about insider trading, manipulation, and sabotage as these markets proliferat... more

Financial surveillance in America is expanding.

In this episode, host Nicholas Anthony sits down with Representative Warren Davidson to discuss the growing reach of the Bank Secrecy Act, and why it’s time to scale back the surveillance of law-abidin... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

The Reason Roundtable
The Reason RoundtableThe Reason Roundtable
The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
The Reason Interview With Nick GillespieThe Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
The Libertarian
The LibertarianThe Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin
Law Talk With Epstein, Yoo & Cooke
Law Talk With Epstein, Yoo & CookeThe Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin
EconTalk
EconTalkRuss Roberts

Recent Guests

John Cochrane
Economist, Rosemarie and Jack Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution; Grumpy Economists blogger
Hoover Institution, Cato Institute
Episode: AI: Must We Act Now?
David A. Hyman
Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute and Professor of Health Law and Policy at Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center; Cato Institute
Episode: Happy 60th Birthday, Now Pay the Bill
Michael F. Cannon
Director of Health Policy Studies at the Cato Institute
Cato Institute
Episode: Happy 60th Birthday, Now Pay the Bill
Robin Hanson
Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University; pioneer of prediction and decision markets
George Mason University
Episode: The Wisdom of Crowds: An Intro to Prediction Markets
Warren Davidson
U.S. Representative on the Financial Services Committee
U.S. Congress
Episode: The Fight Against Financial Surveillance
Chelsea Follett
Policy Analyst, Managing Director of humanprogress.org; author on affordability chapter in Cato handbook
Cato Institute / humanprogress.org
Episode: Why Is Childcare So Expensive?
Tommy Berry
Editor of A History of Repeated Injuries, Threats to Liberty Since American Independence
Cato Institute
Episode: Injuries and Usurpations, 250 Years Later
Travis Fisher
Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Studies
Cato Institute
Episode: Data Centers Turn Electricity into Breakthroughs
Emily Ekins
Cato's Vice President and Director of Polling
Cato Institute
Episode: Proud to Be American, Worried About What's Next

Hosts

Ryan Bourne
Host of Cato Podcast; multiple entries listed as Host
Jeff
Host of the Cato Podcast
Katherine Thompson
Senior Fellow on the Defense and Foreign Policy Team

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 1.2k ratings
  • David Bier

    Is a must-follow on Twitter

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Portland Antifasist
    United States5 months ago
  • Protest, Carry, Die episode is poor.

    Protest, carry, die episode is the Mainstream media version only. This is not the normal CATO quality I expect.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    DF987@
    United States6 months ago
  • Sometimes misleading.

    While usually balanced, I do find that some of the journalists are misleading in their representation of the facts.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    H82W8
    United States6 months ago
  • Once Great. Now Poor.

    Since the departure of Caleb Brown, this podcast has been in a death spiral. Caleb brought clarity, coherence, and a disciplined commitment to intellectual honesty. His absence exposes how much of the podcast’s credibility rested on his stewardship.

    Discussions that once challenged assumptions with sharp inquiry now drift through MAGA talking points with little depth.

    The shift in tone is disappointing. This show increasingly sounds apologetic toward the current administration, softening criti... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Eat Drink Fun
    United States8 months ago
  • Expected better

    I gave this a try expecting thoughtful, libertarian discussion—but it came across as oddly partisan and more conservative than I anticipated. Hard to tell if this was just a bad sample or if the tone has shifted overall, but it wasn’t what I expected from Cato.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    CitiCustomer
    United States9 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some listeners feel coverage has shifted in tone or emphasis over time and critique perceived partisanship.
Guests are typically highly credible, with tight, research-backed arguments.
Listeners appreciate concise, data-driven policy discussions with strong expert guests.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#27
United States/Government
Apple Podcasts
#88
Canada/Government
Apple Podcasts
#161
United Kingdom/Government
Apple Podcasts
#69
Australia/Government
Apple Podcasts
#84
Italy/Government
Apple Podcasts
#187
France/Government

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Wisdom of Crowds: An Intro to Prediction Markets
Q: What are the key advantages of prediction markets for individuals and organizations?
The main advantages include better-quality information from dispersed participants, the potential to hedge risk, and the ability to inform decisions by reflecting conditional outcomes; these markets may outperform other information sources when properly designed and contextualized.
The Wisdom of Crowds: An Intro to Prediction Markets
Q: How worried are you about sabotage in prediction markets?
Sabotage is a concern that exists for all information institutions, but prediction markets can mitigate or be resilient to such actions through competitive dynamics, diverse traders, and the expectation that manipulation tends to be self-defeating as prices adjust.
The Wisdom of Crowds: An Intro to Prediction Markets
Q: Why do governments and companies use these markets so rarely?
Hanson points to innovation challenges, regulatory barriers, liquidity issues, and the difficulty of designing contracts that align incentives with decision-relevant outcomes, which slows adoption by traditional institutions.
The Wisdom of Crowds: An Intro to Prediction Markets
Q: Could you define a decision market and give an example?
A decision market is a market that prices the consequences of a specific decision, such as whether a CEO should stay or leave, by creating conditional stock-like prices that reflect outcomes under each possible choice, thereby guiding leadership or organizational decisions.
The Wisdom of Crowds: An Intro to Prediction Markets
Q: How does one become an expert in prediction markets?
Robin Hanson explains that the path involves early engagement with the idea, followed by deep exploration and critique; over time, involvement yields a nuanced understanding of market mechanics, information aggregation, and broader social implications rather than a simple credential-based route.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Cato Podcast

What is Cato Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show features sharp, policy-focused conversations with researchers and policymakers from a libertarian-leaning think tank. Episodes routinely dissect immigration, trade, domestic policy, and national security through a rigorous, evidence-based lens, often challenging conventional wisdom with historical context and economic reasoning. Listeners can expect concise debates, detailed policy analysis, and guest perspectives from experts who prioritize limited government, individual liberty, and free markets. Noteworthy is the consistent emphasis on practical reforms that aim to improve efficiency, accountability, and policy outcomes, rather than partisan rhetoric. Potential sponsors and guests may find a fit with topics on regulatory reform... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Cato Podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Cato Podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Cato Podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Cato Podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Cato Podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Cato Podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Cato Podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Cato Podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Cato Podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Cato Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Cato Podcast:

1. The Reason Roundtable
2. The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
3. The Libertarian
4. Law Talk With Epstein, Yoo & Cooke
5. EconTalk

How many episodes of Cato Podcast are there?

Cato Podcast launched 20 years ago and published 4847 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Cato Podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Cato Podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Cato Podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Cato Podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Cato Podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Cato Podcast?

Recent guests on Cato Podcast include:

1. John Cochrane
2. David A. Hyman
3. Michael F. Cannon
4. Robin Hanson
5. Warren Davidson
6. Chelsea Follett
7. Tommy Berry
8. Travis Fisher

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days