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EconTalk

Russ Roberts
Artificial Intelligence
Israel
Hamas
Economics
Education
Gaza
Happiness
Parenting
Psychology
United States
Decision-Making
Industrial Policy
Intuition
Religion
Opera
VAR
Football
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Public Health
Birds

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, ... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes1064Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
CoursesEducationScienceSocial Sciences

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Artwork for EconTalk

Latest Episodes

Has the earth been visited by extraterrestrials? Are we alone? Despite no formal evidence for conscious life outside of earth, the belief that we are not alone has become more common among both scientists and everyday people. Listen as author Adam Ki... more

What if the Industrial Revolution wasn't sparked by the steam engine, but by a quiet legal revolution in how England handled property rights? Ben Southwood of Works in Progress argues that the Glorious Revolution of the 1680s unleashed British growth... more

Six months into a stage-four pancreatic cancer diagnosis that gave him 90 days to live, Ben Sasse sits down with EconTalk's Russ Roberts for a conversation that refuses easy comfort. The former U.S. senator and University of Florida president is cand... more

Most discourses about Israel or Palestine are morality plays of good guys vs bad guys. Egyptian-born Hussein Aboubakr Mansour takes a different approach, seeing the conflict as a self-reproducing system of political and economic extraction where Arab... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Adam Kirsch
Senior editor at The Atlantic, author of We Want to Believe
The Atlantic
Episode: Are We Alone? Cosmic Loneliness and the Longing to Believe (with Adam Kirsch)
Ben Southwood
Founder/editor and researcher; expert on the topic discussed
Works in Progress, Create Streets, Housing and Policy Exchange
Episode: The Hidden Cause of the Industrial Revolution (with Ben Southwood)
Ben Sasse
Former US Senator and former President of the University of Florida
University of Florida; Senator, Nebraska
Episode: Ben Sasse on Faith, Family, and Facing Death
Hussein Aboubakr Mansour
Author; affiliated with JINSA; substack author of Abrahamic Metacritique
JINSA (Jewish Institute for National Security of America)
Episode: The Political Economy of Palestine (with Hussein Aboubakr Mansour)
Cal Flyn
Author and journalist
Author of The Savage Landscape
Episode: Savage Landscapes (with Cal Flyn)
Dwayne Betts
Poet and author, guest on EconTalk
Episode: Dwayne Betts on the Iliad
Ronnen Harary
Entrepreneur, television and film producer, co-founder of Spin Master
Spin Master
Episode: From Sawdust to Paw Patrol: The Spin Master Story (with Ronnen Harary)
Ido Hevroni
Colleague at Shalem College who teaches the Iliad and Odyssey
Shalem College
Episode: EconTalk Book Club on the Iliad (with Ido Hevroni)
John Mandrola
Cardiac electrophysiologist
Sensible Medicine (Substack)
Episode: Do Less, Heal More: The Case for Medical Conservatism (with John Mandrola)

Host

Russ Roberts
Host of EconTalk; guides discussion with a focus on humility, clear thinking, and open inquiry.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 6.5k ratings
  • Intriguing topics

    But why not focus on different walks of sociey, for a change, when discussing societal themes. Your target audience can still be the educated and/ well-heeled, but please introduce more anecdotes from and about diverse audiences.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Workforce Consultant
    United Statesa month ago
  • What’s the appeal?

    I don’t really understand the appeal of this podcast. I’ve tried. But I find the host less intelligent and competent than he seems to believe himself to be. A lot of faux profundity. A misplaced sense of self-importance.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    NicolasAJD
    United States3 months ago
  • One of my favourite episodes

    Podcast Addict
    5
    sean
    3 months ago
  • Always interesting

    Always interesting

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    C_L3K
    United States5 months ago
  • Used to be

    This used to be a great podcast. Now just pro Israel propaganda media. So sad.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    R3hauer
    United States5 months ago

Listeners Say

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

Consistent quality and breadth of topics; highly recommended for listeners seeking substantive conversations.
Some listeners feel the discussions can be slow but rigorously reasoned.
Teases out big ideas with thoughtful guests and civil discourse.
Guests bring deep expertise; host guides with curiosity and humility.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#2
United States/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts
#95
United States/Education
Apple Podcasts
#2
Canada/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts
#3
United Kingdom/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts
#112
Canada/Education
Apple Podcasts
#139
United Kingdom/Education

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Hidden Cause of the Industrial Revolution (with Ben Southwood)
Q: How did the reform affect incentives for innovation and capital accumulation?
By reallocating and consolidating property rights and allowing mortgageable, tradable, or more easily investable estates, Parliament created conditions for farmers to invest in improvements, adopt new crops, and fund infrastructure, which in turn spurred technological progress and broader industrial development.
The Hidden Cause of the Industrial Revolution (with Ben Southwood)
Q: Why did Parliament move in this direction, expanding rights and enabling investment in land and infrastructure?
Parliament acted as a representative body for landowners to resolve long-standing rights problems, unlock investment in land, and create a framework that could coordinate across many small holdings. This allowed larger, more productive farming and the financing of roads, canals, and other public goods, ultimately boosting productivity and growth.
Savage Landscapes (with Cal Flyn)
Q: Did you feel anything at Mount Sinai?
Cal recalls feelings of amazement and aesthetic appreciation rather than a definitive transcendence, noting moments of realization during research, and explains how famous wilderness sites can become crowd-managed or touristy, which can dilute the sincerity of personal epiphanies.
Savage Landscapes (with Cal Flyn)
Q: Two questions. First, describe what historically human beings have turned to the wilderness to commune with the divine or something transcendent.
Cal describes Sinai and other sacred landscapes as opening sequences that show wilderness as a site for transcendence across religions, with early literature like the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Ramayana illustrating this perennial search for enlightenment and meaning in wild places.
EconTalk Book Club on the Iliad (with Ido Hevroni)
Q: Why should a thoughtful reader engage with the Iliad?
The guest argues the Iliad is foundational to Western culture and a source for understanding heroism, moral complexity, and the roots of Western storytelling, offering a framework to analyze leadership, fate, and human emotion in ways that resonate today.

Audience Metrics

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

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Frequently Asked Questions About EconTalk

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

Thoughtful, long-form conversations across economics, science, history, philosophy, and public policy. Guests range from economists and authors to doctors and journalists, with a strong emphasis on evidence, critical thinking, and humility in exploring big ideas. The show often blends rigorous analysis with personal storytelling, drawing out policy implications, ethical questions, and practical insights for professionals and curious listeners alike. A standout trait is the host's ability to guide deep, nuanced dialogue while remaining open to opposing viewpoints, making it a likely magnet for listeners who enjoy intellectual curiosity and civil debate.

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Which podcasts are similar to EconTalk?

These podcasts share a similar audience with EconTalk:

1. Conversations with Tyler
2. Uncommon Knowledge
3. GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics
4. Conversations with Coleman
5. The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

How many episodes of EconTalk are there?

EconTalk launched 20 years ago and published 1064 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 EconTalk?

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What guests have appeared on EconTalk?

Recent guests on EconTalk include:

1. Adam Kirsch
2. Ben Southwood
3. Ben Sasse
4. Hussein Aboubakr Mansour
5. Cal Flyn
6. Dwayne Betts
7. Ronnen Harary
8. Ido Hevroni

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.

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