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EconTalk

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

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes1050Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
CoursesEducationScienceSocial Sciences

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Artwork for EconTalk

Latest Episodes

What can Tom Cruise's last impossible mission teach us about usefulness in the digital age? Aled Maclean-Jones argues that dangling from cargo planes, soldering hard drives, and skydiving nineteen consecutive times is really an extended tribute to em... more

What do the inventor of the periodic table, the novelist Isabel Allende, and the almost-creators of the iPhone have in common? Join author David Epstein and EconTalk's Russ Roberts to explore a counterintuitive idea: that boundaries, and not unlimite... more

No rush, no noise, no one else on the golf course: solo golf is an entirely different game, offering physical, mental, and spiritual benefits that playing with others can't. Listen as author and former editor of ESPN The Magazine Gary Belsky and Econ... more

The Department of War wanted to deploy Anthropic's Claude for "all lawful use." What begins as a policy dispute between a tech company and the Department of War quietly unfolds into something far more unsettling. Listen as Dean Ball and EconTalk's Ru... more

Key Facts

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Podcast Host
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Recent Guests

David Epstein
Author of Inside the Box, How Constraints Make Us Better
Author, Inside the Box
Episode: Thinking Inside the Box (with David Epstein)
Gary Belsky
Author of Solo Golf, former ESPN The Magazine editor
Author, Solo Golf; ESPN The Magazine
Episode: Golfing Alone (with Gary Belsky)
Dean Ball
Senior Fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation; Policy Fellow at Fathom; AI-focused writer
Foundation for American Innovation; Fathom; Hyperdimensional
Episode: Claude, War, and the State of the Republic (with Dean Ball)
Ross Levine
Economist, Booth-Durbus Family Edward Lazare Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, co-director of Hoover's Financial Regulation Working Group
Hoover Institution
Episode: Adam Smith's Warning About Wealth, Fame, and Status (with Ross Levine)
Stephen Witt
Author of The Thinking Machine
Author, The Thinking Machine
Episode: The Man Who Built NVIDIA (with Stephen Witt)
Stewart Brand
Co-founder and editor of the Whole Earth Catalog; founder of The Well, the Global Business Network, and the Long Now Foundation
Whole Earth Catalog; Long Now Foundation
Episode: The Unseen Work: Stewart Brand on Maintenance and Civilization
Hanno Sauer
Philosopher and author of The Invention of Good and Evil
Author, Philosopher
Episode: How We Tamed Ourselves and Invented Good and Evil (with Hanno Sauer)
Karen Elliott House
Journalist and author, focusing on Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman.
Episode: The Man Who Would Be King of Saudi Arabia (with Karen Elliott House)
Aled Maclean-Jones
Writer and author of the essay 'The Survival of Swiss Watches'
Works in Progress
Episode: Seiko, Swatch, and the Swiss Watch Industry (with Aled Maclean-Jones)

Host

Russ Roberts
Economist and author known for hosting in-depth conversations across economics, psychology, philosophy, and current affairs.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 6.5k ratings
  • Always interesting

    Always interesting

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    C_L3K
    United States2 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 States2 months ago
  • I was too harsh in my last review

    It’s like Conversations with Tyler but the host is dumber.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Bellinater
    United States2 months ago
  • Infinity

    Russ, Datsun/Nissan have a luxury brand in Infinity. Just saying.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    #puppypundit
    United States3 months ago
  • No

    Nononono

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Rachelnallen_
    United Kingdom3 months ago

Listeners Say

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

High-quality, intellectually rigorous conversations that challenge guests and listeners alike.
Some episodes spark strong opinions on current events; audiences appreciate nuance but may crave more explicit stances on hot-button issues.
Thoughtful and wide ranging discussions with strong guests and a calm, open-minded host.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#2
United States/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts
#84
United States/Education
Apple Podcasts
#3
Canada/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts
#6
United Kingdom/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts
#91
Canada/Education
Apple Podcasts
#180
United Kingdom/Education

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Thinking Inside the Box (with David Epstein)
Q: Can you explain the story of Mendeleev and how it illustrates the power of constraints versus the myth of complete freedom?
Mendeleev constrained the problem to make a classroom-friendly, logical organization, which revealed underlying patterns and led to accurate predictions, showing that boundaries can unlock rather than limit discovery.
Thinking Inside the Box (with David Epstein)
Q: What's the main idea of Inside the Box and what role do constraints play in creativity and productivity?
Constraints focus attention, prompt smarter trade-offs, and guide effort toward meaningful goals, which can boost creativity and efficiency rather than restrict it.
Golfing Alone (with Gary Belsky)
Q: Why is solo golf valuable beyond the sport itself?
It reveals how self-consciousness, expectations, and external judgment shape performance, and teaches being present, forgiving oneself, and applying mindfulness to other areas of life.
Golfing Alone (with Gary Belsky)
Q: So let's begin with solo golf. What is it?
It's golf played alone on a course, a lonesome but transformative practice that can feel like a meditative activity and offers a contrast to the social, performance-driven environment of typical rounds.
Adam Smith's Warning About Wealth, Fame, and Status (with Ross Levine)
Q: Samantha asks through your voice, are you admiring the right people?
The guest argues that admiring the right people is crucial because it shapes prosperity, justice, and societal well-being; admiring the wrong figures can corrupt moral sentiments, undermine justice, and threaten freedom, hence the importance of aligning admiration with virtue and integrity.

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?

A thoughtful, wide-ranging interview show that consistently brings together economists, scientists, philosophers, journalists, and authors to unpack big ideas in economics, behavior, policy, and culture. Episodes frequently explore how systems work—from healthcare and development to technology, education, and international affairs—while inviting guests to share rigorous reasoning, empirical insights, and compelling storytelling. The conversation style tends to be calm, curiosity-driven, and open to challenging assumptions, with a strength in connecting abstract theory to real-world implications. Notable strengths include deep dives with highly credentialed guests and a willingness to tackle controversial topics with nuance, making it a stro... more

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Which podcasts are similar to EconTalk?

These podcasts share a similar audience with EconTalk:

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

How many episodes of EconTalk are there?

EconTalk launched 20 years ago and published 1050 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on EconTalk?

Recent guests on EconTalk include:

1. David Epstein
2. Gary Belsky
3. Dean Ball
4. Ross Levine
5. Stephen Witt
6. Stewart Brand
7. Hanno Sauer
8. Karen Elliott House

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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