Author and journalist Fredrik deBoer discusses his book The Cult of Smart with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. DeBoer argues that there is little that can be done to change the distribution of success in K-12 education. He argues that educational reforms like charter schools and No Child Left Behind are doomed to failure. At the […] The post Fredrik deBoer on the Cult of Smart appeared first on Econlib.

Author, lawyer, and poet Dwayne Betts talks about his time in prison and the power of reading with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Betts is the founder of the Million Book Project, which aims to put a small library of great books in 1,000 U.S. prisons. Betts discusses his plans for the project and how reading […] The post Dwayne Betts on Reading, Prison, and the Million Book Project appeared first on Econlib.

Journalist and author Anne Applebaum talks about her book, Twilight of Democracy, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Applebaum discusses the rise of populist and nationalist movements in Eastern Europe as well as in the West, and the appeal of these movements even when they begin to erode or destroy democracy. The post Anne Applebaum on the Twilight of Democracy appeared first on Econlib.

Philosopher and author Zena Hitz of St. John’s College talks about her book, Lost in Thought, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Hitz defends learning for its own sake–learning that has nothing to do with passing an exam or preparing for a career. For Hitz, learning is a refuge and an essential part of what makes […] The post Zena Hitz on Lost in Thought appeared first on Econlib.

Where do our deepest personal values come from? Can we choose those values? Philosopher and author Agnes Callard of the University of Chicago talks about her book, Aspiration, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Callard explores the challenge of aspiration–who we are versus who we would like to become. How does aspiration work? How can we […] The post Agnes Callard on Aspiration appeared first on Econlib.

How much has racism held back the U.S. economy? What would the country look like today if Black entrepreneurs and inventors had been welcomed and encouraged over the past century and a half? Economist Lisa Cook of Michigan State University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about her research into the impact of racism, lynching, […] The post Lisa Cook on Racism, Patents, and Black Entrepreneurship appeared first on Econlib.

Once upon a time, a man had an idea for a documentary on free-market ideas. Then that man was introduced to Milton Friedman. The result of their collaboration was a wildly successful book and PBS series, Free to Choose, capturing Friedman’s view of the world, how markets work, and the role of individual liberty in […] The post Robert Chitester on Milton Friedman and Free to Choose appeared first on Econlib.

How do we prepare for a future that is unpredictable? That’s the question at the heart of Margaret Heffernan‘s new book, Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future. Heffernan is a professor at the University of Bath, but she is also a serial entrepreneur, a former CEO, and the author of five books on leadership, innovation, […] The post Margaret Heffernan on Uncharted appeared first on Econlib.