Bright colors, long tails, and dances of seduction: they may hurt a bird’s chances of survival in the wild, but they seem to increase the chances of reproduction. Is this all part of natural selection or is sexual selection its own force in the bird world? Is there such a thing as beauty for beauty’s sake? What can we […] The post Bird Brains, Bird Sex, and All Kinds of Beauty (with Matt Ridley) appeared first on Econlib.
Feedback on exams and papers–grades and comments–should be more than an assessment. It should point the way to improvement. So argues educational consultant Daisy Christodoulou, emphasizing that actionable feedback has to be more than comments scribbled in the margins of a paper or at its end. Listen as she speaks with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts about […] The post How Better Feedback Can Revolutionize Education (with Daisy Christodoulou) appeared first on Econlib.
What can the restaurant business teach us about leadership and management? Listen as Will Guidara, the former owner of Eleven Madison Park, explains to EconTalk’s Russ Roberts how his restaurant became good enough to be named the best restaurant in the world. Foodies will enjoy a look behind the scenes of a restaurant at the […] The post Will Guidara on Unreasonable Hospitality appeared first on Econlib.
Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East but it seems a lot more alien and chaotic than many of the older democracies of the West. Hear Rachel Gur of Reichman University explain to EconTalk’s Russ Roberts how the Israeli political system works and sometimes, doesn’t work. The conversation brings into relief the challenges […] The post The Unusual World of Israeli Democracy (with Rachel Gur) appeared first on Econlib.
Until the end of WWI, the Middle East as we know it didn’t exist. No Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, or Iraq. Instead, there was the Ottoman Empire, whose dissolution using an arbitrary line on a map set the region on a course of upheaval that’s still with us. Listen as historian James Barr speaks with EconTalk’s Russ […] The post The Struggle That Shaped the Middle East (with James Barr) appeared first on Econlib.
For more than a century, some economists have insisted that central planning can outperform markets. Economists like Mises, Hayek, and Friedman disagreed. Who won this debate? Is it over? Does AI change how we should think about the power of planning? Listen as economist Peter Boettke of George Mason University discusses what is known as the […] The post Who Won the Socialist Calculation Debate (with Peter Boettke) appeared first on Econlib.
Why do we buy stuff we don’t need? Maybe for the same reason that some people can’t stand stuff at all. Listen as author Michael Easter speaks with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts about how two seemingly opposed approaches to our possessions–minimalism and hoarding–may stem from the same impulse to cope with uncertainty. They also discuss the downsides of minimalism and how […] The post Minimalists and Hoarders (with Michael Easter) appeared first on Econlib.
[ANNUAL LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KYV5XPG. Vote for your 2024 favorites! Survey ends Feb. 9th.] Surely perfection is better than imperfection. But applying technology to improve decision-making can backfire. Listen as ed-tech innovator Daisy Christodoulou and EconTalk’s Russ Roberts talk about the costs of seeking perfection when technology is used to improve refereeing in sports. They also talk […] The post Coase, the Rules of the Game, and the Costs of Perfection (with Daisy Christodoulou) appeared first on Econlib.
[ANNUAL LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KYV5XPG. Vote for your 2024 favorites!] Should we worry about the human future in a world of AI? Reid Hoffman is unafraid and even optimistic. He argues that the brave new world that awaits is going to be great for humanity. Listen as he talks about his book Superagency with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts […] The post Why AI Is Good for Humans (with Reid Hoffman) appeared first on Econlib.
[ANNUAL LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KYV5XPG. Vote for your 2024 favorites!] How can opera, with words we rarely understand, make us cry? Why does opera, filled with melodrama, move us? Listen as poet and librettist Dana Gioia explains to EconTalk’s Russ Roberts why words matter more than we think, in both opera and on Broadway. The post Weep, Shudder, Die: The Secret of Opera Revealed (with Dana Gioia) appeared first on Econlib.