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PODCAST

Words & Numbers

Words & Numbers touches on issues of Economics, Political Science, Current Events and Policy. Each Wednesday we"ll be sharing a new Words & Numbers podcast featuring Antony Davies Ph.D and James Harrigan Ph.D talking about the economics and political science of current events. Words and Numbers is a CiVL Original Podcasts, learn more at civl.com

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All Episodes

31:28

Episode 155: David Schmidtz on Equality and Justice

Words & Numbers ·

2020/01/29

When most people say, “equality,” they mean income equality. Economists draw a finer distinction between income equality and wealth equality. Political scientists draw an even finer distinction between economic equality and equality under the law. Philosophers distinguish even more finely, looking at equality of opportunity and equality of outcome, and examining how equality itself is one of several elements that comprise justice. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

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29:45

Episode 154: Cracks in the Ivory Tower

Words & Numbers ·

2020/01/22

The rising cost of tuition is merely a symptom of a disease. The disease, which is much more complex, involves misplaced incentives from administrators to faculty to students to parents. Phil Magnus joins Words & Numbers this week to talk about his recent book, Cracks in the Ivory Tower. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits Trial by combat

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30:18

Episode 153: Prohibition and Constitutional Constraints

Words & Numbers ·

2020/01/15

The 18th Amendment was ratified a century ago, beginning the United States’ fourteen-year experiment with prohibition. An Amendment was needed because the Constitution did not give the federal government the power to ban alcohol. Yet, today, the federal government bans recreational drugs and puts medicinal drugs under the control of the FDA. But, the Constitution also doesn’t give the government the power to regulate drugs. Either the 18th Amendment wasn’t necessary a century ago, or federal drug

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34:02

Episode 152: Government Schools and the Freedom to...

Words & Numbers ·

2020/01/08

“School choice” is much more than parents being able to choose which schools their children will attend. It is also teachers being free to design and teach their own curricula. It is principals being free to promote good teachers and to fire poor teachers. The problems we have with public education in this country have their roots in a lack of choice for all parties involved in the educational process. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick

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27:13

Episode 151: New Year Resolutions

Words & Numbers ·

2020/01/01

It’s the New Year, a time when people like to make resolutions. In this episode, James and Ant look at surveys on what Americans pick for their New Year resolutions, how many fall off their wagons, and the role of resolutions, kept or not, in giving us hope for the future. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits How much do CEOs make relative to workers? https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2018/02/12/ceo-tenure-rates/

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34:53

Episode 150: A Culture of Envy

Words & Numbers ·

2019/12/25

People tend to talk about income inequality as if it were necessarily a bad thing. In so doing, they often confuse inequality and poverty and, in the process, run the risk of justifying what is really envy. This week, James and Ant discuss the fact that poverty is a bad thing, whether inequality could be a bad thing, and that politicians use voters’ envy to expand the government’s power. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits HELPER

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34:03

Episode 149: Predictions and Reality of Net Neutrality

Words & Numbers ·

2019/12/18

A year ago, FCC repealed net neutrality - the law that required internet service providers to treat all data passing through their servers the same. Proponents of net neutrality said that the repeal would yield higher prices and worse service. In this week's episode James and Ant ask what actually happened. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits Billion dollar property tax error

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26:35

Episode 148: The Cost of Living

Words & Numbers ·

2019/12/11

Large countries, like the United States, span multiple time zones and have multiple climates. They also have multiple economies, each with different price levels. Prices in New York City are very different from prices in Boise Idaho - typically higher. But wages in New York City are higher also, but then so too are taxes, and so too is the likelihood of being employed. In this episode, James and Ant talk about differences in the costs of living across US cities. Show your support for Words & Numbers

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30:03

Episode 147: Patently Absurd

Words & Numbers ·

2019/12/03

One of the few enumerated powers that the Founders granted to the federal government was the power to issue patents. Patents are a compromise between two conflicting goals. On the one hand, we want to avoid the creation of government-protected monopolies because monopolies stifle innovation. On the other, we want entrepreneurs to have an incentive to innovate. And one way to incentivize entrepreneurs is to grant monopoly protection for their inventions. Patent law is an attempt to balance these two

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29:51

Episode 146: A Time to Give Thanks

Words & Numbers ·

2019/11/27

Sometimes, the things we take for granted are the things we should be most thankful for. Football games on your television, climate control in your automobiles, and fully-stocked neighborhood grocery stores are among the many things we may not think about until they aren’t there. What do the data indicate about our modern standard of living? Who is responsible for the advancements in medicine and technology that have improved so many lives? Which historical scourges are functionally nonexistent

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30:21

Episode 145: Morality and Economics

Words & Numbers ·

2019/11/20

James and Antony record before a live audience at Truman State University, asking the question, “Is Capitalism moral?” Their answer wends its way through the definition of morality, whether morality requires a religious basis, whether markets beget or reflect morality, whether self-interest is immoral or a motivator that can be harnessed to encourage people to want to help each other. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits Chicago library

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38:43

Episode 144: How Does Direct Access Primary Care Work?

Words & Numbers ·

2019/11/13

The US health care system is rife with many variables affecting the prices of and access to medical care. iHealth is a health care provider that does not take health insurance and is transparent about its prices. Is there a regulatory framework that allows for such a business to be successful? Would this model work for the rest of the country? What barriers are in place that prevent other physicians from doing business like iHealth? Join James Harrigan, Antony Davies, and their special guest Dr

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28:47

Episode 143: The Difference Between Socialism and...

Words & Numbers ·

2019/11/06

Using a historical definition of the term, socialism designated a political system where the government owns the means of production. However, for many people, the word has evolved into something different. Do today’s young people believe in government ownership of property or redistribution of positive results? What has changed the traditional sense of socialism? Has the Supreme Court weighed in on any social programs? Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies as they ponder these questions and more on

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32:11

Episode 142: Are There Limits to Free Speech?

Words & Numbers ·

2019/10/30

Many attention-grabbing headlines talk about laws restricting speech. It seems some legislators don’t know the constitutionality of these proposed laws. What are the ramifications of passing laws such as these? Are these laws justified under some legal doctrines? What’s the rationale behind these propositions? Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they dig into these proposed laws and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

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32:56

Episode 141: Who Are the Real Presidential Contenders?

Words & Numbers ·

2019/10/23

It’s debate season, and speculation about who will be the next president has already begun. Looming over the current president are constant calls for impeachment and reports on alleged wrongdoings which may diminish his chances for reelection. So, who are the best candidates and their running mates? Is impeachment a criminal or a political procedure? What kind of candidate are many Americans looking for? Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies as they offer their assessment of the next presidential

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32:56

Episode 140: What Can We Learn from Joker?

Words & Numbers ·

2019/10/16

Sean Malone, the creator of the Out of Frame video series and Director of Media at FEE, gives us his unique perspective on the film Joker. Do art and cinema have the power to hold a mirror up to society? Is that what makes people uncomfortable about Joker and movies like it? How do other cultures respond to graphic novels and films about superheroes? Join James Harrigan, Antony Davies, and special guest Sean Malone as they avoid spoilers and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Quick hits

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30:05

Episode 139: Happy Deficit Day!

Words & Numbers ·

2019/10/09

This year, October 3, 2019, is Deficit Day, the day the federal government’s income runs out. For a long time, the government has been spending more money than it collects in taxes. What effect will this have on the average American citizen? How much does the government pay in loan interest alone? Hasn’t the federal government had surpluses? Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies as they crunch the numbers and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at

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30:24

Episode 138: Vaping, Firearms, and the Leading Causes...

Words & Numbers ·

2019/10/02

As the saying goes, nothing can be certain except death and taxes. Thousands of people die every year from a remarkably wide variety of causes. What are the top five causes of death in the US? Are you more likely to be killed by a knife than a gun? What do diet and exercise have to do with death? Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they cover death by rare diseases, vaping, firearms and more in this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

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32:46

Episode 137: Tank Man

Words & Numbers ·

2019/09/25

In this episode, James and Ant interview Robert Anthony Peters, producer and director of Tank Man, the story of the everyday person who stood down the Chinese army during the Tiananmen Massacre. In 1989, the Chinese people staged a series of protests in Tiananmen Square calling for democratic reforms. When the authorities had had enough, they sent in troops and tanks to break up the protests, killing and wounding thousands. One man, whose name and fate remains unknown, stood in front of the tanks

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32:24

Episode 136: To Find Solutions, Follow the Incentives

Words & Numbers ·

2019/09/18

Tuition increases seem to indicate that colleges might have an incentive to admit students who may not succeed. Meanwhile, many professors are being required to add clear student outcomes to their syllabi. However, this still leaves many students hanging. Loans are difficult to pay back, and many other problems crop up in schools. How can we adjust incentives to help public universities perform better? Should some schools use their endowments to issue loans? What innovations could be implemented to

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