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InFi Episode #75
Alex Tabarrok on the History and Economics of Life Insurance
Alex Tabarrok is an economics professor at George Mason University and (with Tyler Cowen) co-host of a popular podcast. He and Tyler recently discussed the history and economics of life insurance, and in addition Alex has written extensively on blockchain finance. He was thus an obvious guest for Bob to interview.
February 14, 2025
InFi Episode #74
Supply-Side Support for Tariffs Over Income Taxes, with Brian Domitrovic
Brian Domitrovic is the Richard S. Strong Scholar at the Laffer Center, who holds a PhD in history from Harvard. He joins Bob to discuss his recent articles explaining why the economics profession is so opposed to tariffs but not income taxes. Why are there "free traders" but not "free laborers"?
February 07, 2025
InFi Episode #73
The ZeroHedge MMT vs. Austrian Debate: Does the Treasury Need to Issue Safe Assets?
On the heels of his recent ZeroHedge debate against MMTer Nathan Tankus, Bob elaborates on one key issue: Does it help the private sector if the government issues more "safe assets" to bolster private balance sheets?
January 31, 2025
InFi Episode #72
Tyler Watts' Proposal for Opting Out of Social Security
Tyler Watts is a professor of economics at Ferris State University. In an analysis for the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, he proposes a plan for allowing citizens to opt out of Social Security in a way that helps the program's finances.
January 24, 2025
InFi Episode #71
The Yield Curve Has Uninverted; Does It Signal Recession?
Bob explains that the yield curve has gone back to a "normal" upward sloping configuration, with 10-year Treasuries yielding more than the 3-month T-Bill. Bob reviews the historical pattern and the theory behind it, and also provides an estimate of when the next recession will hit.
January 17, 2025
InFi Episode #70
The Economics of the American H-1B Visa Controversy
Bob referees the recent debate among Trump supporters over the H-1B program, especially the remarks from Vivek Ramaswamy on American culture. Despite its official purpose, the H-1B program does in practice allow for pay below the domestic salary for a given occupation, but that by itself doesn't mean it hurts Americans.
January 10, 2025
InFi Episode #69
Answering Critics of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
Bob responds to critics of his earlier episode on Michael Saylor's arguments for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
January 03, 2025
InFi Episode #68
Does Saylor's Proposal to Dump Gold and Buy Bitcoin Make Economic Sense?
Bob reviews the classical gold standard era, including the demonetization of silver, to evaluate Michael Saylor's proposal for the US government to swap its gold reserves for Bitcoin. Bob agrees with George Selgin that the USD dollar doesn't need reserve assets because it's the global reserve currency, but Bob thinks that status will be forfeited over time, making BTC a wise purchase for the feds.
December 27, 2024
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The Hypocrisy of the Woke Elite
Gene Callahan joins Bob to discuss his review of Musa al-Gharbi's new book, "We Have Never Been Woke". Following Gharbi, Gene argues that the people in Ameri...
Debunking Destiny's Debating
Bob goes through a recent conversation between "Destiny" and Tom Wheelwright on tax policy, in order to debunk the view (among Destiny's fans) that the streamer is a...