Econlib

What if economics stayed closer to Adam Smith and Friedrich Hayek? In this 2013 episode of EconTalk, Peter J. Boettke talks with Russ Roberts about Living Economics and the power of spontaneous order. Celebrating 20 years of EconTalk. 🎙️econtalk.org/boettke-on-liv…

What if merchants don’t seek power—only influence? What if legislatures are not overrun by ambition, but by “clamorous importunity”? Checks and balances restrain rulers. Who restrains the interests that capture them? Read Maria Pia Paganelli full article. adamsmithworks.org/documents/the-…

If more housing is being built, will prices fall? Not necessarily. Quantity changes alone don’t tell the story. As @jmurphy8289 explains, the real question is whether supply or demand shifted. econlib.org/econlog/dont-r…

Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations (Book II) explores prudence, competition, & the rules that shape economic life—from capital accumulation to the “party walls” that separate private interests. Maria Pia Paganelli revisits these themes at 250 years. Read more: loom.ly/YAayOgs

Adam Smith gave us the practical case for liberty—knowledge, incentives, and prosperity. William Blake asked a deeper question: what if liberty isn’t just useful… but essential to being human? Take a deeper dive into Dr. Richard Gunderman's full article.

Few economists shaped modern thinking about markets and freedom like Milton Friedman. Revisit this classic EconTalk episode with host Russ Roberts. Celebrating 20 years of conversation. 🎙️econtalk.org/milton-friedma…

Was Adam Smith really just the economist of thrift and accumulation? Look again. In The Wealth of Nations, productivity grows when ordinary workers apply skill, dexterity, and judgment—and invent new ways to work. econlib.org/library/column…

Join Sarah Skwire & Janet Bufton on April 13, 2026 (2:00–3:30 pm EDT) for Part 2 of our six-part virtual reading group celebrating the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations! Register here: libertyfund.circle.so/c/events-annou…

On March 16, 2006, I released the first episode of EconTalk, The Economics of Parenting. The guest was the very funny always insightful Don Cox: econtalk.org/the-economics-… It was just under 35 minutes long. At some point not long after, I realized I had to release an episode every week and settled on the length of 60 minutes. At some point after that, I realized I could go longer than an hour, though only a handful approach the two hour mark. Twenty years later, and 1040 episodes later, here is the 20th anniversary episode with the great @mungowitz who has effortlessly graced the program a record-setting 51 times. Audio here: econtalk.org/the-economics-… Video on the @HooverInst YouTube channel (a new distribution channel for us!): youtu.be/BDTHOrB6KvQ?si… Enjoy and thanks to all of you who listen.

Where it all started 20 years ago TODAY: the first episode of EconTalk. @EconTalker and Don Cox explore the economics of parenting and the puzzle of incentive compatibility. econtalk.org/the-economics-…

For 20 years, EconTalk has invited listeners into thoughtful conversations about economics, philosophy, and the ideas that shape a free society. Hosted by Russ Roberts (@EconTalker), the podcast has explored markets, institutions, culture, and human flourishing with scholars, writers, and practitioners from around the world. What began as an experiment in long-form dialogue has become one of the most enduring and influential podcasts on ideas. More than a thousand conversations later, EconTalk continues to reflect what Liberty Fund values most: civil discourse, intellectual curiosity, and a serious engagement with the ideas of liberty. Thank you to Russ Roberts, EconTalk’s extraordinary guests, and the global community of listeners who have spent the past two decades thinking with us. You can watch the full-video recording of this 20th Anniversary episode at 🔗 loom.ly/lvxG8dc or check out the full EconTalk podcast archive at 🔗 loom.ly/xnQgZJ8

Why does Duke University give away tickets to the hottest game in college basketball instead of making millions selling them? @EconTalker Russell Roberts talks with Michael @mungowitz, Duke professor and frequent guest, about the legendary Duke–North Carolina men's basketball rivalry and what it reveals about scarcity, pricing, and why institutions sometimes choose community over profit. Watch EconTalk on X:

His ideas shaped modern criminal justice systems and inspired reformers across Europe and America. Beccaria reminded the world that justice must be grounded in reason, humanity, and the protection of individual rights. #HappyBirthday loom.ly/NFv0ZeI

How did thinkers long before liberalism understand spontaneous order? Join Dan Kapust for Spontaneous Orders in Antiquity, exploring Polybius, Cicero & Lucretius. Pre-register 👉 libertyfund.circle.so/c/events-annou…

Join us for a six-part monthly virtual reading group series that celebrates the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations! oll.libertyfund.org/community

The Great Antidote throwback: Learning to teach, teaching to learn—Adam Smith’s lessons in education, with guest Alice Temnick and host Juliette Sellgren. youtube.com/watch?v=CQ8nn1…

Mercantilism: the art of turning trade into power for the state, not prosperity for the people—Adam Smith showed why wealth grows when markets, not monarchs, decide. econlib.org/library/Enc/Me…

"What mercantilists ignore is that people gain from trade, period.” The Wealth of Nations just turned 250. Hoover Fellow @davidrhenderson shares how Adam Smith's ideas on economics, trade, and markets remain relevant as ever. hoover.org/research/celeb…

Join our Virtual Reading Group on The Federalist Papers and the Debate on the Constitution! Explore famous essays like #10, #51 & #78—plus overlooked gems—across 3 weekly sessions. Pre-registration required. libertyfund.circle.so/c/events-annou…

Thomas Jefferson read Adam Smith closely, calling him “the best book extant,” if sometimes “tedious.” What he found was simple and enduring: liberty works—count the costs, trust exchange, guard defense. Read Dr. Hans Eicholz full article. adamsmithworks.org/documents/1776…