Contra Krugman (Bob Murphy and Tom Woods)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Contra Krugman
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 May 2020 | Ep. 224 Krugman Bravely Comes Out Against Killing Workers | 00:42:26 | |
With his usual magnanimity, Krugman declares that the epidemiologists have been completely accurate in their warnings during the pandemic, whereas those who want to reopen the economy are trying to kill workers. Tom and Bob beg to differ. | |||
| 22 Jun 2019 | Ep. 194 Elizabeth Warren Has Some Great Ideas | 00:35:18 | |
Krugman is very impressed by Elizabeth Warren, who he thinks has a whole bunch of very good, detailed policy proposals. This is precisely what the world needs more of, he says: public policy proposals based on the best scholarly literature. He proceeds to misrepresent that literature. We nail him. | |||
| 30 Jun 2017 | Ep. 93 The Seattle Minimum Wage Policy Is a Disaster | 00:47:09 | |
The official study commissioned by the city of Seattle is painting a grim picture of the consequences of the minimum wage increase in that city thus far. | |||
| 24 Jun 2017 | Ep. 92 Krugman Says GOP Policies Are Zombies and Vampires | 00:46:23 | |
Well well well, in a splash of serendipity, the one week Tom leaves the show in Bob's hands, Krugman devotes his column to zombies--and vampires. Specifically, the GOP idea that tax cuts on the rich are great for the economy is an idea that just won't die. And the Republican plan for health insurance reform must be kept hidden from the sunlight. (Just like a vampire, get it?) Bob brings on Cato Senior Fellow Dan Mitchell to talk about the alleged supply-side failure in Kansas. | |||
| 24 May 2017 | Ep. 87 LIVE IN SEATTLE: Krugman Wrong on Everything | 00:38:22 | |
For the second time, we recorded a live episode of the show in Seattle. We hit health care, foreign policy, taxes, and more. Thanks to the energetic crowd! | |||
| 31 Aug 2019 | Ep. 203 Deeper Economic Analysis of Slavery, Free Trade vs. Welfare, and Debt Repudiation | 00:38:02 | |
Because Krugman is a bore, Tom and Bob field questions from the listeners. They handle objections about their recent arguments concerning the economics of slavery, clear up apparent contradictions in the libertarian handling of free trade and the welfare state, and explain Rothbard's view of debt repudiation. | |||
| 23 Apr 2019 | Ep. 185 David Stockman Joins Us to Shred Economist's Love Letter to the Fed | 00:50:33 | |
Greg Mankiw, a professor of economics at Harvard, wrote an article for the New York Times urging America to preserve the Federal Reserve he loves. And what is that? A nonpolitical, nonpartisan, scientific economic management agency staffed by selfless advocates for the public good. David Stockman, director of the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan, joins us to dismantle it. | |||
| 15 Apr 2016 | Ep. 31 The Nonsensical Case for More Regulation | 00:42:05 | |
Krugman is upset this week at a judicial ruling that held that the government's case for naming MetLife a Systemically Important Financial Institution (SIFI) was inadequate and should be thrown out. Sure, it's impossible to nail down what the criteria for a SIFI are, says Krugman, but so what? We take on the whole issue -- not just MetLife, but the whole idea of extra regulation for so-called SIFIs. | |||
| 23 Apr 2016 | Ep. 32 Why Antitrust Is the Problem, Not the Solution | 00:43:41 | |
Krugman is now blaming poor economic times (but hasn't he been trying to tell us things are much better than the stupid right-wingers say?) on a lack of competition. Lax antitrust enforcement is the problem! Sure it is. In fact, antitrust itself is the problem, as we show in this week's episode. | |||
| 08 May 2017 | Ep. 85 Trump Is Terrible, and His Supporters Won't Admit It, Says Krugman | 00:32:05 | |
On the one hand, people are telling pollsters that they're bullish on the economy, but on the other, the economic statistics (like retail sales) aren't reflecting this kind of confidence. What's going on here? Krugman has a theory.... | |||
| 16 Jul 2016 | Ep. 43 Krugman Says Investors Have Given Up Hope...So, What Happened to that Obama Recovery, Paul? | 00:27:06 | |
This week, Krugman considers several possible explanations for why long-term interest rates are so low around the world. The one he settles on: investors have concluded that the weak economy is the new normal, so to speak, so they're willing to accept low yields. But this explanation contradicts Krugman's repeated insistence that the Obama recovery is stronger than ignorant right-wingers give it credit for. Which is it, Paul? | |||
| 01 Mar 2020 | Ep. 218 We Need Financial Regulation, Says Krugman | 00:37:29 | |
What really matters, says Krugman, is financial regulation. And only Elizabeth Warren can deliver, because Bernie will expend his political capital on unwinnable issues, and Bloomberg's heart isn't in it. We respond, as usual. | |||
| 05 Mar 2018 | Ep. 128 The Destructive Idiocy of "Modern Monetary Theory" | 00:33:32 | |
Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) is gaining traction. Its adherents think it's just common sense, but it's actually destructive nonsense. Why, governments can never "run out of money," because they have a printing press! OK, it's a little more sophisticated than that, but not nearly as much as they think it is. More inanities smashed courtesy of Contra Krugman. | |||
| 16 Dec 2016 | Ep. 65 Did the Russians Hack the Election? | 00:28:30 | |
That sounds totally realistic and not at all like it was concocted by spooks. | |||
| 07 May 2018 | Ep. 137 Is Taxation Theft? Not If You're Not Entitled to Your Paycheck in the First Place, Says Philosopher | 00:40:12 | |
Philip Goff argues that libertarians make a variety of unsupported and unsupportable assumptions when they claim that taxation is theft. We defend the libertarian claim against Goff. (What else did you expect us to do?) | |||
| 05 Nov 2018 | Ep. 163 Scott Horton on Trump, the Saudis, and Murder | 00:35:32 | |
The apparent murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of the Saudis was the subject of this Krugman column, which discusses and criticizes the Trump response. Foreign-policy expert Scott Horton joins us for this chilling episode. | |||
| 06 Dec 2017 | Ep. 116 Krugman Hearts the Neocons for Their Principles | 00:36:07 | |
Krugman is upset that more Republicans aren't speaking out against the tax bill that's been in the news. But there's one bright light for Krugman: the neocons. Lots of them have been soundly anti-Trump, and Krugman appreciates their adherence to principle. (Funny, we don't recall Krugman ever admiring Ron Paul's adherence to principle, and his led to far fewer deaths....) | |||
| 09 Apr 2018 | Ep. 133 Protectionism Doesn't Cause Depressions, But Here's What It Does Do | 00:31:10 | |
Opponents of protectionism sometimes misrepresent what the real danger of it is. It isn't going to cause a depression or mass unemployment. But it does do something -- beyond just raising domestic prices -- that undermines everyone's standard of living. | |||
| 29 Oct 2017 | Ep. 110 Krugman Demands We Admit Our Mistakes, Embrace the Fed | 00:47:25 | |
Krugman thinks everyone who disagrees with him on monetary policy has been decisively refuted and ought to be ridiculed or ignored. The Fed has done great work, he says. He also insists that unlike him, we refuse to admit our mistakes. That's a lot of fodder for one episode. Enjoy! | |||
| 29 Mar 2020 | Ep. 220 Coronavirus Economics | 01:13:26 | |
This episode delves into all the key questions surrounding the economics of the coronavirus crisis: bailouts, Federal Reserve policy, payments to individuals, the effects of the shutdown, and more. | |||
| 09 Nov 2019 | Ep. 210 Elizabeth Warren's Fiscal Fantasies | 00:32:48 | |
Krugman is impressed by the detail and alleged seriousness of Elizabeth Warren's Medicare for All plan and how it will be paid for. Bob and Tom, by contrast, are not so impressed. | |||
| 04 Aug 2017 | Ep. 98 Do Krugman's Opponents Lie About Taxes, Health Care, and Everything Else? Or Is Krugman Just Dead Wrong? | 00:31:27 | |
Republicans are incorrigibly wrong on issue after issue, from taxes to health care, says Krugman. They have no respect for experts, for data, or for the truth itself. And yet it turns out that the guy who's wrong is...(you'll never guess). | |||
| 18 Mar 2016 | Ep. 27 Is Free Trade Good or Bad? | 00:50:13 | |
Krugman discusses how economists should respond to the growth in sympathy for protectionism. Along the way, his Keynesian assumptions lead him to oddball conclusions. Bob and Tom also spend some time explaining the classical case for free trade and discussing whether that case has been vitiated in light of modern conditions. | |||
| 14 Sep 2019 | Ep. 205 Is This Evidence of an Authoritarian Regime? | 00:31:39 | |
Krugman argues that an undemocratic, authoritarian regime is being built in the United States, and cites Sharpiegate and Trump's treatment of the auto industry as prime examples. | |||
| 23 Mar 2018 | Ep. 131 Trade and Tariffs, and Should We Fear a Strong Dollar? | 00:39:29 | |
Krugman says Trump is surrounded by people who are wrong on trade: first, the neo-mercantilists, who view trade as a zero-sum game of winners and losers, and second, "neo-goldbugs," who favor a strong dollar and won't concede the merits of a weak currency. Krugman isn't wrong about the neo-mercantilists, but he's wrong about plenty else.... | |||
| 03 Feb 2020 | Ep. 216 Krugman Hearts Greta Thunberg | 00:38:02 | |
Krugman says Greta Thunberg is closer the economics mainstream than are her critics. Quite a few whoppers to deal with in this one, as you can surely imagine. | |||
| 03 Dec 2016 | Ep. 63 On Education, We Catch Krugman Telling the Exact Opposite of the Truth | 00:37:17 | |
In Krugman's column on cronyism and profiteering, Bob and Tom pay particular attention to the section on education, where Krugman discusses school vouchers and "privatization." Wait till you hear how Krugman summarizes the results of these policies.... | |||
| 09 Jun 2018 | Ep. 142 KRUGMAN FLATTENED: The Neocons Are Sincere, He Says, But Everyone Else Is a Shill for the Coal Industry | 00:40:26 | |
Krugman tips his hat to the neoconservatives, whom he describes as "sincere," but says the rest of his right-of-center opponents are unprincipled shills. Why, they support Trump's government support for coal! Uh, nope. | |||
| 17 Aug 2019 | Ep. 201 The White Nationalist Hoax | 00:37:37 | |
The ordinarily serene Bob Murphy is genuinely outraged in this episode, in which we cover Krugman's casual claim that Donald Trump is trying to establish an "authoritarian, white nationalist regime." Needless to say, it does not matter what your opinion of Trump is. This idea is out of some sort of alternate reality that in no way corresponds to the real world, but which in classic Orwellian style is presented as if all reasonable people just know it to be true. | |||
| 08 Sep 2018 | Ep. 155 What Would Happen If One Country Became Free, and the Rest Had States? | 00:43:37 | |
We take a listener question -- early-bird registrants for the Contra Cruise got this as a bonus -- about what would happen if one country went completely stateless, but the rest of the world stayed the same. Lots of potential consequences here, and we do our best to sort them out! Plus the usual fun. | |||
| 23 Nov 2016 | Ep. 62 Krugman Desperate to Oppose Trump Infrastructure Stimulus | 00:30:10 | |
Funny: Krugman used to be happy about any kind of fiscal stimulus. But when it's a Republican doing it, he has to come up with a laundry list of reasons to oppose it. But his own economic theory virtually requires him to favor it, so we have a little fun with the poor guy. | |||
| 10 Jul 2019 | Ep. 196 There Aren't Any Socialists in the Democratic Party? | 00:34:10 | |
There aren't any real socialists running in the Democratic Party, says Krugman, because none of them want to abolish private ownership of the means of production. Republicans level the accusation because they're ignorant idiots. Krugman wonders what would happen if Republicans began to be routinely referred to as fascists (as if isn't happening every day). | |||
| 29 Jan 2016 | Ep. 20 Government Water Supply Is Contaminated? Don't Blame Government, Urges Krugman | 00:35:43 | |
You'll never guess how Krugman apportions blame for the polluted water fiasco in Flint, Michigan. Wait, you probably will. Bob and Tom exonerate libertarianism in this episode! | |||
| 11 Nov 2017 | Ep. 112 Don't Get Excited About Tax Cuts, Says Krugman; Results Will Be Pitiful | 00:33:26 | |
Krugman says Republicans are expecting too much from the corporate income tax rate cut they're proposing. Is he right? | |||
| 06 Nov 2015 | Ep. 8 Does the Economy Perform Better Under Democrats? | 00:38:37 | |
This week, Paul Krugman claimed that the economy does better under Democrats, and that the wild growth promises of "free market" Republicans never materialize. Without being water carriers for either party, we set Krugman straight -- after all, that's what we're here for! | |||
| 24 Jul 2018 | Ep. 148 LIVE FROM MISES U: Why Does Austrian Economics Matter to the Average Person? | 00:39:13 | |
We recorded this episode before a live audience at the Mises Institute's Mises University summer program. What a blast! | |||
| 31 Mar 2017 | Ep. 80 When Krugman Struck Back at Bob on Business Cycles | 00:42:42 | |
This week (with Krugman discussing Obamacare yet again) we decided to hop into our time machine and revisit a golden oldie: Krugman's response to one of Bob's articles on capital theory and business cycles. Now that's an episode! | |||
| 15 Oct 2018 | Ep. 160 Climate Change Alarmists Prematurely Cheer New Nobel Winner | 00:41:08 | |
The media is delighted that William Nordhaus shared this year's Nobel Prize in economics. Why, he warns about the damage likely to be caused by climate change, just as we do! Not so fast, alarmists. Not so fast. | |||
| 21 Oct 2016 | Ep. 57 Everything Is Awesome, So Why Are Trump and Ryan Complaining, Wonders Krugman | 00:34:39 | |
Both Donald Trump and Paul Ryan, each in his own way, spin crazy dystopian stories about America, says Krugman. Our country isn't perfect, but where are they getting these crazy ideas? We sort out who's crazy and whether things really are dystopian. | |||
| 27 Oct 2018 | Ep. 162 LIVE FROM THE CONTRA CRUISE: Hard Questions for Libertarians | 00:46:54 | |
Aboard our third Contra Cruise, we take on some of the hardest questions libertarians have to answer: roads, the poor, defense, and more. | |||
| 12 Jan 2019 | Ep. 171 The Economics of Soaking the Rich | 00:47:54 | |
Paul Krugman loves Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and says her suggestion for a much higher top marginal income tax rate is actually well founded and economically sound. Now if the column were just about that, it'd make for a great episode of Contra Krugman. But the way Krugman speaks of "the rich" is downright sinister, and we hit that head on as well. | |||
| 03 Sep 2016 | Ep. 50 Cuts to Planned Parenthood Caused Pregnant Women to Die? Here's the Real Story Behind This Whopper | 00:32:07 | |
Why have mortality rates among pregnant women in Texas doubled in recent years? There's no one explanation, Krugman admits -- and then proceeds to pounce on one explanation: cuts to Planned Parenthood. And you'll never guess: Krugman is full of it! | |||
| 12 Dec 2018 | Ep. 167 How Can a Free Society Handle Terrorism, Climate Change, and Quarantines? | 00:46:31 | |
We take on additional hard questions for libertarians: quarantines (for infectious/incurable diseases), terrorism, Somalia, and climate change. | |||
| 21 Sep 2019 | Ep. 206 Are You Deranged for Opposing Regulation? | 00:32:07 | |
Krugman says people on the political right get inordinately worked up over minor regulations that have a clear public benefit, and that such people now have a champion in the White House. Could there be a reason other than derangement for why people get upset about various kinds of regulation? Bob and Tom discuss. | |||
| 08 Sep 2019 | Ep. 204 Krugman's Worst Blunders | 00:37:07 | |
We take listener questions in this episode, from Krugman's worst blunders, to how the Fed might return interest rates to their natural level, to a former Fed official's implication that the Federal Reserve ought to make Trump's reelection more difficult. | |||
| 17 Dec 2017 | Ep. 117 How Bob Smacked Down Krugman on the Financial Crisis | 00:36:31 | |
Krugman is claiming that everything he said regarding housing and the financial crisis has been vindicated. The problem, he says, was a general collapse in "demand." Contra Krugman co-host Bob Murphy, on the other hand, has shown in his own writing that in fact the crisis was not caused by a problem with "demand" in general, but with problems in particular sectors, brought about during the inflationary boom. | |||
| 21 Apr 2018 | Ep. 135 Evil Fossil Fuel People Are Keeping Renewable Energy Down! | 00:33:51 | |
Krugman says renewable energy is getting less expensive and more realistic as a power option all the time, and that the only thing standing in the way are shills for the various fossil-fuel industries. Really? | |||
| 21 Jan 2018 | Ep. 122 Varieties of Wrongness: The Different Kinds of Keynesianism | 00:38:51 | |
This week we bypass Krugman's columns to discuss the different schools of Keynesianism, how and when they emerged, and what their differences are. | |||
| 13 Aug 2016 | Ep. 47 Time for Lots of Borrowing and Spending? | 00:30:41 | |
With long-term interest rates low and no shortage of ideas for public-works projects, Krugman says now's the time to do -- wait for it -- lots of borrowing and spending. Actually, you know what it's really time for? | |||
| 22 Jan 2016 | Ep. 19 Enough About Inequality Already; Here's the Truth | 00:54:32 | |
Krugman wonders how rich "we need" the rich to be. A strange question, but you know the answer: less rich than they are now. We're then treated to a lecture on income inequality. We don't like lectures.
Is this the best episode yet of Contra Krugman? Tom thinks so....
| |||
| 09 Jul 2016 | Ep. 42 Without Government, Workers Are Doomed | 00:31:49 | |
This week, Krugman is unhappy that Donald Trump has earned a reputation as a defender of workers. How can he be, wonders Krugman, if he doesn't support Obamacare, more privileges for labor unions, higher taxes on the rich, and so on? | |||
| 15 May 2016 | Ep. 35 Debt Default: Good or Bad? | 00:32:19 | |
You'll never guess: Krugman contradicts himself this week, but only Bob Murphy, who knows Krugman's columns inside and out, caught him. This week the topic is whether it's a good idea at some point to repay the national debt at less than face value. Krugman is horrified, so maybe it's a good idea.... | |||
| 21 Jul 2017 | Ep. 96 Long Ago, Weren't Conservatives Better Than They Are Now? | 00:47:42 | |
On his blog, Krugman responds to fellow columnist Bret Stephens, who argues that the conservative movement has fallen a long way since the days of William F. Buckley. Krugman responds that the conservative movement was never any good, and never had any kind of golden age. Believe it or not, we get more worked up in this episode than probably any episode thus far. You won't want to skip this one. | |||
| 20 Oct 2018 | Ep. 161 The Huge Problem the Fed Caused When It, Ahem, Solved the Last Problem | 00:42:48 | |
During and after the financial crisis the Fed increased the monetary base to an unprecedented extent. Everyone hailed it for its wisdom. but that alleged solution is now a major problem hanging over the economy. What if anything can the Fed do now? | |||
| 09 Oct 2016 | Ep. 55 Krugman, Trump, and Trade | 00:34:35 | |
Krugman says it's not just Trump who's an ignoramus, but his economic advisors, too: why, they seem to think a foreign VAT (value-added tax) hurts US exporters. We investigate, and turns out these guys are against fiscal and monetary stimulus -- how bad could they be? Yes, there are some problems in the Trump white paper, but there's a lot of good in it, too. And its key fallacy on trade accounting is something Krugman himself has pushed in other contexts. | |||
| 31 Dec 2017 | Ep. 119 Is Bitcoin More Evil Than Krugman? | 00:53:31 | |
In this episode, Bob once again flies solo, burdening the listeners with his odd sense of humor. But along the way, he tackles Krugman's objections to Bitcoin, and also discusses the relevance of Mises' regression theorem to the cryptocurrency. | |||
| 23 May 2016 | Ep. 36 LIVE FROM SEATTLE: Krugman's Greatest Hits | 00:32:09 | |
This episode was recorded before a live audience in Seattle on May 21, 2016, as part of the Mises Institute's event in Seattle. Krugman had been giving us thin gruel all week, but then, the day before the event, he gave us such a whopper of a column it was like a giant gift with a big red bow on it. | |||
| 10 Nov 2018 | Ep. 164 Krugman: Backward Hicks Keep Thwarting My Candidates | 00:22:04 | |
Krugman laments that the Senate disproportionately represents people he obviously dislikes. we use that as a springboard for a lively discussion of the recent midterm elections and what's really going on in American politics. | |||
| 19 Nov 2018 | Ep. 165 Why Did a Booming Economy Hit a Snag? (You'll Never Guess Krugman's Answer....) | 00:32:30 | |
Brazil's economy was booming and everything looked great, and then it suffered a severe slump. What the heck happened? Well, whether or not you're interested in Brazil you'll be interested in Krugman's attempted answers and our replies. (You'll also be shocked to learn that Krugman has quietly changed his position on Brazil, hoping no one would notice. No such luck, Paul.) | |||
| 06 Jan 2020 | Ep. 214 Austerity Is Just What the World's Economies Needed | 00:35:20 | |
Krugman blames the "austerity" that began a decade ago for ensuing economic ills and political instability. This is a fashionable enough view, but the evidence against it is more or less overwhelming. Enjoy! | |||
| 26 Mar 2016 | Ep. 28 Income Mobility Really Does Exist, Paul Krugman | 00:33:40 | |
We managed to dig out some economics from yet another standard Krugman attack on the Republican Party. This time it's his skepticism about the existence of very much income mobility in America. We'll say this: if government programs had the record of success in this area that the (hampered) market economy has, Krugman would never let us hear the end of it. | |||
| 12 Jun 2016 | Ep. 39 It's Easy to Fix the Slowing Economy: Try Something That's Never Worked, Says Krugman | 00:42:14 | |
Krugman admits the recent job numbers aren't so good, but says there's an easy solution: fiscal stimulus. Waiting for actual examples of successful fiscal stimulus? You won't find them in this column, and for good reason.... | |||
| 02 Jan 2016 | Ep. 16 George W. Bush Was for Small Government, Says Krugman | 00:43:13 | |
Krugman says the GOP presidential candidates have all embraced the radical, anti-government views of George W. Bush. First, we were speechless. Then, we recorded an episode of Contra Krugman. Lew Rockwell joined us this week. | |||
| 11 Aug 2017 | Ep. 99 Krugman Doesn't Get What Happened in 2008 | 00:34:46 | |
Krugman claims the downturn of 2008 was caused by inadequate "demand." The Austrians claim the downturn was more complicated: it involved problems in particular sectors that had been artificially expanded, not a system-wide problem of not enough spending. Thankfully, we can resolve this dispute swiftly enough -- and we do, in this episode. | |||
| 01 Aug 2017 | Ep. 97 How Central Banks Hurt Regular People (LIVE from Mises U) | 00:39:41 | |
How do central banks hurt the common man? That's the theme of our discussion in this episode, recorded live at the Mises Institute's annual week-long instructional program for students. Professor Jeffrey Herbener of Grove City College and Ph.D. candidate Louis Rouanet join us. | |||
| 19 May 2019 | Ep. 189 The Truth About Trump and the Tariffs | 00:34:27 | |
The issue of international trade is not a simple one of a difference of opinion: Trump genuinely appears not to understand the subject. We sort it all out in this episode. | |||
| 02 Feb 2019 | Ep. 174 They Are Really Coming After the Rich | 00:52:11 | |
The proposals to tax the rich much more heavily are coming fast and furious from Democratic presidential candidates. We examine the ideas and so-called economics behind it all. | |||
| 26 Jan 2018 | Ep. 123 We're Forgetting How Bad Previous Presidents Were | 00:30:54 | |
Krugman complains about Trump again this week, and blames him for (among numerous other things) the loss of U.S. credibility abroad. We take a stroll down (recent) memory lane to add some perspective: there's plenty of presidential crappiness to go around. | |||
| 21 Jul 2019 | Ep. 197 Is Privatization (Including Prisons) Expensive and Evil? | 00:33:57 | |
Krugman suggests that although it makes sense for much of the economy to be in private hands, there are some sectors where private control would yield perverse results. He devotes particular attention to so-called private prisons. So we set him straight. After all, that's why we're here. | |||
| 13 Apr 2017 | Ep. 82 Is Krugman Right About Syria? | 00:36:48 | |
Krugman says Trump's recent strike on Syria is typical of the man: a one-shot action masquerading as policy. He also says that Obama was right to stay out, since there was no clear way through the morass there. Special guest Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report, joins us for this episode. | |||
| 02 Aug 2016 | Ep. 45 Contra Krugman LIVE: Are We Just Like Milton Friedman? Where Austria and Chicago Differ | 00:46:32 | |
In this special episode of Contra Krugman, recorded live at the Mises Institute's Mises University summer instructional program for college students, Bob and Tom are joined by three other professors: Peter Klein (Baylor University), Lucas Englehardt (Kent State University), and Mark Thornton (Mises Institute). | |||
| 14 Mar 2018 | Ep. 129 Trump's Tariffs Are Bad (and So Is Krugman) | 00:42:38 | |
Trump's tariffs are bad economics, so Krugman isn't entirely wrong, but his cheerleading for some of the well-known trade agreements needs the gentle correction we're known for on this show.... | |||
| 14 Mar 2020 | Ep. 219 Krugman Wants Perpetual Deficits | 00:28:06 | |
In a perhaps surprising move for someone who said "deficits matter again" upon Trump's election, Krugman now makes the case for perpetual budget deficits in the range of 4% of GDP. This will facilitate much-needed "stimulus spending" in an era of weak growth and low inflation. Tom and Bob point out the fallacies in this thinking. | |||
| 10 May 2019 | Ep. 188 Trump's Economy Proves Keynesianism is Right, Says Krugman | 00:33:51 | |
After having predicted that the election of Trump would lead to economic hard times as far as the eye could see, Krugman's new line is that of course the economy is strong: federal deficits have been driving it! | |||
| 24 Jul 2016 | Ep. 44 Booming Stock Market Indicates Bad Times, Says Krugman | 00:32:03 | |
Is a rising stock market an indication of economic health? Not necessarily, says Krugman, and on that he's of course correct. But what accounts for rising stock prices today? He says a lack of alternative options for investors -- another way of saying the economy stinks, even though he devotes half his columns to defenses of Obama. | |||
| 21 Oct 2017 | Ep. 109 LIVE from the Contra Cruise: Do People Behave the Way Economists Predict? | 00:39:34 | |
Krugman is a fan of Richard Thaler, winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, and speaks in favor of Thaler's argument that real people often don't act like the calculating robots of neoclassical lore. Thaler is right about that, but we've got a bunch of punchy responses to his more dubious claims -- responses that are all the more fun to listen to because delivered before a live audience aboard the Contra Cruise! | |||
| 12 Dec 2015 | Ep. 13 Krugman's Lame Defense of the Obama Economy | 00:34:43 | |
Krugman says the economy isn't really so bad! And the good parts are due -- of course! -- to what little Keynesian policy the stupid American rubes have permitted. You think he's going to get away with that, with Contra Krugman around? | |||
| 18 Feb 2017 | Ep. 74 If Ignorance Is Strength, How Strong Is Krugman? | 00:38:12 | |
You know the drill: Krugman says Republicans--including but not limited to Donald Trump--are blithering idiots who are actually proud of their ignorance. There are plenty of right-wingers we dislike too, but as usual Krugman's claims are utterly biased. We remember some of President Obama's "greatest hits" when it comes to diplomatic gaffes and botched policy execution. | |||
| 11 Aug 2018 | Ep. 151 Krugman Is a Crypto-Skeptic, and for Lousy Reasons | 00:46:53 | |
Krugman advances two main arguments against cryptocurrency. One of them, it turns out, applies equally well to the U.S. dollar, a point Krugman fails to acknowledge. Neither argument carries much sting, and in fact cryptocurrencies can parry Krugman's criticisms without breaking a sweat. | |||
| 11 Jan 2017 | Ep. 69 This Is Why Our Podcast Exists: Krugman Literally Says Deficits Matter Again -- at the Very Moment a Republican Takes Over | 00:50:49 | |
Krugman actually had the nerve to write a column called "Deficits Matter Again." We demolish this column. We prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Krugman is simply a hypocrite, despite his protestations to the contrary. His reasons for why the deficit suddenly matters were all in effect months ago, yet back then Krugman didn't care about the deficit at all. | |||
| 01 Dec 2018 | Ep. 166 Krugman's Recent Q&A: His (Lousy) Answers, and Ours | 00:57:20 | |
Krugman took questions last week on Quora, and they spanned a wide range: -- Has Keynesian economics failed America? -- What are the causes of inequality? -- What will Trump's long-term economic legacy be? -- Why haven't wages increased alongside corporate profits? -- Would universal basic income work? -- Can Krugman refute "trickle-down" economics? -- and a whole bunch more. In this episode, we critique Krugman's answers and offer our own. | |||
| 09 Sep 2016 | Ep. 51 Not Voting Democrat? Then You Want to Kill Children, Says Krugman | 00:30:39 | |
This week, Krugman is unhappy about the adverse health effects of lead paint, which only Hillary Clinton wants to eradicate. This is typical, Krugman says: Republicans (which in his mind is synonymous with free-market people) hate science and love when poor people are unsafe and die. | |||
| 06 Feb 2016 | Ep. 21 Did the Financial Crisis Occur Because the Fed Was Too Timid? | 00:37:00 | |
Krugman evaluates the claims of market monetarists, who blame the Fed for the crisis because its policy was allegedly too timid. Krugman doesn't agree (and on that he's correct!), and he also finds it weird that "free-market" economists would say the Fed "caused" the crisis by not intervening. Isn't not intervening what free-market economists are supposed to favor? | |||
| 17 Mar 2017 | Ep. 78 If You're Not a Keynesian, You're Not Living in Reality | 00:35:42 | |
Krugman's opponents all live in a fantasy world where facts don't count. That's his dispassionate assessment of our present situation. He also can't believe anyone would think the Congressional Budget Office's reports might be politicized. Too bad he himself made that precise accusation in 2015.... | |||
| 11 Apr 2020 | Ep. 221 The Destructive Coronavirus Response, Cheered by Krugman | 00:32:51 | |
Guest co-host Richard Ebeling -- who was one of Bob's own economics professors -- joins me to discuss Krugman's qualified support for the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill recently signed into law, and why we shouldn't be cheering. | |||
| 25 May 2018 | Ep. 140 Fascism Is Coming to Europe | 00:35:14 | |
Krugman bewails the mistakes and poor judgment of the establishment on both sides of the Atlantic, because the result has been a popular revolt tending towards fascism. We also discuss the euro, and Krugman's claim that "austerity" caused great damage to Europe. Paul Gottfried is our special guest. | |||
| 23 Dec 2016 | Ep. 66 Krugman's a Little Late to Be Worrying About the Republic: His Analogies with the Ancient World Are Lame | 00:37:44 | |
So Paul Krugman is suddenly shedding tears over the fate of the republic. Of course, he cheered every step that brought us here. | |||
| 08 Jun 2019 | Ep. 192 Your Deepest Questions About the Fed Answered | 00:33:48 | |
We do another Q&A episode this week, a good portion of which revolves around the Federal Reserve: the best ways to undermine it, how we might transition away from it, whether a reckoning has to come even if the Fed never raises interest rates, and a lot more. Plus: would we rather debate ten duck-sized Krugmans or one Krugman-sized duck? | |||
| 11 Dec 2016 | Ep. 64 Why It's Impossible to Keep Only the "Good Parts" of Obamacare | 00:31:07 | |
Let's keep the part about covering pre-existing conditions, say Donald Trump and many other Republicans, and just get rid of the parts we dislike. Unfortunately for them, that can't be done. | |||
| 26 Apr 2020 | Ep. 222 Why Won't We Listen to the Experts? | 00:36:58 | |
Krugman is unhappy that the "right wing" is more apt to listen to people he considers quacks than to people he considers experts, and he says the COVID-19 problem is yet another example. We are unconvinced. | |||
| 04 Aug 2018 | Ep. 150 We Need the State to Protect Workers | 00:38:08 | |
There's been plenty of discussion of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, says Krugman, but it's been focused mainly on his views of presidential power, and not on his opinions on business and workers. On this, too, he's atrocious, says Krugman. We say: Krugman is leaving out 95% of the argument. | |||
| 05 Dec 2015 | Ep. 12 Krugman Wants Less Regulation; Our Podcast Is Wearing Him Down | 00:36:04 | |
Krugman correctly identifies one of the reasons housing is so expensive in New York. What else could the explanation be if not the salutary influence of Contra Krugman? | |||
| 25 Nov 2019 | Ep. 211 LIVE FROM VIENNA: Is Europe an Example for the U.S.? | 00:42:11 | |
We recorded this episode before a live audience at -- of all places -- the Austrian central bank in Vienna, where the Austrian Economics Center held a two-day academic conference. We respond to Krugman's key claim: namely, that Eurosclerosis is long over, and that Europe can no longer be cited with any plausibility as evidence that significant social spending and regulation retard employment. | |||
| 07 May 2016 | Ep. 34 What the World Needs Is More Spending | 00:33:15 | |
Surveying the economic stagnation in Europe, all Krugman can come up with is an alleged need for more government spending. | |||
| 05 Jun 2016 | Ep. 38 When Businessmen Are Clueless About the Economy | 00:27:30 | |
This week, Krugman makes one decent point: successful businessmen aren't necessarily any good on economics. No argument there. Krugman doesn't quite get why his insight is true, but at least it's something. Bob and Tom discuss (1) why government can't be run like a business, (2) why falling wages need not be a catastrophe for "aggregate demand," (3) whether it makes sense to speak of a "manager" of the economy, and more. | |||
| 26 Jan 2019 | Ep. 173 The Case for One-Third Communism | 00:37:43 | |
Krugman says that the case for putting the government directly in charge of approximately one-third of the economy is very strong. We're not so sure it's quite so strong. | |||
| 27 Nov 2015 | Ep. 11 Ignore the Bad News About Obamacare! Everything Is Fine! | 00:39:29 | |
This week Obamacare got some terrible news: rising premiums, lackluster enrollment (which is why the pool is sicker than anticipated), and major losses being suffered by insurance companies participating in the Obamacare exchanges. These are problems, Krugman magnanimously concedes, but not a big deal. Oh, yeah? Wait until you hear this episode! | |||
| 17 Oct 2015 | Ep. 5 Who's Crazy? | 00:39:25 | |
Paul Krugman says Paul Ryan is an empty suit whose budget plans are ridiculous. No arguments there, as we'll show. But the problem with Ryan isn't that he's an Ayn Randian, as Krugman absurdly suggests, or that his proposals are too draconian. As usual when Krugman gets one right, he gets it right for the wrong reason. Ryan's proposals are much too timid, they take domestic "savings" and pour them into military boondoggles, and don't do a thing about entitlements. | |||
| 08 Oct 2017 | Ep. 107 The Problems With Tax Reform | 00:33:30 | |
Krugman complains that what we know so far about a potential Trump tax reform plan is not good -- it would give most relief to millionaires and billionaires. We discuss Rand Paul's opposition to the plan, and what genuine tax reform should really do. | |||
| 21 Jun 2016 | Ep. 41 Brexit and Liberty: Krugman Wrong Again | 00:38:25 | |
Krugman urges the British to remain in the European Union, and thinks free-market arguments against it are mere fantasy. In fact, British exit from the EU would be a great step forward for freedom, as Bob and Tom show in this week's episode. | |||