Claim OwnershipIPI Policy Basics Podcast
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An audio library of basic policy topics and concepts, for those who need to get up to speed on a particular policy topic, or those who want to learn how to think about policy from a free-market, limited government viewpoint. A project of the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI).
71 Episodes
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Barbara Kolm of the Hayek Institute in Vienna, Austria is our special guest as IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews interviews Barbara about Hayek and his important contributions to economic and individual liberty.
Taking advantage of IPI Research Fellow Bartlett Cleland's presence in-studio, we discuss the problems with the state and federal legislative attempts to "protect children online" through age verification and other schemes. Hint: The problems are overwhelming and underappreciated. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.
There was a rash of stories in the early days of 2024 about how, finally, Mickey Mouse had entered the public domain, and that this was somehow a triumph for the general public. Sounds like time for an explainer about the public domain, and why, for the most part, consumers are better off when creativity, distribution and promotion of creative works is incentivized. IPI President Tom Giovanetti with IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.
IPI President Tom Giovanetti explains why every year the country is faces with the issues of tax extenders, why they are important but also why they are a symptom of a dysfunctional congressional process. With IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.
IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews explains the (mostly) psychological phenomenon of the Wealth Effect, which can accelerate either a good economy or a bad economy. And he uses "Bidenomics" as an illustration of an attempt to turn the reverse wealth effect into the wealth effect. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
What's the truth about the gender pay gap? Is it explained by misogyny and discrimination, or by the choices women make? Maybe a combination of the two? Is it getting better? And with women outnumbering men in colleges, universities, and graduate programs, is it about to disappear altogether? IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews shares some information from the book "The Myth of Inequality" on the gender pay gap with IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews takes us through the history of third-party presidential candidates in recent history, explaining that third party candidates never come close to winning but in some cases the third party candidate has arguable affected the outcome of the election. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
We welcome IPI Research Fellow Dr. Dan Garretson to help us with an explainer on artificial intelligence (AI): What it is, what it isn't, and how should we think about its impact on consumers, the economy, and the future? IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews demonstrates how "2001: A Space Odyssey" influences his thinking, and IPI President Tom Giovanetti can't resist asserting that a free society gives us all the tools we need to manage technological revolutions.
IPI President Tom Giovanetti explains at least part of the current dysfunction of Congress, and the dysfunction of the Republican Party, by explaining that while compromise may be a vice in religion, theology and ethics, compromise is the essence of democracy. Compromise is simply negotiation, and negotiation is necessary for self-government. Otherwise, we fall into the biggest concern of the Founders; namely, that a faction gains political power and then rules over their opponents. We see this play out when parties think they can only accomplish things when they control both Congress and the White House until the next midterm election. And we end by reading former Senator Phil Gramm's recollection of how compromise was necessary for the Reagan agenda to become law and whip inflation, grow the economy, and win the Cold War.
In recognition of World IP Day, the Institute for Policy Innovation, an accredited Non-Governmental Organization affiliated with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), discusses the importance of intellectual property protection. With IPI Senior Research Fellow Bartlett Cleland and IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.
The recent Obama and Trump administrations have progressively moved in the direction of industrial policy, but the Biden administration has jumped in with both feet. Oddly, some conservatives are increasingly comfortable with the government using industrial policy to influence outcomes they favor. In this IPI Policy Basics podcast, IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews explain what industrial policy is, and why it's largely incompatible with a limited government, free-market philosophy, while also acknowledging that political reality will always be pushing toward rather than against elements of industrial policy.
What is "Modern Monetary Theory (MMT)," and what is it in contrast with? IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews and IPI President Tom Giovanetti discuss the heterodox economic theory that promises government can print and spend as much money as it wants to with little or no downside, and asks the musical question "But wouldn't that cause inflation?" We talk a little monetary policy, a little Milton Friedman, a little neoclassical economics, and conclude that MMT is a load of bunk.
What are stock buybacks, and why have Democrats decided that stock buybacks should be discouraged/punished/banned? IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews explain what stock buybacks are and why Democrats have wrongly demonized them.
In legislation, "sunset" means that a law or agency or regulation has a built-in date at which it disappears in a poof of common sense unless specifically reauthorized by the legislature. This is a good idea that would prevent the continual accumulation of archaic, redundant and overlapping government functions. Sunset review is a forcing function that would create predictable opportunities to review, modify, modernize and streamline government functions, and to occasionally phase out unnecessary functions. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.
No one wants to be involuntarily released from their employment, but in a growing economy, layoffs represent the redeployment of human capital from less-productive to more-productive uses. With this understanding, policymakers should make it as easy as possible for people to change jobs and forms of income generation. Any policy that makes it harder to change jobs, start a business, or work a "gig economy" job creates friction slowing down the most efficient deployment of human capital. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.
What is the debt ceiling, and why do we have it? How often does the debt ceiling come up, and isn't it an anachronism, since Congress has already authorized that spending? Or is any leverage over spending worth preserving? IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews explain and discuss the debt ceiling, and remind us that the core problem is spending, not the debt limit.
What is "regular order" for Congress and why is that better governance than the annual drama and circus we see now every year with continuing resolutions and gigantic, must-pass omnibus spending bills? Was the old way better? Tom Giovanetti, Merrill Matthews.
IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews talks us through an analysis of the composition of the uninsured population in the United States. IPI President Tom Giovanetti reminds us of the problem of large numbers, and both conclude that the problem of the uninsured is exaggerated or at least overestimated.
On the occasion of the Biden administration announcing its $500 billion "forgiveness" of student loan debt, IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews discuss the origin and causes of the student loan problem, whether it's as big of a problem as claimed, why "forgiveness" involves a truckload of moral hazard, and how we would address the problem of skyrocketing college tuition and debt.
Fossil fuels are naturally energy dense, can be relatively easily transported, and can be stored indefinitely for future use. These three characteristics are why the world's economy migrated to fossil fuels as soon as they were discovered, and it's why any transition to renewable energy sources faces these three challenges, because most renewables are not energy dense, cannot be easily transported, and cannot be stored indefinitely for future use. With former CFO of Vine Energy Wayne Stoltenberg, IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews, and IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
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