The Grumpy Economist

Hoover Institution

The Grumpy Economist Podcast features Hoover Institution Senior Fellow John Cochrane offering analysis and commentary on the news of the day from a humorous free-market perspective.

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18 episodes
Updated Oct 5, 2021

Episodes18

Newest first

Oct 5, 2021 · 45 min
What’s in the reconciliation bill? A conversation with Casey Mulligan
Hoover Institution fellow John Cochrane talks with Casey Mulligan about what’s in the reconciliation bill. They focus on how the programs will work, or fail to work as well as what incentives and disincentives do they give.
Jan 29, 2021 · 34 min
The Long And Short Of Bubbles
John Cochrane speaks with Wellington Management’s Owen Lamont on the recent attempts to influence the stock market and damage the liquidity of hedge funds by day traders using social media to coordinate their efforts.
Jan 20, 2021 · 24 min
A Free Market in … Vaccines?
John Cochrane analyzes how a lack of market forces have impeded everything from the development of a COVID vaccine, to its distribution, to efforts to get the economy reopened.
Oct 29, 2020 · 40 min
The Future Of Cities. A Conversation With Harvard’s Ed Glaeser
Does Zoom mean we all work from home? Will cities bounce back? Will San Francisco and New York fade and smaller cities grow? What problems are the policies causing and can cities reverse downward spirals? How to help unfortunate people who live in cities? Join us for a fast paced discussion with a leader in the field.
Sep 16, 2020 · 29 min
The Urban Future
John Cochrane examines the headwinds facing American cities in light of the COVID pandemic, urban riots, and economic hardships. Are these the leading indicators of a post-urban future? Or are our cities more resilient than we give them credit for
Sep 12, 2020 · 27 min
Slouching Towards a Debt Crisis
Federal debt has now hit 100% of GDP. With no sign that spending will be reined in anytime soon, John Cochrane looks at the possible consequences — and potential fixes for — an economy headed for a reckoning.
Jun 13, 2020 · 25 min
Dealing with Debt: Ideas from the Ridiculous to the Sublime
John Cochrane provides a critical examination of Modern Monetary Theory — and explains why an innovative financial instrument known as a perpetual bond may improve America’s ability to manage its debt load.
May 29, 2020 · 22 min
Welcome to the ‘Careful’ Economy
John Cochrane analyzes the difficulties of reopening the American economy with restrictive new protocols, argues that the enthusiasm for bringing industry back from China is overwrought, and warns that the risk of future inflation is real.
May 7, 2020 · 21 min
Stop Parties, Not Production
John Cochrane looks at the prospects that we’ll successfully reopen the economy without setting off another round of coronavirus outbreaks, explains what’s behind the models that got the virus’s trajectory so wrong, and explains how emergency economic measures could come back to haunt us in the future.
May 1, 2020 · 20 min
COVID on Campus
John Cochrane looks at how the coronavirus pandemic may alter American higher education, both in 2020 and beyond.
Apr 17, 2020 · 19 min
COVID Quandaries
John Cochrane guides listeners through some of the toughest questions around the coronavirus: Just how deep will unemployment actually go? What kind of recovery are we in store for? How much do civil liberties have to be sacrificed to restore economic liberties? And is the Federal Reserve justified in printing more money to keep the economy afloat?
Apr 9, 2020 · 23 min
Thinking Through Phase II
John Cochrane looks at the economic and public health complications that will arise from trying to restart the American economy in the wake of COVID-19
Apr 1, 2020 · 23 min
The Road to (Partially) Reopening America
John Cochrane discusses the fertile middle ground between a complete shutdown of the American economy and a premature return to business as normal.
Mar 27, 2020 · 19 min
Coronavirus and the Road to Recovery
John Cochrane describes the kind of economic policies that can help America return to normal — and the kind that could impede a recovery.
Mar 19, 2020 · 18 min
Econ in the Time of Coronavirus
John Cochrane explains how to contain the economic fallout from the Coronavirus while avoiding fiscal profligacy — and explains how to insulate markets from similar disruptions in the future.
Mar 18, 2020 · 18 min
How We Broke (and May be Fixing) Housing
John Cochrane examines the government’s role in housing, from restricting development to subsidizing low-income options to giving preferential treatment to homeowners. The good news? Some of the more extreme distortions are generating a backlash that may lead to more affordable housing in the not-too-distant future.
Mar 12, 2020 · 16 min
The Economics of a Pandemic
John Cochrane looks at the many economic dimensions of the coronavirus pandemic, from the Federal Reserve’s rate cut to proposed stimulus measures to the possible need for bailouts.
Feb 13, 2020 · 19 min
The Inequality Obsession
In the inaugural installment of The Grumpy Economist podcast, John Cochrane explains why concerns over economic inequality in America are vastly overblown, why a wealth tax is an especially pernicious form of taxation, and why anxiety over the super-rich playing a disproportionate role in American politics are misplaced.

The Grumpy Economist

What’s in the reconciliation bill? A conversation with Casey Mulligan

The Long And Short Of Bubbles

A Free Market in … Vaccines?

The Future Of Cities. A Conversation With Harvard’s Ed Glaeser

The Urban Future

Slouching Towards a Debt Crisis

Dealing with Debt: Ideas from the Ridiculous to the Sublime

Welcome to the ‘Careful’ Economy

Stop Parties, Not Production

COVID on Campus

COVID Quandaries

Thinking Through Phase II

The Road to (Partially) Reopening America

Coronavirus and the Road to Recovery

Econ in the Time of Coronavirus

How We Broke (and May be Fixing) Housing

The Economics of a Pandemic

The Inequality Obsession