The Grumpy Economist

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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.

Hoover Institution


    • Oct 5, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 25m AVG DURATION
    • 18 EPISODES

    4.8 from 110 ratings Listeners of The Grumpy Economist that love the show mention: economist, economic, great stuff, clear, sound, quality, excellent, great podcast, best, john cochrane.



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    Latest episodes from The Grumpy Economist

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

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2021 45:12


    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.

    The Long And Short Of Bubbles

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2021 34:43


    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.   

    A Free Market in … Vaccines?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2021 24:48


    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.

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

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2020 40:15


    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.

    The Urban Future

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2020 29:09


    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

    Slouching Towards a Debt Crisis

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2020 27:29


    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.

    Dealing with Debt: Ideas from the Ridiculous to the Sublime

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2020 25:24


    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.

    Welcome to the ‘Careful’ Economy

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2020 22:55


    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.

    Stop Parties, Not Production

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2020 21:19


    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.

    COVID on Campus

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2020 20:03


    John Cochrane looks at how the coronavirus pandemic may alter American higher education, both in 2020 and beyond.

    COVID Quandaries

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2020 19:27


    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?

    Thinking Through Phase II

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2020 23:17


    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

    The Road to (Partially) Reopening America

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2020 23:41


    John Cochrane discusses the fertile middle ground between a complete shutdown of the American economy and a premature return to business as normal.

    Coronavirus and the Road to Recovery

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2020 19:42


    John Cochrane describes the kind of economic policies that can help America return to normal — and the kind that could impede a recovery.

    Econ in the Time of Coronavirus

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2020 18:58


    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.

    How We Broke (and May be Fixing) Housing

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2020 18:40


    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.

    The Economics of a Pandemic

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2020 16:41


    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.

    The Inequality Obsession

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2020 19:48


    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.

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