Podcast appearances and mentions of Michael C Munger

Welcome to EconRoots. A podcast on the history of Economic Thought brought to you by CEPOS and your host Stefan Sløk-Madsen. As a bonus to our regular seasons we aim to bring you exciting interviews with relevant and stimulating economists and scholars within or related to the field of economics. We call these, EconRoots talk.  In today's talk recorded at the APEE conference 2022 in Las Vegas, we are honored to be joined by Michael C. Munger, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the PPE Certificate Program at Duke University. Professor Munger has made tremendous research contributions within the functioning of markets, regulation, and government institutions. He has taught at Dartmouth College, University of Texas, and University of North Carolina, as well as working as a staff economist at the Federal Trade Commission during the Reagan Administration. He is a past President of the Public Choice Society, an international academic society of political scientists and economists with members in 16 countries. He was North American Editor of the journal Public Choice for five years, and is now a Co-Editor of The Independent Review. Dr. Munger has had a profound influence on many young economists today. However today we are here to talk about this Phd supervisor and nobel prize recipient, Douglas C North and the importance of institutions and how they change.   References Hinich, M. J., & Munger, M. C. (1996). Ideology and the theory of political choice. University of Michigan Press. Munger, M. C. (2020). Ideology and the Direction of Causation in the Acquisition and Maintenance of Shared Belief Systems. Kyklos, 73(3), 392-409. North, D. C. (1994). Economic performance through time. The American economic review, 84(3), 359-368.

“The problem is that we have already spent hundreds of billions of dollars on programs to end poverty, and yet there is still….poverty.” ~ Michael C. Munger

Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Political Science at Duke University, Michael C. Munger, joins the show to discuss what he believes is the way forward for addressing poverty and more efficiently using resources. Tune in to learn: How the “sharing” economy differs from the “platform” economy   Why it is important to understand the distinction between equality and poverty in the context of economics  In what ways regulation is designed to make sure that certain types of social transformation don't occur and that the existing system remains locked in place Interested in woodworking but nowhere near financially prepared to purchase everything you'd need for a workshop? Wishing you could put your money toward a particular project in your community? Wondering what you'd do with your time if you just…didn't have to work anymore?  These questions may seem entirely unrelated to each other, but according to Munger and many others, they're not. In fact, each one of these questions is raised and discussed in this episode on what it would mean to have a “platform” economy—a voluntary, private space where people use smart contracts and apps to coordinate the sharing of resources rather than the purchasing and owning of resources. “Until fairly recently, most of us thought that we needed jobs because we needed money so that we could go buy stuff and own it and pay to store it; platforms allow us to share things in a way that reduces our footprint on the environment...and make much more efficient use of the stuff we have," says Munger. He explains all the details of how this system would work, how it would solve the problem of triangulation, and the main challenges that must be overcome. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Dr. Michael C. Munger, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Duke University & Professor of Political Science analyzes FEAR by Bob Woodward with me. Dr. Munger further discussed the details of his book: Tomorrow 3.0: Transaction Costs & The Sharing Economy. I began our analysis of FEAR by presenting my disappointment with the book not living up to it's title and cover presentation. I expected Mr. Woodward to provide an analysis of the FEAR that the Trump Presidency has engendered in both the Republican Party and the American people. What the book presents is a series of reported interviews Mr. Woodward did anonymously. Dr. Munger pointed out that the material implied fear and the ambiguity was a source of interest and the title and cover were likely chosen by the publisher to sell books.  I agreed. We analyzed several perspectives from the book in which Mr. Trump is portrayed as focusing on the importance of money over nearly everything else. Which lead us into a discussion of his book: Tomorrow 3.0. Dr. Munger discussed his innovation vision of our economic future based on the shared business models that are both gaining popularity and replacing the "old" business model of owning products.  He presented the value of more efficiently using our technology to connect us as humans to share the valuable resources we have produced as a species instead of these resources sitting unused.  He gave the examples of power drills in our homes and cars in our driveways and parking areas at work - all sitting, taking up valuable earth space.  His innovative economic concepts were drawn from his analysis of human development through the Industrial Revolution to today - where he marks the emergence of both the internet and hand held computers with APP's that connect us all as humans - as powerful vehicles of economic change.

Ed and Ron are honored to interview economist Michael C. Munger, whose recent books include Choosing in Groups (coauthored with his son, Kevin Munger) and The Thing Itself, both in 2015. His research interests include the study of the morality of exchange and the working of the new Middleman Economy. Much of his recent work has been in philosophy, examining the concept of truly voluntary exchange, a concept for which he coined the term euvoluntary. His newest book addresses the sharing economy, and is entitled Tomorrow 3.0., which will be the focus during the show.

Ed and Ron are honored to interview economist Michael C. Munger, whose recent books include Choosing in Groups (coauthored with his son, Kevin Munger) and The Thing Itself, both in 2015. His research interests include the study of the morality of exchange and the working of the new Middleman Economy. Much of his recent work has been in philosophy, examining the concept of truly voluntary exchange, a concept for which he coined the term euvoluntary. His newest book addresses the sharing economy, and is entitled Tomorrow 3.0., which will be the focus during the show.

Ed and Ron are honored to interview economist Michael C. Munger, whose recent books include Choosing in Groups (coauthored with his son, Kevin Munger) and The Thing Itself, both in 2015. His research interests include the study of the morality of exchange and the working of the new Middleman Economy. Much of his recent work has been in philosophy, examining the concept of truly voluntary exchange, a concept for which he coined the term euvoluntary. His newest book addresses the sharing economy, and is entitled Tomorrow 3.0., which will be the focus during the show.

This week Michael C. Munger joins us to talk about voluntary transactions and questions of justice in market pricing.What would everyone agree is truly voluntary? Are disparities in bargaining power coercive? What’s wrong with using the state to address these disparities? What about price gouging situations? What about sweatshops?Show Notes and Further ReadingDr. Munger’s 2010 paper “Euvoluntary or Not, Exchange is Just”.Dr. Munger’s 2011 paper “‘Euvoluntary Exchange’ and the ‘Difference Principle’”.Aristotle’s best-known work on ethics, The Nicomachean Ethics.Harvard professor Michael Sandel’s 2013 book on coercion caused by circumstances, What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets.James Taylor’s 1979 song about working in a textile mill, “Millworker”.A recently-rediscovered short essay by John Locke on the morality of price theory, “Venditio”.Dr. Munger’s new co-edited textbook, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: An Anthology (2015). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.