EconTalk

Russ Roberts has been hosting EconTalk every Monday since 2006, building an archive of over 1,000 long-form conversations that together form one of the most comprehensive economics education resources available in audio. Roberts, who splits his time between Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford's Hoover Institution, interviews authors, economists, psychologists, historians, philosophers, and doctors. The guest list is genuinely eclectic -- recent episodes have featured psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer critiquing Kahneman and Tversky's research on intuition, economist William Easterly debating whether economic progress justifies coercion, and poet Anna Gat exploring technology's effect on conversation. Each episode runs about an hour and follows a conversational rhythm rather than a rigid interview format. Roberts asks probing follow-up questions and is not afraid to push back on his guests or acknowledge when he is uncertain about something. That intellectual honesty is a big part of why the show has such a loyal following. The topics extend well beyond traditional economics into healthcare systems, consciousness, the 2008 financial crisis, data interpretation, and the philosophy of science. Roberts has a libertarian-leaning perspective, but he regularly hosts guests who disagree with him and gives their arguments a fair hearing. EconTalk rewards patient listeners who enjoy watching ideas get tested in real time through genuine dialogue rather than rehearsed talking points.