The Economist Next Door
The Economist Next Door with host Paul Muller is AIER's newest podcast. It's a plain-spoken guide that makes complex ideas accessible to the "everyman" and "everywoman." No PhD required. In place of partisan spin, we're offering honest analysis and an optimistic spirit and translating academic concepts into clear conversations. Paul Mueller is a Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. He received his PhD in economics from George Mason University. Previously, Dr. Mueller taught at The King's College in New York City. He has published widely in both academic and popular publications.
Episodes
In this episode of The Economist Next Door, Paul Mueller is joined by fellow American Institute for Economic Research scholars Jeff Degner and Dave Hebert to examine the economics behind America's student debt crisis.
The conversation explores how decades of federal aid and subsidized student loans helped fuel tuition inflation, reshape university incentives, and transform higher ed...
In this episode of The Economist Next Door, host Paul Mueller joins scholars Pete Earle and Jeffery Degner to explore why socialism continues to hold intellectual and popular appeal despite a long record of practical failure. The conversation examines the emotional and moral narratives that sustain socialist ideas, from claims about fairness and control to dissatis...
In this episode of The Economist Next Door, host Paul Mueller is joined by AIER colleagues Tom Savidge and Julia Cartwright to examine one of the most persistent claims in American politics: that billionaires pay little or nothing in federal taxes w...
What is the Austrian school of economics—and why does it still shape debates about markets, money, and government today? In this episode of The Economist Next Door, host Paul Mueller is joined by economists Pete Earle and Jeff Degner to break down one of the most influential—and contro...
Is the Federal Reserve Chair the most powerful person in the free world? In this episode of The Economist Next Door, host Paul Mueller is joined by Lydia Newman (Director of Monetary Policy, AIER) and William Luther (Director of AIER's Sound Money Project) to analyze the nomination of Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve.
Together, they unpack Warsh's views on inflation, the Fed's nearly $7 trillion balance sheet, and the role o...
In this episode of The Economist Next Door, host Paul Mueller sits down with Nobel Prize–winning economist Vernon Smith to explore how markets actually work—and how people really behave within them.
Smith, who received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002 for pioneering experimental econom...
In this episode of The Economist Next Door, Paul Mueller is joined by AIER colleagues Julia Cartwright and Ryan Yonk for a wide-ranging conversation on the past, present, and future of American energy.
They explore how energy is produced in the United States, why the diversity of U.S. energy sources makes the system unusually robust, and how regulation and subsidies ...
In this episode of The Economist Next Door, host Paul Mueller is joined by AIER research fellows Thomas Savidge and Julia Cartwright to examine the push for wealth taxes in the United States and around the world.
Read more
How did a once-small federal government come to control a third of state budgets and shape everyday life across the country? Host Paul Mueller talks with AIER scholars Tom Savidge and Dave Hebert about the history of federal funding to states—from the Founding through the Great Society—and how Washington gradually became the dominant force in American governance.
A...
On the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations, host Paul Mueller sits down with economists Dan Klein, professor at George Mason University and chief editor of Econ Journal Watch, and Eric Matson, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center and lecturer at Catholic University, to explore Adam Smith's enduring impact.
Host Paul Mueller interviews AIER President Dr. Sam Gregg and AIER scholar Dr. Dave Hebert on a landmark Supreme Court decision that reshapes presidential tariff authority.
In Learning Resources v. Trump, the Court ruled 6–3 that the president cannot use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as a blank check to...
Paul Mueller breaks down the Supreme Court's ruling limiting presidential tariff power with Tom Savidge and Julia Cartwright, and what it means for executive authority.
Then, Tom, Pete Earle, and Jason Sorens dive into America's housing shortages, rising insurance costs, and exploding public pension obligations—exploring how political promises today can saddle ta...
What's driving the growing infighting on the political right?
In this episode of The Economist Next Door, host Paul Mueller is joined by Nathan W. Schlueter and Nikolai Wenzel to revisit fusionism—the postwar effort, associated with Frank Meyer, to reconcile liberty and virtue, free markets and moral order, drawing on a tradition that includes Adam Smith, Edmund ...
In this episode of The Economist Next Door, host Paul Mueller is joined by AIER economists Dave Hebert and Julia Cartwright to introduce the Defending Freedom, Combating Collectivism team.
They examine the rise of collectivism on both the right and left, how political incentives fuel cronyism and redistribution, and why politicians so often pick winners and loser...
In the debut episode of The Economist Next Door, host Paul Mueller (Senior Research Fellow at AIER) sits down with Samuel Gregg, President of the American Institute for Economic Research, to peel back the layers of modern economic debate.
Moving beyond the dry jargon of spreadsheets and data points, Mueller and Gregg explore why the battle for free markets has shifted from a technical argument to a deeply moral one. They discuss th...
What is wealth? Why shouldn't the government own stakes in corporations? And what are some non-market problems with tariffs?
Richard Stern joins the show today to discuss.
Richard Stern is Acting Director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies and Director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation.
How much have state budgets been taken over by the federal government? Is anything wrong with the Bureau of Labor Statistics? And what's nationalist about trade surpluses?
Tony Woodlief joins Econception to discuss.
Tony Woodlief is State Policy Network's Senior Executive Vice President and Senior Fellow for SPN's Center for Practical Federalism.
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Building on the belief that a deeper understanding of the natural world enriches all of our lives, host Steven Rinella brings an in-depth and relevant look at all outdoor topics including hunting, fishing, nature, conservation, and wild foods. Filled with humor, irreverence, and things that will surprise the hell out of you, each episode welcomes a diverse group of guests who add their own expertise to the vast world of the outdoors. Part of The MeatEater Podcast Network.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.