The Economist Next Door

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's the purpose of business? What's the purpose of government? Has 20 years of higher education spending led to better student performance? 

Dominic Pino is joined by David Bahnsen to explore these questions on the latest episode of Econception.

David Bahnsen is the founder and managing partner of The Bahnsen Group, a national private wealth management firm managing over $4 billion in client assets. Prior to launching The Bahns...

What's going on with the tariff deals? How free trade really is the United States? And what have the Popes taught about socialism?

Dave Hebert joins Econception to discuss these questions and more with Dominic Pino.

Dave Hebert, Ph.D, is a senior research fellow at AIER. Dr. Hebert's research has been published in academic journals such as Public Choice, Constitution...

What's the matter with Medicaid? Have Germany's manufacturing policies been successful? And are Greece and Argentina the new role models for fiscal responsibility?

We look through those questions today with Brian Blase and Paul Winfree.

Brian Blase, Ph.D., is the President of Paragon Health Institute. Brian was Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the White House's National Economic Council (NEC) from 2017-2019...