As 2020 draws to a close, we look back at a busy year of podcasting at the Hoover Institution. We’ve assembled a list of the year’s most popular episodes, ranging from COVID-19 to riots, to conflict over culture, economics, foreign policy, immigration, and world views, as well as US elections and polarization, and to our increasingly dysfunctional schools, society, culture, and politics.
AREA 45
Hosted by Bill Whalen, this podcast engages listeners with solutions to some of the most difficult political and policy issues.
Victor Davis Hanson: Holding The Trump Card
Iran’s next move, a Senate impeachment trial, and the beginning of the Democratic primaries. Despite January and February’s uncertainties, Victor Davis Hanson, the Hoover Institution’s Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow, believes in this certainty: President Trump is on a path to reelection this fall.
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THE CLASSICIST
Victor Davis Hanson examines ongoing issues of national security and current affairs in light of conflicts of the past.
We may owe experts respect, but we don’t owe them deference.
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ECONTALK
Russ Roberts interviews an eclectic mix of people on how economics emerges in theory and practice.
Dwayne Betts on Reading, Prison, and the Million Book Project
Author, lawyer, and poet Dwayne Betts talks about his time in prison and the power of reading with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Betts is the founder of the Million Book Project, which aims to put a small library of great books in 1,000 U.S. prisons. Betts discusses his plans for the project and how reading helped him transform himself.
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THE EDUCATION EXCHANGE
A weekly podcast highlighting education policy news, hosted by Paul E. Peterson, Senior editor of Education Next.
Thomas Sowell's "Charter Schools and Their Enemies"
A senior fellow and vice president for external affairs at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Robert Pondiscio, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Thomas Sowell's new book, Charter Schools and Their Enemies, and the heavy criticism that charters currently face.
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GOODFELLOWS
GoodFellows, a weekly Hoover Institution broadcast, features senior fellows John Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, and H.R. McMaster discussing the social, economic, and geostrategic ramifications of this changed world.
The Best Of All Possible Outcomes?
With votes still being counted, this much is apparent: the 2020 election didn’t produce a forecasted “blue wave”; radical “woke” ideas are likely dead on arrival in Washington. Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster and John Cochrane discuss the message voters sent and the current health of American democracy. Also, Niall Ferguson remembers a fellow Scotsman, Sean Connery, who died last week at the age of 90.
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THE GRUMPY ECONOMIST
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.
Dealing With Debt: Ideas From The Ridiculous To The Sublime
A critical analysis of Modern Monetary Theory -- and a look at the promise of perpetual bonds.
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HOOVER VIRTUAL POLICY BRIEFINGS
The Hoover Institution presents an online virtual briefing series on pressing policy issues, including health care, the economy, democratic governance, and national security. Briefings will include thoughtful and informed analysis from our top scholars.
Stephen Kotkin: China, Russia, and American Freedom
Senior Fellow Stephen Kotkin discusses China, Russia, and American freedom.
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LAW TALK
A lively (and often funny) look at legislation and constitutional jurisprudence by preeminent law professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo. The show is hosted by Troy Senik.
A review of the Roger Stone case and a roundup of the biggest Supreme Court decisions for this term.
THE LIBERTARIAN
Richard Epstein analyses national developments in public policy and the law.
The Libertarian: Golden State Delusions
Rolling blackouts, unhappy ridesharing firms, and a confiscatory new tax proposal point to California’s precipitous decline.
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PACIFIC CENTURY
The 21st century may be the Pacific Century, and China appears poised to become America’s greatest rival for global power and influence. Hosts John Yoo and Michael Auslin broadly address developments in China and Asia. They discuss the latest politics, economics, law, and cultural news, with a focus on US policy in the region.
Misha and John return for their first show in the year of the rat. They discuss the coronavirus epidemic sweeping China, and they observe that Beijing's ineffective response is adding to the growing distrust of the government among average Chinese. They next address Tsai Ing-wen’s landslide victory in the Taiwan 2020 presidential election. Misha and John close with their thoughts on the phase I US-China trade deal and likely next steps in the economic relationship between the world’s two largest economies.
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REASONABLE DISAGREEMENTS
Hoover fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss major legal and policy issues and debate points of disagreement between their libertarian and conservative perspectives.
Coronavirus And An Essay That Went Viral
The coronavirus outbreak, and the costs and benefits of the government’s response.
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TALKS FROM THE HOOVER INSTITUTION
The Talks from the Hoover Institution podcast and collection of audio recordings features interviews,discussions, and presentations with Hoover fellows and scholars on issues and topics from the various lecture series, programs, initiatives, retreats, board meetings and other events at the Hoover Institution.
The History of Socialism and Capitalism
Hoover Institution fellows Niall Ferguson and Victor Davis Hanson discuss the history of socialism and capitalism.
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UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE
Peter Robinson interviews today’s big thinkers on their views about the world.
An Economist Looks at 90: Tom Sowell on Charter Schools and Their Enemies
The day before this show was recorded, Dr. Thomas Sowell began his 10th decade of life. Remarkably on one hand and yet completely expected on the other, he remains as engaged, analytical, and thoughtful as ever. In this interview (one of roughly a dozen or so we’ve conducted with Dr. Sowell over the years), we delve into his new book Charter Schools and Their Enemies, a sobering look at the academic success of charter schools in New York City, and the fierce battles waged by teachers unions and progressive politicians to curtail them.
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