The Podcast Browser

Shelly Lundberg – How Economics Discovered Women

Bringing Gender Economics into the Twenty-First Century

Interview with Shelly Lundberg about her book How Economics Discovered Women: Bringing Gender Economics into the Twenty-First Century. Explains how economics, initially focused on male labour, began to include women in the 1970s due to new econometric techniques. Discusses how the ‘motherhood wage penalty’ is a key driver of gender inequality, influenced by care work assignment and social norms. Highlights that educational gaps are significantly shaped by differing socialisations for boys and girls. Advocates for rethinking persistent assumptions in economics, including discrimination, to provide a more nuanced understanding of complex societal issues.

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Molly Beer – Angelica

For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution

Interview with Molly Beer about her book Angelica: For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution. Discusses the vital, often overlooked, role of Angelica Schuyler Church during the American Revolution. Born into a prominent New York family, Angelica navigated complex political landscapes at home and abroad, demonstrating significant diplomatic and social influence among figures like Jefferson and Hamilton. Her life exemplifies the ‘invisible work’ women performed – from managing homes as political hubs to lobbying Congress – contributions crucial to the revolution yet frequently erased. Highlights the importance of women’s historical narratives for contemporary understanding.

Annie Lowrey – The Time Tax

How the Government Wastes Our Time―and How to Fix It

Interview with Annie Lowrey about her book The Time Tax: How the Government Wastes Our Time – and How to Fix It. Details how bureaucratic hurdles in government services impose a ‘time tax,’ functioning as a regressive tool of social control. These burdens are often punitive, making access difficult and eroding public trust, especially among vulnerable populations.

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Joel Burke – Rebooting a Nation

The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution

Interview with Joel Burke about his book Rebooting a Nation: The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution. Discusses how Estonia’s bold digital governance strategy, influenced by Finland and a drive to reform, transformed its public services, cut corruption, and achieved remarkable efficiency, offering key insights for global modernisation efforts.

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Claudia Kreklau – The Making of Modern Eating

How the German Middle Class Forged the Way We Eat, 1780-1910 (Studies in German History, 32)

Interview with Claudia Kreklau about her book The Making of Modern Eating: How the German Middle Class Forged the Way We Eat, 1780-1910. Discusses how the German middle class pioneered modern eating, adapting elite courtly culinary trends to their means and combining them with established preservation customs; inadvertently driving food industrialisation and a dynamic interaction with food change, balancing acceptance and resistance of new technologies. Highlights the transnational spread of these practices through migration, education, and trade, shaping global food culture and leading to early food safety regulations.

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Simon Sebag Montefiore – The Cauldron

The Making of the Modern Middle East

Interview with Simon Sebag Montefiore about his book The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. Discusses how Western-imposed nation-state ideas, following the Ottoman Empire’s collapse, led to immense suffering and ethnic cleansing, as seen with the Armenian genocide and the creation of exclusive Arab ethno-states. Highlights how Arab-Israeli hostility was not inevitable, with early Zionist discussions considering a bi-national state. The region’s complexity demands understanding its multi-ethnic past and the agency of local leaders in navigating external influences.

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Mustafa Aksakal – The War That Made the Middle East

World War I and the End of the Ottoman Empire

Interview with Mustafa Aksakal about his book The War That Made the Middle East: World War I and the End of the Ottoman Empire. Argues that the Middle East and its many ethno-national identities were products of the First World War, not its inherent causes. Contends that the Ottoman Empire’s collapse was not inevitable, instead highlighting how the war – including the disastrous Sarıkamış campaign and widespread famine – intensified internal conflicts and facilitated catastrophic decisions, such as the Armenian Genocide. Explores a lost potential for a multi-ethnic, multi-religious future, emphasising the external pressures and internal dynamics that tragically reshaped the region.

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Matt Zwolinski – The Individualists

Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism

Interview with Matt Zwolinski about his book The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, co-authored with John Tomasi. Argues that libertarianism is best understood not as a single philosophy, but as a “family resemblance” defined by six core features – free markets, private property, negative liberty, individualism, scepticism of authority, and spontaneous order. Highlights the movement’s diverse intellectual history, demonstrating significant internal disagreements on fundamental concepts like property rights, often stemming from differing historical contexts such as American libertarianism’s anti-slavery origins versus European anti-socialism.

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