Ep. 17 Alex Tabarrok on Tolerant Rothbardians, the Market for Kidneys, and Potential Security Flaws in Bitcoin

https://www.bobmurphyshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tabarrok.jpeg ()Alex Tabarrok is a professor of economics at George Mason University and co-author (with Tyler Cowen) of the very popular blog, Marginal Revolution. Bob and Alex cover a wide range of topics, including his early experience with Rothbardians, the brief window when economics blogs were the center of discussion, problems with the FDA, how a kidney market might work, and why Bitcoin is not as secure as some of its fans believe.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

Alex Tabarrok’s https://mason.gmu.edu/~atabarro/ (homepage) and blog, https://marginalrevolution.com/ (Marginal Revolution).

The online economics courses created by Tabarrok and Cowen, https://www.mruniversity.com/ (MRUniversity).

Cowen & Tabarrok’s https://www.macmillanlearning.com/catalog/static/worth/cowentabarrok/ (economics textbooks).

Tabarrok’s edited collection, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018DWGJ92/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=consultingbyr-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B018DWGJ92&linkId=7e69f3f647ff42e1cb50112910c68fba (The Voluntary City).

The Great Debt Debate–https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/does-government-debt-burden-our-grandkids/ (an intuitive intro) and https://consultingbyrpm.com/blog/2012/01/the-economist-zone.html (the epic fable) with all of the relevant links.

Scott Sumner’s book, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1598131508/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=consultingbyr-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1598131508&linkId=cde56c5edd204539d115ea6b30e11b4c (The Midas Paradox), as well as https://mises.org/library/gold-standard-did-not-cause-great-depression-1 (Murphy’s (critical) review) of it.

https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2015/08/is-the-fda-too-conservative-or-too-aggressive.html (Tabarrok blog post) on problems with the FDA.

Murphy’s book (co-authored with Doug McGuff) highlighting flaws with the FDA, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1939563097/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=consultingbyr-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1939563097&linkId=fc5f1885cb5c52c8132aea43a2bf0f5b (The Primal Prescription).

Tabarrok on the U.S. http://www.econlib.org/library/Columns/y2009/Tabarroklifesaving.html (organ shortage).

http://understandingbitcoin.us (Murphy’s introductory booklet) (co-authored with Silas Barta) on Bitcoin.

https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2019/01/bitcoin-much-less-secure-people-think.html (Tabarrok blog post) on why Bitcoin is less secure than most people think.

The sound engineer for this episode was Chris Williams. Learn more about his work at http://www.ChrisWilliamsAudio.com (ChrisWilliamsAudio.com).

Alex Tabarrok is a professor of economics at George Mason University and co-author (with Tyler Cowen) of the very popular blog, Marginal Revolution. Bob and Alex cover a wide range of topics, including his early experience with Rothbardians, the brief window when economics blogs were the center of discussion, problems with the FDA, how a kidney market might work, and why Bitcoin is not as secure as some of its fans believe.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

Alex Tabarrok’s homepage and blog, Marginal Revolution.
The online economics courses created by Tabarrok and Cowen, MRUniversity.
Cowen & Tabarrok’s economics textbooks.
Tabarrok’s edited collection, The Voluntary City.
The Great Debt Debate–an intuitive intro and the epic fable with all of the relevant links.
Scott Sumner’s book, The Midas Paradox, as well as Murphy’s (critical) review of it.
Tabarrok blog post on problems with the FDA.
Murphy’s book (co-authored with Doug McGuff) highlighting flaws with the FDA, The Primal Prescription.
Tabarrok on the U.S. organ shortage.
Murphy’s introductory booklet (co-authored with Silas Barta) on Bitcoin.
Tabarrok blog post on why Bitcoin is less secure than most people think.

The sound engineer for this episode was Chris Williams. Learn more about his work at ChrisWilliamsAudio.com.