Cato Event Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Purchase at AmazonRob Bradley, formerly Ken Lay's speechwriter and a 16-year Enron employee, argues that the Left has incorrectly blamed capitalism for Enron.  But he also believes that the Right’s take on the company's collapse has scarcely acknowledged the extent to which the mixed economy and anti-capitalist doctrines allowed the worst to get on top.Bradley maintains that a preoccupation with the diagnostics of Enron's failure (the market did exact its revenge) has neglected the why behind the why.  The systemic failure known as Enron, Bradley argues, not only exonerates free-market capitalism but also strengthens  the capitalist worldview.  Enron's boom and bust is the story of how company founder and chairman Ken Lay developed a sophisticated business model based on rent-seeking (political  capitalism).  Of particular note, Enron tried and failed to parlay climate alarmism, "energy sustainability," and social corporate responsibility into business viability. Bradley's unique, insider interpretation of Enron has direct implications for today's debates over energy and climate policy, business ethics theory, and best business practices. William Niskanen, who holds a somewhat different view, will comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Africa is more democratic than ever before and elections more frequent, but poll results are often predetermined and much of the region remains in the hands of autocratic governments. How free are Africans in countries that have seen some degree of political or economic liberalization? Tony Leon, a longtime member and opposition leader in the South African Parliament who criticized first the National Party apartheid government and then the African National Congress government, will assess African states’ progress on the road to political, economic, and civil liberty. Ugandan journalist and political activist Andrew Mwenda will discuss ways in which Africans are fighting for their freedoms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Cato Institute invites you to join us as we unveil The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism, the first comprehensive, encyclopedic treatment of the libertarian movement.  Editor in Chief Ronald Hamowy, a distinguished scholar who studied under Mises, Hayek, and Friedman, has included more than 300 succinct, original articles on libertarian ideas, institutions, and thinkers. Contributors include James Buchanan, Richard Epstein, Tyler Cowen, Randy Barnett, Deirdre McCloskey, Ellen Frankel Paul, and more than 100 other scholars.  This comprehensive book, years in the making, will become an indispensable guide to libertarianism in the years to come.Our distinguished guests will discuss the place of libertarianism in world and U.S. politics, the contributions of libertarian thought, and the challenges it faces from both left and right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One message is delivered relentlessly in American education: Everyone should go to college. And then there's Charles Murray's message: Few people either need, or are able to handle, the rigorous liberal-arts training that college is supposed to provide. But this isn't a death sentence for those who are not academically inclined. Opportunities to enter well-paying professions and lead good lives abound for these people, and the sooner that's recognized, the sooner everyone can get the education they need. Christopher B. Nelson, whose 'great books' college provides the sort of liberal arts education Murray believes is beyond most people's reach, will respond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.