Political Economy with Jim Pethokoukis

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200

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Nov 2025

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About the show

Tune in each week as James Pethokoukis interviews economists, business leaders, academics and others on the most important and interesting issues of the day. You can find all episodes at AEI, Ricochet, and wherever podcasts are downloaded, and look for follow-up transcripts and blog posts at aei.org.

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60 recent

November 11, 202528 min

Hal Brands: Allies, Autocrats, and AI

Today on Political Economy, I’m chatting with Hal Brands about America’s place in the changing global order. Under the Trump administration, the US has acted less as an “ordering power,” as Brands puts it, than it has over the past century. We talk about the evolving relationship between the US and its allies, in addition to the role of emerging technology in the competition with China.Brands is a senior fellow here at AEI, where he researches US foreign policy and defense strategy. He is also the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. His newest book, The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World, is available now.

September 30, 202527 min

Tobias Peter: Solving the US Housing Shortage

Today on Political Economy, I’m talking with Tobias Peter about housing: From homeownership rates to construction types, we go over the many factors that play into a healthy housing market and explore what is holding back US homeowners.Tobias is the codirector of the Housing Center at AEI. As a senior fellow, his research focuses on housing risk and mortgage markets. Tobias has testified before Congress and has contributed to major publications from the Wall Street Journal to Business Insider.

August 19, 202521 min

Mackenzie Eaglen: The State of US Military Preparedness

Today on Political Economy, I talk with Mackenzie Eaglen about the Pentagon’s evolving strategy to confront today’s national defense challenges. Mackenzie and I take a look at the military doctrine of recent administrations compared to that of today. We discuss America’s state of preparedness, the changing defense-industrial base, and the role of automation.Eaglen is a senior fellow here at AEI where her research focuses on defense strategy, budgets, and readiness. She is a member of the Commission on the Future of the Navy and is one of 12 members of the US Army War College Board of Visitors. She serves on the US Army Science Board, and was a staff member on both the National Defense Strategy Commission and the National Defense Panel.

July 17, 202532 min

Christopher Scalia: Literary Fiction for the Conservative Mind

Stories are the way we communicate our values, explore complex ideas, and learn to empathize with those who fundamentally differ from ourselves.Christopher Scalia’s most recent book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read), delves into the particular benefit conservatives may find in literature they likely hadn’t considered.Today on Political Economy, I talk with Chris about the unique role of novels in the development of strong morals, leadership, and sense of self.Chris is a senior fellow in the Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies department here at AEI. He previously served as director of AEI’s Academic Programs department. Chris is a former professor of 18th- and early 19th-century British literature at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. He is the coeditor of On Faith: Lessons from an American Believer, and Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived.

July 8, 202526 min

Edward Glaeser: What's Hampering American Housing?

Today on Political Economy, I’m talking with Edward Glaeser about the problem with American housing supply and the many hurdles to building affordable homes. Ed and I look at the past century of urban and suburban construction and the attitudes and policies that have held back the US housing market.Ed is the chair of the economics department at Harvard University, where he has been a professor since 1992. He is also a visiting senior fellow here at AEI where his research focuses on urban economic policy. His most recent co-authored paper, “America’s Housing Supply Problem: The Closing of the Suburban Frontier?” is published in the National Bureau of Economic Research.

June 18, 202528 min

Deirdre McCloskey: Ideas that Sparked Independence

You remember your fourth grade history textbook: The British Empire unfairly taxed the American colonies. Tea was dumped in the Boston Harbor. Colonists refused taxation without representation. Therefore, the American Revolution was driven by economics, right? Well, maybe not.Today on Political Economy, I’m talking with Deirdre McCloskey about the core ideas that drove the Revolution. We explore American capitalism and the idea of equal opportunity as America grows closer to its 250th birthday.Deirdre is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. She is also a distinguished professor emerita of economics and history at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as a professor emerita of English and communication. She is the author of some two dozen books, including the Bourgeois trilogy, and has a wonderful article, “Economic Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution,” published in AEI’s recent book, Capitalism and the American Revolution, part of our America at 250 series.

June 10, 202529 min

Andrew Biggs: American Retirement Readiness

Today on Political Economy, I’m talking with Andrew Biggs on why policymakers, the media, and most Americans are convinced of a retirement crisis that Biggs argues . . . doesn’t exist. Andrew and I discuss why this misperception continues to persist, and where the real flaws are in the American retirement system.Andrew is a senior fellow here at AEI where he researches Social Security reform, public and private sector compensation, and state and local government pensions.Prior to AEI, Biggs was principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration. In 2005, he served as the associate director of the White House National Economic Council. He is also the author of the new  book, The Real Retirement Crisis: Why (Almost) Everything You Know About the US Retirement System Is Wrong.

April 7, 202527 min

Derek Scissors: Trump's Tariffs and the China Trade War

Today on Political Economy, I talk with Derek Scissors about what the Trump Administration’s newly-declared tariffs mean for US-China relations and what to make of today’s economic uncertainty.Derek is a senior fellow here at AEI, where he focuses on US-Asia economic relations. He is the chief economist of the China Beige Book and previously served as a commissioner on the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. He is also the author of the China Global Investment Tracker.

March 25, 202530 min

Mark Warshawsky: Sizing Up Social Security

Today on Political Economy, I talk with Mark Warshawsky about the state of the Social Security system as we size up some of the reforms currently on the table.

February 11, 202525 min

Andrew Leigh: An Economist's Guide to Human History

The arc of human history is a story of economics. Social values, human behavior, and the defining events of history are all woven into this field that seeks to explain how and why societies prosper — and why they often don’t.Today on Political Economy, I talk with Andrew Leigh about the economic lessons we miss in history class and what we gain from a basic understanding of how our economy works.Leigh is a member of the Australian House of Representatives and serves as the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, and Treasury. His 2024 book, HowEconomics Explains the World: A Short History of Humanity, is the latest of his 11 books on economics, leadership, and public policy.