Leandro Prados de la Escosura, an emeritus professor of economic history at Carlos III University in Spain, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss long term trends in wellbeing, inequality, and freedom.

Travis Fisher, the director of energy and environmental policy studies at the Cato Institute, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss recent developments in U.S. energy and environmental policy.

Daniel Raisbeck, a policy analyst on Latin America at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the recent election of Javier Milei and what it means for the future of Argentina and the rest of Latin America.

Jack Solowey, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute focusing on financial technology, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the potential benefits of cryptocurrency and the regulatory challenges it faces.

James Pethokoukis, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss how we can reignite American optimism and build the sci-fi world we were promised.

Climate activism has a cult problem

David Ansara, the Chief Executive of the Free Market Foundation, a South African think tank, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss progress and problems in Africa. David Ansara has been Chief Executive at the FMF since 1 January 2023. He has 15 years’ experience working for think tanks, consultancies and trade associations. David was the Executive Direc…

Erec Smith, a Professor of Rhetoric and the co-founder of Free Black Thought, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the problems with critical social justice and how we can pursue true empowerment through classical liberal ideas. Erec Smith is a Visiting Scholar of Politics and Society for the Cato Institute and an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at Yor…

Todd Myers, a director at the Washington Policy Center, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss how technology empowers individuals to protect the environment without the need for top-down government programs. With more than two decades in environmental policy, Todd Myers’s experience includes work on a range of environmental issues, including climate pol…

Professor Todd Zywicki joins Chelsea Follett to discuss environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) and the threat it poses to innovation, economic growth, and democracy.

Robert Wright, a Senior Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the history of slavery and the damage it does to society. Robert E. Wright is a Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. He is the (co)author or (co)editor of over two dozen major books, book series, and ed…

The economist Stephen Barrows joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the intellectual history of population economics, the benefits of population growth, and what we can expect from a future of falling fertility. Stephen Barrows, Chief Operating Officer, Acton Institute. Prior to his role at the Acton Institute, Dr. Barrows served as the Executive Vice P…

Chris Barnard, the Vice President of External Affairs at the American Conservation Coalition, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss recent innovations in nuclear energy, the clean energy transition, and how markets can tackle environmental issues. Christopher Barnard is half-American, half-Belgian, and joined ACC after having spent the first 22 years of…

Will Duffield joins Chelsea Follett to discuss recent advances in artificial intelligence, how they can improve our lives, and the challenges they may pose. Will Duffield is a policy analyst in Cato's Center for Representative Government, where he studies speech and internet governance. He's also an expert on a host of related issues in technology …

How did the modern dynamist economy of wealth and opportunity come about? Author and Head of Education at the Institute of Economic Affairs Stephen Davies joins Chelsea Follett to discuss his book "The Wealth Explosion: The Nature and Origins of Modernity."

Economic historian Deirdre McCloskey speaks to HumanProgress editor Marian Tupy about economics, hierarchy, and how liberal ideas led to the modern world.

Since at least the 2016 U.S. presidential election, policymakers on the right and the left have lamented the plight of the "American Worker" and promised to fix it. Unfortunately the most common "pro-worker" policies today—heavy on government intervention in labor, trade, or other markets—suffer from critical flaws. They overlook the laundry list o…

Can Markets Protect Nature? Hannah Downey is the policy director at PERC, helping to bring free market solutions to environmental policy challenges. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Salt Lake Tribune, and local papers. She holds degrees in economics and political science from Montana State University. Learn more: http…

Ukrainian lawyer and economist Maria Chaplia joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/maria-chaplia-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-25-transcript/ Maria mainly works in the field of trade, lifestyle regulations, and platform economy. Her research and writing have been featured in Daily Mai…

Author and optimist Jason Feifer joins Chelsea Follett to discuss change, why we fear it, and how we can embrace it to build a better future. Build for Tomorrow on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Build-Tomorrow-Embracing-Adapting-Future-Proofing/dp/059323538X Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine and host of the podcast Proble…

Robert Zubrin is an aerospace engineer and the author of several books on space exploration, with a particular focus on Mars. His work has been subject of favorable press coverage in The Economist, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, the London Times, The Washington Post, Fortune Magazine, Newsweek, and many other publications, and he has appeare…

Psychologist Gena Gorlin argues that internalizing the universe's tendency toward death and disorder can help us appreciate what we have and compel us to build a better future. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/gena-gorlin-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-29-transcript/ Read her article: https://progressforum.org/posts/JjiewkPhAYmFzY3KL/death-…

Rosemarie Fike joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the importance of economic freedom to women's wellbeing. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/rosemarie-fike-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-28-transcript/ Women’s ability to contribute to, and benefit from, market institutions is a topic of vital economic importance. When entire groups of people, …

Chelsea Follett speaks to Gret Gyler, the founder and CEO of DonorSee, about his private-sector alternative to the traditional foreign aid model. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/gret-glyer-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-27-transcript/ Gret Glyer is the CEO of DonorSee and has raised more than a million dollars for those in extreme poverty.…

Dr. Kristian Niemietz and Marian Tupy discuss socialism, its history of failure, and its recent resurgence in popularity. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/dr-kristian-niemietz-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-26-transcript/ Socialism is strangely impervious to refutation by real-world experience. Over the past hundred years, there have been m…

Political scientist Axel Kaiser joins Marian Tupy to discuss progress in Chile and the political changes that threaten the country's future. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/axel-kaiser-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-24-transcript/ Axel Kaiser Barents von Hohenhagen is a Chilean-German lawyer, Master in Investments, Commerce and Arbitration…

Danish lawyer and author Jacob Mchangama joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the history of free speech and how it protects liberty and democracy. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/jacob-mchangama-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-23-transcript/ Jacob Mchangama is the founder and executive director of Justitia and a visiting fellow at the Foundati…

Futurist Isaac Arthur joins Chelsea Follett to discuss humanity's next century. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/isaac-arthur-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-22-transcript/ Challenges & Predictions for the Next 100 Years. Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur Isaac Arthur is a science communication YouTuber and futurist. He is best known as p…

Psychologist and Author Mark Henry joins Marian Tupy to discuss Ireland's incredible economic transformation. Mark Henry trained as a psychologist and led the research and strategy functions of Irish technology companies before turning to work in tourism. Having spent two decades telling people all over the world what a great country Ireland is, he…

Matt Warner, president of Atlas Network, argues that international development works best when it respects human dignity, local knowledge, and self-determination. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/matt-warner-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-20-transcript/ Matt Warner is president of Atlas Network, a nonprofit grantmaking organization committe…

Economics Professor Vincent Geloso joins Chelsea Follett to discuss how freedom makes us more resilient to disease. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/vincent-geloso-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-19-transcript/ Vincent Geloso, Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute, is an Assistant Professor of Economics at George Mason University and earned …

Psychologist Cory Clark joins Chelsea Follett to discuss why people play the victim and the social costs of false victimhood. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/cory-clark-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-18-transcript/ Victimhood is defined in negative terms: “the condition of having been hurt, damaged, or made to suffer.” Yet humans have evol…

Wilfred Reilly, a political scientist and expert on race relations, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss racism in the United States and debunk woke oppression narratives. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/wilfred-reilly-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-17-transcript/ Wilfred Reilly is an American political scientist. He is an Assistant Professor …

British journalist Madeleine Kearns joins Chelsea Follett to discuss misplaced eco-anxiety's effect on birth rates and why some couples feel they need to choose between parenthood and the planet. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/madeleine-kearns-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-16-transcript/ Madeleine Kearns is from Glasgow, Scotland. She is…

Cato scholar Mustafa Akyol joins Chelsea Follett to discuss Islam's lost liberal tradition and why Muslims should reform the Sharia. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/mustafa-akyol-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-15-transcript/ Mustafa Akyol is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he focuses …

British biochemist Terence Kealey joins Marian Tupy to discuss the origins of innovation and how to sustain it into the future. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/terence-kealey-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-14-transcript/ Terence Kealey is a professor of clinical biochemistry at the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom, where he s…

Marian Tupy and John Constable discuss energy policy failure in the UK and the problems with the green agenda. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/john-constable-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-13-transcript/ John Constable is a British energy analyst and the GWPF’s energy editor. Amongst his many energy-related publications are The Green Mirag…

Marian Tupy and Douglas Carswell discuss Brexit, Covid protectionism, and the danger of "Woke" ideology. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/douglas-carswell-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-12-transcript/ Critics of Brexit often characterize it as a pessimistic and protectionist movement. Carswell argues the opposite–that Brexit was a move towa…

Renowned author and journalist Michela Wrong outlines the problems facing Africa and the reasons to be hopeful about the continent's future. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/michela-wrong-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-11-transcript/ A powerful investigation into a grisly political murder and the authoritarian regime behind it: Do Not Distu…

Rachel Laudan tells the remarkable story of the rise and fall of the world’s great cuisines―from the mastery of grain cooking some twenty thousand years ago, to the present―in this superbly researched book. Book: https://www.amazon.com/Cuisine-Empire-Cooking-History-California/dp/0520286316 Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/rachel-laudan-th…

Dr. Alan Levinovitz illuminates the far-reaching harms of believing that natural means “good,” from misinformation about health choices to justifications for sexism, racism, and flawed economic policies. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/alan-levinovitz-the-human-progress-podcast-ep-8-transcript/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Natures…

The modern world is wealthier than ever, but does prosperity actually make us better off? Matthew Slaboch joins to discuss the question that has troubled philosophers for centuries. Matthew Slaboch is a Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science at Denison University. Learn more: https://polisci.indiana.edu/documents/profiles/sla…

What are U.S. college students' attitudes towards free speech? What do they know about human progress? And what do they think about capitalism? Find out in this episode of The Human Progress Podcast with Dr. Clay Routledge. Dr. Clay Routledge is a psychological scientist, writer, consultant, public speaker, and professor. He studies basic psycholog…

How did a socialist get elected in Peru, a country that has benefited immensely from market reforms? Why is Latin America as a whole going through such political turmoil? Ian Vásquez joins Marian Tupy to discuss progress and setbacks in Latin America. Ian Vásquez is vice president for international studies at the Cato Institute and director of its …

English historian David Starkey discusses the cultural forces that undermine our progress. In particular, he worries about threats to human freedom and ideologies that deny the existence of objective truth. David Starkey is Honorary Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and the author of many books including Elizabeth'; Six Wives: The Queens of…

Political scientist John Mueller discusses how ideas influence everything from human health to war. It could be said that American foreign policy since 1945 has been one long miscue; most international threats - including during the Cold War - have been substantially exaggerated. The result has been agony and bloviation, unnecessary and costly mili…

"Historically, liberalism is striving to have a society that exhibits neither discrimination nor domination." Peter Boettke defends classical liberalism on The Human Progress Podcast. Book: https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Better-World-Peter-Boettke/dp/1942951876 In The Struggle for a Better World, Peter J. Boettke explores how the social sciences, …

In his new book, Charles Kenny explains why despite all the gloom and doom, the world is getting better for billions. Charles Kenny is a senior fellow and the director of technology and development at the Center for Global Development. His current work focuses on gender and development, the role of technology in development, governance and anticorr…

Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley explain how resources are becoming more abundant alongside population growth. SImon Project: https://www.humanprogress.org/simonproject/ Gale L. Pooley, PhD is an associate professor of business management at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Dr. Pooley has taught at Alfaisal University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Brigham Yo…