The Architect of Free Markets: Milton Friedman’s Century
Episode 1158
In this episode, we explore the life and legacy of Milton Friedman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist who challenged the Keynesian consensus and became the "guru" of the Reagan administration. From his upbringing as the son of Jewish immigrants in New Jersey to leading the Chicago School of economics, we examine how Friedman became arguably the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century.
Tune in as we discuss:
- The Monetarist Revolution: How Friedman challenged the economic establishment by arguing that inflation is "always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon" and that the Great Depression was caused by the Federal Reserve’s failure to manage the money supply.
- Key Theoretical Contributions: A deep dive into his Nobel-winning work on consumption analysis, the "permanent income hypothesis," and his prediction of stagflation through the natural rate of unemployment.
- Radical Policy Ideas: We break down the proposals in Capitalism and Freedom and Free to Choose, including the negative income tax, school vouchers, freely floating exchange rates, and his pivotal role in ending the U.S. military draft.
- Political Influence & Controversy: His advisorship to Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, and the intense controversy surrounding his visit to Chile and association with the Pinochet regime.
- The Personal Side: His lifelong collaboration with his wife and fellow economist, Rose Friedman, and his stature as an "elfin libertarian" who stood only 5 feet tall but loomed large over global policy.
Join us for a look at the man who argued that economic freedom is a necessary condition for political freedom.
Published on 3 days ago