Ben Harris served in numerous high-ranking roles as a public sector economist and is now the vice president and director of economic studies at the Brooking Institution. In Ben’s first appearance on the show, he discusses the fiscal health of the US government, including the rising primary deficient, the impact of the Big Beautiful Bill, the proposition of stablecoins and AI as a solution to our debt, his love of basketball and much more.

Check out the transcript for this week’s episode, now with links.

Recorded on June 18th, 2025

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Timestamps

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:01 - Ben’s Career

00:05:18 - Fiscal Health of the United States

00:07:57 - Big Beautiful Bill

00:12:15 - Debts and Deficits

00:14:47 - Costs and Risks of the Rising US Debt

00:37:05 - Stablecoins as a Potential Solution to US Debt

00:41:49 - Debt Ceiling

00:50:02 - AI and the Economy

00:54:58 - Outro

Luis Garicano is a former member of the European Parliament and a professor at the London School of Economics. In Luis’s first appearance on the show he discusses his new book, Crisis Cycle: Challenges, Evolution, and the future of the Euro, the ever-changing landscape of digital money, his suggested reforms to the Euro, and much more.

Check out the transcript for this week’s episode, now with links.

Recorded on June 18th, 2025

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Follow David Beckworth on X: @DavidBeckworth

Follow Luis on X: @lugaricano

Follow the show on X: @Macro_Musings

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Timestamps

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:55 - Future of Money

00:08:46 - Bank Regulation

00:12:51 - Stablecoins

00:23:35 - Crisis Cycle

00:56:05 - Outro

Mark Blyth is a professor of international economics at Brown University. In Mark’s first appearance on the show, he discusses his new book Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers, the concept of angrynomics, a new way to look at price controls, demographic decline, and much more.

Check out the transcript for this week’s episode, now with links.

Recorded on June 4th, 2025

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Follow David Beckworth on X: @DavidBeckworth

Follow Mark on X: @MkBlyth

Follow the show on X: @Macro_Musings

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Timestamps

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:50 - Angrynomics

00:03:56 - Motivation for ‘Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers’

00:08:27 - Five Things They Don’t Tell You About Inflation

00:14:32 - Good, Bad, and Ugly Inflation

00:18:14 - Interest Rates and Inflation

00:21:33 - Price Controls

00:26:13 - Stories About Inflation

00:35:03 - Hyperinflation

00:42:24 - Pandemic Inflation

00:58:00 - Disinflation, China, and Demographic Decline

01:00:30 - Recommendations for Policymakers

01:02:00 - Outro