Russell Roberts is interested in how the essential insights of economics can help us understand the world around us and lead better lives. He is a research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and host of the weekly podcast EconTalk–hour-long conversations with authors, economists, and business leaders. His latest book is How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness (Portfolio/Penguin 2014). It takes the lessons from Adam Smith’s little-known masterpiece, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and applies them to modern life. He is also the author of three economic novels teaching economic lessons and ideas through fiction. A three-time teacher of the year, Roberts has taught at George Mason University, Washington University in St. Louis (where he was the founding director of what is now the Center for Experiential Learning), the University of Rochester, Stanford University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. He earned his PhD from the University of Chicago and his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Topics Covered:

1. How online behavioral incentives influence information consumption and the pursuit of truth
2. How conduct should change when information is overly abundant compared to when it is scarce
3. Attention and outrage as the currency of our time
4. How to make reasonable inferences about truly meaningful trends without succumbing to crisis of the day online
5. Unintended consequences of online activism
6. Real vs. earned expertise
7. Ethical and economic questions as they pertain to tech companies
8. Data mining and scaling
9. Privacy concerns
10.  Policy implications

Links of Interest:

• Russ’ Website
• Russ’ Twitter
• What Do Economists Actually Know
• EconTalk

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