Episodit
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Alex speaks with Ádám Lovász about the concept of spontaneous order, examining its philosophical roots in thinkers like Hayek and exploring its applications beyond human societies, including ecosystems and insect colonies, as well as its implications for understanding the limitations of technocratic control in both markets and ecological systems.
ReferencesAdam's Author Page on AmazonLink: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/author/B00LXFHXN8/about?ingress=0&visitId=5dbd96f1-456d-41f2-a1e7-6d59eeaf6ca9&ref_=ap_rdr
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich HayekLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847
"The Sensory Order" by Friedrich HayekLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Sensory-Order-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320944
"The Wealth of Nations" by Adam SmithLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128
"Anarchy, State, and Utopia" by Robert NozickLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465097200
"Stigmergy and the Role of Insect Societies in Complex Systems" by Leslie MarshLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Stigmergy-Insect-Societies-Complex-Systems/dp/XXXXX
"The Road to Serfdom" by Friedrich HayekLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/0226320553
Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask
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Matt speaks with Colin Craig about the Canadian healthcare system, discussing its inefficiencies, long wait times, and potential reforms, while comparing it to healthcare models in other countries and offering practical suggestions for improvement.
ReferencesHealth Reform Now - the documentary that informs much of this conversation: Link: https://secondstreet.org/new-documentary-health-reform-now/"Universal Health Care: What the United States Can Learn from the United Kingdom" by Karen DavisLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Universal-Health-Care-Learn-Karen-Davis/dp/XXXXX
"Sick in the Head: Why America Still Doesn't Have Universal Health Care" by Sarah KliffLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Sick-Head-America-Doesnt-Universal/dp/XXXXX
"The Healthcare Fix: Universal Insurance for All Americans" by Laurence J. KotlikoffLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Healthcare-Fix-Universal-Insurance-Americans/dp/0262612263
"The European Union's Cross-Border Healthcare Directive"Link: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/205/cross-border-healthcare
"Activity-Based Funding Model in Healthcare: A Comparative Analysis"Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Activity-Based-Funding-Comparative-Analysis/dp/XXXXX
"Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada" by Bacchus Barua (Fraser Institute)Link: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/waiting-your-turn-wait-times-for-health-care-in-canada
"Overton Window: The Political Theory of Change" by Joseph P. OvertonLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Overton-Window-Political-Change-Joseph/dp/XXXXX
Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask
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Puuttuva jakso?
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To celebrate Sabine’s time at the ILS and her work with the Curious Task, we’re revisiting Sabine’s first appearance as a guest on the podcast.
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Alex Aragona speaks with Sabine El-Chidiac as she explores the different ways civil society solutions help refugees succeed when they move to their new home.
References from The Curious Task Episode 68 with Sabine El-Chidiac
You can find Sabine's work on this topic mentioned in the podcast at Police Options hereThe Government of Canada’s website contains a list of all the programs under which economic immigrants are admitted into Canada.Here is some more information about the express entry pathway.As Sabine noted in the podcast, admission under the Provincial Nominee Program is dependent upon what the destination province deems to be their biggest occupational and employment goals and needs. This link provides a brief overview of the program and hyperlinks to province-specific guidelines.You can read more about the UNHCR’s Refugee Status Designation process on their website here, as well as their procedural standards here.This is the link to the Government of Canada’s guide to the private refugee sponsorship process.Sabine mentioned the work of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto to accommodate and build a community for refugees by performing fundraisers and food drives amongst the parishioners. You can read their mission statement on their website.Sabine’s article, The success of the privately sponsored refugee system, discusses some of the themes from this podcast, such as the principle of civil society, and is available for reading on Policy Options.Here is a link to the Rapid Impact Evaluation of the Syrian Refugee Initiative developed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2016. It compares the outcomes, living standards, and satisfaction of government and privately sponsored Syrian refugees between 2015-2016.This is a link to the joint statement to the UN General Assembly by the Ministers of Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Spain, and New Zealand speaking in favour of community-led sponsorship approaches that Alex briefly mentions on the podcast.Here is a link to the official PSR cap published by the Government of Canada. Some examples of the lobbying against PSR caps include the Canadian Council for Refugees and the Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association.Alex and Sabine discuss Danby Appliances’ CEO Jim Estill’s sponsorship and hiring of over fifty refugee families in Guelph, Ontario. You can read more about this in the article linked here.On the podcast, Sabine shares the inspiring story coming out of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia with regards to how the refugees who were once sponsored to the area eventually became systems of support for new incoming refugees. You can follow the community work for refugees in Haida Gwaii through one of their local newspaper’s website. -
Alex speaks with Mark Koyama about the historical context and economic implications of the Manila Galleon trade, focusing on how monopolistic practices increased the risk of shipwrecks and the broader lessons for contemporary economics about the unintended consequences of monopoly power.
References"Shipwrecked by Rents: The Manila Galleon Trade" by Mark Koyama, Desiderio Desideri, and Fernando ArteagaLink: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304387823001967
"The Wealth of Nations" by Adam SmithLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128
"Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance" by Douglass C. NorthLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Institutions-Institutional-Change-Economic-Performance/dp/0521397340
"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" by Adam SmithLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Inquiry-Nature-Causes-Wealth-Nations/dp/1494465227
"The East India Company: A History" by Philip LawsonLink: https://www.amazon.ca/East-India-Company-Philip-Lawson/dp/0582490522
"Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World" by Niall FergusonLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Empire-How-Britain-Made-Modern/dp/0141007540
"The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Empire" by William MaltbyLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Fall-Spanish-Empire-Maltby/dp/1405844874
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Summary
Alex speaks with Jacob Levy about the concept of a liberal party, exploring its philosophical foundations, historical context, and touch on all of these points within the context of Jacob's article "The Liberal Party Idea" (2024).
ReferencesThe Liberal Party Idea by Jacob Levy: Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381323406_The_liberal_party_idea_and_American_ideology"On Liberty" by John Stuart MillLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Liberty-John-Stuart-Mill/dp/1505851210
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich HayekLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847
"The Federalist Papers" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John JayLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Federalist-Papers-Alexander-Hamilton/dp/0486496363
"Reflections on the Revolution in France" by Edmund BurkeLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Reflections-Revolution-France-Edmund-Burke/dp/0199539022
"Democracy in America" by Alexis de TocquevilleLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Alexis-Tocqueville/dp/0140447601
"Two Treatises of Government" by John LockeLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Treatises-Government-John-Locke/dp/1532846815
"Political Liberalism" by John RawlsLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Political-Liberalism-John-Rawls/dp/0231130899
Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask
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Sabine speaks with Nathan Goodman about the complexities of border control and domestic policy, focusing on how these issues intersect with libertarian philosophy, the economic implications of immigration, and the ethical considerations of state power in regulating borders.
References
"The Law of Peoples" by John RawlsLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Law-Peoples-John-Rawls/dp/0674005422
"The Machinery of Freedom" by David D. FriedmanLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Machinery-Freedom-Guide-Radical-Capitalism/dp/1507785607
"Anarchy, State, and Utopia" by Robert NozickLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465097200
"The Ethics of Liberty" by Murray RothbardLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Ethics-Liberty-Murray-N-Rothbard/dp/0814775594
"Borders of Justice" edited by Todd MayLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Borders-Justice-Todd-May/dp/1438433712
"Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom" by Ilya SominLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Free-Move-Migration-Political-Freedom/dp/0190054581
"Politics in Plural Societies: A Theory of Democratic Instability" by Alvin Rabushka and Kenneth A. ShepsleLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Politics-Plural-Societies-Democratic-Instability/dp/0674686266
Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask
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Alex speaks with Ignacio Cofone about the intricacies of privacy in the digital era, examining how personal data is collected, inferred upon, and the legal frameworks that govern these practices, as elucidated in Ignacio Cofone's book, "The Privacy Fallacy."Episode Notes:
"The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy" by Ignacio CofoneLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Privacy-Fallacy-Power-Information-Economy/dp/XXXXX
"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" by Shoshana ZuboffLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Age-Surveillance-Capitalism-Future-Frontier/dp/1541758005
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)Link: https://gdpr.eu/
"Privacy and Freedom" by Alan F. WestinLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Privacy-Freedom-Alan-F-Westin/dp/XXXXX
"Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace" by Lawrence LessigLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Code-Laws-Cyberspace-Lawrence-Lessig/dp/0465039146
"Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. SunsteinLink: https://www.amazon.ca/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X
"The Right to Privacy" by Samuel D. Warren and Louis D. BrandeisLink: https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~shmat/courses/cs5436/warren-brandeis.pdf
Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask
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Matt speaks with Bruce Pardy about the rule of law in Canada, implications of the notwithstanding clause, the evolving interpretation of the Charter, and the balance between individual rights and state power.
ReferencesFriedrich Hayek - "The Road to Serfdom" - https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/0226320553Discussed in relation to emergent order and skepticism of imposed rules.
Magna Carta - "The Magna Carta" - https://www.bl.uk/magna-cartaMentioned as a historical document marking the beginning of limiting the king's power.
U.S. Bill of Rights - "The Bill of Rights" - https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rightsCited as a document that transferred power from the legislature to the courts in the American context.
Section 33 - The Notwithstanding Clause - "Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" - https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art33.htmlDiscussed as a controversial clause allowing legislatures to override certain rights.
Adam Smith - "The Wealth of Nations" - https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128Referenced in discussions on free markets and the role of government.
John Locke - "Two Treatises of Government" - https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Treatises-Government-John-Locke/dp/1507621453His ideas on government and individual rights were mentioned.
Milton Friedman - "Capitalism and Freedom" - https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Freedom-Anniversary-Milton-Friedman/dp/0226264211Cited in discussions about the role of government in economic affairs.
ThanksThanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask
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Alex speaks with Rosolino Candela about the morality and dynamics of illicit markets, focusing on the transition from central planning to privatization in post-Soviet Russia and the role of property rights in shaping economic behaviors and attitudes.
References:
Rosolino's Website - https://www.rcandela.com/ Timothy Fry - Property Rights and Property Wrongs - https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316661727 Peter Boettke - Economic History and Soviet System - https://www.peter-boettke.com/soviet-studies Adam Smith & Classical Economics - https://www.britannica.com/money/classical-economics Constantine Menges - https://www.hudson.org/domestic-policy/an-appreciation-of-constantine-menges Ayn Rand - Philosophy of Objectivism - https://aynrand.org/novels/objectivism-the-philosophy-of-ayn-rand/ Ludwig von Mises - Human Action - https://mises.org/library/book/human-action Milton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom - https://ctheory.sitehost.iu.edu/resources/fall2020/Friedman_Capitalism_and_Freedom.pdf
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Matt speaks with Matt Zwolinski about Bleeding Heart Libertarianism and the diverse perspectives within libertarian thought, discussing its history, philosophical foundations, and contemporary issues, including debates on social justice, individual rights, and the role of government.
References:
The BHL blog: https://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/
Hayek on SEP including his thoughts on social justice and libertarianism: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/friedrich-hayek/
John Tomasi and Matt Zwolinski's book "The Individualists" - https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691155548/the-individualists
Roderick Long on natural rights and libertarianism - http://freenation.org/a/f42l1.html
Eric Mack's page on Tulane U website, including works - https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/philosophy/people/eric-mack-phd
Ralph Nader on a libertarian alliance with "liberals"/progressives - https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2014/05/21/ralph-nader
Billy Christmas on PhilPeople - https://philpeople.org/profiles/billy-christmas
A summary of American Libertarianism and consequentialism including a reference to Richard Epstein - https://usapoliticaldatabase.weebly.com/consequentialist-libertarianism.html
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Alex speaks with Chris Coyne about the complexities and ramifications of war, focusing on the interplay between media narratives, propaganda, and the impact on civil liberties, drawing insights from Coyne's book co-authored with Abigail Hall, which is a satirical guide on war strategies and their broader societal implications.
Episode Notes:
Chris and Abigail's book "How to Run Wars": https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=145
1. Bruce Winton Knight's "How To Run A War": https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=bruce+winton+knight&title=how+to+run+a+war
2. Herman and Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/61214/manufacturing-consent-by-edward-s-herman-and-noam-chomsky/
3. Noam Chomsky's website: https://chomsky.info/
4. Alexis de Tocqueville's biography, including reference to his distinction between hard and soft despotism: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexis-de-Tocqueville
5. Otto Neurath's "From the War Economy to the Economy in Kind" https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/neurath/works/war-economy.htm
6. Abigail Hall and Christopher Coyne "Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror": https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781503628171/Manufacturing-Militarism-U-S-Government-Propaganda-in-the-War-on-Terror
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Sabine speaks with Greta Lynn Uehling about her research on the effects of war on relationships, an underexplored topic in conflict studies.
Episode Notes:
- Greta's book "Everyday War": https://a.co/d/09MHkjov
- Homer's "The Illiad": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv: knu.ua
- A primer on the concept of "Everyday Peace": https://heller.brandeis.edu/news/items/releases/2019/winter-2019-magazine-everyday-peace.html
- The UNICEF report on Mental Health: https://www.unicef.org/topics/mental-health
- The Battle of Ilovaisk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ilovaisk
- The Fullbright program website: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about
- The Geneva Convetion at ICRC: https://www.icrc.org/en/document/geneva-conventions-1949-additional-protocols
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Alex speaks with Marc-William Palen about the evolution of left-wing visions of free trade from the mid-19th century through the Cold War, highlighting key movements and figures like the Anti-Corn Law League, Karl Marx, and the Fair Trade movement, and contrasting these with protectionist and imperialist policies of the era.
Episode Notes:
Marc-William's book "Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691199320/pax-economica
Marx on Free Trade:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1888/free-trade/#:~:text=Only%20under%20Free%20Trade%20can,%2C%20wage%2Dlaborers%20there%3B%20hereditary
The Eric Schliesser episode of the Curious Task mentioned by Alex: https://www.podbean.com/pu/pbblog-t5nu9-538037
Journal of Liberal History's summary of the history of the Anti-Corn Law League:
https://liberalhistory.org.uk/history/anti-corn-law-league/
Overview of the history of the Opium Wars:
https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china#:~:text=The%20Opium%20Wars%20in%20the,China%20lost%20both%20wars.
A primer on the origins of Fair Trade and the Haslemere Declaration:
https://imperialglobalexeter.com/2018/05/03/what-fair-trade-was-originally-about-the-haslemere-declaration-of-1968/
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Matt speaks with Joanna Baron about how government measures during the pandemic undermined civil liberties in North America and beyond.
Episode Notes:
- Brian Bird's PhD Thesis: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/4j03d4180
- Fraser Institute:
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/
- The Forgotten Fundamental Freedoms - Dwight G. Newman
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3803888
- Joanna's book with Christine Van Geyn "Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever" https://a.co/d/0aNNzvLW
- "Let's Declare a Pandemic Amnesty" by Emily Oster https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/covid-response-forgiveness/671879/
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Sabine speaks with Jonathan Blanks about why and how systemic racism exists in society, and what can potentially be done to curb it in various aspects of institutional life.
Episode Notes:
- The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity: https://freopp.org/
- An article by Jonathan on defining systemic racism: https://freopp.org/what-systemic-racism-is-and-isnt-1213c1c972ff
- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America (2015) by Jill Leovy https://a.co/d/8f9JGqB
- The Thirteenth trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6IXQbXPO3I
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Alex speaks with Kevin Erdmann about how zoning, the 2008 economic crisis, and the desire to live away from "those people" is effecting the state of housing today.
Episode Notes:
Kevin's page at the Mercatus Centre:
https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/kevin-erdmann
The Erdmann Housing Tracker:
https://kevinerdmann.substack.com/
Kevin on X:
https://x.com/KAErdmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Kevin's book "Shut Out" on Amazon Canada:
https://a.co/d/gIh82Og
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Alex speaks with Dominic Parker about his 2023 paper with Dean Lueck entitled "The Economic Origins And Extent Of America's First Environmental Agencies"
Episode Notes:
Dominic's paper: https://aae.wisc.edu/dparker/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/12/Lueck-Parker-Origins-December-2023.pdf
Some history on the conservation movement from 1850-1920 via the American Library of Congress:
https://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20220203190507/https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amrvhtml/conshome.html
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Alex speaks with Ryan Bourne as he explores the misconceptions around inflation and the dangers of price controls, emphasizing how prices act as signals to coordinate economic activity and promote growth. Ryan explains the adverse effects of government intervention in setting prices, such as shortages, quality declines, black markets, and inefficient resource allocation.
Episode Notes:
- Ryan’s book that serves as the basis for most of the discussion:https://a.co/d/6B4n1Uf
- Summary of Friedman, Monetarist School and the K-percent rule https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/monetarism.asp#:~:text=In%20his%20book%2C%20%22A%20Monetary,a%20fixed%20percentage%20per%20year.
- Explanation of greedflation: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/what-is-greedflation-and-is-it-driving-higher-prices/
- Kahneman and Thaler's research: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1806070
- Clemens on minimum wage
https://econweb.ucsd.edu/~j1clemens/pdfs/ClemensMinWageCatoPolicyAnalysis867.pdf
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Alex speaks with Donner prize nominee Kent Roach about a topic that many Canadians may overlook when thinking about issues that are recurring at home: wrongful convictions and its victims.
Episode Notes:
- Kent's award-winning book "Wrongfully Convicted: Guilty Pleas, Imagined Crimes, and What Canada Must Do to Safeguard Justice" https://a.co/d/d9mB5cN
- Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions: https://www.wrongfulconvictions.ca/
- The Innocence Project at Cardozo: https://cardozo.yu.edu/innocence-project
- Blackstone's ratio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstone%27s_ratio
- Charles Smith (pathologist) background: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/dr-charles-smith-the-man-behind-the-public-inquiry-1.864004
- R v Gladue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_v_Gladue
- Richard Catchaway case: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/richard-catcheway-wrongful-conviction-1.4681737
- The Morin case on CRWC https://www.wrongfulconvictions.ca/cases/guy-paul-morin
- The Goudge report on pediatric forensic pathology: https://wayback.archive-it.org/16312/20211207211516/https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/goudge/index.html
- The David Milgaard case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Milgaard
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Matt speaks with Ethan Nadelmann about drug decriminalization, legalization, and the slow end to the drug war in Canada and the United States, and how successes and failures in both countries compare to those abroad.
Episode Notes:
The Drug Policy Alliance website: https://drugpolicy.org/
Some history on Portugal's Drug Harm Reduction Programs: https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/portugals-harm-reduction-policies
Philip Owen's obituary highlighting some of his successes in Vancouver as mayor: https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2021/10/02/dtes-philip-owens-four-pillars//
Larry Cambell's call for opioid legalization: https://globalnews.ca/news/3260074/make-prescription-opioids-legal-says-senator-and-former-mayor-larry-campbell/
"Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" on Amazon Canada: https://a.co/d/36Y1M4L
Peltzman's original article studying drug availability: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1830639
Ed Preble's "Taking Care Of Business":
https://doi.org/10.3109/10826086909061998
- Näytä enemmän
