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Were the good old days actually better—or are we forgetting what life was like? In episode 223 of the Let People Prosper Show, economist Vance Ginn welcomes Chelsea Follett, a Cato Institute research fellow working with HumanProgress.org and author of The Grim Old Days. They examine preindustrial living conditions, child survival, industrialization, economic freedom, and how openness and innovation improve everyday life. The conversation also considers AI’s potential to extend that progress. The message is hopeful: understanding the past can help us preserve the freedom to build a better future. Follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who enjoys history and economics. Full episode show notes + newsletter subscription:https://vanceginn.substack.com/p/ab1570b1-694a-4085-aa2f-04327891d338 Chelsea’s book:https://www.cato.org/books/grim-old-days Research and policy guides:https://vanceginn.com

Will cracking down on healthcare middlemen make your prescriptions more affordable? In This Week’s Economy 188, economist Vance Ginn examines pharmacy benefit managers, the services they perform, and the incentives shaping America’s healthcare system. The episode asks what happens to drug-price negotiations and benefit administration when policymakers restrict intermediaries, why a reform that helps one business may still raise costs for patients, and how competition and greater patient control could improve the system. PBMs deserve scrutiny. Every proposed replacement does, too. Before another mandate, ask: Who benefits? Who pays? Who gets to choose? Follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone navigating healthcare costs. Full episode show notes + newsletter subscription:https://vanceginn.substack.com/p/b088f5ee-12b3-41c3-b728-39a49f510819 Research and policy guides:https://vanceginn.com

Buying or selling a home can cost thousands before the moving truck arrives. What would greater competition mean for families? In episode 222 of the Let People Prosper Show, economist Vance Ginn welcomes Jack Ryan, former Goldman Sachs partner, REX co-founder, and co-author of Bringing Adam Smith into the American Home with John Tamny. We explore brokerage commissions, Jack’s experience challenging the traditional model, transparent pricing, housing affordability, and the potential for technology to reduce transaction costs. We also consider how moving costs affect opportunity and why homeownership should be a choice. Jack presents his criticisms of industry practices; REX did not prevail on its antitrust claims against Zillow and NAR. Follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share this conversation with someone considering a move. Show notes and newsletter subscription:https://vanceginn.substack.com/p/654eefd1-8e28-4cd3-9728-834cabe3f584 Research and policy guides:https://vanceginn.com God bless you, and let people prosper!

Why fiscal restraint, free markets, and innovation matter for America’s prosperity. Grocery bills, property taxes, and shrinking purchasing power are putting pressure on families. Policymakers keep promising relief—but are their proposals addressing the underlying costs? In episode 187 of This Week’s Economy, I explain how inflation, government ownership in private businesses, property taxes, Texas employment trends, and artificial intelligence connect to affordability. The path forward requires fiscal restraint, sound money, stronger property rights, competition, and room to innovate. Follow the podcast, share this episode, and subscribe to Let People Prosper for practical economic analysis. Full show notes: https://vanceginn.substack.com/p/d5903c04-5a3f-4c6b-9dee-7a4276a74788 More research and policy guides: https://vanceginn.com

AI, data centers, online safety, and the freedom to build a more prosperous future. Patrick Hedger, director of policy at NetChoice, joins the Let People Prosper Show to examine whether government responses to new technology are helping Americans—or making innovation more difficult and expensive. We discuss electricity prices and data centers, the difference between business size and consumer harm, conflicting AI regulations, and how to protect children without sacrificing privacy and parental authority. Patrick also explains how growing up in a small-business household shaped his commitment to free enterprise. For policymakers and everyone concerned about affordability and opportunity, the central question is practical: How do we address real harms while preserving the freedom to experiment, compete, and build? Read the full show notes and subsribe to my newsletter here:https://vanceginn.substack.com Patrick’s work:https://netchoice.org/team/patrick-hedger/ More research and commentary from my work at Ginn Economic Consulting:https://vanceginn.com Follow the show and share this conversation. Let people prosper!

A real affordability agenda starts by addressing why things cost so much. Families are trying to afford a home, pay medical bills, and keep the lights on. They deserve more than another campaign promise that the government will pick up part of the tab. In episode 186 of This Week’s Economy, I explain how policymakers can address the underlying costs of housing, health care, and energy—and why subsidies, tariffs, and production restrictions can work against the relief candidates promise. The test is simple: Does a proposal make it easier to produce and compete, or does it shift costs while leaving the underlying problem in place? Listen for practical reforms that expand supply, empower patients, encourage energy investment, and give people more freedom to prosper. Subscribe to the Let People Prosper newsletter:https://vanceginn.substack.com More research, commentary, and episodes:https://vanceginn.com Follow the show and share this episode with someone who wants better answers on affordability. Let people prosper!

Why is socialism gaining appeal while free enterprise has produced extraordinary prosperity? John Tillman, author of The Political Vise and founder of Hall of Giants, joins me to discuss why socialist ideas can be so compelling, where free-market advocates have fallen short, and why defending capitalism requires more than statistics. We explore political power, victimhood, entrepreneurship, identity, storytelling, and how to make a more human case for economic freedom. Get show notes and more at vanceginn.substack.com.

Should politicians decide which American businesses succeed? From Washington's ownership stake in Intel to tariffs, industrial subsidies, and proposed restrictions on diesel exports, the government is taking a larger role in directing economic decisions. In This Week's Economy #185, economist Dr. Vance Ginn explains why these policies can raise costs, distort competition, and put taxpayers at risk. He explores the lessons of spontaneous order, the hidden costs of government intervention, and why markets work better when entrepreneurs and consumers make economic decisions. The central question: Does America need more government direction or more economic freedom? Explore Ginn Economic Consulting at https://vanceginn.com and subscribe to the Let People Prosper newsletter at https://vanceginn.substack.com.

Why has the American Dream become so expensive? Akash Chougule, President of FREOPP, joins me to discuss Affording the American Dream and what it will take to expand opportunity and upward mobility. We explore housing, healthcare, energy, child care, federal debt, and a central question: Should government help people pay higher prices, or remove the barriers making things expensive in the first place? The conversation is ultimately about creating the conditions for people to build better lives through greater supply, competition, innovation, choice, and economic freedom. Learn more at VanceGinn.com and get show notes at vanceginn.substack.com.

From inflation and immigration to prescription drugs, diesel, and data centers, policymakers are reaching for new ways to control economic outcomes. In TWE 184, I ask a more fundamental question: What caused the problem in the first place? We examine federal deficits, H-1B visas, Texas data centers, drug pricing, and energy through the common lens of scarcity, incentives, supply, and competition. The lesson: good intentions don't guarantee good economic outcomes. Lasting prosperity comes from addressing causes and allowing people to produce, compete, innovate, and solve problems. Get show notes at vanceginn.substack.com.

Mark Moses, Senior Fellow at the California Policy Center and author of The Municipal Financial Crisis, joins me to discuss why local governments still face fiscal pressures and what taxpayers should know about government finances. We explore municipal budgets, public pensions, balance sheets, AI, data centers, and whether governments lose focus on their essential responsibilities when their missions continually expand. The central question: What should local government actually do?Learn more about my work at Ginn Economic Consulting at VanceGinn.com. Subscribe to my newsletter for show notes and more: vanceginn.substack.com.

Nearly $2 billion in Medicaid fraud-related and other recoveries should get our attention. So should CMS's estimate of $37.4 billion in improper Medicaid payments, although improper payments are not necessarily fraud. But the bigger economic question is about incentives. In this episode, I examine how federal Medicaid matching can affect state spending decisions, how complicated financing arrangements can encourage states to pursue additional federal dollars, and why greater state flexibility should come with greater fiscal responsibility. Then I go one step further: Medicaid reform shouldn't simply move control from Washington to the states. More healthcare dollars and decisions should ultimately move toward patients and doctors. Protect taxpayers. Empower patients. Let doctors focus on healing. Find show notes at vanceginn.substack.com and more info on my work at vanceginn.com.

Is classical liberalism losing ground in America? Duke University professor Dr. Michael Munger joins me to discuss constitutional government, public choice, tariffs, free trade, and the institutions underlying a free and prosperous society. We explore why restraints on government matter even when they prevent our preferred political outcomes, how political incentives shape policy, what tariffs actually do, and why institutional “friction” can sometimes protect against bad collective decisions. Mike first joined the show in 2023 to discuss whether capitalism was sustainable in America. This time, we tackle an even broader question: Can America maintain the classical-liberal institutions that allow freedom and prosperity to flourish? Find more at VanceGinn.com.

If the government sends you a check while everything around you gets more expensive, are you really better off? This week, I break down inflation and wages, the Fed’s latest rate hike, President Trump’s proposed $5,000 dividend, Governor Abbott’s Texas affordability agenda, rising healthcare costs, and calls to slow AI. The common question is simple: Are policymakers addressing what makes things expensive, or adding another subsidy or regulation to manage the symptoms? We discuss why lasting affordability depends on sound money, spending restraint, more supply and competition, better healthcare incentives, and innovation. More on my work at Ginn Economic Consulting at VanceGinn.com, and show notes for Let People Prosper on Substack at vanceginn.substack.com.

How much power should federal agencies have, and who should be accountable when they exercise it? Ashley Baker, Executive Director of the Committee for Justice, joins me to discuss agency power, antitrust, the Supreme Court, regulatory compliance costs, and the constitutional limits on the administrative state. We dig into Trump v. Slaughter, FTC authority, merger enforcement, regulatory barriers to competition, and why constitutional restraints matter for both liberty and prosperity. Subscribe and share the Let People Prosper Show. Find more of my work at VanceGinn.com and subscribe at VanceGinn.Substack.com.