In 2022, Swedish historian of economic thought Lars Magnusson published a major book (in Swedish) about Swedish economic thought, from the late Middle Ages to the mid 19th century. The title (in English): From Medieval Provincial Law to State Liberalism: Economic Thought in Sweden. One theme is that proto-liberal thinking, often mixed in varying degrees with so-called mercantilist tendencies, marks Swedish thinkers both before and contemporary with Adam Smith. Another theme is the more thorough classical-liberal challenge to mercantilism from Anders Chydenius in the second half of the eighteenth century. Also, Magnusson limns a ‘pragmatic’ liberal vein in Swedish economic thought in the 19th century. EJW published a a review essay by Max Skjönsberg, who interviews Magnusson here.

George Selgin discusses his book False Dawn: The New Deal and the Promise of Recovery, 1933–1947 (University of Chicago Press, 2025), which was treated to a review essay by Jason Taylor in the March 2025 issue of Econ Journal Watch.

Professor Ivan Katchanovski discusses his article examining the Maidan massacre and the ouster of President Yanukovych in Ukraine in 2014.

This interview is conducted by Professor Glenn Diesen and is available on YouTube with video and subtitles here.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University is interviewed by Daniel Klein about being an economist, his favorite economists, his economist mentors, and his thoughts about the economics profession today. The conversation turns to his own ideological outlook and whether it has changed over the decades, and, then, to US foreign policy, particularly with respect to Russia.

Drawing on his EJW article coauthored with Alejandro Goméz, Nicolás Cachanosky guides us through classical liberalism at work in Argentina from 1816 to 1884. The authors shall be bringing the Argentine story up to the present in a sequel that is forthcoming.

Professor Glenn Diesen discusses Russophobia historically considered. He is the author of Russophobia: Propaganda in International Politics (2022). The discussion takes its point of departure with Richard Cobden’s “Cure for the Russo-phobia” pamphlet (1836), an abridged version of which is published in EJW.

Michael O’Connor is interviewed by David Barker on O’Connor’s major critique of the use of Sharpe ratios in hypothesis testing and investing. O’Connor cautions against relying on Sharpe ratios when choosing investments.

John Hand discusses his EJW article coauthored with Jeremiah Green, a quasi-replication of a series of studies by the consulting firm McKinsey, on firm performance and executive race/ethnic diversity. Green and Hand find no statistically significant relationship whereas the McKinsey studies find a positive relationship. Professor Hand is interviewed by David Barker.