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Pandemics and Policy

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  • March 13, 2025
    Unintended Consequences
    Congestion Pricing and VMT Taxes
    Congestion Pricing and VMT Taxes
    New York City’s congestion pricing policy is meant to reduce traffic in Manhattan and to raise money for public transit. But it’s attracted the ire of many, including President Donald Trump. Join Paul Matzko and Peter Van Doren as they discuss what congestion pricing is, why it’s so controversial, and why it’s generally a good idea to more accurately price the use of roads.
    Featuring Peter Van Doren and Paul Matzko
  • February 13, 2025
    Unintended Consequences
    Who Builds the Building Code?
    Who Builds the Building Code?
    Should your home have a sprinkler system installed? Well, the organization likely responsible for your local building code thinks so. But mandating sprinklers in every single family home would be expensive, and this wouldn’t be the first time that regulators failed to account for costs and tradeoffs sufficiently. Join Paul Matzko and Peter Van Doren for a closer look at an organization you’ve never heard of, the International Code Council, which significantly influences what gets built in America today.
    Featuring Paul Matzko and Peter Van Doren
  • January 15, 2025
    Unintended Consequences
    Jimmy Carter, the Great Deregulator
    Jimmy Carter, the Great Deregulator
    Obituaries for the late President Jimmy Carter have been filled with profuse praise for his post-presidential philanthropic work. But Carter wasn’t just good once he left office; he was one of the most underrated presidents in US history. As Paul and Peter discuss, his administration enacted policies that deregulated a swath of industries from trucking to broadcasting, ultimately laying the foundation for the next several decades of American prosperity.  
    Featuring Paul Matzko and Peter Van Doren
  • October 14, 2024
    Unintended Consequences
    A Politics of Nostalgia: Economic Policy Under Biden and Trump
    A Politics of Nostalgia: Economic Policy Under Biden and Trump
    There is substantial overlap between the Biden and Trump administrations on economic policy. Both presidents have favored protectionist industrial policy and higher import tariffs. Yet these policies would not only fail to return America to the economy of the early 20th century; they would harm most ordinary American workers and consumers in the attempt. In this episode, Peter and Paul discuss the incredible cost of Trump’s proposed tariff increases, the retrograde nature of Biden’s approach to the steel industry, and a surprising result from the research on universal basic income. 
    Featuring Peter Van Doren and Paul Matzko
  • August 12, 2024
    Unintended Consequences
    Regulatory Expectations Get a Reality Check: Boeing, Chevron, and Antitrust
    Regulatory Expectations Get a Reality Check: Boeing, Chevron, and Antitrust
    Theory is elegant, but even the most well-designed and well-intentioned theory of regulation may not survive the acid test of reality. First, Paul and Peter discuss the dilemma faced by federal regulators trying to address Boeing’s safety record and the risk that (in)action might push more passengers to drive instead. Then Peter offers a counterintuitive take on the Supreme Court ending Chevron deference, deflating some of the hot air from the decision’s most ardent supporters and critics. Finally, they are joined by Professor Thomas Hazlett to dig deeper into the surprising outcomes from the T-Mobile – Sprint megamerger in 2020.
    Featuring Paul Matzko, Peter Van Doren, and Thomas W. Hazlett
  • April 15, 2024
    Unintended Consequences
    Should You Have the Right To Repair Your John Deere Tractor? Upzoning, Right to Repair, and Union Wages
    Should You Have the Right To Repair Your John Deere Tractor? Upzoning, Right to Repair, and Union Wages
    It’s tractor week at Unintended Consequences with special guest Ike Brannon, who is a Senior Fellow at the Jack Kemp Foundation, about the right to repair movement and the struggle of farmers over whether John Deere can restrict their right to tinker with their own tractors. But first, Peter and Paul talk about government restrictions on manufactured homes as well as efforts by state officials to override local opposition to upzoning. (For those interested in doing a little extra reading about how houses are shrinking, here is a deep dive from the New York Times.) And the episode ends with a surprising paper about how unions actually lower wages. 
    Featuring Paul Matzko, Peter Van Doren, and Ike Brannon
  • February 14, 2024
    Unintended Consequences
    Starter Homes, Electric Vehicles, and Poverty
    Starter Homes, Electric Vehicles, and Poverty
    Incentives matter, but they don’t care about your intentions. In this episode Paul and Peter start by talking with special guest and Truist Distinguished Professor of Economics at Winston-Salem State University Craig Richardson. He discusses how the federal government tried to prevent greedy banks from taking advantage of homebuyers but just ended up making it harder for first-time homebuyers, especially those from minority communities, to afford a house. They also discuss a review of Matthew Desmond’s book Poverty, by America, as well as efforts by the Biden administration to boost the transition to electric vehicles.
    Featuring Peter Van Doren, Paul Matzko, and Craig J. Richardson
  • October 10, 2023
    Unintended Consequences
    Whiskey, Electricity, and Antitrust
    Whiskey, Electricity, and Antitrust
    Peter and Paul discuss three topics – adulterated whiskey, Texan electricity, and Brandesian antitrust – with one core theme: government action under political pressure is a poor substitute for market discipline. With special guests Macy Scheck and Daniel Smith. 
    Featuring Macy Scheck, Daniel J. Smith, Peter Van Doren, & Paul Matzko
  • April 19, 2023
    Unintended Consequences
    Railroad Profiteering and Mortgage Forbearance
    Railroad Profiteering and Mortgage Forbearance
    Spring 2023 In this episode of the Unintended Consequences podcast, we start by investigating whether railroads are making excessive profits by cutting back labor expenses. That’s the subject of Peter’s new paper, which is particularly timely given the reaction to the train derailment in eastern Ohio. Then, Mark Calabria joins to discuss his cover article about his time as the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the steps he took to prevent a mortgage meltdown during the pandemic. Finally, Peter and Paul tackle the limits of zoning reform as a solution for runaway housing inflation.
    Featuring Peter Van Doren and Paul Matzko
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