From Ideas to Innovation Podcast

About From Ideas to Innovation Podcast

Inviting entrepreneurs, academics, and policymakers to finally build together. fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Justin Callais

Category

business · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Apr 2026

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

14 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   What the AI Doom Story Gets Wrong

   Recent policy conversations have compared artificial intelligence development to a new cold war between the United States and China. But there's a different threat that almost no one is talking about. In China, 80% of the population views AI positively. In America, it’s almost exactly the opposite. That gap, more than the technology itself, may end up as the biggest threat to America’s AI future. Welcome to Episode 14 of From Ideas to Innovation. Neil Chilson (https://abundance.institute/about#neil-chilson) is Head of AI Policy at the Abundance Institute, a former Chief Technologist at the Federal Trade Commission, and one of the clearest thinkers working at the intersection of emerging technology, complex systems, and policy. He’s also the author of Getting Out of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex World (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1636768431?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback) (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1636768431?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback)— a book about why the most powerful systems in the world are the ones nobody controls. In our conversation, Neil lays out a clear alternative to the doom and gloom narrative around AI. About This Episode’s Guest It all started for Neil Chilson (https://www.neilchilson.com/about/) with a desire to understand complexity. As a kid, he became obsessed with chaos theory after picking up James Gleick’s Chaos (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143113453?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback), a book full of fractals, those gorgeous, intricate shapes generated by simple formulas iterated over and over. That early fascination with systems that produce surprising outcomes from simple rules turned out to be the through line connecting everything that came after: a computer science degree, law school, telecom law, a stint as Chief Technologist at the FTC, and now his role at the Abundance Institute (https://abundance.institute/), where he focuses on getting ahead of emerging technologies before the panic (a policy surrounding it) sets in. At the FTC, Neil witnessed the difference between two fundamentally different models of government intervention. The FCC writes detailed rules ahead of time — a Procrustean bed, as Neil calls it, that forces new technologies into the shape of old ones. The FTC takes a case-by-case approach, looking at specific facts and weighing harms against benefits, much like common law. That contrast shaped his beliefs around how to regulate fast-moving technology — and why getting it wrong with AI could be catastrophic. His book Getting Out of Control (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1636768431?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback) makes the case that the most powerful systems in the world — markets, societies, governments — aren’t controlled by anyone. They’re emergent. And the moment you try to impose top-down control on them, you often destroy the very complex properties that made them valuable in the first place. What You’ll Take Away * Why the AI doom narrative gets the fundamental nature of complex systems wrong, and what the doomer camp actually gets right * The “tech panic arc” — why every major technology goes through a backlash before being absorbed into culture, and how to move through it faster * A better approach to AI regulation than the popular prescriptive model * The case for federal versus state AI regulation, and the difference between “laboratories of democracy” and “meth labs of democracy” * Why AI companies calling for an antitrust exemption to slow down development is a bad idea and who are set up to be the most disadvantaged * What the US-China AI race is really about, and why America may be losing the adoption race even if it wins the frontier model race * Why the data center water panic is the biggest piece of misinformation in AI policy right now * One underrated AI application that Neil thinks will change how most people interact with computers within a decade This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Why Does Gen Z Hate Capitalism?

   Polling shows Gen Z is discontent with capitalism. A new survey from the Cato Institute (https://www.cato.org/blog/new-poll-nearly-half-americans-dont-know-what-americas-250th-celebrating) found 45% view capitalism favorably, while 53% view socialism favorably— and even worse, 38% viewed communism favorably. This is a generation that has grown up experiencing all the benefits free markets have to offer: two-day delivery, rapid technological innovation, and abundant consumer goods. So why the growing animosity toward free markets and rising approval of socialism? Welcome to Episode 13 of From Ideas to Innovation. Sam Raus and Maggie Anders are writers, commentators, and content creators at Young Voices (https://www.joinyv.org/). They are two of the sharpest young communicators working on these issues today. We discuss the underlying reasons for Gen Z’s discontentment with capitalism, the branding problem facing the liberty movement, and everything from Huey P. Long to AI slop to whether we should just ditch the word “capitalism” entirely. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, and I felt like I was along for a ride in the Young Voices newsroom. So buckle up. About This Episode’s Guests Sam Raus (https://www.joinyv.org/talent/samuel-raus) has been writing about tech and economic issues for almost three years, first as a college student posting on Substack between classes, and now as a full-time writer at Young Voices. He describes himself as a conservative driven by a libertarian impulse — someone who thinks the divide between libertarianism and conservatism is mostly overdone and weaponized by people who don’t fit under either umbrella. His work focuses on innovation, regulation, and the role of government in emerging industries. He brings to this conversation a writer's instinct for why words and framing matter as much as the underlying argument. Maggie Anders (https://www.joinyv.org/talent/maggie-anders) discovered the social justice left as a tween online, worked herself away from that ideology over time, and eventually landed at the Foundation for Economic Education, where she launched a podcast and fell in love with video journalism. Now based in New York City, she creates news commentary, podcasts, and video content for Young Voices. She uses her platform to normalize the idea that a woman can be a “girl’s girl” and also believe in free markets, and she makes a compelling case that visible representation in the liberty movement matters more than most people realize. Together, they co-host Young Voices’ new podcast Breaking Containment (https://open.spotify.com/show/4irWfKoT5GOvUw4nVWeAYc) — a show about the stories that break out of their original context and dominate the broader conversation. The feel of their show is like a behind the scenes look at the newsroom: how stories are shaped and opinions are formed. You’ll get a feel for that energy in today’s episode too. What You’ll Take Away * Why Gen Z blames capitalism for problems that are actually caused by the lack of it — and what the liberty movement keeps getting wrong in response * Competing theories for why Gen Z hates capitalism: cost of living or historical amnesia about socialism? * The liberty movement’s biggest blind spot, according to both guests * Why Huey P. Long is the Argentinian Juan Perón of Louisiana — and what that tells us about the Vice President’s recent comments * The effect of AI slop on trust in both business and media * The biggest threat facing Gen Z: risk aversion, expanding entitlements, consumerism hangovers, or something else entirely This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   16 Sept 2026

   Why Young People are Leaving the UK

   Americans who are functionally illiterate earn about the same as the average Briton. And you are more than 2 times more likely to die from extreme heat in Europe than from gun homicides in America. No wonder young people are fleeing Britain in droves. Today, we’re speaking to one of them. Welcome to Episode 12 of From Ideas to Innovation. Reem Ibrahim (https://www.reemibrahim.com/) is a writer and commentator at Reason Magazine (https://reason.com/) — a classically liberal voice covering economic freedom, regulation, and the lessons Europe’s stagnation holds for America. She moved from London to Washington DC eight months ago, not because she stopped loving Britain, but because Britain stopped working for people like her. Our conversation touches on economic history, her personal story, and includes a serious warning. If you care about what America’s future could look like, keep listening. About This Episode’s Guest Reem Ibrahim (https://reason.com/people/reem-ibrahim/) didn’t always hold libertarian views. As a teenager in London, she felt sad watching homeless people on the street and concluded, as most 16-year-olds do, that the government should do something about it. But she hadn’t yet connected that instinct to her own family’s story which is a case study in what happens when governments do too much. Her father’s side came from Egypt, where her great-uncle, a man who had built a construction business from nothing, had his assets seized by Nasser’s socialist government despite personal connections to the regime. The family eventually emigrated to the UK. And then, in a similar flight from stagnation, Reem moved to the US. She first stumbled across classical liberalism in high school. It was the first time she noticed that you could believe in limited government intervention and social liberalism, and that the two ideas did not clash. That discovery sent her on an intellectual journey that introduced her to Hayek and Mises, Hannah Arendt and the concept of natural rights, and Murray Rothbard’s Anatomy of the State — which she says she threw across the room in rage — through a brief stint as an anarcho-capitalist, and eventually to the classical liberalism she practices today. She explored these ideas publicly through social media. At 18, when she couldn’t sleep, she went live on TikTok to read excerpts from Anatomy of the State to strangers. She built a UK libertarian following. While she loved her job at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London, she realized that if she wanted to become a better communicator of economic freedom, she needed to learn from the best. So she made the move to the US. Now a research fellow at Reason, she turns public policy into sharp journalism and video. She mainly writes on regulation, trade, and economic freedom. What You’ll Take Away * How much richer and freer Americans are than our friends across the pond — and what that tells us about the cost of big government * The real Brexit: why young, ambitious Brits are leaving the UK and where they’re going * Why Europe doesn’t have a Tesla, and what labor market regulations have to do with it * What “free” healthcare actually looks like in practice, including the story of Reem’s father who nearly went blind waiting for NHS surgery * Why 12,000 people a year are arrested in the UK for online speech crimes, and what that means for freedom of expression * The Falkland Islands dispute, France’s nicotine pouch ban, and what both tell us about governments that can’t stop themselves * The countries Reem predicts are most likely to turn the clock back on bad policy — and the least likely This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

4. 

   2 Sept 2026

   Making Safety Nets Works for Families

   Whether in politics or policy research, most debates today focus on ideas while missing a vision for implementation. But when it comes to improving lives, the right idea simply is not enough. Aly Rau Brodsky has spent her career working in that gap, making sure people don’t get lost in the politics. Welcome to Episode 11 of From Ideas to Innovation. Aly is the Executive Vice President at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP), where she leads initiatives that turn ideas into implementation across child welfare, workforce, and safety net reform. She has examined the safety net from nearly every angle — from her work at a state think tank and in the governor’s cabinet to her experience as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and foster mom. This conversation is about what happens when ideas and implementation are aligned and what stands in the way when they don’t. About This Episode’s Guest Growing up in poverty in Louisiana, Aly Rau Brodsky (https://freopp.org/team/aly-rau-brodsky/) developed what she calls a deep “justice sensitivity” — an early and abiding awareness of what it means to be born into hard circumstances without community, resources, or voice. She developed that sense of justice as a CASA and medical advocate for sexual assault survivors before finding her way into policy and, later, politics. But she ultimately realized that the ideas behind the decisions matter just as much as the people making them, which brought her back to the world of policy. Her policy career began at the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, where she worked her way through many roles at the organization, founding their leadership program and the Kevin Kane Center for Opportunity Policy. Then the governor of Louisiana asked her to join his administration. She became one of the youngest women ever appointed to a cabinet-level position in Louisiana, spending the next several years as Assistant Secretary of Family Support and leading some of the boldest human services reforms the state had ever attempted. In that role, she oversaw child welfare, disability services, food and cash assistance, child support enforcement, and employment and training programs, while bringing her firsthand experience as a CASA and former foster parent to the policies and systems affecting families. Today, at FREOPP (https://freopp.org/), she is doing what she has always done: connecting the right ideas to the right implementation and refusing to accept that the gap between them is inevitable. There, she helps ensure that opportunity is real and reachable for those too often left behind. What You’ll Take Away * Why the right idea can still fall completely flat — and the implementation details that actually determine whether a policy works * The summer EBT story: how a group of non-experts figured out in 45 days what the subject matter experts said was impossible * What five broken chairs in a government visitation room taught Aly about the gap between policy and lived experience * Why America’s social services system is designed to make poverty survivable rather than escapable, and what it would take to change that * The case for One Door to Work, and the specific federal barriers preventing most states from doing what Utah already does * Why technology is the most overrated solution in social services right now * What every policymaker should be taught about social services, but rarely is This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

5. 

   19 Aug 2026

   How Sports Economics Explains Labor Market Trends and Bad Regulations

   Most people think sports economics is about Moneyball. Keri Lawson Rubenstein thinks it’s about everything. Welcome to Episode 10 of From Ideas to Innovation. Keri is an assistant professor of sport analytics at Syracuse University in one of the country’s leading sport analytics programs, and one of the most interesting applied economists working today. Her research covers women’s labor markets in professional sports, unintended consequences of safety mandates, and the economics of the WNBA — and she brings to all of it the same tool kit: rigorous economic thinking applied to questions people actually care about. Fair warning: if you care about sports at all, you may lose track of time. About This Episode’s Guest Keri Lawson Rubenstein (https://www.keriannelawson.com/) was pursuing the path toward becoming a traditional economist until she took Brad Humphreys’ sports economics class at West Virginia University and couldn’t go back. The conventional path for a sports economist is to either wait until after tenure to write sports papers or pivot entirely to a sport management department. Keri found a third option: Syracuse University David B. Falk College of Sport, where a group of economists and computer scientists had built a sport analytics program from scratch because the field didn’t exist as a traditional academic discipline yet. It was the right place at the right time. And it gave her the freedom to pursue the research agenda she’d been building in her head for years, particularly on women’s sports where she believed important questions were going unanswered because not enough researchers were asking them. Today, Keri is one of the leading researchers in her field, with a growing body of work on WNBA labor markets, safety mandates and their unintended consequences, the economics of the women’s sports boom, and the tension between analytics and the eye test. She is also, by her own admission, a devoted cycling fan and a very opinionated Bengals supporter. What You’ll Take Away * Why the NFL’s Guardian Cap mandate backfired and how this applies more broadly to regulations * The perfect storm that created the women’s sports boom and what it will take to make it stick * The economics of Caitlin Clark: why she was simultaneously underpaid and making more money than almost anyone in the league * Why the WNBA’s dual labor market with international leagues is structurally changing and the implications for player salaries, career longevity, and league growth * Why comparing the WNBA and the NBA as apples to apples is bad economics and why Keri’s is passionate about stopping it * The most underrated stat in sports right now and why a double-double is basically meaningless This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

6. 

   5 Aug 2026

   The Gilded Age Wasn't What You Think

   The story of the Gilded Age goes something like this: robber barons got obscenely rich, workers were exploited, and inequality soared. You can find that story in history books, TV shows, and political speeches. But what if that narrative is completely wrong? Welcome to Episode 9 of From Ideas to Innovation. I’m sitting down with a good friend and collaborator, prolific economist, and professor at George Mason University to discuss his upcoming book, The Great Enrichment (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo282755061.html). Vincent Geloso takes on one of the most contested periods in American economic history, arguing that what actually happened was almost the opposite of what we’ve been told. This is one of the most intellectually fun conversations on this podcast. Buckle up and get ready to shift the way you’ve heard the historical narrative. About This Episode’s Guest Vincent Geloso didn’t dream of being an economist. He planned to study art history — until his father pointed out the distinction between a hobby and a job. So he started by dabbling in politics, landing a summer internship in the Canadian Prime Minister’s office in Ottawa as one of the very few French-speaking Conservatives from Quebec. He tried journalism next. Neither stuck. Then, in the final year of his undergraduate degree at the University of Montreal, he took a class he’d been avoiding: Leonard Dudley’s Economic History of the Western World. A quarter of the way through the semester, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. Since then, Vincent has built one of the most prolific careers in economics, with over 120 peer-reviewed papers on topics spanning economic history, inequality, public choice, and social mobility. He has written on everything from the economics of lobotomies to why lighthouses aren’t public goods. As a professor at George Mason University, he is one of the most distinctive voices in his field — a true economic historian who can speak both the language of an economist and that of a historian. His upcoming book, The Great Enrichment (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo282755061.html), is the culmination of years of research into what actually happened to living standards in America from 1865 to 1945 — and why the standard account gets it so badly wrong. What You’ll Take Away * How to do economic history well and how to avoid the most common mistake people make when they look to the past to make present-day arguments * Why both the popular and academic accounts of the Gilded Age are wrong — and what the data actually shows about who benefited from that era’s growth * The difference between income inequality and living standards inequality, and why that distinction completely changes the story * How the experiences of Black Americans in that period demonstrates the power of markets to mitigate even the most severe legal and social discrimination * Who Peg Leg Williams was and how he made labor markets more competitive * Why the U.S. has a smaller welfare state than France, and what that tells us about the relationship between growth and poverty reduction * Who would make it on Vincent’s Mount Rushmore of economists This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

7. 

   22 Jul 2026

   Rekindling the American Dream in the Common Ground

   Many have studied the American Dream. Few of those researchers have also lived it. Gonzalo Schwarz came to the United States for graduate school and never left. He drove for Uber to keep his dream of starting a think tank alive. Today he runs one of the most distinctive research institutions in the country, which he calls his own American Dream. Welcome to Episode 8 of From Ideas to Innovation. There is a striking gap in how Americans think about the American Dream. Gallup (https://thehill.com/business/5931333-poll-american-dream-decline/) has found that less than half of Americans believe everyone in the country has the opportunity to achieve it. But flip the question and ask people about their own lives: 67% say they've either achieved the American Dream or are actively on their way, and 71% say they have similar or more opportunity than their parents. Even more surprising, this uniquely American ideal may be the common ground we've been searching for in today's polarized political climate. 64% of Americans believe the Dream can still unite people across different backgrounds and politics. As we celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary, it's fitting to explore this distinctly American ideal. If it's still alive and well, as the data suggests, can we elevate that truth to reinvigorate national pride, unity, and drive our nation's future forward? About This Episode’s Guest Gonzalo Schwarz (https://www.archbridgeinstitute.org/staff-gonzalo-schwarz/) is the founder and president of the Archbridge Institute (https://www.archbridgeinstitute.org/) and, full disclosure, my boss. But he didn’t set out to start a think tank. He started by examining how to solve poverty. When Gonzalo came to the United States for a master’s degree in economics at George Mason University, he found more than simply a better education. He was struck by the spirit of this country where entrepreneurship was celebrated, ambition was admired, and the promise of a better life wasn’t just a slogan. He fell in love with that idea. Then he noticed that most Americans were taking it for granted, or giving up on it entirely. In 2016, he founded the Archbridge Institute to research the economics, psychology, and culture of human flourishing and social mobility. The early years were hard: there were payroll crises, half-salaries, and a stretch where he drove for Uber to make ends meet. Still, he kept going. And as he’d be the first to tell you, that’s the whole point. This year, Archbridge celebrates its tenth anniversary. Gonzalo joins the podcast to reflect on what makes America unique, share insights from our recent American Dream Snapshot survey (https://www.archbridgeinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2026-American-Dream-Snapshot.pdf), and weigh in on what he still sees as unfinished business for the American Dream as an idea. What You’ll Take Away * Why social mobility — not income inequality — should be the central frame for economic policy debates * What a Disney reveals about the American Dream as a cultural ethos and how it shaped Archbridge’s founding mission * The surprising finding from Archbridge’s American Dream Snapshot (https://www.archbridgeinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2026-American-Dream-Snapshot.pdf) * Why more Americans define the dream as freedom of choice — and very few define it as becoming wealthy * What native-born Americans take for granted about the American Dream that immigrants almost never do * Why Argentina has the most momentum of any Latin American country toward its own version of the American Dream This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

8. 

   8 Jul 2026

   The Solution to America’s Housing Affordability Is Hiding in Hotel Lobbies

   America has a housing supply problem. Most people agree on the diagnosis. Almost nobody agrees on the cure. Recent discussions in Washington over housing affordability and institutional investors are the perfect example. Alex Cartwright thinks the cure is hiding in plain sight — in the lobbies of distressed hotels that nobody wants anymore. Welcome to Episode 7 of From Ideas to Innovation. Alex is the co-founder of HotelShift (https://www.hotelshift.capital/), a real estate company converting distressed hotels into affordable multifamily housing. He’s also a former economics professor who spent years teaching price theory — and then decided to live it. This conversation is one of the most practical, grounded explorations of housing economics this podcast has produced. If you care about affordability, entrepreneurship, or what it actually looks like to transform academic insight into a real-world business, this episode is for you. About This Episode’s Guest Alex Cartwright (https://www.hotelshift.capital/team/alex-cartwright/) didn’t leave academia because he was unhappy. He left because he saw a free market solution to the housing problem that was too compelling to ignore. As an assistant professor of economics, Alex was winning teaching awards, taking students abroad, serving as department chair, and living what he describes as “the life of the mind.” He also happened to be working on real estate projects on the side for personal financial security and intellectual curiosity. Then someone at a conference pointed him toward a distressed hotel in Michigan and said it might be convertible to multifamily housing. But despite thinking that idea sounded like a terrible pain to execute, Alex went to look at it anyway. When he sat down to run the numbers he discovered a $35,000-per-room hotel didn’t sound so bad in a market where multifamily buildings sold for $300,000 per unit. He sat down and put prices on all the problems. The math worked — and a business was born. Today, HotelShift acquires distressed hotels, converts them into affordable apartments, and builds the kind of housing that the market desperately needs but rarely produces. Alex brings to that work something most real estate developers don’t have: a deep academic grounding in free market economic thought — and the firsthand experience to know when theory matches reality. What You’ll Take Away * Why America is chronically undersupplied on housing * What academics could learn from talking to the industries they study — and what entrepreneurs could learn from going back to first principles * What theories explain why building codes only ever get stricter and more expensive and the systematic bias toward luxury housing * How Hotel Shift’s cap rate arbitrage works — and why the gap between hotel and multifamily valuations creates a durable, scalable opportunity * What factors actually kill real-estate deals * How one policy change would unlock more affordable housing overnight Cross-Sector Connection Alex didn’t just study housing economics — he built a business around it. And in doing so, he became a living example of what happens when academic insight meets entrepreneurial execution. Researchers and academics spend careers studying housing affordability, zoning reform, and price theory. Alex’s story is a direct challenge to stay connected to the industries they study. He shares how firsthand experience of markets shapes worldviews in ways that academic models simply can’t replicate, and the best policy research accounts for that gap. Policymakers are often the biggest obstacle to the very solutions entrepreneurs like Alex try to build. Parking minimums, impact fees, energy retrofit mandates, and quiet resistance to affordable rezoning all show up in this conversation as real-world deal killers. Alex highlights a Texas law that allows commercial properties to be rezoned for housing by right is a replicable model that any state or city could adopt tomorrow to address this crisis. Business leaders and entrepreneurs might recognize themselves in Alex’s description of entrepreneurship as getting punched in the face multiple times a day and coming back anyway. They also will appreciate his framework for identifying durable market inefficiencies, building a niche around solving them, and creating a business that the market won’t easily arbitrage away. The conversation doesn’t end here. I hope it sparks your curiosity and gives you a place to start some cross-disciplinary dialogue. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

9. 

   24 Jun 2026

   What Populism Actually Does to a Country — In Data, Not Just Rhetoric

   Populism is hard to define. Is commonly labeled by whatever the speaker doesn’t like. But João Pedro "JP" Bastos argued we can do better than that, and helped build an index that measures it. Welcome to Episode 6 of From Ideas to Innovation. JP recently defended his PhD in economics at my alma mater, Texas Tech University, and his research focuses on populism, institutions, and economic development in Latin America. Our conversation is an exploration into why these topics matter far beyond the region and should be discussed beyond academic circles. About This Episode’s Guest JP Bastos didn't set out to become a skeptic of state-led development. He started in local government in Brazil, an atmosphere he describes as similar to Parks and Recreation, working to simplify the legislation required to open a business. What he found motivated his entire research agenda. When he asked bureaucrats why certain permitting requirements existed, the answer was rarely a law. It was usually: "that's how we've always done it." This search pulled him toward public choice economics and a career-defining question: is underdevelopment less about labor and capital than it is fundamentally an institutional problem? JP pursued that question through a PhD at Texas Tech, where he became a Research Assistant at the Free Market Institute (https://www.depts.ttu.edu/freemarketinstitute/). There, alongside Nicolás Cachanosky (https://substack.com/profile/15975521-nicolas-cachanosky) and Alexandre Padilla (https://www.alexandrepadilla.com/), he helped build the first index (https://lallpi.netlify.app/) to measure Latin American populism using actual policy outcomes, not just rhetoric. This fall, he joins the University of Austin as an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Center for Economics, Politics, and History What You’ll Take Away * How to define and identify populism, beyond the common packaging of “what I don’t like” * Why populist governments in Latin America made their countries roughly 20% poorer than expected * How a single populist leader can wipe out a generation of progress on liberal democracy almost overnight, including the staggering example of Venezuela’s Supreme Court * The difference between good and bad inequality, and the deeper institutional problems behind it * Why crime and public safety, not economics, may be the most misunderstood driver of Latin American politics * A surprising take on Argentina’s reforms under Milei, and what a smarter long-term strategy might have looked like This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

10. 

    10 Jun 2026

    What Is Utah Doing That Every Other State Should Be?

    Many states run their welfare programs and workforce programs like two separate businesses that never talk to each other. Families in poverty have to navigate multiple agencies, multiple buildings, and mountains of paperwork just to get help — let alone get back on their feet. Utah decided to do something different. Welcome to Episode 5 of From Ideas to Innovation. I'm joined by Nic Dunn (https://sutherlandinstitute.org/nic-dunn/), Vice President of Policy and Communications at the Sutherland Institute (https://sutherlandinstitute.org/), one of Utah's most influential think tanks, and one of the country's sharpest thinkers on poverty, upward mobility, and what it actually looks like when policy works. Nic Dunn (https://sutherlandinstitute.org/nic-dunn/) didn’t start out in policy. He started in broadcast journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, but he left the program feeling like he didn’t yet know enough to go into the field. That intellectual humility sent him to the University of Utah for a master’s degree in public policy. From there he entered a career that has taken him from speechwriter for Governor Gary Herbert to policy advisor at the Salt Lake County Council to Chambers of Commerce in Utah to his current role at the Sutherland Institute. Along the way, Nic has developed a rare combination of policy depth and communications instinct — and a firm conviction that the two are inseparable. Good policy that can’t be communicated effectively goes nowhere. And communication without substance is just noise. Today at Sutherland, he hosts the Defending Ideas (https://sutherlandinstitute.org/defendingideas/) podcast (https://sutherlandinstitute.org/defendingideas/) and leads the Institute’s work on poverty, upward mobility, housing, and welfare reform. He is one of the most thoughtful voices in the country on what a pro-work, pro-human approach to the social safety net actually looks like in practice. What You’ll Take Away Why Utah has ranked number one in social mobility two editions in a row— and what other states can actually replicate How Utah’s One Door to Work model integrates welfare and workforce programs in a way that federal law prevents most states from doing What a chronically homeless man taught Nic about what the social safety net should actually be for Why the benefit cliff is one of the most underrated barriers to upward mobility, and how Utah is fixing that What it looks like when think tanks do their job well, and communication’s role Why Utah’s political culture is a model worth studying Why housing affordability is both a symptom of Utah’s success and its most pressing challenge This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

11. 

    27 May 2026

    Building a Principled Business Network

    Most people think the fight for liberty happens in think tanks, classrooms, and political campaigns. Alexander McCobin thinks they’re missing the most powerful lever of all: business. Historically, business leaders have been on the front lines of advancing liberty — creating value, funding academic and policy research, and lifting up their communities. The question today is whether enough still see themselves that way. Alexander McCobin (https://www.mccobin.com/bio) is the founder of Liberty Ventures and Principled Business, and he has spent his career sitting at the intersection of policy, academia, and capitalism — building the case that business leaders are the most important and most underutilized defenders of a free society. What You’ll Take Away - What principled business actually looks like - Why business is the liberty movement’s most underused and most powerful tool - The four types of capitalists — and why some of the biggest threats to capitalism come from within - Lessons Alexander has learned about messaging, movement-building, and how good ideas get mutated - Why networking is the wrong frame — and what building real relationships actually requires The biggest mistake the liberty movement makes, and what fixing it could change This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

12. 

    13 May 2026

    Principles Over Politics is a Modern Superpower

    Two expert policy communicators walk into a podcast… One was a rock drummer whose car accident sent him down the road to Milton Friedman. The other, a high school leftist who discovered Reason Magazine and never looked back. Both ended up spending their careers fighting for economic freedom — and neither has stopped since. In a world where institutions bend their principles with every new administration, consistency is a superpower. Vance Ginn and Richard Morrison have it in abundance. I’m excited to share with you our recent conversation, where we connect the dots between the ideas they’ve spent decades defending and the real-world outcomes those ideas produce. About This Episode’s Guests Vance Ginn, Ph.D. (https://www.vanceginn.com/about.html) took the long road to economics. A homeschooled kid from Houston, he was an aspiring rock star until a bad car accident changed his trajectory. Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom changed his worldview. Since then he has taught economics at Sam Houston State University, served as Chief Economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and worked as Chief Economist in the first Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget. Today he runs Ginn Economic Consulting and hosts the Let People Prosper (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-people-prosper/id1639806532) show (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-people-prosper/id1639806532). Richard Morrison (https://cei.org/experts/richard-morrison/) has been at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in various roles since 1999 — rare consistency in a city where people cycle in and out with every administration. As a precocious high school leftist, he stumbled onto Reason Magazine and was captivated. His work at CEI spans economic regulation, climate and energy policy, and FDA reform — unglamorous work, but deeply consequential work that quietly shapes everyday American life. He hosts the Free the Economy (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/free-the-economy/id1661166021) podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/free-the-economy/id1661166021) where he examines news, policy, and economics of the day. Together, they bring decades of hard-won experience from the places where economic ideas meet political reality. What You’ll Take Away Why real policy innovation is happening at the state level, and why DC is the last place to look for it. How to maintain principles across administrations while still making an impact. Why the abundance agenda is a unifying platform, and what gets in the way. The case against AI doomerism, and a 1957 romantic comedy that predicted everything we’re worried about today. Why podcasting is one of the most powerful tool for communicating economic ideas to the people who need them most. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

13. 

    29 Apr 2026

    How to Persuade Anyone

    Brilliant researchers are often the worst communicators. Not because of what they have to say, but because they lead with logic in a world that feels first and reasons second. Every day we face an important choice: be right, or make a difference. Most people working in policy and academia focus too much on one, to their detriment. If you have a great idea that’s struggling to catch momentum, this episode is for you. About This Episode’s Guest Josh Bandoch (https://joshuabandoch.com/about/) has spent his career in the places where ideas meet resistance — academia, government, policy advocacy, speechwriting, and fundraising. As a persuasion expert and policy advocate working across ideological lines in Illinois, he has tested these methods where the stakes are real, and to audiences who rarely agree with him. His new book, How to Get What You Want: Mastering the Art and Science of Persuasion (https://joshuabandoch.com/book/), draws on over a decade of research and real-world practice to tackle a problem hiding in plain sight: brilliant people with important ideas who can’t get anyone to listen. In this conversation, Josh breaks down the science behind why logic alone fails and shares a practical, actionable framework for persuading anyone across the political spectrum. What You’ll Take Away * Why leading with data and logic is actually illogical, and what neuroscience says you should do instead * How to frame the same idea differently for a conservative, a progressive, and a libertarian audience without being inauthentic * Why the winning mindset destroys long-term relationships * The single most powerful question you can ask anyone to unlock what’s really stopping them This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

14. 

    15 Apr 2026

    Is the Media in Business With Conflict?

    Most of us hate how we consume media. We doom scroll, feel anxious, and know something is wrong — but keep going back anyway. John Jameson Gould (https://www.thesgnl.com/author/jj-gould/) grew The Atlantic‘s audience by 10x by relying on a the modern media business model — then grew increasingly uncomfortable with what he’d built, realizing the business model ran on dopamine and conflict. Welcome to the first episode of From Ideas to Innovation. In this conversation, Gould takes us inside the institutions that created this model, and explains why he decided to dismantle it. About This Episode’s Guest John Jameson Gould (https://x.com/jjgould) has shaped how America thinks for decades. As former digital editor of The Atlantic, editor of The New Republic, and editor at large of The Washington Monthly, he helped grow some of the most influential media brands in the country. Today, as CEO of Marlborough House and editorial director of The Signal (https://www.thesgnl.com/), he’s doing something different: building a media company designed not to capture your attention, but to help you think. With a Ph.D. from Yale in the history of political thought, experience at McKinsey & Company, and now running his own media startup, John is exactly the kind of cross-sector thinker this podcast exists to bring to the table. What You’ll Take Away * Why the attention economy is really exchanging narratives. * Understanding “conflict entrepreneurialism” and how it quietly shapes the media you consume every day. * Why truly “neutral” media doesn’t exist, and what a more honest alternative actually looks like. * How The Signal is built around the primacy of the question rather than hot takes and partisan point-scoring. * Why there’s a demand for media that helps people think together, and what that means for the future of American democracy. Cross-Disciplinary Connection Information is the lifeblood of good decision-making, but the current media ecosystem is poisoning it. I’ve written before about the horseshoe theory of politics (https://debunkingdegrowth.substack.com/p/horseshoe-theory-in-action), which is the idea that the far left and far right are actually quite closely aligned. In this episode, Gould calls the engine driving that convergence: “conflict entrepreneurialism.” The premise that half the country is your enemy is false — but you can hear it everywhere in the "them" and "they" language that dominates modern media. What I found most compelling was how The Signal is actively rejecting that model — not by claiming neutrality, but by enabling people to think for themselves rather than telling them what to think. As Gould puts it, that’s a radically democratic idea. And it’s one that matters enormously for the three sectors this podcast exists to connect: * Business leaders making high-stakes decisions need information that builds understanding, not conflict. * Policymakers crafting legislation are only as good as the inputs they receive — and a broken media ecosystem produces broken inputs. * Academics trying to communicate complex ideas to the public are fighting a model that punishes depth and rewards outrage. This conversation only works if the people in it can come to the table and actually hear each other. That’s why reimagining media isn’t just a journalism problem — it’s the foundation on which every cross-sector conversation must be built The Conversation Continues… A few questions from this episode worth sitting with, and asking friends and colleagues: * Do you think the media’s business model is fixable, or does it need to be rebuilt from scratch? * Have you ever caught yourself consuming media you knew wasn’t good for you? What kept you going back? * Is there a media outlet you trust to help you think rather than just react? What makes it different? Feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments. Your perspective belongs in this discussion, pull up a chair at the table. Next Time… I hope you’ll tune in for our conversation in two weeks. I’m sitting down with Joshua Bandoch (https://joshuabandoch.com/) to discuss his new book How to Get What You Want: Mastering the Art and Science of Persuasion (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDBGV22N?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_8HRAV8ME60E66DFB96Q2&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_8HRAV8ME60E66DFB96Q2&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_8HRAV8ME60E66DFB96Q2&bestFormat=true). We will discuss persuasion across academia, policy, and business. In the meantime, please subscribe and share the episode with a colleague who will find the topic interesting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fromideastoinnovation.substack.com (https://fromideastoinnovation.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

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