Ep 333: Strangers with Candy, with Art Carden

June 30, 2023
Libertarian Christian Podcast

Summary – Strangers with Candy, with Art Carden

Economist and author Art Carden is certainly no stranger to the Libertarian Christian Podcast, with this episode marking his seventh appearance on the show. This time, he joins Doug Stuart to discuss his latest book, Strangers With Candy: Observations from the Ordinary Business of Life, in which Art highlights a simple economic fact: buying candy from strangers is commonplace in any modern economy.

Before diving into the book, Art and Doug spend some time discussing economics more broadly. Art walks us through the story of how he first became interested in economics, going on to explain and clarify a number of misconceptions surrounding the discipline. Drawing from his book, Art suggests that economists are to blame for many of these misconceptions, as they often do a bad job explaining the economics of how the world works. In Strangers With Candy, Art intends to rectify this issue, offering an accessible and easily digestible analysis of how economics impacts and shapes our day-to-day lives.

This episode gives listeners a taste of Art’s analysis, as well as discussion on a variety of related and intriguing topics, such as municipal development policy, economic growth vs economic progress, and Art’s argument for why business is a public service. If you’re interested in anything mentioned above, tune in now!

Art Carden is a professor of economics at Samford University’s Brock School of Business. He has worked with and contributed to a number of other organizations, including the American Institute for Economic Research, the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics, the Beacon Center of Tennessee, the Independent Institute, and the Foundation for Economic Education. He received his PhD from Washington University in Saint Louis. More information can be found in the additional resources section below.

Main Points of Discussion

00:00	Introduction
02:13	How did Art get into economics?
05:14	Misconceptions about economists
15:05	Christians for Liberty Network
15:47	Why do economists struggle to explain the world?
19:15	Explaining the title “Strangers With Candy”
23:20	Economic growth vs economic progress
27:15	How not to help strangers
28:37	Municipal development: what are the tradeoffs?
34:05	Is business a public service?
41:46	Lightning round with Art

Additional Resources

Buy Stranger’s With Candy today
- https://strangerswithcandybook.com/
- https://www.amazon.com/Strangers-Candy-Observations-Ordinary-Business-ebook/dp/B0C7RG5CXX
Art’s website: https://artcarden.com/
Follow Art on Twitter: @ArtCarden
More from Art:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=508839
https://www.aier.org/people/art-carden/

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The Christians for Liberty Network is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute consisting of shows and hosts offering various perspectives on the intersection of Christianity and libertarianism. Views expressed by hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the view of the organization, its staff, board members, donors, or any other affiliates (including other hosts or guests on the network). Guest appearances or interviews of any incumbents, officials, or candidates for any political, party, or government office should not be construed as endorsements. The Libertarian Christian Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and does not endorse any political party or candidate for any political, government, or party office. For information about the Libertarian Christian Institute’s core values, please visit this page.