George Selgin on the New Deal, Regime Uncertainty, and What Really Ended the Great Depression

Conversations with Tyler is produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, bridging the gap between academic ideas and real-world problems. Learn more at Mercatus.org. For a full transcript of every conversation, enhanced with helpful links, visit conversationswithtyler.com. Hello everyone, today I'm chatting with George Selgin.

This is an episode of Conversations with Tyler, but we're holding it at the Cato Institute. George has worked for Cato. I'm a longtime associate. I'm still on their advisory board. I thank Cato, our host, and we're both honored to be here.

I've known George well over 40 years, which I find stunning. I first learned of him through his work on free banking, and he was at NYU as a grad student, and I live nearby. He and I have had fruitful discussions for a long time, but we've never taped anything. He has a new book out called False Dawn, The New Deal and the Promise of Recovery, 1933 to 1947. It is the best book on its topic, and I am proud to announce I have read all of George's books, and they are all definitely worth reading.

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