"We should be humble all the time," says Veronique de Rugy of her study of economics. "There's always something I realize that I didn't understand."

In this episode, we discuss the rigorous questions economists need to ask themselves when analyzing the likely impacts of public policies: Questions rarely asked by politicians and others in the public square. We look at the perils of cronyism, the shortcomings of the Ex-Im Bank, growing federal budget deficits, and the unfairness of the highly complex U.S. tax system.

Veronique is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She writes a syndicated column looking at economics from a free market, libertarian perspective.

Featured quote: "People don't go to the barricades to fight for distortions and economic inefficiency but they should go to the barricades to fight unfairness and cronyism that is unfair."

Recommendation: Jim is listening to "The Moment", a podcast with interviews about the pivotal moments that fueled fascinating creative careers, hosted by Brian Koppelman.