Capitalism and Freedom in the 21st Century

Robert Barro and Jon Hartley discuss empirical macroeconomics and the development of Barro’s research. Topics include Ricardian equivalence, the fiscal theory of the price level, government-spending multipliers, business cycles and New Keynesian modelling. The conversation also considers economic growth, political economy and the relationship between religion and economic outcomes. Barro reflects on his training, his research career and the economists he has taught, connecting personal intellectual history with debates about fiscal policy and macroeconomic evidence.