The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) is a think tank described in The Bob Zadek Show’s excerpts principally through the people associated with it and the publications it produces. Guests identify it as an institution in Massachusetts, as the publisher of a daily blog and a daily email, and as the outlet for articles by economists and senior fellows. The excerpts do not describe its founding, governance, or funding.
Personnel named in the excerpts
Fergus Hodgson, a consultant who founded Antigua International, listed AIER among the think tanks where he had worked, alongside the John Locke Foundation in North Carolina, the Future of Freedom Foundation in DC, and the Pelican Institute in Louisiana. He placed AIER in Massachusetts and said he had learned a lot about the role think tanks can have, adding his own view that there is wonderful potential for think tanks to improve and do better work, and that technology allows their mission to be greatly expanded or amplified. He also said he feared a lot of think tanks waste money, though he had not rejected them outright, and thought they can and will rise to the occasion because they must compete for donations Venezuela on the Brink with Fergus Hodgson (2017).
Jeffrey Tucker was introduced by Bob Zadek as the editorial director of AIER, an organization Zadek called a must-read that listeners must follow. In the same introduction Zadek described Tucker as the author of thousands of articles in scholarly and public press, eight books in five languages, and The Market Loves You: Why You Should Love It Back, his 2019 book, as well as editor of the Best of Bastiat Big government can’t save us from coronavirus (2020).
Will Ruger was identified as the president of AIER in two episodes about the Cato Institute’s Freedom in the 50 States study. In the earlier of the two, Zadek introduced Ruger as president of AIER and said AIER publishes a free daily blog that he cannot start the day without checking, calling the optimistic view of AIER the perfect way to start the day Which State is the Most Free? (2022). The later episode carried the same introduction, with Ruger again described as president of AIER and the free daily blog again recommended as a morning habit Ranking Freedom in the 50 States (2022).
Mike Munger, professor of political science, economics, and public policy at Duke University, was introduced by Zadek as a senior fellow of AIER. Zadek said he invited Munger on after reading his recent blog, “Green Energy is the Modern Broken Window,” written for AIER and published at aier.org The ‘Broken Window Fallacy’ is Back (2023).
The institute’s output
The excerpts treat AIER primarily as a publisher. Zadek’s introduction of Tucker frames the organization as a must-read and a must-follow; Tucker, asked how listeners could follow his writings and the work of his organization, directed them to aier.org and to a daily email that dishes out economic wisdom every single day. He said the website had two million readers at that time, that he writes there almost every day and has thousands of articles up there, and that he is glad to have good colleagues who are all about economic research. He described the aim as putting the best research out there and serving as a public service as a reflection of the historic mission, and welcomed anybody to join Big government can’t save us from coronavirus (2020).
The blog is also the vehicle for outside contributors. Tucker recounted that the economist Bruce Yandle wrote an article for AIER arguing that freer trade could be one of the long-run effects of the coronavirus, citing historical precedents in which disease panics led to a greater flow of goods Big government can’t save us from coronavirus (2020). Munger’s broken-window blog, published at aier.org, was the occasion for his appearance on the show The ‘Broken Window Fallacy’ is Back (2023).
Across episodes
AIER recurs across four episodes spanning 2017 to 2023, but the excerpts show no argument about the institute itself and therefore no development: Hodgson names it in 2017 among the think tanks where he worked, Tucker appears as its editorial director in 2020, Ruger as its president in two 2022 episodes, and Munger as its senior fellow in 2023. What changes is only the role each guest occupies—former employee, editorial director, president, senior fellow—and the recurring recommendation of its daily blog and email.
What the sources do not cover
The excerpts do not state when AIER was founded, where in Massachusetts it is located, how it is governed or funded, or what its stated mission is beyond Tucker’s reference to a historic mission and to economic research as a public service. They do not describe any AIER publication besides the daily blog, the daily email, and the specific articles named. No guest discusses AIER’s positions on legislation, cases, or candidates, and no excerpt reports its size, budget, or staff beyond the individuals named.