Around the Institute

Listen Longer 01/30: Capitalism, Personal Virtues, and the Price of Oil

February 1, 2016  • Aspen Institute Staff

This past week Aspen Institute Radio highlighted sessions with author and New York Times Columnist David Brooks, American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks, and financier and author Bill Browder. The topics of conversation include capitalism, personal virtues and honesty in a materialistic age, and the impact of the fluctuating price of oil on the global economy.

Aspen Institute Radio, our two-hour radio show, airs every Saturday and Sunday on SiriusXM Insight (channel 121). Each episode dives into the topics that inform the world around us. Here in our weekly Listen Longer posts, we’ll recap each episode and show where you can read, watch, and listen to more. Don’t have SiriusXM? Try it for free for a month here.

Arthur Brooks: How I Learned about Capitalism from JS Bach and a Penniless Swami 

Some argue that capitalism is a great blessing and a fundamental force for good. Others argue that it can encourage greed. The truth? New York Times columnist, bestselling author, and American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks offers a thought-provoking conversation on the topic.

Impact of the Fluctuating Price of Oil on the Global Economy

This discussion explores root causes for the rise and fall of oil prices, and also focuses on the impact of fluctuations in the price of oil on other industries and on the global economy. Featured speakers are Suman Bery, chief economist of Shell Oil Corporation; Ed Crooks, US industry and energy editor at the Financial Times; and David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-CEO of the Carlyle Group.

Bill Browder: How I Became Putin’s No. 1 Enemy

Financier Bill Browder took his hedge fund prowess to Moscow, growing the largest investment fund in Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union. But when Browder exposed corruption amidst the companies in his portfolio, Vladimir Putin expelled him from Russia. Since then, Browder has turned his life’s mission to the pursuit of justice and truth.

David Brooks: The Road to Character

“I wrote this book not sure I could follow the road to character, but I wanted at least to know what the road looks like and how other people have trodden it,” David Brooks has said about his experience writing his latest New York Times bestseller about personal virtues and honesty in a materialistic age.