Person
Jennifer Burns books: every book Jennifer Burns wrote and recommended
Across 3 podcasts. Every show Jennifer Burns appears on, in one place — not just one.
Books by Jennifer Burns
Jennifer Burns’s most recommended books
- Capitalism and freedom by Milton Friedman
- A monetary history of the United States by Milton Friedman
- A positive program for laissez faire by Henry Calvert Simons
- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
- The Road to Serfdom by F. A. Hayek
- A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 by Milton Friedman
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- Free to Choose by Milton Friedman
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
- Theory of the Consumption Function by Milton Friedman
Jennifer Burns is an American historian serving as the Edgar E. Robinson Professor in United States History at Stanford University and as a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, with research focusing on twentieth-century U.S. political and cultural history, markets, capitalism, and economic ideas. Appearing on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Burns discussed a wide array of foundational economic and political texts that shaped modern capitalism and conservative thought. She analyzed Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations in the context of classical economics and political economy, and she examined F.A. Hayek's The Road to Serfdom, explaining its arguments against planned economies. Burns also discussed Milton Friedman's intellectual legacy through his books Free to Choose and Capitalism and Freedom, alongside A Monetary History of the United States, which Friedman co-authored with Anna Jacobson Schwartz to explore monetarist economic theories and deflation. Furthermore, she touched upon the cultural reception and fan response to Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead, illustrating how these seminal works influenced American political thought and public discourse.
Books recommended by Jennifer Burns
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Capitalism and freedom
Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman is a foundational economic text arguing for the preeminence of competitive capitalism and limited government intervention as prerequisites for individual liberty.
Discussed“Friedman and the importance of his books, 'Free to Choose,' 'Capitalism and Freedom,' the television series he did, all of these were like core components...”
Where to get it
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A monetary history of the United States
A monetary history of the United States by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz is a landmark economic study examining the role of monetary policy in American history, particularly the Great Depression.
Discussed“that also comes after he's completed with Anna Schwarz his magnum opus a monetary History of the United States”
Where to get it
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A positive program for laissez faire
A positive program for laissez faire by Henry Calvert Simons is a classic economic work outlining the foundations of Chicago school liberalism and government market intervention.
Discussed“Henry Simons had a book that was sort of a big deal in the 1930s it was called a positive program for Le fair”
Where to get it
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The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand is a classic philosophical novel that explores individualism, artistic integrity, and the conflict between independent creators and collectivist societal pressures.
Discussed“People would say things like, 'I read 'The Fountainhead,' and now I'm getting a divorce,' you know?”
Where to get it
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The Road to Serfdom
F.
Discussed“And so he writes this book that becomes incredibly famous, 'The Road to Serfdom,' basically saying, taking these steps towards a planned economy...”
Where to get it
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A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
Discussed“...and that is a theory of a deflation, all prices going down. And he will go back to an idea that Irving Fisher had popularized... in 'A Monetary History of the United States.'”
Where to get it
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Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is a philosophical novel that outlines the author's system of Objectivism through a dystopian narrative about a society collapsing under heavy government intervention.
Critiqued“the the pity with Atlas Shrugged is she was uneditable by that time and she really needed to be edited”
Where to get it
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Free to Choose
Free to Choose by Milton Friedman is a classic exposition of free-market economics and classical liberalism that argues for the supremacy of individual choice over government intervention.
Discussed“Friedman and the importance of his books, 'Free to Choose,' 'Capitalism and Freedom,' the television series he did, all of these were like core components...”
Where to get it
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The Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith is a foundational text in classical economics that explores the nature and causes of national wealth through the division of labor, productivity, and free markets.
Discussed“Classical economics does not really use math, is very close to political economy. It's concerned with, as Smith puts it, "The wealth of nations."”
Where to get it
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Theory of the Consumption Function
Theory of the Consumption Function by Milton Friedman is a classic economics text that presents a revolutionary framework for understanding how individuals make spending and saving decisions over time.
Discussed“there's another um book that's less wellknown except among economists the theory of the consumption function and this book came out of fredman's Engagement with women researchers”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #457 – Jennifer Burns: Milton Friedman, Ayn Rand, Economics, Capitalism, Freedom | Lex Fridman Podcast | 2025-01-19 | 10 |
| Jennifer Burns on Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand | Conversations with Tyler | 2023-11-15 | 5 |
| Jennifer Burns on Milton Friedman | EconTalk | 2023-11-13 | 4 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“so there's Rand there's Gone With the Wind but very little else comes to mind”