Person
Every book Oren Cass recommended on podcasts
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Oren Cass appears on, in one place — not just one.
Oren M. Cass is an American public policy commentator and political advisor who works at American Compass, a conservative think tank which he founded in 2020. Appearing on podcasts such as the a16z Podcast and The Tucker Carlson Show, Oren Cass frequently referenced foundational economic texts to analyze modern policy debates. Discussing the true impact of tariffs and market forces, Cass brought up Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations on multiple occasions to examine the context of the invisible hand, arguing that Smith's original description included specific requirements rather than implying that markets automatically work by magic. In his discussion on tariffs, Cass also cited Paul Samuelson's seminal textbook Economics, pointing out how Samuelson walked through the arguments for and against tariffs and ultimately acknowledged the strategic realities of beggar-thy-neighbor policies. Additionally, Cass mentioned Milton Friedman's Free to Choose while discussing how market fundamentalism and the rhetoric of choice spread widely during the boomer generation.
Books recommended by Oren Cass
-
The Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith is a foundational 1776 text by the Scottish thinker often regarded as the father of modern economics, exploring free markets, capitalism, and the mechanics of national wealth.
Discussed“this goes all the way back to Adam Smith and the wealth of nations and the invisible hand where his argument about the invisible hand is not that this kind of somehow automatically works by magic.”
Where to get it
-
Economics
Economics by Paul A.
Discussed“I think if you look at at somebody like Paul Samuelson's work I I often point out that in his seinal textbook economics he kind of goes through the arguments for and against tariffs and basically at the end of the day acknowledges that any country could pursue a beggar thy neighbor their thy neighbor strategy.”
Where to get it
-
Free to Choose
Free to Choose by Milton Friedman is a prominent exposition of free-market economics and classical liberalism.
Discussed“You know, you had these folks like Milton Freriedman as a classic example of someone who was sort of making this very public case that literally his his best work is called free to choose, right?”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oren Cass & Noah Smith Debate the True Impact of Tariffs | a16z Podcast | 2025-08-20 | 2 |
| Oren Cass: How Trump’s Tariffs Are Reversing the Foreign Policy That Doomed America’s Economy | The Tucker Carlson Show | 2025-05-16 | 2 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“you can go back and you just you go back to your macroeconomics textbook”