Economists Agree: Here's What's Actually Driving Housing Costs

Housing keeps getting more expensive — and the explanations people hear don’t seem to match reality. This conversation looks at why costs keep rising, who benefits from the current system, and why common explanations miss what’s actually driving the problem. Economist Bryan Caplan joins Big John to discuss his new book "Build Baby Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing" exploring how regulation drives high housing costs, why economics literacy matters, and how free markets could make life more affordable. The origins of Caplan’s libertarian philosophy Why housing prices stay high under regulation The psychology of economics education How free markets could lower costs and boost opportunity Chapters: 00:00 Intro — Bryan Caplan joins Big John 00:55 Caplan’s path to libertarian thought 03:06 From Ayn Rand to behavioral economics 06:25 Teaching economics as critical thinking 11:23 Why most schools avoid teaching economics 13:35 Politics and the economics profession 17:28 Keynes, Friedman, and ideological drift 22:52 How students misunderstand economics 29:11 Build Baby Build — overview of the book 31:05 Why deregulation lowers housing costs 35:12 Economic illiteracy and rent control myths 40:51 Winners and losers in a freer housing market 47:10 Market safety vs. government regulation 52:08 Real-world stories of over-regulation 55:14 How to teach economic literacy 56:36 Final Five 📜Sign up for our Substack! http://bigquestions.substack.com 🔔 Subscribe for more: http://dw.tny.cc/YT_Sub 🎙️ More Big Questions: http://dw.tny.cc/BigQuestions #BigQuestions #DistantWarrior #BryanCaplan #HousingCrisis #Economics #Liberty #BuildBabyBuild