The False Promise of Government-Driven Growth with Dominic Pino

Liberty and Leadership

Roger welcomes Dominic Pino, the Thomas L. Rhodes journalism fellow at the National Review Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation on why both political parties are drifting away from free-market principles—and what that means for the United States’ economic future.

They discuss the growing embrace of industrial policy, the return of tariffs and subsidies, and the bipartisan belief that government should play a bigger role in steering the economy. Pino breaks down why this approach has historically failed, why politicians are often poor at picking winners and losers, and why market-driven growth remains the most effective path to prosperity. They also touch on entitlement spending, the misunderstood nature of trade deficits, and how public skepticism of economic expertise is shaping policy debates.

Dominic Pino hosts the “Econception” podcast and is a former William F. Buckley Jr. Fellow in Political Journalism and a National Review editorial intern. He also was a 2020 Political Studies Fellow with the Hertog Foundation and has held internships with ALEC, the Heritage Foundation and the Tax Foundation. He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from George Mason University. While at Mason, he served as an opinion editor of Fourth Estate, the university’s student paper.

The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at [email protected]. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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Chapters

1. Introduction to Dominic Pino (00:00:00)

2. Debunking Trade Deficit Myths (00:06:50)

3. The History of Tariffs in America (00:13:15)

4. Government Employment Growth Trends (00:18:20)

5. Competition, Monopolies and Protectionism (00:23:20)

6. Poland's Economic Success Story (00:26:40)

7. The Failures of Industrial Policy (00:30:00)