In this episode of Liberty + Leadership, TFAS professor Anne Bradley guest hosts a conversation with Emma Camp, senior editor of The Wall Street Journal’s “Free Expression” newsletter and a 2025 Robert Novak Fellow.

Anne and Emma begin with Emma’s viral video celebrating the “humble American supermarket” and what its shelves can teach us about economic freedom. They look at how global trade, competition and technological innovation produce an extraordinary variety of choices that can be easy to take for granted. The conversation then turns to why Emma believes there is a need for a more optimistic case for capitalism.

They examine why capitalism is often blamed for problems created or worsened by government intervention, including housing shortages and rising costs, as well as rent control, state-run grocery stores, the tradeoffs behind expansive government programs and the “fixed pie” mentality that treats economic gains as a zero-sum contest.

Emma also reflects on her own intellectual journey toward free-market ideas, her effort to make basic economic concepts accessible to younger audiences and how her TFAS Robert Novak Fellowship helped give her the time and freedom to work on her forthcoming book, “No Hard Feelings.”

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 podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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