Filippo Gaddo, Managing Director at Alvarez and Marsal, SPE Councillor and host of the Econ Thoughts SPE Podcast, interviewed Johan Norberg , Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute in Washington D.C. and the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels, and renowned author of Open: The Story Of Human Progress, and The Capitalist Manifesto; why the Global Free Market Will Save the World , for which he recently won the distinguished Hayek Book Prize.
In the conversation, Johan and Filippo discuss the cyclical nature of globalization, arguing that openness—through trade, migration, and exchange of ideas—has historically been central to human progress.
Johan explains that periods of retreat from openness, like the current wave of protectionism, often stem from a ‘primal’ fear response amplified by modern economic and social crises and the rise of social media. However, he warns that closing off economy and restricting trade, leads to stagnation, while openness fosters innovation and resilience.
Norberg and Filippo emphasize the importance of not only getting the right policies but also to develop and promote the appropriate narratives and leadership in shaping public understanding of trade policy, drawing parallels to past reforms under leaders like Thatcher and Reagan.
In the final part of the interview, Johan Norberg presents insights from his latest book Peak Human, which explores how thriving civilizations have always relied on dense populations, open trade, and intellectual freedom. He warns that demographic decline and ideological orthodoxy pose real risks, potentially isolating societies from the innovation they need.
The conversation also explores and connects these historical patterns to today’s challenges, including declining fertility and rising AI capabilities. Norberg concludes that embracing AI and staying open to global experimentation are essential to navigating potential decline—just as openness helped past civilizations sustain prosperity beyond their political or demographic peak.
Johan Norberg is an author, lecturer and documentary filmmaker, born in Sweden. He is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute in Washington D.C. and the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels. He received his MA in the History of Ideas from the University of Stockholm.
He has written books on a broad range of topics, including global economics and popular science. His In Defence of Global Capitalism has been published in more than 25 countries. Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future, was called “a blast of good sense” by The Economist, and a “book of the year” in The Guardian, The Economist, and The Observer. Open: The Story Of Human Progress also became an Economist “book of the year”.
Norberg regularly hosts documentaries on development and economics for American public television, including Free or Equal?, Economic Freedom in Action, Power to the People and the The Real Adam Smith.
For his work, Norberg has received several awards, including the distinguished Sir Antony Fisher Memorial Award from the Atlas Foundation, the Walter Judd Freedom Award, the Julian Simon Memorial Award, and the gold medal from the German Hayek Stiftung, that year shared with Margaret Thatcher.
