At the recent Freedom Fest conference in Las Vegas, Reason magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch sat down with Tyler Cowen, the prolific George Mason University economics professor, popular blogger, New York Times columnist, and author of the brand new Create Your Own Economy: The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World.

Cowen is one of the country's foremost explainers of how free markets and international exchange produce much of what we enjoy about modern life, and his latest work continues exploring the theme. "In broadest terms," he says, "I view this as a book about the power of the individual, the importance of individual liberty, and how we can all create our own liberties essentially by using the web and the information economy to create streams of meaning."

Cowen talks about how society is becoming more autistic ("this is a good thing!"), how everyday people can be happier than Bill Gates, and how the "economy of attention" differs from that of pure dollars and cents. He also has sharply critical words for how a Democratic Washington is handling economic policy: "On fiscal policy we are absolutely heading off a cliff."

The video clocks in at just over 8 minutes. Shot and edited by Dan Hayes.

Go here for embed code, iPod, HD, and audio versions.