Economics & Beyond with Rob Johnson

Gus Speth: The US Federal Government‘s Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis

From LBJ to the present, the federal government has knowingly continued to expand the US fossil economy, not passively but as a major active player, endangering the future of young people.

Ann Pettifor: How Do We Create the Financial Conditions for a Green New Deal?

Political economist, author, and public speaker Ann Pettifor talks about her latest book, The Case for a Green New Deal, which not only lays out the urgency for such a deal, but also proposes a roadmap for both national and global financial reform to make it possible.

Nancy MacLean: Milton Friedman‘s Collusion with Segregationists

Nancy MacLean, history professor at Duke University, talks about the ways in which neoliberal economic icon Milton Friedman collaborated with segregationists and with right-wing billionaires in the pursuit of his goal of privatizing public education.

We Need a Resilient Society

Princeton economics professor Markus Brunnermeier discusses his recently released book, The Resilient Society, which argues that in crisis-prone situations societal resilience is a crucial component for averting outright disaster and outlines how we might achieve that resilience.

Sam de Muijnck and Joris Tieleman: A New Vision for Economics Education

The education of the next generation of economists too often ignores the real crisis we face today: climate change, inequality, and financial instability. Sam de Muijnck and Joris Tieleman seek to address this problem in their book, Economy Studies, which outlines a practical road map for effectively connecting pluralism of core academic material to real world events, values, and the great questions of our time.

Adam Tooze: Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World‘s Economy

Adam Tooze, director of Columbia University's European Institute, discusses his new book with Rob Johnson.

Maude Barlow: Water, The New Gold

The COVID pandemic highlighted the deepening water crisis. "Do we understand that over half the population of the world doesn't have a place to wash their hands with soap and warm water?" says water warrior Maude Barlow.

Gisele Huff and john a. powell: On Developing a Vision for a Better Society

Gisele Huff, education policy specialist and president of the Gerald Huff Fund for Humanity, along with john a. powell, director of UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute, talk about the motivations and process behind the soon-to-be-released report, "Convening on Automation, Opportunity, and Belonging: Vision and Foundations for a Better Society."

Stanislav Shmelev: The Economics of Ecological Sustainability

Stanislav Shmelev, the director of Environment Europe Foundation in Oxford, discusses the many dimensions we need to consider when preparing our cities, businesses, and economies to the demands of ecological sustainability.

Geoff Mann: Transforming and Democratizing Institutions to Address Climate Change

Geoff Mann, professor of geography at Simon Fraser University and co-author of the book, Climate Leviathan, discusses the authoritarian dangers ahead, as the world tried to cope with climate change, and how all institutions, including central banking, need to evolve so they address the problem adequately.