Economics & Beyond with Rob Johnson

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.

Wallach and Ghosh: The Obscene Obstacles to Global Vaccine Distribution

Lori Wallach, of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, and Jayati Ghosh, economics professor at UMass Amherst, discuss how first world countries are protecting pharma companies' exorbitant profits, at the expense of vaccinating people living in the Global South and thereby also endangering everyone in the world.

Ervin Laszlo: We Are in the Midst of a Global Transformation (pt. 2 of 2)

Prolific author and philosopher Ervin Laszlo discusses his most recent books, in which he outlines how the latest discoveries in science converge with spiritual insights and point to the ways in which society might evolve in ways that will help overcome contemporary crises.

Ervin Laszlo: We Are in the Midst of a Global Transformation (pt. 1 of 2)

Prolific author and philosopher Ervin Laszlo discusses his most recent books, in which he outlines how the latest discoveries in science converge with spiritual insights and point to the ways in which society might evolve in ways that will help overcome contemporary crises.

Andre Perry: We Need a Reparative Culture

Andre Perry, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of the book, Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Properties in America's Black Cities, discusses the on-going problem of how real estate dynamics continue to maintain racial injustice in cities across United States, and how we need a "reparative culture" to address the problem

Richard Vague: Myths and Landmarks in US Economic History

Economic historian and INET board member Richard Vague, talks about his latest book, The Illustrated Business History of the United States, which reveals a number of misconceptions and myths about the development of the US economy

Jeffrey Sachs: America vs. Everyone

Jeff Sachs talks with Rob Johnson about US-China relations, the tragedy of modern geopolitics, and how our current race to the bottom could be reversed.

How China Escaped Shock Therapy

Isabella Weber, assistant professor of economics at UMass Amherst, discusses her new book on how China managed its transition from central planning to markets