Economics & Beyond with Rob Johnson

Jocelyn Benson: On Becoming a Purposeful Warrior

Fred Block: Beyond Industrialism - Building Communities That Work for People

Fred Block, Research​ Professor of Sociology at UC Davis, joins Rob Johnson to discuss his latest book,​ The Habitation Society , which explores the need to move beyond industrial-era economic models to create an economy that prioritizes community well-being​. Block critiques how economic policies have fueled inequality and stagnation while offering solutions—such as restructuring public finance—to foster prosperity for all....

Lincoln Mitchell: Fear and Fascism: How America Reached a Political Breaking Point

Rob Johnson hosts Lincoln Mitchell, Political Science Professor at Columbia University, in a compelling conversation about the increasingly powerful fascist movement in the US. Mitchell outlines the elements of fascism present in the MAGA movement, including its dependence on a strongman leader, the scapegoating of minorities, threats of violence and curtailing of freedoms of speech and assembly. Reflecting on the failures of the media and political establishment, they discuss the importance of ...

David Sirota: Money Talks - The Erosion of Democracy in the Age of Billionaire Influence

David Sirota joins Rob Johnson to examine the history and impact of money in U.S. politics, as explored in Sirota’s investigative podcast series, " Master Plan ." Sirota discusses how a series of judicial rulings and policy changes since the 1970s enabled a system in which the voices of wealthy elites overshadow those of ordinary citizens.

Marjorie Kelly: The Other Dangerous Supremacy - Wealth Supremacy

​Author and Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Democracy Collaborative, Marjorie Kelly, talks about her recently released book, Wealth Supremacy: How the Extractive Economy and the Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today’s Crises (Berrett-Kohler, September 2023)​​, which also outlines a vision for democratizing the economy so that it serves the broader public good.

Steven Herrmann: America’s Shaman-Poets’ Vision for a Better Future

Rob Johnson and Steven Herrmann, an author and Jungian analyst, discuss the concept of "spiritual democracy" as explored in Herrmann's work and the writings of American poets like Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and Emily Dickinson and how their vision might inform a renewal of American democracy.

America’s Burning

What happened to the American dream? Rob talks with David Smick about his new film and the inspiration for the project.

Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor - Solidarity: A World-Changing Idea

Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor talk to Rob about their recently released book, Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea. The wide-ranging conversation covers the importance of solidarity in addressing the current crises of economic inequality, climate change, and democracy, emphasizing the need for collective action and social movements to bring about change, as well as the role of education and the arts in fostering a sense of community and shared identity.

Rohinton Medhora: One Earth, One Family, One Future

Rohinton Medhora (INET's Board Chair, member of our Commission on Global Economic Transformation, and Distinguished Fellow at CIGI) discusses global social healing, India and the G20 with INET President Rob Johnson.

Adair Turner: India’s Leadership and Global Challenges of Climate and Finance

If we're going to address environmental catastrophe, we need to support each other on a global scale. Rob Johnson checks in with Adair Turner about his work, and practical solutions to address the climate crisis.

Angus Deaton: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality

Economics Nobel laureate Sir Angus Deaton discusses his latest book, Economics in America, which takes an autobiographical approach to how the field of economics addresses the most pressing issues of our time—from poverty, retirement, and the minimum wage to the ravages of the nation’s uniquely disastrous health care system.

Michael Spence: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World

Mike Spence talks with Rob Johnson about his upcoming co-authored book "Permacrisis", India and the G20, and bringing the world together to address our shared challenges. Book: "Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World" https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/bo... Do you feel like we’re in a permacrisis? Chances are you feel some anxiety about the state of the world. Gordon Brown, Mohamed A. El-Erian, and Michael Spence certainly did. Three of the most internationally respected and experienced t...

Alan Blinder: Looking Back and Looking Ahead: 15 Years After the Lehman Collapse

Former Fed vice chair and Princeton University economics professor Alan Blinder takes a close look at what lessons still remain to be learned in the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis.

Thomas Ferguson: The Lehman Disaster and Why It Matters Today

On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers, a giant investment bank with a storied history, filed for bankruptcy. The shock was profound; world markets melted down. Over the next few days, one financial behemoth after another, including American International Group (AIG), Washington Mutual, and Wachovia collapsed. The crown jewels of Wall Street – Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs – slid toward the abyss. The Federal Reserve, the Treasury, and other regulators were forced to step in, sometimes in con...

Christian Madsbjerg: How to Pay Attention in a Turbulent Distracted World

In a world that increasingly promotes distraction and isolation, the ability to pay attention to each other has become ever more important. Philosopher Christian Madsbjerg talks to Rob about his new book, Look , which outlines how we can recapture our ability to pay attention.

Steven Herrmann: The Shaman’s Call and Finding Your Inner Voice

Steven Herrmann, Jungian psychoanalyst and author of the books, William James and C. G. Jung and of William Everson: The Shaman’s Call, among others, engages in a wide-ranging conversation about finding one's calling, the poet William Everson, and the importance of dreams. Referenced during the podcast: Robinson Jeffers on Moral Beauty, the Interconnectedness of the Universe, and the Key to Peace of Mind by Maria Popova...

Simon Johnson: Our Thousand-Year Struggle over Technology and Prosperity

Simon Johnson, the co-author of the just-released book Power and Progress (co-authored with Daron Acemoglu), discusses the book, what new technologies hold in store for us, and how societies might better manage and govern them.

Brendan Ballou: Plunder - Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America

Brendan Ballou, talks to Rob about his forthcoming book, Plunder, about the growing harmful role of private equity in the US. Ballou is a federal prosecutor and served as Special Counsel for Private Equity in the Justice Department's Antitrust Division.

Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway: The Big Myth of Market Fundamentalism

Historians Naomi Oreskes (Harvard University) and Erik Conway (Caltech) talk to Rob about their just-released book, The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market.

Jim Chanos: The Golden Age of Fraud in Finance

Jim Chanos, the president and founder of Kynikos Associates and well-known investment manager talks to Rob about the post-pandemic financial system, which has become more steeped in a casino culture than it has been in a very long time, and whether China's financial situation serves as an example or as a warning.

Survival of the Richest

Oxfam's Economic Justice Director, Nabil Ahmed, and Oxfam International's Inequality Policy & Advocacy Lead, Max Lawson, discuss their latest Global Inequality Report, which highlights the accelerating pace at which the world's billionaires have increased their wealth exponentially in recent years. They also discuss the ways in which governments can reverse this trend through taxation.

The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism

Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf discusses his just-released book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, which explores the reasons why Liberal democracy is threatened by authoritarianism and what needs to be done to resurrect democratic capitalism. Link to the book

Iconik: Beyond ESG

Alex Thaler, the CEO of the software platform Iconik, and Iconik advisor Adam Cummings discuss how the platform helps shareholders create personalized voting profiles for shareholder meetings, allowing them to increase their influence over companies and give management a clearer awareness of investor goals without abrupt and embarrassing conflict. Iconik website: https://www.iconikapp.com/

Perry Mehrling: Charles P. Kindleberger and the Dollar System

Boston University economic professor Perry Mehrling discusses his recently released INET book, in collaboration with Cambridge University Press, "Money and Empire," which chronicles the life of Charles P. Kindleberger and how he helped shape the emerging global dollar system. INET Book page: Money and Empire

Time Bomb in Global Finance

A Bank for International Settlements study says 60+ trillion dollars of off-the-books currency swaps could be a profound, systematic risk. Rob Johnson joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.

The Misguided Forces Driving Conflict Escalation Between the US and China

Yale Law School Fellow Stephen Roach, discusses his just-released book, Accidental Conflict. Roach explores how much of the adversarial nationalist rhetoric in both China and the USA is dangerously misguided and more a reflection of each nation’s fears and vulnerabilities than a credible assessment of the risks they face.

The New Economics of Debt and Financial Fragility

University of Bonn and Sciences Po economics professor Moritz Schularick talks to Rob about the soon-to-be-released book, Leveraged , which he edited based on papers from an INET-sponsored conference. The book takes a close look at what we have learned about the costs and causes of financial fragility since 2008.

Rana Foroohar: The Path to Prosperity in a Post-Global World

Financial Times columnist and author Rana Foroohar talks about her new book Homecoming: The Path to Prosperity in a Post-Global World

Albert Wenger: The World After Capital

We are in the midst of another global transformation, but this time we might have the tools to get it right.

Frank McCourt: Trading Fear for Hope

Frank McCourt discusses his work to reinspire hope in the American experiment, and to build the framework necessary for that better tomorrow.