David McWilliams - economist, author and broadcaster
Episode description
ACAST NOTES
Money doesn’t exist. Economics isn’t about equations, it’s about us. Irish economist, David McWilliams, talks about the invention of money, how it drives our choices and how to make better decisions about it - our greatest, yet most divisive, invention so far. Why does traditional economics miss the mark? How can humour democratise economic literacy? Why is investing in yourself the most liberating financial decision you can make?
David is talking about his book Money: A story of Humanity - Money: A Story of Humanity - https://www.amazon.com/Money-Story-Humanity-David-McWilliams/dp/1982152958
at the Franschhoek Literary Festival in South Africa 16 - 18 May 2025.
https://www.flf.co.za/participants/david-mcwilliams/
00:00 – 01:52 | The Nature of Economics
Why economics is about humanity, not numbers. Money as a made-up but powerful force.
01:53 – 05:45 | What Economists Get Wrong
The plumbing analogy: why economists understand mechanics but not meaning. The limits of academic jargon.
05:46 – 06:40 | The Origins of Money
Mesopotamia, the move from barter to symbols, and how money emerged as a trust technology.
06:41 – 09:10 | Commerce, Counting, and Religion
How commerce required writing, courts, laws, and even religion to underpin trust at scale.
09:10 – 14:11 | Weaponized Economics & Global Decisions
How money disciplines power—particularly in US politics. Financial markets as democracy’s silent opposition.
14:12 – 17:54 | Supercycles and Global Volatility
Understanding the big turning points in modern economic history and the new age of economic nationalism.
17:55 – 21:08 | Kilkenomics & Humor as a Lens
How comedy disarms economic elitism. Making economic insight accessible through laughter.
21:09 – 24:52 | The Ultimate Decision: Invest in Yourself
Why the most powerful financial move is personal investment—and why time always wins over money.
- Kilkenomics Festival – An economics and comedy festival in Kilkenny, Ireland - https://www.kilkenomics.com/
- Paul Krugman – Nobel laureate economist and Kilkenomics speaker - https://paulkrugman.substack.com/
- Reagan & Thatcher Era – Markers of the last economic supercycle - https://adst.org/2016/07/extra-special-relationship-thatcher-reagan-1980s/
- Xi Jinping and U.S. politics – Case studies in economic decision-making under global flux - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping
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