Economic Update – January 30, 2026

Economic Update

Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies.

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Economic Update

Nine Key Events in 2025

 This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff analyzes topics from Israel and Gaza to Epstein scandals to U.S. neocolonialism to Europe’s failure to seize Russian wealth held in European banks, with a focus on the historical importance of key developments shaping the global crisis emerging today. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the … Continued


Economic Update

Gentrification, Boston, and Racism

This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff devotes the first half to New York’s new Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He discusses how and why he defeated so many efforts to block him, and what he needs to do to succeed, deliver on his campaign promises, and create a lasting legacy of his time in office. The … Continued


Economic Update

The U.S. as a ‘Traumatised’ Society

 On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the Black Friday strikes against Amazon in Germany and against Zara in Spain, the rapid decline of New School University as an example of a deepening crisis in U.S. higher education, and a new U.S. national security paper that throws Europe under the … Continued


Economic Update

The Center Cannot Hold (REPEAT)

This program begins by analyzing the political monopoly (aka “The Center”) operated by the GOP and Dems in the US: its organization and dominance until the last few years. The monopoly deteriorates as both GOP and Dem coalitions suffer splits and cracks opening opportunities for radical political shifts and perhaps new parties. The context of … Continued


Economic Update

Globalization from Celebration to Condemnation

On this weeks episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff provides an analysis of “globalization” as a fancy slogan to hide a profit-driven, profit-boosting period (1970-2015) that saw US capitalists move factories abroad. It destroyed so many well-paid factory jobs (especially of white, male Christians) that it produced massive suffering among the affected communities. As their … Continued


Economic Update

The Key Concept of ‘Surplus’ in Economics

On today’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers an introduction to the key economic concept of “the surplus.” He explains economic structures as ways of organizing the production and social distribution of the surplus. Then he briefly applies this concept to the economies of slavery and feudalism before focusing on the role of the … Continued


Economic Update

Capitalism Equals Class Warfare

The totality of today’s Economic Update is devoted to exploring (1) the multiple ways that capitalism imposes class warfare on its people, and (2) how class warfare shapes the capitalist system’s impact on employers and employees. Specific examples show (1) what kind of class struggle is involved in tariffs such as those imposed by Trump, … Continued