Economic Update – March 14, 2025

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. Click Here to listen to the current episode of Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff.

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Economic Update

Special Winter Fund Drive Episode: The Nobel Prize in Economics Exposed

This week’s special hour-long episode of Economic Update features updates on the economic risks and costs Europe faces from deporting or blocking immigrants, as compared to Spain’s prosperity through a pro-immigrant policy; the work of Michael Burawoy, a Marxist sociology professor at UC Berkeley; and how the inflation of meat prices is affected by a … Continued


Economic Update

Special Winter Fund Drive Episode: Unionizing Whole Foods / U.S. Competition with China / Government Cost-Cutting

In this week’s special hour-long episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff first discusses unionizing Whole Foods workers versus Amazon and then covers Trump and the contradictions, dangers, and global retaliation of the new administration’s tariff program. This is followed by an interview with political scientist Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III on the China-U.S. competition: its … Continued


Economic Update

Capitalism, Lost Empathy, and Rising Addictions (special fund drive episode)

In this week’s special hour-long episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff discusses Trump’s attempts at taking Panama as more evidence of rising colonialism and imperial ambitions, the recent organizing and strike of 10,000 Colorado grocery workers, and corporations and investment funds abandoning DEI. In the second half of the show, Professor Wolff interviews psychotherapist Tess … Continued


Economic Update

The View from Prison

In this week’s episode: Professor Richard Wolff delivers updates on the North Carolina union election at an Amazon warehouse, the deportation of immigrants, and the U.S. construction industry, a lesson in how capitalism installs new technology like A.I. and how it could be far better done. In the second half of this week’s episode, Professor … Continued


Economic Update

Firefighting in California / New Economics Institute with Clara Mattei

In this week’s episode: Professor Richard Wolff delves into the heroic efforts of California firefighters and their extraordinary work in battling the recent wildfires in Los Angeles. We also explore the progressive transformations occurring within U.S. labor unions and shed light on the escalating housing affordability crisis across the United States. Additionally, we interview Professor … Continued


Economic Update

Persistent Homelessness: Capitalism’s Housing Failures (encore)

In this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff discusses updates on deep political corruption: the Illinois example; the final statistics on the 2024 presidential election results, which did NOT give Trump any mandate; the Canadian government forcing 55,000 striking postal workers back to work, despite massive worker opposition. Finally, we have an interview with … Continued


Economic Update

Persistent Homelessness: Capitalism’s Housing Failures

In this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff discusses updates on deep political corruption: the Illinois example; the final statistics on the 2024 presidential election results, which did NOT give Trump any mandate; the Canadian government forcing 55,000 striking postal workers back to work, despite massive worker opposition. Finally, we have an interview with … Continued


Economic Update

Marxism and Economics: A Global View with Shahram Azhar

In this week’s episode, Professor Wolff discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Senator Elizabeth Warren’s new bill, “The Accountable Capitalism Act,” Elon Musk’s recent comments on homeless people, Mitch McConnell’s criticisms of Trump for isolationism, and the over 9,000 Michigan nurses voting to join the Teamsters Union. Finally, Professor Wolff interviews Bucknell University Economics Professor … Continued


Economic Update

Why the 2024 Economy was Not So Great

In this week’s episode, Professor Wolff discusses the “catalog” of 2024’s economic problem areas: (1) Slow growth relative to China/BRICS; (2) the war in Ukraine; (3) the crises in Gaza and the greater Middle East; (4) Biden & Trump tariffs policy; (5) scapegoating immigrants; (6) corporations disinterest in climate change and DEI initiatives; (7) rising … Continued


Economic Update

Capitalism vs. Democracy (encore)

On this week’s show, Professor Wolff presents an analysis of how and why capitalism is an undemocratic economic system. The first half is devoted to the micro-level, namely to the organization of the enterprise (factory, office, or store). Its undemocratic character is exposed using examples and empirical evidence. The second half has a macro-level focus … Continued