Economic Update – December 1, 2023

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

When Labor Movements Rise

On today’s show: Updates on the U.K.’s King Charles in Africa Unionization struggles at Starbucks A growing strike against Musks Tesla The Bangladeshi women’s labor strike An analysis of the economic concept of “surplus” and how capitalism makes it possible    


Economic Update

Inequality Undermines Health & Healthcare in the U.S.

Today’s show includes: Updates on risks to UAW strike victories Realtors fined for collusion on real estate commissions Bangladeshi strikes for higher minimum wages for clothing workers China outmaneuvers Malaysia and US in rubber glove business UN vote isolates US, Israel, Ukraine over Cuba embargo Interview with Dr. Stephen Bezruchka on how economic inequality connects … Continued


Economic Update

Capitalism Versus Democracy (encore)

On this week’s show, Prof. 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


Economic Update

How US Capitalism Uses Nationalism

From 1945 to 1990 we were told a great struggle pitted capitalism against socialism/communism (chiefly the USSR and China). Yet still today, US leaders demonize Russia and China despite the end of communism in the USSR and a huge growth of capitalist enterprises in China. The explanation lies in US capitalism’s long history of using … Continued


Economic Update

Today’s Agents of Change: Strikes, Unionization & Labor Militancy

Updates on how Social Security makes African-Americans subsidize whites, lessons from a new survey of young Americans’ politics, the injustice of Europe’s central bank raising its interest rates, Taylor Swift publicly supports Hollywood strikers, and Coco Gauff publicly supports climate change activists. Interview with Mike Elk, editor of The Payday Report, tracking the strike wave … Continued


Economic Update

Corporate Greed VS Labor: The Struggle Intensifies

Updates on writers (WGA) strike, auto-workers (UAW) strike, failure of US Federal Reserve, US govt subsidizes private capitalists. Interview with Pete Dolack on his new book, “What Do We Need Bosses For? Toward Economic Democracy.” Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores … Continued


Economic Update

What Socialism Needs To Succeed

Discussion of (1) the crisis of today’s real left; (2) the need to acknowledge, build upon, but also go well beyond the successful socialisms of the 19th and 20th centuries; (3) the macro focus on the state and the omission of a microfocus on the workplace; and (4) democratizing workplaces as “what is to be … Continued


Economic Update

Socialism and Worker Co-ops – Economic Update – September 22, 2023

20th century socialism is now behind us. Socialists continued to evaluate both its achievements and failures via extensive self-criticism. A changed socialism has emerged, focused on a transition of workplaces from top-down hierarchical capitalist structures into democratic worker cooperatives. The powerful appeal of worker coops as grounding a new 21st century socialism is presented.   … Continued