10:00 AM Pacific Time: Fridays
Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores government policies, alternative ways to organize, and markets.
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
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
From 1945 to 1990, we were told a great struggle pitted capitalism against socialism/communism (chiefly the USSR and China). Yet still today, U.S. 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 U.S. capitalism’s long history of using … Continued
On this week’s show, Professor Wolff delves into key global developments, including President Trump’s looming tariff wars, the collapse of Emmanuel Macron’s government in France, and massive strikes by Volkswagen workers in Germany. He also examines the fall of governments in South Korea and Syria and its implications, along with the public reaction to the … Continued
In this week’s special hour-long episode: Professor Wolff dives deep into why socialism remains a popular and successful economic system. He begins by highlighting new laws passed by the government of Spain that punish airline companies who employ ‘unjustified’ airline passenger fees. He then debunks the unsubstantiated and nonsensical myth we hear so often that … Continued
On this week’s hour-long episode, Professor Wolff discusses Labor Unions and Political parties. He explains why U.S. and Western capitalism today provoke labor and unions into more and more social and political action. The latest examples are the recent Canadian Postal Workers strike and the Barnes and Noble bookstore workers rally in New York City. … Continued
In this week’s episode, Professor Wolff discusses how U.S. foreign aid serves the interests of corporations and their profits. He highlights how San Juan County in Washington state handled its fiscal crisis by cutting its employees’ work week to 32 hours; updates you on workers of Wells Fargo Bank who are currently conducting a unionization … Continued
On this week’s episode, Professor Wolff discusses how major pharmaceutical companies (CVS, United Healthcare, Cigna) are complicit in the opioid crisis in the United States. Then,he highlights a successful food co-op in Minneapolis and explains the inauthenticity of mainstream discourse on the U.S. economy. Finally, Professor Wolff interviews Richard “RJ” Eskow, Bernie Sanders’ speechwriter, an … Continued
On this week’s episode: Professor Wolff discusses the repression of student protesters by U.S. universities and politicians, the continued global demands of indigenous people for liberation from colonialism’s legacies, and Harvard’s corporate administration sacrificing its students’ and faculty’s freedom of expression to pander to some of its donors. Finally, Professor Wolff interviews Professor Jerome N. … Continued
In this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff discusses the economic repercussions of Western sanctions and the retaliations they provoke. He then turns to the latest labor strikes and the wage and benefit gains achieved by unions at Boeing and East Coast dock workers. He highlights China’s dominance of the global energy markets, and … Continued
