Smart Talk Podcast: Recent Episodes
Henry George School of Social Science
This podcast is a series of interviews where well-known and widely respected economists, political scientists, and social thinkers examine Henry George’s philosophies in today’s society in order to create a more productive national economy that encourages inclusive prosperity.
Today’s discussion was recorded in August of 2025 between me, Nathan Greene, and our returning guest, Dr. Ansel Schiavone.
Before we get into today’s discussion, I have some updates for you all regarding the show. I have some bittersweet news to share: this is my final episode hosting the podcast. After 178 episodes, I, your host, Nathan Greene, am unfortunately moving on to a new role.
I am an inherently curious person, and I love to learn through conversation. This podcast presented a unique opportunity for me to meet many people with interesting ideas and gain insight into how they perceive the world. While I didn’t always agree with them, it was always a fascinating conversation nonetheless. I got to speak with thinkers I love, have read about, and even got to reconnect with some I had already met. Needless to say, it was an incredible opportunity.
By the time you’re hearing this, I will have already begun my new job. My last day with the Henry George School was September 14th, and this will be published shortly after. I hope you all loved listening to the podcast just as much as I enjoyed making it.
The show will go on, though. While it may not be me behind the mic, the Henry George School will continue to put out the content you all come to love and expect. The show will be taking a break until next year. They will let you know ahead of time when the show will be back. I’m not too sure when that will be, but I know I will be listening, and I hope you do too.
If you want to keep up with me and my work, I will leave some links below to my Twitter, LinkedIn, and Substack. I can’t promise I’ll be very active on either, though, since this new role will be quite consuming, but a follow is always appreciated, and free.
I can not thank everyone who gave me this opportunity enough: from the listeners, to my coworker Kuba who helped me put the episodes out, to Andrada, the president of the school, who trusted me enough to manage the show myself.
I am sad that I’m leaving. But I can’t wait to see, maybe I should say hear, what the podcast does next. I hope you all are just as excited.
Dr. Schiavone is a macroeconomist whose research focuses on inequality and structural change. He has worked as a Research Assistant at the Institute for New Economic Thinking and the International Labor Organization. He has published numerous articles in journals such as Economic Modeling, Metroeconomica, and Regional Studies. Dr. Schiavone is an Assistant Professor at St. John’s University where he teaches microeconomics, macroeconomics, and the economics of poverty and inequality. He earned his bachelor’s from Dennison University and his Ph.D. from the University of Utah, both in economics.
Together, we discussed why workers are receiving a smaller and smaller share of what they produce, some of the policies recently passed to try and correct this inequality, and why certain critiques of globalization may not be unfair.
This is your host, Nathan Greene, signing off for the last time. Stay curious and keep searching for the truth. It may not be what you expect, but nothing ever is in this world.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Nathan’s Links:
Twitter: https://x.com/Nathan_Greene16
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-greene-596466171/
Substack: https://nathangreene1620.substack.com/
What does it mean to be an economist? It’s something I have thought a lot about. I graduated from St. John’s with a bachelor's degree in economics, and I have been fascinated by it ever since. But, through reading, networking, job interviews, and taking courses on other subjects, I’ve begun to lose sight of what exactly an economist is, or what they are supposed to do.
If you work for a tech or logistics company, they hire economists to sort through data to help make better decisions. In this role, economists are more like data scientists. If you are just starting out at one of the Fed’s branches, you are spending a lot of time coding. But economists aren’t taught computer science. Many top-notch economics programs teach their students statistical methods that forecast outcomes, making these students more like weather forecasters than economists.
I’ve also heard a lot of different perspectives on how economists should approach their work. We’re supposed to think like auditors, architects, plumbers, or engineers. But, how can economists work like… economists?
I think part of this is the change the discipline has gone through. Economics used to be a discipline that looked at a narrow set of indicators. Now, economics has merged with other disciplines. Behavioral economics comes from psychology, natural resource economics comes from environmental science, and health economics comes from the study of medicine. Heck, you can even take courses on agricultural or neuroeconomics.
Needless to say, the role of an economist is one in flux, and for good reason.
As Esther Duflo, a recent Nobel-winning economist, noted in a UK survey, only 25% of people trust the opinion of economists. One of the lowest among any other profession. And this is, in part, because the current understanding of economics is highly flawed, and, in my opinion, not applicable to the real world around.
So today, I embarked on a mission to understand what economics education is like and how it can be improved. I’m hoping to turn this into a series or mini-series where I interview a host of economics professors to see how different universities approach their economics programs. For now, it may be a one-off episode, but I hope it continues.
Dr. Gevorkyan received his bachelor’s degree in international trade and finance from Louisiana State University, two master's in economics from The New School and Louisiana State University, and his Ph.D. in economics from The New School. He is an expert on Central Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union economies. He is the author of numerous journals and articles, as well as the author of two books: Transition Economies and Financial Deepening and Post-Crisis Development in Emerging Markets. He is a professor and Henry George Chair in Economics at St. John’s University, as well as a member here at the Henry George School.
Together, we discussed what the St. John’s curriculum entails, why economists tend to defend current paradigms instead of discovering new ones, and what type of economist he wants his students to become.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
If you’ve listened to this series before, you know I’m not a fan of the “physics envy” plaguing economics. I find a lot of the most relevant economic research to be overly mathematical, loquacious, and lacking a grounding in reality. One example I constantly hear about is GDP growth. Economists strive for never-ending economic expansion and assume this is possible. But this violates the law of the conservation of mass: we have finite resources and can’t continue growing indefinitely.
Economics has always been considered a social science, but maybe it should just be straight-up science. From Karl Marx to Steve Keen, many economists have strived to make economics more scientific. With this more scientific grounding, economics can better make sense of what is going on in the world, and hopefully regain the trust it has so sorely lost with the public.
This is not an argument for de-growth, but instead a more realistic understanding of how economies reproduce. My guest today helps move economics towards physics, but in a healthier way.
Dr. James K. Galbraith holds the Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr. Chair in Government/Business Relations at the University of Texas Austin, where he holds a professorship. He was the Executive Director of the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress in the 1980s, and before that, an economist for the House Banking Committee. He chaired the board of Economists for Peace and Security from 1996 to 2016 and directs the University of Texas Inequality Project. He is a managing editor of Structural Change and Economic Dynamics. He is the author of Entropy Economics, The End of Normal, and The Predator State. Dr. Galbraith earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his master’s and Ph.D. from Yale, all in economics.
Dr. Galbraith joined the Henry George School to discuss how entropy economics departs from conventional economics, why regulation is always necessary, and why there are markets, but no such thing as a “free market.”
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s conversation was about a topic I’ve covered a few times now: Universal Basic Income (UBI). Most of my work on UBI has been about its benefits, especially how it can be used as a tool for poverty alleviation. And while I think the economic rationale for UBI justifies itself, others make a more ethical appeal to its justification. The more heterodox side of the left tends to focus on the morality of its economic policies, why it is wrong to have homelessness, malnutrition, and destitution in affluent societies. I think this can be seen in the appeal of figures like Bernie Sanders or even the newest Pope. So what are the ethical considerations for UBI? Why is it not only right, but just, to give people a guaranteed income? Are there any downsides to it? Or, does having a universal guaranteed income create a backstop to poverty and a path towards a Jeffersonian self-sufficiency?
My guest today helps us answer these questions and navigate the philosophical justifications for UBI globally. Dr. Karl Widerquist, a philosopher, activist, and economist from Georgetown University, specializes in political philosophy. Much of Dr. Widerquist’s work focuses on conceptions of justice and freedom, and how they can be enhanced by UBI. His research has been published in journals such as Basic Income Studies and Ethical Perspectives, and he has authored several books, such as The Problem of Property, Prehistoric Myths in Modern Political Philosophy, and The Ethics and Economics of the Basic Income Guarantee. He is the cofounder of the US Basic Income Guarantee (USBIG), an organization that hosts discussions and promotes UBI policy in America. He is part of the left-libertarian wing of the spectrum, and reminded me a lot about my conversation with Martin Jacobsen earlier in the year. Dr. Widerquist earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Michigan, and two Ph.D.s, one from the City University of New York in Economics and the other from Oxford in Politics.
Together, we discussed criticisms of UBI, why UBI doesn’t quite fit in the right-left political spectrum, and where the future of UBI is headed.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion originates from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. Today’s episode is part of our fourth and final panel, “AI and Inequality – Are our Social Safety nets up to the task?”.
Our panel today is led by our returning guest, Mr. Steve Shafarman.
Mr. Shafarman has been a universal basic income (UBI) proponent since the 1980s. He is the program director of Basic Income Action and a member of Basic Income Earth Network, two non-profits dedicated to promoting the implementation of UBI. He is also the author of several books: Basic Income Imperative, Our Future, We the People, and many more, all of which focus on the benefits of UBI. Steve earned his bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Psychology, and Human Development from Colby College.
Mr. Shafarman joined the Henry George School to discuss how his work in childhood psychology informs his perspective on the economy, why UBI is a crucial aspect of social safety nets for responding to AI disruptions, and how a land value tax can fund this expanded social safety net.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion originates from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. This week and next, we’ll feature a series of panel discussions from our conference. Today’s episode is part of our fourth and final panel, “AI and Inequality – Are our Social Safety nets up to the task?”.
Our panel today is led by Mr. Anthony Gill.
Anthony Gill is an Australia-based professional aviator with a strong bent on social reform and economic justice. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he put his ideas down in a book, The Luckier Country, which he published in 2022. The success he has had with the book has led him to meet many interesting people and organizations who, like him, want to make the world a better place. Anthony also serves on the Executive Committee of Prosper Australia.
Together, we discussed why AI is like flying a plane without a pilot, the urgent need for a rethinking of social safety nets in response to AI disruptions, and why the negative impacts of AI are brought on by ourselves.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. This week and next, we’ll feature a series of panel discussions from our conference. Today’s episode is part of our second panel, “Practical Applications of AI – Land Assessment Test Project”, and will be followed by our final discussion on AI and Inequality.
Our panel is led by Greg Miller and Lars Doucet. The conversation was recorded in June of 2025.
Mr. Doucet is the President of Data and Research at the Center for Land Economics. He is also the founder of Geo Land Solutions, which appraises large tracts of land to better calibrate land values and taxes. Mr. Doucet recently published his first book, Land is a Big Deal, where he explores Georgist ideas, such as rent, natural resource extraction, and collectivism. He earned his bachelor's degree in architecture and master’s in computer graphics from Texas A&M University.
Greg Miller is the Executive Director of the Center for Land Economics. Greg brings experience from his role as a Program Analyst in the Office of Policy Development and Research at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After his time at HUD, he co-founded a startup focused on applying AI to make government more accessible. Mr. Miller earned his bachelor’s from Notre Dame in applied mathematics and economics.
Together, we discussed how to implement Georgist policies on a local level, why it is so important to have publicly available property data, and why impacts on real estate markets tend to be hyper-local.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. For the next 4 weeks, we’ll feature a series of panel discussions from our conference. Today’s episode is part of our second panel, “Does AI Have an Ethics Problem?”, and will be followed by 2 panels on Practical Applications of AI and AI and Inequality.
Our panel is led by Tom Rossman and was recorded in June of 2025.
Mr. Rossman is a financier and investor, who specializes in developing nations and emerging markets. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mr. Rossman helped establish investment institutions in Turkey, former Soviet Union states, and North Africa. Throughout his career, Tom has helped nations democratize and sustainably develop to bring new opportunities to these regions. He has spoken at conferences across the world, from Baku to London to Houston. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and religious studies from Nyack College and earned his master’s from Tufts in international relations. Currently, he is an advisor to the Telosa Community Foundation; a group hoping to build a futuristic from-scratch city that will revolutionize urban living.
Together, we discussed Facebook’s complicity in Myanmar’s genocide, why AI is different from previous technologies, and why tech entrepreneurs abandoned their altruistic goals for their innovations.
Today’s discussion comes from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. For the next 5 weeks, we’ll feature a series of panel discussions from our conference. Today’s episode is part of our second panel, “Does AI Have an Ethics Problem?”, and will be followed by 2 panels on Practical Applications of AI and AI and Inequality.
Our panel is led by Dr. Sandeep Sacheti, and was recorded in June of 2025.
Dr. Sandeep Sacheti is a recognized leader in data-driven decision making and operational excellence. As a former Executive Vice President at Wolters Kluwer, he successfully led a global team in delivering innovative solutions in regulatory compliance and financial services that significantly improved business performance, customer experience, and employee engagement. His expertise spans a wide range of areas, including data analytics, risk management, and operational transformation, making him a sought-after advisor and mentor.
He holds 20+ patents in information management, customer relationship management, and fraud detection. Besides Wolters Kluwer, he has held senior positions at UBS and American Express. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors at Stevens Institute of Technology as Industry Chair, bridging academia and industry, and is a Board Member at the College of Natural Resources, University of California at Berkeley. An award-winning thought leader in AI, business transformation, and AI-enabled compliance solutions, he holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and a Master’s from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, fueling his lifelong commitment to innovation and mentorship.
Together, we discussed the importance of regulating AI with an ethical lens, the different use applications of AI across society, and why we can’t survive without it.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. For the next 6 weeks, we’ll feature a series of panel discussions from our conference. Today’s episode is part of our panel “AI and Labor: Disruption, Disempowerment, or Empowerment”, and will be followed by 3 panels on AI Ethics; Practical Applications of AI; and concludes with AI and Inequality.
Today’s discussion is led by our keynote speaker, Mr. Fred Harrison, and was recorded in June of 2025.
Mr. Harrison received his bachelor’s from Oxford University and his master’s from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as The People and Wellington Journal. In 1988, he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred emphasizes the housing market and its interaction with the economy as a whole. He is the author of many books, including The Corruption of Economics, The Power in the Land, and A Philosophy for a Fair Society, all of which critique mainstream economic thinking.
Fred joined the Henry George School to discuss robotics, how we justify automation economically, and why recreating the physical world in the metaverse is problematic.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. For the next 7 weeks, we’ll feature a series of panel discussions from our conference. Today’s episode is part of our panel “AI and Labor: Disruption, Disempowerment, or Empowerment?” This will be followed by 3 panels on AI Ethics; Practical Applications of AI; and concludes with AI and Inequality.
Today’s discussion is led by our returning panelist, Dr. Ansel Schiavone.
Dr. Schiavone is a heterodox economist whose work emphasizes the role of labor in creating value. Currently, he is a Professor at St. John’s University, where he researches macroeconomics, poverty & inequality, and political economy. He has held research positions at the Institute for New Economic Thinking and the International Labor Organization. His research has been published in numerous economics journals, such as Metroeconomica, Economic Modeling, and Review of Social Economy. Dr. Shiavone earned his bachelor's degree in computer science from Denison University and his Ph.D. from the University of Utah.
Dr. Schiavone joined the Henry George School to discuss how AI will impact labor’s relationship with capital, the neoclassical definition of technology, and how AI could create more jobs, not take them away.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. For the next 8 weeks, we’ll feature a series of panel discussions from our Annual Conference. We’ll begin with our keynote address from Ed Harrison, followed by 4 talks on AI and Labor; AI Ethics; Practical Applications of AI, and finish with AI and Inequality.
Today’s discussion is the beginning of our Annual Conference content, featuring our keynote speaker, Fred Harrison.
Mr. Harrison received his bachelor’s from Oxford University and his master’s from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as The People and Wellington Journal. In 1988, he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred places an emphasis on the housing market and its interaction with the economy as a whole. He is the author of many books, including The Corruption of Economics, The Power in the Land, and A Philosophy for a Fair Society, all of which critique mainstream economic thinking.
Together, we discussed Big Tech’s lobbying, the metaverse, and rent seeking.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, we decided to do things a little differently. Instead of our normal one-on-one with the floor open to the audience, today’s episode will be a roundtable discussion between our host, Josh Sidman, who is joined by Teun van Sambeek, George Lovegrove, Michael Meehan, and Will Ruddick.
Our guests today have a wealth of knowledge on today’s discussion. Teun van Sambeek is the founder of the 1coinH, an alternative money concept; George Lovegrove is the founder of the Web3 Association; Michael Meehan is an entrepreneur and web developer; and Will Ruddick is the founder of Grassroots Economics.
We talked about quite a few things, but among them was demurrage, the importance of how money is created, and how shared commitment can benefit different groups of people.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman sat down with George Lovegrove to discuss demurrage within cryptocurrency networks.
Mr. Lovegrove is a software developer and Web3 proponent. He is the Founder of the Web3 Association, an organization that writes about cryptocurrencies and contributionism. George believes the best way to reduce the shortcomings of the current fiat-currency-based monetary system is to improve the incentives and governance models around cryptocurrencies. He has extensive experience as a software developer, working at places such as Amazon, Dyzio, and Good Innovation. George earned his bachelor’s degree in Information Technology in Organizations from the University of Southampton.
George joined the Henry George School, to discuss, at length, Demurrage, a fee paid for owning an asset for an extended period of time. Both Josh and George believe that demurrage incentivizes people to allocate assets in a more socially efficient manner.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman sat down with Willem Buiter to discuss the dynamics of monetary systems. Our conversation was held and recorded in June of 2025.
Dr. Buiter is an economist, commentator, author, and consultant. Formerly, he was Chief Economist and Special Counsel to the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a European multilateral development institution similar to the World Bank. Dr. Buiter also served as an External Member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee. From 2010 to 2018, he was the Chief Global Economist at Citigroup, and remained an economic advisor until 2019. Being an expert in Economics, he has held numerous teaching positions at esteemed universities, such as Yale and the London School of Economics. He briefly served as a consultant for the IMF’s Research Department in the 70s, and has written extensively on economic issues for publications such as the Center for Economic Policy Research, Project Syndicate, Jackson Hole Economics, as well as his books and blogs. I’d love to cover more of his impressive positions, but there are too many for this introduction alone. Dr. Buiter earned his bachelor’s from the University of Cambridge, and his master’s and Ph.D. from Yale, all in economics.
Together, we discussed Dr. Buiter’s critique of fiat currencies, his thoughts on Central Bank Digital Currencies, and why monetary policy is so important to maintaining economic stability.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School and was recorded in May of 2025.
Today’s episode is part one of a two-part series on the state of the US economy. This is a long-running series Ed does here at the school to inform listeners of the status of everyday Americans.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University, where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
Ed joined the Henry George School to discuss monetary policy, why public policy has been ineffective in tackling homelessness, and why the Trump administration’s tariffs could cause stagflation.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School, and was recorded in May of 2025.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
Together, we discussed the criticisms of mainstream economics, why countries go through economic cycles, and the housing unaffordability crisis.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
“Show me the incentives and I’ll show you the outcome”. These were the wise words of the late Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s former business partner. What he meant by that was that if you incentivize good and productive business behavior, your business will grow. If you reward bad and unproductive behavior, your business and, ultimately, the consumer, will suffer. Since the 1980s, the economic and legal frameworks we’ve used have incentivized bad behavior. Today, we’ll discuss Shareholder Primacy, which is the idea that a firm’s primary responsibility is to maximize value for its shareholders. Its proponents believe that by maximizing value for shareholders, there is greater accountability, more incentives to invest in productive capabilities, and a higher likelihood of risk-taking leading to innovation.
From the 80s to the 2000s, these ideas reigned supreme across economic and legal circles. They helped shape law and policy to create the highly corporatized economy we see today. But now, some of the flaws of this framework are beginning to manifest.
Corporate profits as a percentage of GDP remain high relative to prior decades. Corporate profits now make up 12% of GDP, down from its peak of 12.8% in 2021, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. This is at a time when most Americans are still reeling from inflation earlier in the 2020s. A recent report from the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity found that the bottom 60% of households are out of reach of a minimal quality of life. Using the framework of shareholder primacy, a time of high corporate profits should translate to a high standard of living. But we just aren’t seeing that.
Why? Well, it depends on who you ask. I sat down with Harrison Karlewicz, a P.hD candidate at UMass Amherst, whose work shows that investing in equities doesn’t always translate to investment in productive assets that will help companies grow. Instead of efficiently channeling savings to companies that need resources, like we’re taught financial markets are for, they have become a place where speculation can lead to rent-seeking.
There was a lot of nuance to the conversation. Financial markets weren’t all good or all bad. But, I think we have to be realistic about the role financial markets and assets play in the economy. Our conversation touched a lot upon how businesses can be better structured to invest in assets that will help the company grow and provide good-quality products to consumers.
Mr. Karlewicz is wrapping up his dissertation at UMass Amherst, where he works with Lenore Palladino, a Political Economist, on projects about corporate governance, industrial organization, and financialization. He is a research assistant at UMass’s Political Economy Research Institute and a Fellow at McClave and Associates, an economic consulting firm. He has taught economics and math at Springfield College and Berkshire Community College. His work has been published by multiple outlets such as the Roosevelt Institute and Jacobin. Harrison earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Seattle Pacific University and his master’s from Bard College in Economic Theory and Policy.
Together, we discussed the Robinhood-Gamestop debacle, the differences between public and private financial markets, and how policy can better incentivize investment in productive capabilities.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Phillip Ullmann. Our conversation was held and recorded in May of 2025.
Mr. Ullman is a social entrepreneur known for founding businesses that are beneficial to local communities. He is the Chief Energizer of Cordant Group, a recruiting company that takes a holistic approach to sourcing executives. In 2017, Phillip restructured the company to become a social business, capping executive salaries and putting a limit on dividend distributions. The Cordant Group was subsequently sold in 2020 to the Recruitment Company, where Mr. Ullman still remains involved. He is also the founder of Covenant Advisory, a consultancy that helps businesses and governments align their operational strategy with societal goals. Phillip’s views are informed by his scriptural research, giving him an interesting perspective on how the business community should interact with the rest of society. Mr. Ullman earned his master’s in business administration from Brunel University of London and a master’s in engineering from the University of Cambridge.
Phillip joined the Henry George School to discuss how a moneyless economy could work, why it is good to avoid centralization within monetary systems, and why the sole responsibility of corporations should not be profit.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Clive Menzies. Our conversation took place, and was recorded in May of 2025.
Mr. Menzies is a political economist and former business executive. He has established multiple companies and led many projects to implement his philosophy of distributed, autonomous, codependent self-organisation (DACSO). Many of these endeavors focus on making information and resources open-sourced, similar to software and coding. Clive is currently a Polymathic Explorer for InvisibleUniverse, a website that promotes DASCO philosophy via writings and video.
Together, we discussed Clive’s experiments with DASCO, the distinction between leadership and hierarchy, and Clive's perspective on the role of money within society.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Part of the reason why we wanted to start the Rethinking Economics series is that I think many aspects of economics, economic thinking, and economic institutions need reforming. And one of the main areas where this reform needs to happen is antitrust. Antitrust has become a popular and, as of late, bipartisan issue. Antitrust laws give the government power to regulate, manage competition, prevent monopolies, and stop harm to consumers. Antitrust powers were first vested with the government with the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, when businesses first began to reach their “giant” status. After 1890, there were some pretty substantive reforms to antitrust power that at times strengthened the government’s ability to intervene in the economy, and at other times weakened it. I will let you, the listeners, determine whether you think the government has too much or too little power to intervene in markets, but what is undeniable is the growth of gargantuan companies like Google and Amazon, while the gap between the rich and the impoverished widens. And I’m sure many of you listening think these two phenomena are inextricably linked. So, how can the state better shape markets and market structures to shrink this gap?
My guest today helps us reimagine the goals of antitrust and how it can be used to form innovation ecosystems to the benefit of society.
Mr. Ahuja is a lawyer, researcher, and political organizer. He initially began his career as an antitrust lawyer at Latham and Watkins, where he mainly worked on competition and market structure cases. After a brief stint working for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, Mr. Ahuja became a Fellow with the Department of Energy, where he worked on reducing market barriers in solar energy. Mr. Ahuja is currently an affiliate of the University of Oxford and a Fellow at Harvard University’s Growth Lab, where he researches and teaches antitrust and green development. He has written numerous publications that have appeared in newspapers and journals such as the Financial Times, Promarket, the Roosevelt Institute, and the Cambridge University Press. Mr. Ahuja earned his master’s from Harvard in Public Policy and Oxford University in Law, and is currently a Ph.D candidate at Oxford.
Together, we discussed Mr. Ahuja's innovation-as-capabilities approach to antitrust, green industrial policy, and how the state can shape markets and go beyond simply correcting market failures.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Michael Linton. Today’s episode was recorded in April of 2025.
Mr. Linton is the inventor of the Local Exchange Trade System (LETS) model, an alternative exchange system controlled by communities. Michael created LETS in the 1980s in Comex Valley, in British Columbia. Ever since then, he has focused on system design for community economics, having started other systems in British Columbia and in other places around the world. In the LETS system, information and transactions are recorded by a centralized body within the community. In theory, this gives communities more control over their economy, as resources are more likely to circulate within the community than flow out of it.
Mr Linton joined the Henry George School to discuss the shortcomings of conventional currency, what it means to be middle-class, and why governments don’t like having alternative currency systems.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today's discussion is hosted by Ibrahima Drame, our Director of Education, who is joined by Oriane Roty. Our conversation was recorded on April of 2025.
Ms. Roty is a Ph.D candidate at the Cultural and Discursive Interactions department of the University of Tours in France. She is part of a French Research agency-funded project called the Trust Issues Project, which brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers to study community land trusts (CLTs) and how they can be adopted in France. Much of her research analyzes the evolution of law around CLTs in response to housing crises. Her research homes in on CLT frameworks in the context of social, historical, and legal events going on at the time. Oriane received her bachelor’s degree from Maastricht University in European Law and the University of Paris Sorbonne in Law, her master’s in Philosophy and Society Research from the University of Paris Sorbonne, and is currently completing her Ph.D at the University of Tours in France.
Together, we discussed the origins of community land trusts, compared the French and American land-trust systems, and the causes and impacts of the housing crisis in the western world.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Teun van Sambeek. Our conversation took place, and was recorded in, April of 2025.
Mr. van Sambeek is an IT professional and entrepreneur. After founding multiple companies, he decided to move to Africa to begin building affordable housing. This led to the founding of Bentoniq, a real estate development company that mass produces affordable housing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Teun is also the founder of the 1coinH system, an alternative monetary system. He received two master’s: one in real estate development from the University of Amsterdam and the other in Construction Engineering Technologies from the Eindhoven University of Technology.
Mr. van Sambeek joined Economy 2.0 to discuss the security and privacy of blockchain technology, how alternative monetary systems can avoid inflation via money printing, and how his monetary system can replicate UBI without spiking inflation.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Cameron Sajedi, and was recorded in March of 2025.
Mr. Sajedi is a computer and geoscientist with lots of experience in the blockchain world. Cameron believes that with proper architecture, blockchain can be used to increase collaboration and decentralize decision-making within organizations. This led him to start his own company, Starling Foundries. Starling Foundries is a software and programming firm that tries to create collaborative software by mimicking patterns in nature. He is also an advocate of alternative monetary systems, which is what led him to learn more about Silvio Gesell. Currently, Cameron is developing Geocybernetic Atlas Protocol, a project that integrates geosciences, Web3, and economics to create high-resolution location data. Mr. Sajedi earned his bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech in Geophysics.
We hope you enjoy this talk and make sure to check back on our page every week for a brand-new episode!
Together, we discussed his new project, Geocybernetic Atlas Protocol, how blockchain and Web3 can be improved to decentralize decision-making, and different experiments with alternative and secondary monetary systems.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Dr. Martin Jacobson is a political philosopher who specializes in what he calls left-libertarian philosophy. Martin sees Georgism as a fusion of libertarian and progressive philosophy that translates to a version of libertarianism centered on land access as a solution to systemic inequalities. What really interested me about Martin’s work on Henry George was his ability to advance progressive ends with libertarian means, while exploring the relationship between these two ideologies. His dissertation was titled Land & Liberty: On the Natural Monopoly of Violence. Being an American, I think most libertarians we come across are more like the anarcho-libertarians Dr. Jacobson talks about. But our discussion helped me understand why the libertarian perspective is so crucial to reforming the very institutions they criticize.
Together, we compared the different types of libertarianism, where Henry George fits in on the libertarian and progressive spectrum, and if effective altruism is ever really possible.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Mr. Shafarman has been a universal basic income (UBI) proponent since the 1980s. He is the program director of Basic Income Action and a member of Basic Income Earth Network, two non-profits dedicated to promoting the implementation of UBI. He is also the author of several books: Basic Income Imperative, Our Future, We the People, and many more, all of which focus on the benefits of UBI. Steve earned his bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Psychology, and Human Development from Colby College.
Together, we discussed the specifics of how UBI would need to be implemented, the success of the Bolsa Familia program in Brazil compared to UBI, and how UBI can act as a backstop against poverty.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Starting this week, we’re taking a short spring break, but don’t worry—we’ll return in two weeks, April 3rd to be more precise, with more great conversations. In the meantime, why not use this break to spark your creativity?
Along with our break, we wanted to announce The Henry George School of Social Science 2025 Writing and Video Contests are officially open! This is your chance to dive into big ideas, challenge perspectives, and share your voice. Whether you’re a writer or a visual storyteller, there’s a category for you. Plus, there are cash prizes—so why not give it a shot?
There is a writing and video contest, with separate competitions between high school and college students. The collegiate contest is for both undergraduate and graduate students. First, second, and third place will receive a prize of $1000, $750, and $500 respectively. The high school prizes will be worth $550, $350, and $200.
All submissions should be original, unpublished, and not repurposed. Topics for your submission include, but are not limited to, monopolies, antitrust, land-value taxation, and inequality. The winners will be judged based on depth of analysis, originality, quality of research, and conciseness. For more information about the contest, its requirements, and prizes, please visit the link left in the description, or our website.
Contest Details: https://www.hgsss.org/2025-contests/
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School and was recorded in February of 2025.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
Together, we discussed Ed’s career, the pros and cons of incremental versus systemic change, and the whether or not Andrew Yang’s forward party is a meaningful departure from the status quo.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today's discussion focussed on the life and work of Thomas Paine. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School and was recorded in January of 2025.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today's discussion came from our Martin Luther King Day celebration and was recorded in January of 2025. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School.
To celebrate Black History Month, we wanted to pause our regular content and give our listeners a special episode on the political economy of Martin Luther King, Jr., exploring Dr. King’s intellectual evolution, and how it impacted his solutions to addressing poverty.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Dr. Will Ruddick.
Dr. Ruddick is a development economist specializing in currency innovation. Before shifting his focus to economics and development, he conducted graduate research in high-energy physics as a collaboration member at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. Since 2008, he has lived in East Africa, leading initiatives in environmental sustainability, food security, and economic development.
His work centers on Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs) as a tool for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Since 2010, he has pioneered CIC programs in Kenya, founding the Sarafu-Network and Bangla-Pesa, which provide alternative means of exchange to marginalized communities. He is also the founder of the Grassroots Economics Foundation, which supports local economies through innovative financial tools.
Dr. Ruddick has worked with with organizations such as the World Food Program, the Red Cross, and the University of Cape Town’s Environmental Economics Policy Research Unit. He is also an associate scholar with the University of Cumbria’s Initiative for Leadership and Sustainability, where he contributes to research on alternative monetary systems and economic resilience. Dr. Ruddick earned his master's in high energy physics from the University of Colorado Boulder and his Ph.D. in Development Economics and International Development from the University of Cape Town.
Together, we discussed Dr. Ruddick’s introduction of alternative currencies to other countries, why he’s hopeful about the elimination of USAID, and how his experience in Kenya shaped his future career.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Stef Kuypers.
Mr. Kuypers is a behavioral and monetary economist pursuing his PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Before he began his intellectual journey in economics, Stef led a successful career in the IT industry. After his work in IT, Stef began to do in-depth research on economics and monetary systems. This led him to join the board of Happonomy, a non-profit dedicated to helping individuals, businesses, and governments improve living standards. His PhD focuses on comparative monetary systems, and how society can use money differently to improve welfare.
Mr. Kuypers earned his master's in IT, and is pursuing his PhD in Business Economics at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Together, we discussed how money can be used differently to improve living standards, why the free-rider problem isn’t much of a problem, and how the yard sale economic model could work in real life.
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Patri Friedman.
Patri is a libertarian and anarcho-capitalist thinker and activist. He began his career in computer science and coding but eventually shifted towards grander ambitions. Trying to find a society that adhered to his libertarian values, Patri began to experiment with the creation of new cities. This led to his founding of the Seasteading Institute, a non-profit dedicated to building floating communities on water. Leveraging his knowledge and passion for seasteading, Mr. Friedman works as a Partner at Zarco Investment Group and Pronomos, both of which are investment funds that raise the capital needed to build these cities. Patri earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvey Mudd College, his master’s in computer science from Stanford, and his MBA from the New York Institute of Technology.
Together, we discussed floating cities, a relatively new concept called liquid democracy, and what his grandfather, Milton Friedman, would have thought about cryptocurrencies.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Tim Jenkin.
Tim Jenkin is a South African anti-apartheid activist, author, and technologist. He earned a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the University of Cape Town in 1973, where he became politically active by distributing banned literature critical of apartheid. Jenkin later joined the African National Congress (ANC) in London, receiving training in propaganda tactics and covert operations. In 1978, his anti-apartheid activities led to his arrest and a 12-year prison sentence. Jenkin continued working with the ANC in exile, after an escape from prison, and created an encrypted communication system that played a key role in the struggle against apartheid. After returning to South Africa in 1991, he worked on the ANC's communications strategy and later co-founded the Community Exchange System, an internet-based moneyless exchange for local communities. Jenkin remains an advocate for alternative economic systems and technological innovation.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Economy 2.0, which launched November 12 in collaboration with The Silvio Gesell Foundation, is a monthly series that investigates these pressing questions. Each episode will feature thought leaders, economists, and forward-thinking experts sharing their perspectives on the future of the global economy and the path forward.
In the inaugural episode, host Josh Sidman will sit down with Prof. Steve Keen to explore what a post-status quo world might look like.
Dr. Keen received his bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney and went on to complete his master's and Ph.D. in Economics and Economic History from the University of New South Wales. He is the author of several books on economics, of which the two most famous are Debunking Economics and The New Economics: A Manifesto. Both critique conventional economic theory. Dr. Keen has taught at the University of Western Sydney and Kingston University in London. He is currently leading the development of a software package called Minsky, a dynamics-based visualization tool for macroeconomic modeling.
Together, we discussed why money should be considered multidimensional, why housing prices continue to skyrocket, and how a parallel currency of carbon credits could reduce overconsumption.
The Great Debate will host two guests to debate a certain point or issue. In this show, we look to go deeper into this issue to attain a comprehensive understanding of both points of view. Through logic and reasoning, we hope you arrive at a well-informed conclusion on some of the most relevant and pressing issues defining our time.
For our inaugural episode, we hosted Mr. Tom Rossman and Mr. James Cusick.
Mr. Rossman is a financier and investor, who specializes in developing nations and emerging markets. Throughout his career, Tom has helped nations democratize and sustainably develop to bring new opportunities to these regions. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and religious studies from Nyack College and earned his master’s from Tufts in international relations. Currently, he is an advisor to the Telosa Community Foundation; a group hoping to build a futuristic from-scratch city that will revolutionize urban living.
Mr. Cusick is an independent IT consultant specializing in cybersecurity and software development. He has extensive experience researching software development as well, having spent many years as a researcher at Columbia University. After Columbia, he held numerous high-level positions at tech and software companies such as Dell and AT&T, where he led strategy and consulting teams. James earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California Santa Barba, his master’s from Columbia in Software Development, and currently holds a Project Management Professional certification.
For our inaugural episode, we discussed AI, how it will impact jobs and society, and why we shouldn’t always worry that innovations will cause mass unemployment.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion was recorded in October of 2024 between our host, Ed Dodson, and our guest, Dr. Jason Barr.
Dr. Barr is a professor at Rutgers University-Newark and a fellow at NYU’s Marron Institute, where he researches real estate, urban economics, and the economics of skyscrapers. Dr. Barr is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Real Estate Finance and the Eastern Economic Journal. He is also the author of two books: Cities in the Sky and Building the Skyline, both of which examine the economic justifications and appeal of constructing large urban buildings. Dr. Barr earned his bachelor’s degree in consumer economics and housing from Cornell, his master’s in creative writing from Emerson College, and his PhD in economics from Columbia University.
Together, we discussed the history of New York’s skyline, how speculators and developers recoup their investments on skyscrapers, and why cities need to become more dense and transportation-oriented.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion was recorded in October of 2024 and was held with Dr. Branko Milanovic.
Dr. Milanovic is a senior scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality and one of the leading scholars on income inequality in the world. He worked as a lead economist at the World Bank’s research department for 20 years, and as a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He has held numerous professorships at universities such as the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, London School of Economics, and the New School, where he currently teaches. He is the author of several influential books including The Haves and the Have—Nots, Capitalism Alone, and his newest book, Visions of Inequality. Dr. Milanovic earned his Ph.D. from the University of Belgrade.
Together, we discussed his newest book, a history of thought around inequality, and why he did not include Henry George in his book, even though he is such an important thinker on this subject.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion was recorded in November 2024 and is with Mr. Jamal Thomas, the first-place winner of our 2024 Annual Writing Contest.
Mr. Thomas is a college student at El Camino College, where he studies electrical engineering. He spent approximately six years in the United States Navy as a Nuclear Machinist Mate. He is also a member of California Common Ground to advocate community and state-wide political change.
Together, we discussed Mr. Thomas’s idea for a more equitable banking system, and how it could fund universal basic income.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion was recorded in November 2024 and is with Mr. Paul Forrester, the second-place winner of our 2024 Annual Writing Contest.
Mr. Forrester is a Ph.D. candidate at Yale University's philosophy department where he researches ethics, political philosophy, and how institutions make economic cooperation more feasible. He has authored several papers, including The Desire Machine, New Argument for Uniqueness about Evidential Support, Concurrent Awareness Desire Satisfactionism, and many others. Mr. Forrester earned his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Political Science from Duke University.
Together, we discussed a dialogue between John Locke and Henry George, both of their theories of self-ownership, and why natural resources are necessary for all economic and human activity.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving! We hope all of you are doing well and get to spend the holiday with your family and loved ones. The Henry George School podcast will be on break this week for the holiday, but don’t worry, we’ll be back next Thursday with more of the the great content you’ve come to expect from us. Until then, happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy the day, wherever you are.
Today’s episode will be the last of a part of a 3-part series where I, your host, Nathan Greene, interview a group of my current professors here at Clark University.
I was first introduced to the concept of development in my economic growth and development course at St. John’s University. There, we explored how economic growth led to improvements in living standards that allowed people to achieve their full potential. This is what Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen calls his capability approach: when societies are able to produce the conditions necessary for people to flourish.
But, since coming to Clark, my idea of development has changed. I began to separate economic development from general development. Growth wasn’t always desirable, and could even lead to entrenched inequalities, environmental degradation, or accumulation by dispossession. So I want to ask you, what does development mean to you? Is it different from economic growth? Are the two mutually exclusive? And, should we even strive for economic growth?
To answer these questions, I’ve enlisted the help of three of my professors, who have helped shape my understanding of development. Today, we’ll be speaking with Dr. Dave Bell to get a metaphysical understanding of what development really means.
Dr. David Bell is an international education consultant trained in psychology. He is the founder and director of Ubuntu Consulting, an educational evaluation company, where he works as a program evaluation consultant, designing and assessing education initiatives both in the U.S. and globally. Before moving to the United States, Dr. Bell worked extensively in Southern Africa, focusing on community development and educational improvement. He has worked at numerous international NGOs focussing on social change, such as the Center for Cognitive Development, the Kellogg Foundation, and the Karuna Center for peace building. Much of Dr. Bell’s research explores transformational leadership, experiential learning, and the role of education in development. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Education and Counseling Psychology from the University of Port Elizabeth, his master’s in Education and Counseling Psychology from Rhodes University, and his doctorate of education in Education Policy, Research Administration, and Comparative Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Dr. Bell joined the Henry George School to discuss what development means to different people, the difference between economic growth and development, and why people conceptualize these two things so differently.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s episode will be part of a 3-part series where I, your host, Nathan Greene, interview a group of my current professors here at Clark University.
I was first introduced to the concept of development in my economic growth and development course at St. John’s University. There, we explored how economic growth led to improvements in living standards that allowed people to achieve their full potential. This is what Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen calls his capability approach: when societies are able to produce the conditions necessary for people to flourish.
But, since coming to Clark, my idea of development has changed. I began to separate economic development from general development. Growth wasn’t always desirable, and could even lead to entrenched inequalities, environmental degradation, or accumulation by dispossession. So I want to ask you, what does development mean to you? Is it different from economic growth? Are the two mutually exclusive? And, should we even strive for economic growth?
To answer these questions, I’ve enlisted the help of three professors, who helped shape my understanding of development. Today, we’ll be speaking with Dr. Denise Bebbington to get a macro-level understanding of the impacts of economic growth.
Dr. Denise Bebbington is currently a research associate professor at Clark University, where she is the co-director of the Center for the Study of Natural Resources Extraction and Society, a research institute within Clark. Before she became a professor, Dr. Bebbington worked as a representative to Peru for the Inter-American Foundation, South American regional sub-director for Catholic Relief Services, and Latin America Program Coordinator for the Global Greengrants Fund. She has extensive on-the-ground experience working on development projects in South America, especially when it comes to democratization and strengthening institutions. Her research focuses on the political ecology of Latin America’s extractives industries and how it impacts indigenous communities. Her writings explore the intersection of gender, the environment, and development. She has authored and coauthored numerous books and articles for publications such as Environmental Science and Policy, World Development, the European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, as well as many others. She earned her bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley in history, her master’s in Development Management from American University, and her PhD in Development Policy and Management from the University of Manchester.
Together we discussed why conventional economic indicators like GDP fail to capture the true development story of a country, Latin America’s growth in the 21st century, and why large-scale infrastructure projects tend to be disruptive to peoples’ way of living.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s episode will be part of a 3-part series where I, your host, Nathan Greene, interview a group of my current professors here at Clark University.
I want to preface this series by asking you what you think development is. Currently, I’m in my last semester of a master’s in International Development at Clark University, where I’ve begun to question my own assumptions of what development is.
I was first introduced to this concept of development in my economic growth and development course at St. John’s University. There, we explored how economic growth led to improvements in living standards that allowed people to achieve their full potential. This is what Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen, calls his capability approach: when societies are able to produce the conditions necessary for people to flourish.
But, since coming to Clark, my idea of development has changed. I began to separate economic development from general development. Growth wasn’t always desirable, and could even lead to entrenched inequalities, environmental degradation, or accumulation by dispossession. So I want to ask you again, what does development mean to you? Is it different from economic growth? Are the two mutually exclusive? And, should we even strive for economic growth?
To answer these questions, I’ve enlisted the help of three of my professors, who have helped shape my understanding of development. The first person we’ll be speaking to is Dr. Jude Fernando, who will tell us about his research on Microfinance and small-scale solutions to societal improvement. The second person we’ll speak with is Dr. Denise Bebbington to get a macro-level understanding of the impacts of economic growth. We’ll then conclude with Dr. Dave Bell, who will give us a more metaphysical analysis of development and how the concept has changed over time.
Dr. Jude Fernando is currently a professor at Clark University and has held professorships at multiple institutions such as the University of Arizona, Dordt College, and the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka. His research work focuses on Microfinance and the role NGOs play in development. His research has earned him consulting roles at global institutions such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Asia Foundation, and the World Bank. Dr. Fernando is the founder of the Alfa Children and Youth Training Institute in Sri Lanka, an NGO established to help children impacted by the Southeast Asian Tsunami of 2004. He has written many journal articles and book contributions but is also the author of The Political Economy of NGOs: State Formation in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Dr. Fernando earned his bachelor's degree in applied economics from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka; and his PhD in economics, anthropology, and south asian history from the University of Pennsylvania.
For today’s episode, we’ll discuss Microfinance and its criticisms, small- versus large-scale change, and why economists should rethink the importance of the solidarity economy.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our most recent annual conference “Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution?” and was recorded in July of 2024. This is the final panel of our conference content on the polycrisis afflicting the globe. Thus far, we have discussed the four most important crises, followed by how Georgism can alleviate these crises, which was then be followed by how to make Georgism more politically palatable, and will now conclude with different Georgist policy solutions.
Today’s panelist is part of our fourth and final panel, “The Policy Options.” Our speaker for today’s episode is Bryan Kavanagh.
Mr. Kavanagh has extensive experience as a real estate evaluator working for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, as well as its Taxation Office. After many years in the public sector, Bryan went on to establish his own real estate evaluation firm Westlink Consulting. He is a research associate at the Land Values Research Group, a publisher of land-value-based economic research. Mr. Kavanagh is also an Executive Committee member of Prosper Australia, an international NGO committed to economic justice via land redistribution as proposed by Henry George.
We were joined by Bryan to discuss how real estate prices impact the boom-bust cycle, why economic crises repeat themselves throughout history, and why economists are not so great at making predictions.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our most recent annual conference “Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution?” and was recorded in July of 2024. This is the penultimate panel of our conference content on the polycrisis afflicting the globe. Thus far, we have discussed the four most important crises, followed by how Georgism can alleviate these crises, which was then be followed by how to make Georgism more politically palatable, and will now conclude by with different Georgist policy solutions.
Today’s panelist is part of our fourth and final panel, “The Policy Options.” Our speaker for today’s episode is Professor Roger Sandilands.
Professor Sandilands is the president of the Scottish League for Land Value Taxation and Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Sandilands has held numerous research and teaching positions focusing on monetary and international economics at Simon Fraser University in Canada, National University of Singapore, Lund University in Sweden, and Sophia University in Japan, as well as others. He is the author of two books: The Life and Political Economy of Lauchlin Currie and Monetary Correction and Housing Finance in Colombia, Brazil and Chile, as well as numerous journal articles. He also served as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Economic Studies. Professor Sandilands earned his bachelor's and Ph.D. from the University of Strathclyde.
Together, we discussed land redistribution, why the supply of land is considered to be fixed, and how land value taxes can spur entrepreneurship.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our most recent annual conference “Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution?” and was recorded in July of 2024. For the next two weeks, our discussions will revolve around the polycrisis afflicting the globe with four subtopics. The first will be the four most important crises, followed by how Georgism can alleviate these crises, which will then be followed by how to make Georgism more politically palatable, and will conclude by discussing different Georgist policy solutions.
Today’s panelist is part of our third panel, “Recalibrating the Advocacy of Georgism.” Our speaker for this episode is Dr. Dirk Löhr.
Dr. Löhr is a professor of Taxation and Ecological Economics at the Trier University of Applied Sciences and an Associate Professor at Ruhr-University in Bochum, Germany. His career spans both academic and practical roles, including work as a tax adviser, lecturer at the Center for Urban and Real Estate Management in Switzerland, and consultant for German International Cooperation (GIZ) in Cambodia. Dr. Löhr has also held key management positions within the Deutsche Bahn AG, which is a German railroad company. He also currently serves as president of the Association of Social Sciences, a research institution that conducts studies on infrastructure. Dr. Löhr extensive academic contributions include publications on business economics, land taxation, and environmental economics.
Together, we discussed why liberals and conservatives tend to get tax policy wrong, the difference between taxes and contributions in Germany, and how land value taxes can reorient revenue to better pay for redistributive policies.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our most recent annual conference “Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution?” and was recorded in July of 2024. For the next seven weeks, our discussions will revolve around the polycrisis afflicting the globe with four subtopics. The first will be the four most important crises, followed by how Georgism can alleviate these crises, which will then be followed by how to make Georgism more politically palatable, and will conclude by discussing different Georgist policy solutions.
Today’s panelist is part of our third panel, “Recalibrating the Advocacy of Georgism,” and our speaker is Mr. Ian Kirkwood.
Mr. Kirkwood is a freelance graphic designer who has most recently focused his work on land and tax reform in Scotland. He is currently the Director of the Scottish Land Revenue Group, an organization that promotes land value tax as a solution to shrinking public services while also reducing income taxes. In 2020, Ian wrote an article titled, “After the crisis we need to create jobs, not a tax on wealth” which was published in The Times, one of England’s oldest newspapers.
Together, we discussed how traditional forms of taxation disincentivize productivity, how a land value tax can replace other forms of taxes, and how Georgists can improve rhetoric around land value taxes to make them more appealing.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our most recent annual conference “Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution?” and was recorded in July of 2024. For the next eight weeks, our discussions will revolve around the polycrisis afflicting the globe with four subtopics. The first will be the four most important crises, followed by how Georgism can alleviate these crises, which will then be followed by how to make Georgism more politically palatable, and will conclude by discussing different Georgist policy solutions.
Today’s panelist is part of our second panel, "Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Remedy?” Our speaker is a returning guest and long-time Georgist, Dr. Nicolaus Tideman.
Dr. Tideman is a Georgist economist whose family have been Georgists for generations. He has spent his career immersed in economics, teaching at numerous universities such as Harvard, the University of Buckingham, and Virginia Tech, where he currently teaches. Dr. Tideman reached the pinnacle of his career in the 1970s working for the president's council of economic advisers. He has held advisory positions within the Office of Management and Budget as well as the Treasury Department. He is the author of many journal publications and of two books: Collective Decisions and Voting and Land and Taxation; both examine collectivist economic models and decision-making. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Reed College and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.
Together, we got into the weeds of a land value tax, the privatization of rent, and how the end of fractional reserve banking can reduce inequality.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Today’s discussion comes from our most recent annual conference “Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution?” and was recorded in July of 2024. For the next nine weeks, our discussions will revolve around the polycrisis afflicting the globe with four subtopics. The first will be the four most important crises, followed by how Georgism can alleviate these crises, which will then be followed by how to make Georgism more politically palatable, and will conclude by discussing different Georgist policy solutions.
Today’s panelist is Dr. Kris Feder. Dr. Feder is a recently retired professor at Bard College, where she taught courses on environmental, urban, and ecological economics. She has held numerous fellowships and taught at multiple universities such as West Chester University, Temple University, and Franklin and Marshall College. Dr. Feder has contributed to and coauthored three books: The Corruption of Economics, Beyond Neoclassical Economics: Heterodox Approaches to Economic Theory, and Critics of Henry George. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. from Temple University.
Together, the Henry George School joined Dr. Feder to discuss modern monetary theory, the benefits of The Green New Deal, and how a land-value tax can be used to pay for its initiatives.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion comes from our most recent annual conference “Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution?” and was recorded in July of 2024. For the next ten weeks, our discussions will revolve around the polycrisis afflicting the globe with four subtopics. The first will be the four most important crises, followed by how Georgism can alleviate these crises, which will then be followed by how to make Georgism more politically palatable, and will conclude by discussing different Georgist policy solutions.
Today’s panelist is Dr. Franklin Obeng-Odoom, professor of Global Development Studies at the University of Helsinki in Finland.
Dr. Obeng-Odoom is a Fellow at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and has received numerous awards for his scholarship and teaching. He is the author of several books, including Global Migration Beyond Limits; The Commons in an Age of Uncertainty; and Property, Institutions, and Social Stratification in Africa. A productive author, Dr. Obeng-Odoom has authored dozens of journal articles and is on the American Journal of Economics and Sociology editorial board.
We were lucky enough to join Dr. Obeng-Odoom to discuss climate refugees, why environmental justice must include land tenure, and how Georgist philosophy can be broadened to better consider the environment.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion comes from our most recent annual conference “Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution?” and was recorded in July of 2024. For the next eleven weeks, our discussions will revolve around the polycrisis afflicting the globe with four subtopics. The first will be the four most important crises, followed by how Georgism can alleviate these crises, which will then be followed by how to make Georgism more politically palatable, and will conclude by discussing different Georgist policy solutions.
Our first panelist will be Mr. Fred Harrison, a long-time friend of the Henry George School, who will be discussing the four biggest threats emerging from the global polycrisis.
Mr. Harrison received his bachelor’s from Oxford University and his master’s from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as The People and Wellington Journal. In 1988 he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred places an emphasis on the housing market and its interaction with the economy as a whole. He is the author of many books, including The Corruption of Economics, The Power in the Land, and A Philosophy for a Fair Society, all of which critique mainstream economic thinking.
Together, we discussed how the current tax system worsens inequality, why Georgist policies can reduce these inequalities, and Boston’s stark disparities in life expectancy.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Symposia is a longer-form podcast where we explore ideas from our previous seminars. Symposia will offer deeper dives on relevant issues to provide listeners with expansive insight. Whether you’re an expert or just someone who wants to hear a different perspective, Symposia offers listeners a college-level lecture for everyone to learn from. We want all our listeners to find our discussion stimulating, and hope you walk away having learned something new.
Today's discussion comes from our most recent annual conference, “Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution?”, and was recorded in July of 2024. For the next twelve weeks, our discussions will revolve around the polycrisis afflicting the globe with four subtopics. The first will be the four most important crises, followed by how Georgism can alleviate these crises, which will then be followed by how to make Georgism more politically palatable, and will conclude by discussing different Georgist policy solutions.
Our conference content will kick off with a keynote address from our long-time friend of the Henry George School, Mr. Fred Harrison.
Mr. Harrison received his bachelor's from Oxford University and his master’s from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as The People and Wellington Journal. In 1988 he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred places an emphasis on the housing market and its interaction with the economy as a whole. He is the author of many books, including The Corruption of Economics, The Power in the Land, and A Philosophy for a Fair Society, all of which critique mainstream economic thinking.
Together, we discussed how Henry George initiated a global reformist movement within politics and economics, how to reinvigorate the Georgist movement, and how this can reverse democratic backsliding around the world.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Welcome back to the Henry George School Podcast. We hope you all enjoyed your summer, wherever you are.
If you don’t remember me or are new, I’m one of your hosts, Nathan Greene, a researcher here at the Henry George School of Social Science.
As you may or may not have known, the podcast has been on a bit of a hiatus. We took a break to work on some exciting projects and organize some interesting talks that we’re excited to share with you.
Next week, we’ll be starting the podcast back up again, beginning with some content from our Annual Conference: Existential Crises: Is the Georgist Paradigm Part of the Solution? Please keep a look out for the episode wherever you get your podcasts at our regular time, Thursdays at 9 AM. If you’re a subscriber to the show, it will automatically appear in your feed. And if you’re not a subscriber already, go ahead and give it a try.
We’re looking forward to sharing all of our work from over the summer, and we hope you enjoy it. We’ll see you next Thursday, but until then, stay curious and keep questioning everything.
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If you’re a subscriber of our show, you’ve probably noticed that we’ve switched up the types of content we’ve published lately. We’re working on a lot of new projects, and talking to some interesting people, and we’re excited to share the results our listeners. But until those projects are completed, the conversations are had, and the podcasts are published, we are going to be on a brief hiatus. Our goal is to return with fresh perspectives, new topics, and exciting interviews that will continue to enrich your understanding of the world of economics and Georgism.
We’ll be back before you know it; we’re expecting sometime in August or the early fall. We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop with any new updates or announcements about the show.
We deeply appreciate your support and patience during this time. I encourage you to revisit some of our past episodes—there’s plenty of content to explore after all, and you might discover new insights you missed the first time around.
Stay connected with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, or our website, hgsss.org. We can’t wait to come back stronger and better, delivering the quality content you’ve come to expect from The Henry George School Podcast.
Thank you for being part of our community. Until we meet again, stay curious and keep questioning everything.
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent seminar “The Rise of Automation and AI – Curse or Blessing for the Working Class?” and was recorded in May of 2024. Our Talk is hosted by our Director of Education, Ibrahima Drame, who is joined by Dr. Sandeep Sacheti, Dr. Ansel Schiavone, and Mr. Ed Dodson.
Dr. Sandeep is an Executive Vice President at Wolters Kluwer, an IT and software company for professional services. He received his doctorate from UC Berkeley and has 20 patents in decision science, fraud verification, and identification.
Dr. Ansel Schiavone is an economics professor at St. John’s University where he researches inequality, microeconomics, and the political economy. He received his bachelor’s degree from Dension University and his PhD from the University of Utah, both in economics.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received his economics degree. Ed was also a manager at Fannie Mae. Edward is also the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
Together we discussed why AI won’t replace as many jobs as we think, how Neo-classical labor models fail to hold up in the real world, and the Georgist perspective on how AI would impact labor throughout the economy.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Semmler is the Arnhold Professor of International Cooperation and Development at the New School in New York City, where he researches macroeconomics, the economics of climate change, and financial markets. Dr. Semmler is also a Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Capitalism and Society, an institute that examines the shortcomings of orthodox economics and looks to understand the economy through a more realistic and complex lens. Willi has also taught at other universities such as the American University in Washington D.C., the University of Berlin, and the University of Bielefeld in Germany. He is the author of numerous journal articles and has written many books such as Asset Prices, Booms, and Recessions and Sustainable Macroeconomics, Climate Risks, and Energy Transitions. Dr. Semmler is a trustee and long-time member here at the Henry George School as well. He is an expert on all things macroeconomics, sustainability, and business cycles. Dr. Semmler studied at the University of Munich and Technical University in Germany and earned his PhD from the Free University of Berlin.
Together we discussed why economics should begin considering the environment in its analysis, why environmental risks pose economic risks, and how the profit motive incentivizes conservation or degradation.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Horn is the Director of Practical Philosophy and Ancient Philosophy at the University of Bonn. Most of his work focuses on classical philosophers like Plato or Aristotle and how we deal with modern questions of ethics and morals. However, Dr. Horn has also written extensively on political philosophy, and the roles ethics and justice play within politics. In addition to his position at the University of Bonn, Dr. Horn also teaches at the New School. He is an alum of the New Institute, a German think tank dedicated to understanding the relationship between well-being and living standards, and how this impacts the human condition.
Today, Dr. Horn joined us to explain environmental ethics, some of the different schools of thought within ecological ethics, and introduced us to the idea of political ecology. It was quite a fascinating discussion, to say the least.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Rowland served in the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as a Senior Project Manager for Environmental Remediation to help the city improve environmental quality. He has taught at various institutions, such as Pace University and here at the Henry George School of Social Science. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Asset Leadership Network, a group that promotes financial awareness to achieve social objectives. Dr. Marty Rowland earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his master’s from the University of New Orleans, both in Environmental Engineering. He later went on to earn his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of New Orleans as well.
We were joined by Dr. Rowland to discuss Henry George’s work on monetary policy and central banking, some critiques of George’s analysis, and the difference between metal-backed currencies versus fiat currencies.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion was recorded in April of 2024, where our guest, Mr. Matthew Colantonio, joined us.
Mr. Colantonio is an active community member and has focused his career on economic and community development. He was an AmeriCorps volunteer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he saw the importance of effective land and tax policy. Currently, he is a statistician at the State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Health. Matt received his bachelor’s degree in business from St. John’s University, my alma mater, and his master’s in applied economics from Boston College.
Mr. Colantonio joined us in discussing the history of Pennsylvania, how Henry George’s single tax can jumpstart Pittsburg’s property sector, and why speculation tends to depress economic outcomes.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Ancient Greek Language and Literature and his Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from Trinity College in Dublin. He has conducted extensive research on the Money Supply and recent trends in Monetary Policy. He is also the Managing Director of Fiduciary Automation, a company that helps businesses check if their financial ideas meet legal requirements and identify areas of ambiguity. In addition to Fiduciary Automation, Dr. Perry is also the founder of XML Special Interest Group, a platform for professionals who use Extensible Markup Language (XML), a coding language.
Dr. Perry joined us to discuss why raising or lowering taxes is not realistic if the government should have the ability to tax citizens, and how the how the separation of state developed over time.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Mr. Van Gorder is an independent scholar and cofounder of the Greshm Institute. The Greshm Institute is a non-profit organization that fosters dialogue around Universal Basic Income (UBI). Derek is also working on a series of essays on the dynamics of UBI and how it is economically viable. In addition to his work with the Greshm Institute, Mr. Van Gorder is also a filmmaker and videographer for documentaries, indie films, and music videos. He received his bachelor’s degree from Bard College at Simon’s Rock.
We were joined by Mr. Van Gorder to discuss the dynamics of UBI, how it can be used for monetary policy, and why a universal basic income is the most efficient policy tool for macroeconomic management.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Ancient Greek Language and Literature, and his Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from Trinity College in Dublin. He has conducted extensive research on the Money Supply and recent trends in Monetary Policy. He is also the Managing Director of Fiduciary Automation, a company that helps businesses check if their financial ideas meet legal requirements and identify areas of ambiguity. In addition to Fiduciary Automation, Dr. Perry is also the founder of XML Special Interest Group, a platform for professionals who use Extensible Markup Language (XML), a coding language.
We were joined by Dr. Perry to discuss his analysis on recent macroeconomic trends, how asset bubbles are formed, and why the Fed always miscalculates unemployment.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion was recorded in January of 2024, where we were joined by our guest, Dr. Walter E. Perry.
Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Ancient Greek Language and Literature, and his Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
from Trinity College in Dublin. He has conducted extensive research on Money Supply and recent trends in Monetary Policy. He is also the Managing Director of Fiduciary Automation, a company that helps businesses check if their financial ideas meet legal requirements and identify areas of ambiguity. In addition to Fiduciary Automation, Dr. Perry is also the founder of XML Special Interest Group, a platform for professionals who use Extensible Markup Language (XML), a coding language.
We were joined by Dr. Perry to discuss why the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy has been ineffective, how AI and computer science can be used to understand why monetary policy is failing, and a brief history of modern monetary history.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion was recorded in October of 2023, where we were joined by our returning guest, Dr. Aleksandr Gevorkyan
Dr. Gevorkyan received his bachelor’s degree in International Trade and Finance from Louisiana State University, two master's in Economics from The New School and Louisiana State University, and his Ph.D. in economics from New School. He is an expert on Central Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union economies. He is the author of numerous journal articles, as well as two books: Transition Economies and Financial Deepening and Post-Crisis Development in Emerging Markets. He is a professor and Henry George Chair in Economics at St. John’s University, as well as a member here at the Henry George School.
Today we will explore Diaspora Bonds and how they can impact development. Many underdeveloped nations don’t have the financial capacity to pursue transformative projects like building hospitals or infrastructure. Diaspora Bonds help fund these projects from expatriates who want to help their home country. Dr. Gevorkyan also explores how other nations have successfully used their diaspora to spur growth.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion was recorded in September of 2021, where we were joined by our returning guest, and long-time faculty member of the school, Ed Dodson.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping to revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
Today, Mr. Dodson explains the impact of the American Rescue plan, and why it may not have helped the people it was most intended to. Ed helps break down a Georgist analysis of the macroenvironment pre-Covid, and how the American Rescue Plan fails to address its vulnerabilities.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Snapshot is a more brief format for introducing listeners to complex concepts they may not be familiar with. We take big ideas and distill them into a bite-sized format so you can get an understanding of these ideas through a particular lens. We’ll explore ideas like moneterism, historical materialism, or opportunity cost, and how they are relevant to the real world. You don’t have to be an expert on economics, we’ll explain it to you.
For our discussion today, we will be talking to our returning guest, Mr. Tom Rossman.
Mr. Rossman is a financier and investor, who specializes in developing nations and emerging markets. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mr. Rossman helped establish investment institutions in Turkey, former Soviet Union states, and North Africa. Throughout his career, Tom has helped nations democratize and sustainably develop to bring new opportunities to these regions. He has spoken at conferences across the world from Baku to London to Houston. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and religious studies from Nyack College and earned his master’s from Tufts in international relations. Currently, he is an advisor to the Telosa Community Foundation; a group hoping to build a futuristic from-scratch city that will revolutionize urban living.
Mr. Rossman introduces us to the concept of equitism. When most social scientists discuss fairness, they usually mention equality or equity. Equitism takes these ideas a step further. Equitism is a system in which city people own or have a stake in the land. In theory, this should give them more power to determine their socioeconomic outcomes.
Together we discussed a brief history of economic thought, how equitism reconfigures capitalism, and how a more even distribution of land can improve environmental outcomes.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Rethinking Economics is all about questioning the core foundations of economics. This series questions economic orthodoxy to better understand the forces and shifts shaping our society and the world. Together, we’ll interrogate things like the efficacy of economic models, if mainstream assumptions are always correct, and why the ideas and concepts you learn about in textbooks may lead you astray.
For our inaugural discussion of the series, we will be talking to our returning guest, and one of my favorite economists, Dr. Steve Keen. Our talk was recorded in March of 2024, and is hosted by me, Nathan Greene, a researcher here at the Henry George School.
Many people, including myself, don’t fully understand monetary theory or monetary economics. Admittedly, it’s quite confusing. There are a lot of dynamics at play from banks, to households, money, and central banks, just to name a few. If you ever learned the terms money multiplier, monetary base, or reserve requirement ratio, but are not really sure what it means, you’re not alone.
Dr. Keen is an expert on the dynamics of monetary economics and macroeconomics. We’ll explore his critiques of the efficient market hypothesis to his more recent analyses of debt dynamics and financial instability. Together, we talked about the shortcomings of conventional economic thinking, and why it’s so damaging not just to the economy, but the planet as well. By questioning fundamental assumptions, he invites us to reconsider our approach to economic policy and reshape our vision of a more equitable and sustainable future. At a time when the world is largely ignoring calls to abandon fossil fuels and the green transition feels painstakingly slow, his ideas and critiques feel more important now than ever before.
Dr. Keen received his bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney and went on to complete his master's and Ph.D. in Economics and Economic History from the University of New South Wales. He is the author of several books on economics, of which the two most famous are "Debunking Economics" and "The New Economics: A Manifesto." Both critique conventional economic theory. We were even lucky enough to hear about his upcoming book, "Rebuilding Economics from the Top Down." Dr. Keen has taught at the University of Western Sydney and Kingston University in London. He is currently leading the development of a software package called Minsky, a dynamics-based visualization tool for macroeconomic modeling.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s episode our discussion came from our most recent seminar, McGirt v Oklahoma: Unraveling the Impact on Tribal Economics and Sovereignty. Our conversation was recorded in February of 2024 and is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member, who is joined by our guest, Dr. Brian Hosmer.
Dr. Hosmer is the head of the History department at Oklahoma State University and previously held the H.G. Barnard Chair at the University of Tulsa. He has held numerous teaching positions at institutions such as the University of Delaware, University of Wyoming, and the University of Illinois Chicago. His research and teaching interests focus on indigenous history, environmental history, and the intersection of economics and indigenous nationhood. He is the author of several books including "American Indians and the Marketplace," "Tribal Worlds," "Native Americans and the Legacy of Harry S. Truman," and many more.
Since settlers arrived in North America, the history of native Americans and indigenous people in the US has always been dictated by its relationship with settlers and the governments they would go on to establish. This relationship has almost always been exploitive and led to a diminished wellbeing for indigenous people.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, median per capita income for native Americans is $35,310 compared with the average of $51,371, and the poverty rate on reservations is almost double the national average. While some attempts have been made to correct the wrongs of history, like the Indian Self-Determination Act, these solutions ultimately had their shortcomings as well.
Our guest today helps us explore the current interaction between the US government and indigenous nations, how a recent Supreme Court Case impacts this interaction, and how this translates to economic outcomes.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today's discussion came from our most recent seminar and was recorded in January of 2024. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School.
To celebrate Black History Month, we wanted to pause our regular content and give our listeners a special series on the political economy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This week’s talk will conclude our 3-part series exploring Dr. King’s intellectual evolution, and how it impacted his solutions to addressing poverty.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled "The Discovery of First Principles."
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in January of 2023. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School.
To celebrate Black History Month, we wanted to pause our regular content and give our listeners a special series on the political economy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For the next two episodes, we’ll continue our 3-part series exploring Dr. King’s intellectual evolution and how it impacted his solutions to addressing poverty.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in January of 2022. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School.
To celebrate Black History Month, we wanted to pause our regular content and give our listeners a special series on the political economy of Martin Luther King. For the next few episodes, we’ll have a 3-part series exploring Dr. King’s intellectual evolution, and how it impacted his solutions to addressing poverty.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
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Dr. Chappe is a Decentralized Finance economist and Director of R&D and Strategy at DeVol Network, a cryptocurrency platform. Dr. Chappe is also an economic advisor for The Predistribution Initiative, a non-profit that supports creating investment structures that better distributes wealth with workers and communities. Dr. Chappe is also a Research Fellow with the Open Society Foundation. Dr. Chappe earned her bachelor’s in Law and French Law from King’s College London, a master’s degree in Comparative Business Law from the University of Pantheon-Sorbonne in Paris, a master’s in law from New York University, and her doctorate in economics from The New School for Social Research. Needless to say, she has quite an extensive resume. Raphaële’s research interests include monetary policy and shadow banking.
We were lucky enough to talk to Dr. Chappe about quantitative easing, how it impacts inequality, and how recent accumulations of debt could impact the global macroeconomy.
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Dr. Horn is a philosopher who uses his philosophical training toanalyze public policy. Writing for journals such as The Journal of Philosophy and Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Walter has published many articles on topics such as metaphysics, epistemology, or the psychology of religion. He is also the author of Democratic Theory Naturalized, which deeply examines populism and power relations within a democracy. As a professor, Dr. Horn has taught at Brown University and Framingham State University. When he’s not busy writing about psychology or philosophy, our guest loves to write and analyze music and has several recorded albums.
I want to start off by asking you, what defines democracy? If I asked you, what makes a country a democracy, what would your answer be? Would it be free and fair elections? Checks and balances? Freedom of speech? Fair judicial processes with juries of your peers? The term democracy originates from Greece, “demos” meaning people, and “kratos” meaning rule. When the term was first coined, democracy was mostly practiced in Athens, which selected random citizens to fill judicial and administrative positions and had an assembly of all Athenian citizens to pass legislation.
I would define it as a distribution of power between different actors within society, from executive to legislative branches to corporations and consumers. Democracy is defined as rule by the people; but since its conception, society has always struggled to achieve a true democracy. Even in Athens, where the idea was born, democracy has never been fully achieved. For example, the legislative body I just mentioned excluded women and slaves from participating.
Turning to current times, we’ve seen democracies morph and change. The United States has gone through many changes and had its democratic institutions tested. Donald Trump, the 45th President, could potentially be convicted guilty of numerous charges while running for president, creating a potential constitutional crisis if he wins. He was also responsible for the insurrection on January 6th, creating profound legal questions about the constitutional power of presidents. But the executive branch isn’t the only feature of our government that is being questioned.
Some have begun to question certain aspects of our democratic institutions. One example is the Electoral College, a process where a body of electorates vote for both president and vice president in tandem with the popular vote. Another is the Supreme Court, where members hold life-long tenures, have very few checks or balances, and are nominated by presidents, not citizens. According to Gallup, 28% of adults are “satisfied with the way democracy is working in this country”. As these aspects of our government’s structure become increasingly criticized, it is fair to wonder how we can improve these institutions and make government more democratic. This is where Dr. Horn comes in.
To improve our system of government and create outcomes more beneficial to the public, Dr. Horn believes society needs a healthy dose of populism. Populism is a complex idea, usually harboring negative connotations from both the left and right. But to Dr. Horn, populism is a move toward radical democracy and the empowerment of people. Governments, democracies, and constitutions all change over time. But what these changes are, and who they impact, have lasting consequences on how we organize our society and decide who gets to make what decisions.
Dr. Horn earned his bachelor’sdegree from Ithaca College, and his Ph.D. from Brown University, both in philosophy.
Together, we discussed Dr. Horn’s definition of populism, how democratic reform can empower citizens, and why education is so important to achieving democratic outcomes.
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in October of 2023. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School, who is joined by our guest Dr. Willi Semmler.
Dr. Semmler is the Arnhold Professor of International Cooperationand Development at the New School in New York City, where he researches macroeconomics, the economics of climate change, and financial markets. Dr. Semmler is also a Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Capitalism and Society, an institute that examines the shortcomings of orthodox economics and looks to understand the economy through a more realistic and complex lens. Willi has also taught at other universities such as the American University in Washington D.C., the University of Berlin, and the University of Bielefeld in Germany. He is the author of numerous journal articles and has written many books such as Asset Prices, Booms, and Recessions and Sustainable Macroeconomics, Climate Risks, and Energy Transitions. Dr. Semmler is a trustee and long-time member here at the Henry George School. He is an expert on all things macroeconomics, sustainability, and business cycles.
Today’s discussion delves into how economics can be used, or rethought, to improve environmental conditions. Is economic growth inseparable from environmental damage? Can the economy become less energy-intensive as it diversifies? Is it possible to improve living conditions with a growing population without causing pollution? Economists often examine incentives, and how they can lead to different outcomes. Dr. Semmler helps us break down these incentives, and how they can be recalibrated to benefit conservation efforts.
Dr. Semmler studied at the University of Munich and Technical University in Germany and earned his PhD from the FreeUniversity of Berlin.
Together we discussed why many conflate economic growth with pollution, how policy and incentives can better serve environmental needs, and how the financial sector can be rewired to encourage productive investment and reduce speculation.
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in July of 2023. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School, who is joined by our guest Mr. Lars Doucet.
Mr. Doucet is a consultant, blogger, entrepreneur, game developer, and currently the Director of Outreach for Common Ground USA. As a consultant, Lars has been accredited with developing numerous video games and software packages, such as Defender’s Quest and Super Energy Apocalypse. He is also the founder of Geo Land Solutions, which appraises large tracts of land to better calibrate land values and taxes more equitably. Mr. Doucet recently published his first book: Land is a Big Deal, where he explores Georgist ideas, such as rent, natural resource extraction, and collectivism.
As economies move away from being mostly industrial, they grow in complexity. You’ve probably heard of financialization, the phenomenon of how finance becomes increasingly intertwined with the real economy. But this is only one layer to this growing complexity. Technology has also changed the economy, everything is becomingdigitalized as analog machines and processes become obsolete. All of this adds up to a highly complex economy that becomes increasingly hard to understand and comprehend.
Older economic models were once capable of understanding the economy in its less complex form. But as technology and the economy become more advanced, these frameworks and analyses becoming increasingly similar to the “vulgar economics” we talked about last week. These models are often linear, can’t capture human or societal behavior, and fail to predict crises.
Critics of mainstream economics, like Mr. Doucet or, most prominently, Steve Keen, advocate for a new framework for our economic models. One new method embraces “system dynamics”, a computer science and mathematical modeling technique showing how actors within complex systems, say industrial workers in a factory, interact with other fixtures or incentives in the system. Unlike other frameworks, proponents of system dynamics believe these models can better understand how feedback loops are created, how changes in incentives or behaviors lead to changes in the system as a whole, or how dynamic or evolutionary the economy is.
As a video game designer, Lars created educational games that utilize system dynamics. When observing the games he designed, Lars often noticed how the economy in the game would lead to recessions or economic downturns. With an understanding of how the system would work, Mr. Doucet would then suggest changes similar to Georgist policy that would then ameliorate the recession. This led him to better understand the importance of Georgist policy in our complex world.
Mr. Doucet earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University in Visual Sciences.
Together, we discussed how Mr. Doucet came to his Georgist epiphany, how speculation leads to inequality and economic downturns, and how proper appraisal of land values can lead to beneficial downstream effects.
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in June of 2023. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School, who is joined by our returning guest Mr. Mark Mollineaux.
Mark is an artist, radio host, and researcher who focuses on metropolitan resilience, urbanization, and housing affordability. Mr. Mollineaux is a lifelong Georgist and hosts a popular radio show, The Henry George Program, on Stanford’s radio where he hosts discussions on Georgist ideas and concepts. He is also part of Common Ground USA’s California Chapter. Common Ground USA promotes land and economic justice through land-value taxation, land trusts, and fair taxation of pollution or extraction.
In the 19th century, Karl Marx published his seminal book, Das Kapital, where he critiques the political economy. In this work, Marx coined the term “vulgar economics” or “vulgar economy”, which was a dig at frameworks created by other economists. However, vulgar economics also criticizes assumptions made by pure observations. To Marx, economists had to conceptualize more than just what they saw. Today, this can be directly linked to the supply and demand analysis utilized by most major economists.
When analyzing factors such as labor or land, it helps to build a more complex understanding of how these factors of production synergize with the rest of the economy. Our guest today helps us do just that.
Together, we got into the weeds of the dynamics of housing markets, discussed why traditional policy tools won’t help current unaffordability problems and why some alternatives may be better, and why property and land taxes can help entrench unaffordability.
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Mr. Morial is the former mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, and current President and CEO of the National Urban League. The National Urban League is a civil rights group that promotes equality, social justice, and economic empowerment. The National Urban League spearheads social programs, public policy research, and advocacy efforts in over 300 communities across the U.S. to shrink the wealth gap in underserved communities. Through a combination of education, entrepreneurship, and job training, the National Urban League looks to create self-reliance and reinvigorate small- and medium-sized cities.
Many thinkers believe that the best indication of a society’s development is its ability to increase population. If population is increasing, that means there are sufficient resources, from food, water, or income, to support life. In 1798, Thomas Malthus, a famous economist from the 19th century, published his seminal work, An Essay on the Principle of Population. Here, Malthus theorized how increased agricultural production led to a higher population, but not necessarily improved standards of living; this is known as the Malthusian Trap. To Arthur Lewis, a Nobel-winning economist from the 20th century, population growth was a necessary prerequisite for the improvement of living conditions. Once food production was capable of increasing population, people would begin flocking towards cities, which would then improve living standards as they became hubs of investment. Lewis termed this dynamic the Lewis Turning Point. Today, some thinkers, such as Esther Duflo, a leading development economist, are rethinking the Malthusian Trap or the Lewis Turning Point, trying to understand how people in cities grow out of poverty and advance their standard of living.
Cities are economic hubs for the United States. They are often centers of population, jobs, resources, transportation, finance, healthcare, or even social services. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, small- and medium-sized metro areas, make up about 90% of the United States’ GDP. When I say cities, everyone is probably thinking of Chicago, New York, or San Francisco; but these are just the biggest, most memorableones. America is also comprised of hundreds of smaller cities that, taken together, are an important part of America’s economic engine. As of 2022, there are 263 urban centers with populations between 100,000-300,000 people. These are places like Worcester, Massachusetts, Pasadena California, or Odessa, Texas. 59 urban centers have populations between 300,000 to 1 million. This includes cities like San Antonio, Texas, Memphis, Tennessee, or places like New Orleans, Louisiana, where our guest was born and raised. Needless to say, these cities can be forgotten when it comes to public policy or investment. Everyone thinks of those big flashy cities like New York or San Francisco, while the others are left behind.
Our guest today spoke not just of the importance of cities, but how we can make them better places to develop better standards of living for everyone.
Mr. Morial earned his bachelor’s degree in African American Studies and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and his JD from Georgetown University.
Together, we discussed how living conditions in New Orleans changed since Mr. Morial’s mayorship, how many cities across the US face similar deterioration, and how the country can produce transformative development for future generations.
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in April of 2023. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, who is joined by our guest, Dr. Christopher England.
Dr. England is an Adjunct Lecturer at Georgetown University, and has also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Loyola University, Maryland, and Stanford University. His courses focus on US history, the history of economic thought, political media, and social movements in America. His most recent book, Henry George and the Crafting of Modern Liberalism, focuses on the influence Henry George had on American politics and public sentiment towards policy. Examining firsthand accounts of George’s correspondences with his followers, Dr. England traces the legacy of George’s influence from the Progressive Movement to the New Deal Era. With a particular focus on land, natural resources, and rent-seeking, Dr. England observes how Georgism influenced public policy during these times to create a more egalitarian and democratic society.
Liberalism has meant different things at different times. Classical liberalism stood for limited government, free trade, or individual liberty. But the Progressive and New Deal era changed that. Liberalism began to shift towards new ways of thinking, like having a welfare state or social safety net, an activist government towards social problems, or an administrative state with more regulation. Henry George played a key role in influencing this shift. For a while, these ideas dominated leftward circles and made a real difference in people’s lives.
This changed in the late 1970s and early 80s with the Reagan Revolution. This is when the term “neo-liberal” entered into the popular conscience. Suddenly, being a liberal reverted to small government, individual responsibility, and led to the hollowing out of the state and a vast reduction in social services. This is, in part, what explains some of the poverty and inequality we experience today in advanced economies.
Today’s episode is significant for a number of reasons, but most importantly, it brings to the fore some of the ideas and concepts that originated from the Gilded Age. With the rise of inequality and the growth of massive corporations like Amazon, Apple, or Meta, some have now argued that we’ve entered into a new Gilded Age. This time, the Robber Barons have a new look to them. America’s economy is far less industrial than it used to be. If you’re into stocks or business, you’ve probably heard of the “Magnificent Seven,” a group of tech behemoths that make up a large part of the stock market. But these firms aren’t just important to markets. They play a huge role in our lives, and it is only growing by the day. Many ideas have been floated as to how we deal with these companies, and this is why some of George’s ideas merit further examination.
Dr. England received his bachelor’s degree in history and rhetoric from UC Berkeley and his Ph.D. from Georgetown in history. He’s also a former Fellow at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Dr. England joined the Henry George School to discuss land reforms during the New Deal, how George transformed liberalism in the US and around the world, and how land and land markets impact economic and social crises.
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in November of 2023. Our talk is hosted by our Director of Education, Ibrahima Drame, who is joined our guest, Dr. Nataliia Bychkova.
Dr. Bychkova is currently a Karl Loewenstein Fellow at Amherst College, where she is also an associate professor of Political Science. She is also a visiting professor at the University of Bologna, in Italy, and Odesa Mechnykov National University, in Ukraine. Dr. Bychkova has also held positions at Odesa National Economic University and Kyiv National Economics University. She has written numerous books and journal articles on topics such as corporate governance, ESG, and economic development and transitions.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has plunged the nation into turmoil. Though Ukraine has made valiant attempts in its counter-offensive, much of the country’s future is uncertain. In March 2023, a joint report by the Ukrainian government, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the European Commission estimated costs to rebuild the country could be around $411 billion (€383 billion). Various sources of funding have been proposed, from using frozen Russian assets to war reparations. But funding sources, whatever it may be, are only one part of the conversation.
Much of the discourse around reconstruction has involved what the country will look like after the war. What will be different from pre-war Ukraine? Will its governance structure change? How will political institutions evolve? Will they address some of the corruption problems the nations faced before the war? How will the economy bounce back, or even improve from the old one?
To answer these questions, we’ll need to have a comprehensive understanding of the damage done by Russia, its environmental toll, and try to form what future goals should aim towards.
Dr. Bychkova received her bachelor’s degree and Ph.D from Odessa Mechnikov National University, both in economics.
Together, we discussed the war’s impact on educational outcomes and human capital, what post-war recovery efforts should look like, and some of the ESG concerns pre-war, and how to address them during reconstruction.
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in February of 2023. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, who joined our guest, Mr. Dave Wetzel.
Dave Wetzel has had a long career in transportation, working as a bus conductor and official in the 1960s. Shortly after, Mr. Wetzel became a political organizer of the London Co-operative Society between 1974 and 1981. He was elected as a Labour member for Hammersmith and Fulham on the Greater London Council in 1981 and served as the Chair of the Transport Committee. Mr. Wetzel also served on Hounslow Borough Council, acting as the leader in the late 80s and early 90s. Dave was Vice Chair of Transport for London between 2000 and 2008 and Chair of London Buses from 2000 to 2001.
London has long had an issue with congestion and transportation. Often, policy-makers take a top-down approach to implementation and steamroll over the issues most important to the people impacted by these policies. As a transportation leader for the city, Dave fostered collaboration and consensus-building when making plans and procedures regarding transportation. One of the pitfalls of technocracy, a society or government run by experts, is that the people most impacted by policy choices are left out of the decision-making process. This will, in turn, fail to address the structural inequalities being addressed since the people with the most knowledge about them aren’t able to correct these problems
Mr. Wetzel was educated at Southall Technical College, Ealing College, and at the Henry George School of Social Science.
This week we discussed how Mr. Wetzel’s experience impacted his time as a transportation leader, the implications of Russian imperialism and their conflict with Ukraine, and got into the weeds of London’s transportation policy.To check out more of our content, including our researchand policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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To celebrate our 100th episode, we wanted to do a special podcast on Henry George and Georgism. It was recorded in November of 2023 by Nathan Greene, a researcher at the Henry George School, and Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member.
Ed is an expert on Henry George and all things Georgism. As a long-time subscriber of George, land value taxation, and land use reform, he is an excellent person to talk to for our centennial episode.
Henry George is an important figure in both American and economic history. His life led him to understand the world in a complex way that gave him a unique perspective. With this perspective, George looked to solve ecological and social problems through land rights, welfare, and social justice. This blend of philosophy and economics was the genesis of Georgism, an ideology that his followers believed would solve some of the most pressing issues of the time.
George grew up during the Gold Rush and would eventually live through the Gilded Age. This was a time of massive inequality, major reforms, and rapid economic growth. The various places he lived instilled in George the need for greater fairness within society.
One of his famous adages is, “Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power.” George believed that through reflection and critical thinking, everyone can strive towards a better life for themselves, and their community. And this still rings true today. Henry George passed over a hundred years ago, but many of the problems he lived through still plague us today.
Income and wealth inequality have skyrocketed. According to Pew Research, a well-known pollster, between 1983 to 2016, the share of wealth belonging to upper-income households increased from 60% to 79%. Meanwhile, the amount held by middle-income households has been reduced by half, decreasing from 32% to 17%. Lower-income households only had 4% of wealth in 2016, down from 7% in 1983. Meanwhile, millions of young people are shut out of the real estate market and can’t afford their first house. I can’t help but wonder what Henry George would say if he could see the state of the world in 2023. A history of George’s life, how he formed his ideas, and the movements he inspired may help us parse that out.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Ed has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled "The Discovery of First Principles."
Together, we discussed Henry George in the context of economic history, his ideas, and how the Georgist community can turn back into a movement.
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Today, our discussion comes from our archived seminar: In Quest of a Multipolar Economic World Order – Promises and Perils, which was recorded in March of 2021. Our talk is hosted by our Director of Education, Dr. Ibrahima Drame, and Alana Hartzok, an environmental activist and ethicist. For our talk today we’re joined by Dr. Michael Hudson and Mr. Pepe Escobar.
Dr. Hudson is the president of the Institute for the Study of Long Term Economic Trends, and a professor of economics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City as well as the School of Marxist Studies at Peking University, in China.
Mr. Escobar is a Brazilian journalist with extensive experience in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He is the author of several books on globalization: Globalistan, Empire of Chaos, and many more.
As the British Empire began to fall and World War II came to a halt, a new world order was created. A new hegemon, the United States, was established, creating the rules-based system of international governance we see today.
International institutions, such as the United Nations (UN), World Bank, or the World Trade Organization (WTO) were established to create forums and processes for nations to amicably settle disputes. As the leader in this newly created order, the US benefited from the growing economic and diplomatic ties between themselves and the international community. However, as time passed, the US became less competitive and increasingly unequal as its future competitors developed.
Fast forward to today, and the current order is beginning to be challenged. China has a comparable status to the US economically, militarily, and technologically. Russia has waged war in Ukraine, ending decades of inter-country peace in Europe. Smaller and medium-sized nations, like Iran or Turkey, are playing an outsized role in international affairs and conduct themselves with increasingly precarious behavior.
With the decline of the US, questions about the global order it established are beginning to arise. Some believe that the very hegemonic status itself was the cause of many global ills. Within this criticism lies the desire for a multipolar world, or one that has many leaders, not just one. However, history has shown that challenges to established orders or incumbent hegemons can lead to tumultuous times. Our guests today help us understand how things could play out in the coming decades. Will this be an opportunity to fix unaddressed concerns or another flashpoint for conflict? Looking at the world through geopolitical and economic lens, we can answer some of these questions.
Dr. Hudson is a consultant to governments across the world for nations like Latvia, China, and Iceland. Pepe is the editor-at-large for Asia Times and is a veteran geopolitical analyst. These two are seasoned geopolitical commentators and are the perfect guests to answer some of our questions.
Together, we discussed how imperialistic tendencies led to problematic behavior by the US, why China developed so rapidly while the US stagnated, and why South American countries pursued neoliberal policies in the 70s and 80s.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today our discussion comes from our archived seminar: A Hard Look at Rent and Rent Seeking, recorded in December 2020. Our Talk is hosted by our Director of Education, Ibrahima Drame, who is joined by Dr. Michael Hudson and Mr. Pepe Escobar. Ourtalk today was jointly hosted by us at the Henry George School and the International Union for Land Value Taxation.
Dr. Hudson is the president of the Institute for the Study of Long Term Economic Trends, and professor of economics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and the School of Marxist Studies at Peking University, in China.
Mr. Escobar is a Brazilian journalist with extensive experience in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He is the author of several books on globalization: Globalistan, Empire of Chaos, and many more.
When economists try to determine what fairness looks like in the economy, they will often view this through rent, or rent-seeking behavior. When most people hear rent, they think of their monthly payment to their landlord. While this is a useful comparison, when economists use the term “rent” it means something a little different.
In economics, rent is referred to as a payment or income earned more than what is required to keep a resource or factor of production in its current use. Usually, when rent-seeking occurs, there is an element of exploitation or asymmetric balance of power.
Rent-seeking doesn’t just occur between individuals, or employers and employees. It can also exist between countries, or within systems.
Rent can help explain why the US economy has become so unequal, and why China is developing so rapidly. Is it possible for America to reindustrialize? Has corporate power and financialization created a vicious cycle of inequality? Has China’s government and financial system gained an advantage as the US’s has stagnated. Our guests today hope to answer these questions and provide insights into how rent-seeking impacts macroeconomic trends.
Dr. Hudson is a consultant to governments across the world for nations like Latvia, China, and Iceland. Pepe is the editor-at-large for Asia Times and is a veteran geopolitical analyst. I can’t think of two better people to host this discussion.
Together we discussed how the US lost its competitive edge, how China ascended at such a rapid rate, and why an over-reliance on financialization tends to lead to inequality.
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Often when we talk about competition between two nations, the US and China is the perfect example for today, we get arguments that are boiled down to broad ideas; like East vs the West and capitalism vs communism. But when we do this, we often lose a lot of nuance and miss some important details.
Not too long ago, the US and the West were competing with the USSR and pooled their resources towards containing the spread of communism. Fast forward to now and some of the satellite states and former Soviet Union nations have turned into development success stories. Nations like Poland have increased their GDP by 179% since the fall of the USSR in 1990; Estonia’s GDP per capita in 1995 was $3,134, and in 2021 it’s just below $28,000.
Dr. Gevorkyan received his bachelor’s degree in International Trade and Finance from Louisiana State University, two master's in Economics from The New School and Louisiana State University, and his Ph.D. in economics from the New School. He is an expert on Central Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union economies. He is the author of numerous journals and articles, as well as the author of two books: "Transition Economies" and "Financial Deepening and Post-Crisis Development in Emerging Markets." He is a professor and Henry George Chair in Economics at St. John’s University, as well as a member here at the Henry George School.
Together, we discussed some recent economic and political trends within the region, changes to the overall base and superstructure of the economy, and why a poly-crisis may not be as bad as it seems.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Podcasts and Publications Mentioned:
How Martin Wolf Understands This Global Economic Moment on The Ezra Klein Show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-martin-wolf-understands-this-global-economic-moment/id1548604447?i=1000623031651
Gevorkyan, A.V. (ed.). 2023. Foreign Exchange Constraint and Developing Economies. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/foreign-exchange-constraint-and-developing-economies-9781800880498.html
Gevorkyan, A.V. 2018. Transition Economies: Transformation, Development, and Society in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. Oxford: Routledge. https://goo.gl/otvbQe
Minsky, H. Stabilizing an Unstable Economy https://www.amazon.com/Stabilizing-Unstable-Economy-Hyman-Minsky/dp/0071592997
Kondratieff, N. (1935), ‘The Long Waves in Economic Life,’ Review of Economics and Statistics, 18 (6), 105–115.
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. This is our final episode for the conference and will conclude our annual conference content. We hope you enjoyed it, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at next year’s conference.
Today we will be talking with Dr. Marty Rowland. He served in the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as aSenior Project Manager for Environmental Remediation to help the city improve environmental quality, bettering living standards for all New Yorkers. He has taught at various institutions, such as Pace University and here at the Henry George School of Social Science. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Asset Leadership Network, a group that promotes financial awareness as a way to achieve social objectives.
To sustain the affordable housing programs we’ve discussed, we will need sound public policy that addresses the root causes of the crisis. Understanding previous land and housing policy can be a useful guide for navigating our current dilemma. In order to craft the best possible policies, we will need to comprehend how programs in the past failed. Comprehending this can improve future policies to maximize social outcomes.
Dr. Marty Rowland earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his master’s from the University of New Orleans, both in Environmental Engineering. He later went on to earn his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of New Orleans as well.
Dr. Rowland joined the Henry George School to discuss land and housing policies during the progressive era, how rent controls and community land trusts impact wellbeing, and how land-value tax policy has been considered over time. To check out more of our content, including our research,visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. These next 2 episodes will conclude our annual conference content. We hope you enjoyed it, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at next year’s conference.
We were joined today by Rick Rybeck. Rick isthe founder and Director of Just Economics LLC, a firm founded in order to guide policy toward helping families. Their goal is to promote job creation, affordable housing, transportation efficiency, and sustainable development.
Traditional solutions to the affordable housing crisis have yielded little results. Simply throwing more money at the problem won’t help. Our guest today offers concrete solutions that have yet to be tried, that I think could make a positive impact. Often people with ambitious policy ideas don’t have a plan for implementing them, leaving many people unconvinced. However, today’s guest offers not just solutions, but ways to implement these solutions as well.
Mr. Rybeck received his master's in real estate and urban development from American University and his JD from the American University’s Washington College of Law.
Together we discussed the politics of a land-value tax, why it isn’t an additional tax for everyone, and what its implementation would look like from a legislative perspective.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. These next 3 episodes will conclude our annual conference content. We hope you enjoyed it, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at next year’s conference.
For our program today, we were joined by Ms. Katelin Penner. Currently, Ms. Penner is an urban planner for NYC HPD's Office of Neighborhood Strategies focused on the conversion of publicly owned vacant land to deeply affordable housing. She is also the Co-Editor in Chief of the "Hunter Urban Review."
Conventional methods to making housing more affordable have failed so far. And because the housing crisis is so complex, it will require more creative solutions.
Katelin is a master’s student at Hunter College where she studies urban planning. Her research focuses on vacant lots, the impacts of municipal austerity measures, and community resilience. She put together a fascinating presentation on innovative policies being tested around the world.
Together we discussed potential uses of vacant land, how local governments can better incentivize more equitable uses of housing, and some of the benefits of co-op and tenant-led ownership models.
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. These next 4 episodes will conclude our annual conference content. We hope you enjoyed it, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at next year’s conference.
For our program today, we were joined by Mr. Tom Rossman. Mr. Rossman is a financier and investor, who specializes in developing nations and emerging markets. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mr. Rossman helped establish investment institutions in Turkey, former Soviet Union states, and North Africa. Throughout his career, Tom has helped nations democratize and sustainably develop to bring new opportunities to these regions. He has spoken at conferences across the world from Baku to London to Houston. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and religious studies from Nyack College and earned his master’s from Tufts in international relations. Currently, he is an advisor to the Telosa Community Foundation; a group hoping to build a futuristic from-scratch city that will revolutionize urban living.
Together, we discussed how we can design cities to be more inclusive and sustainable, if we are in a second gilded age, and why a sense of community has been missing from neighborhoods for the past few decades.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions.
We were lucky enough to have John Krinsky join us today. Dr. Krinsky is a professor of Political Science at the City University of New York (CUNY).
Thus far, we’ve looked at a lot of trends and changes within the housing industry. We’ve heard a lot about programs and solutions, but, so far, have heard very little about the people inhabiting these homes. Today, we want to talk about the conditions facing the people these solutions are trying to help.
Dr. Krinsky earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University and focuses on public policy, urban politics, and modern protest and activist movements. He is the author of "Who Cleans the Park" and "Free Labor." Both offer examinations of labor and job policies from state and local levels. Dr. Krinsky is also the co-editor of two journals: Metro-politics and Social Movement Studies. In addition to his work in academia, he is also the founder of New York City Community Land Initiative, a grassroots collective of non-profits and NGOs that promote community land trusts and housing for all.
Together, we discussed some of the failures of market-based approaches, evaluating policy responses to poverty & inequality, and the differences in exchange- or monetary-value versus use-value.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. For the next twelve weeks, our discussions will revolve around the topic of housing and house prices with three subtopics. The first will be root causes, followed by an evaluation of current policy responses, and finishes with alternatives to current policy and thinking around affordability.
We were lucky enough to speak with Brendan Cheney. Brendan is the Director of Policy and Communications at the New York Housing Conference. The New York Housing Conference is a policy and advocacy non-profit dedicated to advancing state, local, and federal housing policies.
Our affordable housing crisis will require comprehensive solutions, which will require reliable data. With good data, we can formulate the best possible policy, understand what areas need the most relief, and empower those shut out of the market due to unaffordability.
With organizations like the New York Housing Conference, policymakers can prevent gentrification, and buyers have help navigating the market. We’re glad to have our guest on at such a pivotal moment in the housing crisis.
Brendan earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and his master’s in public administration from Syracuse. He has extensive experience as a policy analyst and consultant. Mr. Cheney was also a staff writer for Politico, writing about housing policy and homelessness, often using data to communicate trends and complex ideas. As Director of Policy and Operations, he oversees all advocacy and policy efforts on behalf of the conference.
Together, we talked about the priorities of Governor Kathy Hochul, got into the weeds of federal and state housing policy, and explained the concept of “affordability depth.” It was quite the conversation.
We hope you enjoy this talk, and make sure to check back on our page every week for a brand-new episode!
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today we were lucky enough to speak with Ross Karp. Ross is the Downstate Development Director of Home and Community Renewal (HCR), an agency within New York State. HCR is part of the state’s Executive branch and is in charge of administering housing policy.
When you think of homebuilders, who do you think of? If I had to guess, you were probably thinking about real estate developers or even construction companies. And while they are important factors in our analysis, they are only one piece of the puzzle. State and local governments have a huge influence on housing outcomes, and getting their policies right can be tricky.
Building new homes requires grants and loans, navigating zoning regulations, and ensuring building codes and standards are met. But doing this all quickly and in large quantities is an uphill battle, to say the least. That’s where state and local government institutions come in. They can either facilitate this process or slow things down and hinder construction.
That’s why I’m thrilled to have our guest on today. New York’s Governor, Kathy Hochul, created a housing plan with $25 billion in funding. As Development Director, Mr. Karp helps oversee these funds and achieve New York’s goal of maintaining and revitalizing communities.
Mr. Karp received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Chicago, and his master’s in city planning from MIT. He has extensive policy and governance experience working for both the City of Chicago and New York and within the State of New York.
Together we discussed some of the housing initiatives under Governor Hochul, a few financing options available to developers, and why New York struggles to increase the supply of housing.
We hope you enjoy this talk, and make sure to check back on our page every week for a brand-new episode!
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today, our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. For the next twelve weeks, our discussions will revolve around the topic of housing and house prices with three subtopics. The first will be root causes, followed by an evaluation of current policy responses, and finishes with alternatives to current policy and thinking around affordability.
Today, we spoke to Lindsay Duvall. Lindsay is a Senior Organizer for the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). NLIHC aims to create policy that ensures people of low income have access to and can afford quality housing through advocacy, activism, and shaping public opinion.
Housing is crucial to economic mobility. Having a roof over your head improves all sorts of outcomes, from healthcare to education. We’ve talked about the trends behind some of the housing issues we’re all experiencing, but we haven’t talked about the trends going on within public policy around housing. Ms. Duvall is an expert on this subject and helps us explore some of the funding and policies contributing to the situation today.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the number of public housing units has declined by 200,000 units since the 1990s. Recent policies, such as the American Rescue Plan of 2021, aimed at addressing this, but only in the short run. To be clear, this is a complex solution that will require more than market-oriented solutions. To solve this problem, we need local and federal governments, real estate developers, and financiers to work together to create a holistic solution that will benefit citizens in the long term. All stakeholders will need to play a part in solving this.
NLIHC advocates policy on behalf of people in order to create a more equitable economy. Their goal is to maintain and improve existing public housing stock while expanding supply to ensure stability. Through their work, NLIHC improves welfare and helps fill in the cracks in our foundation (no pun intended).
Ms. Duvall previously worked at the Oregon Food Bank where she addressed hunger through outreach and volunteer mobilization. She earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy from Portland State University.
The Henry George School joined Lindsay to discuss housing policy in the legislative pipeline, some fascinating facts regarding New York City’s housing crisis, and which states offer sufficient affordable renting units for low-income earners.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. For the next twelve weeks, our discussions will revolve around the topic of housing and house prices with three subtopics. The first will be root causes, followed by an evaluation of current policy responses, and finishes with alternatives to current policy and thinking around affordability.
For today’s program, we were lucky enough to talk to Brad Lander. Brad is the Comptroller of New York City, where he is in charge of making the best investments possible toward a more sustainable and resilient New York.
As we’ve heard over the past two weeks, housing and affordability problems are quite complex, and the situation has generally become messy. Public policy and government are one part of this institutional entanglement. Calibrating our tools and conducting the correct evaluation is important to creating sustainable development.
Mr. Lander is a former community organizer and non-profit leader. He began his career at Fifth Avenue Committee, a non-profit that builds and developed affordable housing. After 2009, he became the Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, an institute in Brooklyn New York, where he focussed on developing communities sustainably and affordably.
Mr. Lander has been a harsh critic of the New York City tax system and, coming from a non-profit, has different ideas for how to fix it. As comptroller, Brad has tried to amend the system in order to create more resilient communities.
Together we discussed how the current system of unaffordable housing was created, how taxes can improve or worsen the situation, and what his office will be working towards for the remainder of his term.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. For the next twelve weeks, our discussions will revolve around the topic of housing and house prices with three subtopics. The first will be root causes, followed by an evaluation of current policy responses, and finishes with alternatives to current policy and thinking around affordability.
Nowadays housing issues are on everyone’s mind, from ownership to affordability. But because we’re so caught up in the stresses from facing the issues of real-world housing problems, we don’t understand how we got here, and why that matters for finding a solution.
The 20th century saw a shift towards suburbanization: the movement from city living to the suburbs. As a result, city planning moved towards bolstering these areas at the expense of cities. This caused inequality to grow between homeowners and those who can’t afford the purchase of living, creating the unaffordability crisis we experience today.
Mr. Mollineaux is a lifelong Georgist and hosts a popular podcast, Georgist Perspectives, on Stanford’s radio where he hosts discussions on Georgist perspectives.
Our guest today helps us understand the historical trajectories urban planning has led us to and looks to offer redistributive solutions that benefit city dwellers and promote equity.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable?Causes and Solutions. For the next twelve weeks, our discussions will revolve around the topic of housing and house prices with three subtopics. The first will be root causes, followed by an evaluation of current policy responses, and finishes with alternatives to current policy and thinking around affordability.
For today’s program, we were lucky enough to have Angela Lee Stovall on the podcast. Angela is a research and policy manager for JustFix.Nyc. JustFix.Nyc is a non-profit that helps ensure livable housing standards in New York, by offering renters and tenants resources and data to help navigate the unaffordability crisis in residential housing.
In our previous talks, we’ve mentioned how buying your first home can become increasingly unattainable. But buying a house is only part of the equation. According to the Furman Center, 66% of households in New York City rent. When rent prices skyrocket, millions of people and families have to put more of their paychecks toward housing instead of other necessities. But it goes beyond housing. Our guest today helps ensure more equitable outcomes that the current market doesn’t create. By providing transparency, data, and resources, JustFix.Nyc helps ensure renters receive the same rights and dignity that homeowners have. Often, renters find it more challenging to exercise their rights, say voting for example, compared to their home-owning counterparts. By better distributing economic power, JustFix.Nyc helps to better distribute political power too.
Ms. Stovall began her career as a defense attorney against eviction cases for the New York Legal Assistance Group. Recently, she worked as part of New York City Commission on Human Rights’ Income Discrimination Unit, as an intervention manager. She has constantly worked towards ending discrimination and reducing inequality.
Together, we discussed how real estate has become increasingly corporatized, why higher concentrations of land ownership in the hands of fewer people leads to inequality, and how affordable high-quality rentals can help sustain a healthy middle class.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support
Today, our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. For the next twelve weeks, our discussions will revolve around the topic of housing and house prices with three subtopics. The first will be root causes, followed by an evaluation of current policy responses, and finishes with alternatives to current policy and thinking around affordability.
Our first discussion was held with Dr. Ryan-Collins, an economist for the University of London. Dr. Ryan-Collins received his bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Warwick in sociology and industrial relations, respectively, and his Ph.D. in applied economics from the University of Southampton. His research focuses on macroeconomic stability, housing and land, and sustainable development. He was a Senior Economist for the New Economics Foundation and a council member of the Progressive Economy Forum. Both advocate for macroeconomic policy that promotes sustainable development and reduces inequality. He is also the author of numerous books and journals, including Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing, Why Can’t You Afford Home, Where Does Money Come From?. All offer a progressive analysis of recent global macroeconomic trends. Currently, Professor Ryan-Collins is a professor of Economics and Finance at the University College of London.
Together, we discussed some of the trends going on within housing, what caused the decline in homeownership in developed nations, and why some of the classical theories around land ownership may need rethinking.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Mr. Manekin is a social entrepreneur and community organizer from the Baltimore area. I first met him at a professional development training camp where he gave a speech about social entrepreneurship and how we can become the change within the communities that we want to see. Thibault is the cofounder of PeacePlayers and Seawall. PeacePlayers is an international non-profit that helps bridge divides and empower youth through sports and education. Seawall is a real estate development company that operates as a social business. Collaborating with the community, Seawall has successfully renovated and developed quintessential parts of the Baltimore area, giving them new life and a new look. They have successfully built three apartment buildings offering discounts to local teachers, renovated Baltimore’s famous Lexington Market, as well as many other examples, all while shaping their plans based on the community’s needs and input.
I encourage you to think about Thibault’s idea of social entrepreneurship and how his philosophy penetrates not just into his business model but how he views the idea of work as a whole.
Together, we discussed how state and local governments, along with the private sector, can cooperate to help communities develop, how your values can impact your business practices, and how real estate and land can impact society.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Ms. Brown is a community organizer and mayoral candidate for the City of Toronto. She received her bachelor’s from Ryerson University in public administration and governance, and her master's from Humber College in human resource management and administrative services. Chloe has spent her life advocating for change within her community. Her campaign focuses on issues of inequality, land use, and quality of life. Many of her solutions revolve around an equitable use of land or progressive taxation that would distribute benefits to the working class.
When listening to this talk, think about land ownership and all the different benefits of it. If you are a renter or someone who just likes to move around a lot in this age of digital nomads, what are the economic or political benefits you miss out on? Ms. Brown looks to solve this problem by removing the mutual exclusivity of land ownership and rights. I encourage you to think about how expanding liberty to those without ownership of land could diffuse power, and how that would create different economic outcomes.
This week we discussed how Toronto can improve housing, why relying on real estate developers can lead to unaffordable housing, and how taxation can be used to incentivize equitable development.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Dr. Tideman is a Georgist economist, whose family have been Georgists for generations. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Reed College and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. He has spent his career immersed in economics, teaching at numerous universities such as Harvard, the University of Buckingham, and Virginia Tech, where he currently teaches. Dr. Tideman reached the pinnacle of his career in the 1970’s working for the president's council of economic advisers. He has held advisory positions within the Office of Management and Budget and Treasury Department. He is the author of many journal publications and is the author of two books: Collective Decisions and Voting and Land and Taxation; both examine collectivist economic models and decision-making.
This week we discussed left-libertarianism, how land values and taxes can be systematized, and why a carbon tax is insufficient for promoting equality but good for the environment.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Dr. Cohen received his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam, both in economics. Before his academic career, Dr. Cohen worked as a management consultant at Accenture. He has spent over 24 years studying and understanding the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. Josh’s expertise ranges from regulatory practices to drug discovery and has over one hundred publications in numerous journals. In addition to his publications, Josh has also written for numerous periodicals and is currently a contributor to Forbes.
Together, we discussed the changes within the pharmaceutical industry caused by the IRA, how drug prices are formulated from manufacturer to consumer, and why the IRA is more of a reform than it is large-scale change.
We hope to see you all at our Annual Conference! The link is below:
https://www.hgsss.org/annual-conference-2023/
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Dr. Bauman earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Reed College, and his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Economics. Known as the first and only “Standup Economist” Dr. Bauman likes to inject humor into his teachings and analyze economic issues through a comedic lens. He is the author of several books including, "Tax Shift" and "The Cartoon Introduction to Economics." The former is an analysis of how to align our environmental goals with our tax system, while the latter is a beginner's book to learning economics. When he is not writing, Dr. Bauman performs his routine at companies, colleges, and conferences. He has performed for events hosted by Time Magazine, PBS, and NPR. He is also an activist, supporting and leading multiple environmental movements, most prominently, Clean the Darn Air, a movement created to encourage more environmental ballot initiatives in his home state of Utah.
Dr. Bauman joined the Henry George School to discuss reforming economics education, how Canada implemented a carbon tax, and how taxing land value can improve welfare outcomes.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Mr. Marinescu graduated from the University of Waterloo with a mathematics and computer science degree. Floyd is the founder and CEO of C4Media, InfoQ, and UBI Works. C4Media and InfoQ is a news organization that spreads information about computer software and SaaS (software as a service). UBI Works is an organization Mr. Marinescu created in order to raise awareness of the benefits of UBI and its socioeconomic benefits. When he is not working towards either of these endeavors, he is also an angel investor for several startups that look to make a social impact.
When listening to our guest, I find it immensely helpful to consider his intellectual journey, and how he arrived at his conclusions. I find it very formative in understanding our guest’s logic.
Together, we discussed the benefits of having common and public goods, how rent-seeking negatively impacts well-being, and the pros and cons of incremental vs systemic change.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Dr. Rasmus is a professor at St. Mary’s college in California where he focuses on inequality and economic crises. Dr. Rasmus began his career in journalism and is the author of numerous books on the political economy, such as "Central Bankers at the End of Their Rope?", "The Scourge of Neoliberalism," and "Epic Recession." He has served as a negotiator, organizer, and president of multiple local unions. He is the host of the radio show "Alternative Visions" and has contributed to multiple magazines, such as "World Financial Review," "European Financial Review," and "World Review of the Political Economy."
We discussed the monetary response to Covid-19 and its macroeconomic impact, how modern technology impacts communication in politics, and Dr. Rasmus' critique of mainstream monetary theory.
We hope you enjoy this talk and make sure to check back on our page every week for a brand-new episode!
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Mr. Harrison received his bachelor's from Oxford University and his master’s from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as "The People" and "Wellington Journal." In 1988 he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred emphasizes the housing market and its interaction with the economy. He is the author of many books, including "The Corruption of Economics," "The Power in the Land," and "A Philosophy for a Fair Society," all of which critique mainstream economic thinking. Most of today’s discussion will center around Fred’s book "#WeAreRent," which offers policy solutions that empower societies to adapt to crises and transform governance for the common good. When listening to this episode, I encourage you to listen to Fred’s solution to rent-seeking, which requires a more moralistic approach to capitalism. It is also worth considering how land comes into play and how Mr. Harrison’s solutions impact property values. Together, we discussed how land value taxes could lower rents, why progressive policies can be unpalatable to most people, and how old ideas perpetuate the issues progressives try to solve.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Dr. Chiu received her bachelor’s from Smith College, her master’s from Northwestern, and her Ph.D. from Oxford University, all in English. Dr. Chiu is a critic of contemporary politics and philosophy, but not through traditional means. Her unique perspective instead comes from a literary point of view. Her research is conducted on how reform politics is represented in literature from the 18th to 20th century. Her most recent project on Thomas Paine has received national recognition, as she currently teaches the only class on Paine’s philosophy. Dr. Chiu has contributed to many articles, books, and other publications, her most recent being The Routledge Guidebook to Paine's Rights of Man. She is currently a professor at the New School, where she focuses on gender and identity, history, and political science. In her teachings of Thomas Paine, Dr. Chiu often revisits his old ideas with new perspectives. I urge you to focus on her concept of what Paine thought of as “small” or “limited government”, which was much more anti-elitist than most conservative schools of thought. I urge you to consider how this idea of anti-elite small government intertwines with modern conservatism, and how conservatives discuss limited government. Together, we discussed the Founding Father’s ideas for how to build a constitutional democracy, how personal versus national interests conflicted in the drafting of the Constitution, and how power originally became concentrated within elite circles.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Mr. Marohn received his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and his master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota. Charles leads an industrious career in City and Urban Planning. He is the founder and current president of Strong Towns, a non-profit dedicated to making cities habitable and safe through collaborative local government. Charles analyzes public policy through an engineering lens, which leads him to find inefficiencies that work against the public’s best interest. He is the author of "Confessions of a Recovering Engineer", "A World Class Transportation System", and "Strong Towns"; all of which discuss how urban planning can improve living standards and better develop communities. Mr. Marohn has a very unique idea of what he calls “Finished Cities” which can be characterized as static adaptation. I urge you to pay attention to how this concept connects with the financial system and local government. We were lucky enough to join Mr. Marohn in discussing his idea of how cities can become more adaptable to the future, how our ideas around urban planning changed over time, and how public policy failed to prevent the deterioration of Detroit.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Our episode today comes from our most recent panel discussion titled Automation, AI and ChatGPT - How will Labor be Affected? Our panel explores the role of new AI technology and its disruption within advanced economies. The digital revolution heralded massive gains in efficiency and development, but will new breakthroughs be as beneficial? New inventions like Chat GPT or Google’s Bard will be immensely useful, but many worry about them replacing their human counterparts. Will the AI revolution bridge divides, or further perpetuate inequalities? If you’re tired of all the doom and gloom and want an open and honest discussion on AI, then this is the program for you. Our talk is hosted by our Director of Education, Ibrahima Drame, who is joined by Ed Dodson, Dr. Sandeep Sacheti, and Dr. Ansel Schiavone.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Dr. Charles Clark earned his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in economics, and his master’s and Ph.D. from the New School in the History of Economic Thought and Industrial Organization. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Vincentian Center and previously served as President of the Association for Evolutionary Economics and the Association for Institutionalist Thought. Dr. Clark has authored over 150 different journal publications and two books: "Rich and Poor" and "Rediscovering Abundance"; both examine the role of inequality and how it impacts policy. Dr. Clark is currently a professor at St. John’s University, the University College of Cork, and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. When he is not teaching, Dr. Clark works on fiscal policy consulting, tax, and welfare reform, and serves as Advisor to the Holy See Permanent Mission to the United Nations. Together we discussed Universal Basic Income (UBI). Most conversations around UBI focus on costs or how they will impact individuals’ incentives. However, our talk was a little different. We instead chose to talk about UBI through an ethics and human-flourishing lens. When listening to this talk, I encourage you to think of quality of life, and how UBI would impact standards of living.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Mr. Doyle is a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). As a senior economist, he headed their Europe division but later resigned after becoming highly critical of IMF leadership. Peter earned his bachelor’s from the University of Oxford and has focused his research on macroeconomics, international development, and the environment. Before his time at the IMF, Peter worked at the Bank of England and was a fellow at the Overseas Development Institute. Mr. Doyle has written articles for numerous journals and think tanks including, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, the Huffington Post, and the Financial Times. We were lucky enough to join Peter in discussing slavery, how human rights are central to economic philosophy, and how social democracy can help reorient economics towards outcomes that improve general welfare.
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Our episode today comes from our most recent panel discussion titled Monopoly! The Real Story Behind America’s Most Popular Game. This talk explores the true origins of the board game and how its original creator intended it as a way to learn about Georgism. Most do not know this, including myself before listening to the talk, but the inventor, Lizzie Magie, was a sharp political commentator of her time. Using all sorts of creative methods, including the board game itself, Lizzie was a shrewd political critic of her era. As a progressive during the gilded age, Ms. Magie used her voice to shed light on the struggles of civil rights movements. If you love programs on how companies are started or how things are made, you’ll definitely want to check out this episode. Our talk is hosted by our Director of Education, Ibrahima Drame, who is joined by author and journalist, Mary Pilon.
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Ms. Hartzok is a long-time environmental activist and ethicist. She received her bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and her graduate degree from the University of West Georgia, both in psychology. She is the author of The Earth Belongs to Everyone, a collection of essays that explores how democracy can be used to achieve environmental rights. Ms. Hartzok is also the author of Democracy, Earth Rights, and the Next Economy, an influential essay on environmental ethics and their role within the economy. Alanna is currently an Administrator at the International Union for Land Value Tax and Co-Director of the Earth Rights Institute, a non-profit organization that focuses on land rights and land value taxation. Together we discussed the Green New Deal and its potential flaws, how a land value tax could help fund such a project, and the need for a fundamental macroeconomic restructuring towards a more inclusive framework that considers the environment.
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Philip is the founder and director of Economic Indicator Services and Property Sharemarket Economics, which helps companies understand and navigate business and economic cycles. Mr. Anderson earned his bachelor's degree from RMIT University in Australia. He is also the author of The Secret Life of Real Estate and Banking, an analysis of property and debt cycles and how investors can navigate the market. Philip joined the Henry George School to discuss the relationship between real estate and recessions, how Alaska’s oil dividend reduces inequality, and how debt and inflation play a role in long-term economic trends.
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Our episode today comes from our most recent panel discussion titled "Modern Money & Public Policy – Should we worry about the Federal Deficit?". Our panel discussed the role debt plays within the economy and why it shouldn’t be such a daunting subject. Do deficits really matter? Are they as poignant as they are made out to be? This talk explores how money works as a function within the economy. If you’ve ever wondered what the term Modern Monetary Theory meant, this is the podcast for you. Our talk is hosted by our Director of Education, Ibrahim Drame, who is joined by James Keenan, Adam Rice, and Ryan Benincasa.
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Dr. Gaster received multiple bachelor's degrees from Oxford University in politics, economics, and philosophy. He later went on to earn his master’s in philosophy from the University of Kent and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. After two years of teaching at the University of Virginia, he would eventually become a research fellow at the Office of Technology Assessment, an arm of the United States Congress. Since then, Dr. Gaster founded Incumetrics, a consulting company that focuses on politics, economics, and technology. He is currently a visiting scholar at The George Washington University Institute for Public Policy and is the author of "Behemoth, Amazon Rising." Together, we discussed how Amazon became the behemoth it is today, the impact its size has on innovation and competition, and why the US’s reliance on the company is so perilous.
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Dr. Mora is an expert on the intersection of labor and race within the economy. She received her bachelor’s and masters from the University of New Mexico, and her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, all in economics. She has vast teaching experience working as a professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and New Mexico State University, and is currently a Provost Ad Interim and professor of Economics at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. She has shared her research with world-renowned institutions such as the Federal Reserve and the Department of Labor. Dr. Mora has written over 50 articles in journals such as "International Migration Review," "Industrial Relations," and "Social Science Quarterly." In addition to her journals, she has written many books such as "Hispanic Entrepreneurs in the 2000s," "Socioeconomic Outcomes of Island and Mainland Puerto Ricans," and many more. We were lucky enough to talk with Dr. Mora about why Puerto Rico is excluded from development within the US, how land plays a role within Puerto Rican politics, and what explains the inequality between Latin Americans and the average American.
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Dr. Castañeda is the former Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs under President Vicente Fox. He received his bachelor's degree from Lycée Franco-Mexicain, his master’s from Princeton in history, and his doctorate in economic history from the University of Paris. Dr. Castañeda began his political career advising different presidential campaigns. After a successful run with Vicente Fox, he was appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs. In 2003 he was appointed to the UN Commission on the Private Sector and Development, and would later go on to run for president himself. Dr. Castañeda is a contributor to many publications including "The New York Times" and "Foreign Affairs." He is the author of Utopia Unarmed and America Through Foreign Eyes, all of which center around geopolitics and the political economy. Together we discussed the role Mexico plays in the world, why trade agreements have not spurred development as much as policy-makers had hoped, and why inequality has increased between the North and South of Mexico.
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Colleen Woodell earned her bachelor’s degree from Wells College in economics, and her master’s from NYU. Ms. Woodell is a veteran financial regulator. She has held senior positions at Standard and Poor, Fitch, and Moody’s. Her vast experience with the municipal bond market gives her a wealth of knowledge on government debt's role within the economy. Together we discussed how municipal bonds play into local development, how important property taxes are to state governments, and the impact a Land Value Tax would have if it were implemented in real life. To check out more of our content, including our research, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
Dr. Nell attained his bachelor's degree in economics from Princeton University and his master's and Ph.D. from Oxford University in England, after being awarded the Rhodes Scholarship. Dr. Nell has taught at numerous universities in the U.S. and across the globe including Wesleyan, Bennington College, McGill University, Bard College, and the University of Siena. He has written for many economic journals on macroeconomic theory, development, and monetary and financial analysis. He is also the author of "The General Theory of Transformational Growth," "Making Sense of a Changing Economy," and many more. We were lucky enough to join Dr. Nell in discussing the role of conflict and competition in economics, Henry George’s theories of trade, and how saving and investment interact in macroeconomic models.
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Dr. Chappe received her master's in Comparative Business Law and her Ph.D. in Economics. Gabi Zodik is the director of Blockchain and Web3 at IBM Research. Eerke Boiten is a cybersecurity professor at De Montfort University in Leicester City, England. Ed Dodson spent his career in a variety of management roles at Fannie Mae and is a a Senior Researcher and long-time member of the Henry George School. Our discussion revolved around how cryptocurrencies work, their impact on public policy, and the cybersecurity risks they present.
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Mr. Harrison received his bachelor's from Oxford University and his master’s from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as The People and Wellington Journal. In 1988 he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred places an emphasis on the housing market and its interaction with the economy as a whole. He is the author of many books, including "The Corruption of Economics," "The Power in the Land," and "A Philosophy for a Fair Society," all of which critique mainstream economic thinking. Mr. Harrison joined the Henry George School to discuss the consequences of generational poverty and inequality, why quantitative easing will fail to quell the next financial crisis, and why tech billionaires love the idea of basic income.
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Dr. Bromley earned his bachelor’s degree from Utah State University in Ecology and master's and Ph.D. from Oregon State University in natural resource economics. Currently, he is a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a visiting professor at the Humboldt University-Berlin where he teaches environmental economics and ecology. He is also a fellow at the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. Dr. Bromley is quite the prolific author as well. He has contributed to multiple journals on topics such as resource management and ecological economics. He is the author of "Vulnerable People Vulnerable States," "Making the Commons Work," as well as numerous ecology textbooks. Dr. Bromley served as Chair of the U.S. Federal Advisory Committee on Marine Protected Areas, an arm of the Department of the Interior. He has served as an advisor at many prestigious organizations such as the World Bank, the Ford Foundation, and the Asian Development Bank. Dr. Bromley joined the Henry George School to discuss how property rights affect environmental conservation efforts, why the marginal revolution fails to properly educate economics students, and the role of human nature in economic analysis. It was a pretty interesting conversation.
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Dr. Rasmus is a professor at St. Mary’s college in California where he focuses on inequality and economic crises. Dr. Rasmus began his career in journalism and is the author of numerous books on the political economy such as "Central Bankers at the End of Their Rope," "The Scourge of Neoliberalism," and "Epic Recession." He has served as a negotiator, organizer, and president of multiple local unions. He is the host of the radio show "Alternative Visions"and has contributed to multiple magazines and journals, such as World Financial Review, European Financial Review, and World Review of the Political Economy. Together we discussed why a historical perspective is crucial for public policy, the impact of the decades-long tax cuts in the US, and why most of the world’s growth stemmed from China in the 2010s.
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Mr. Harrison earned his bachelor’s in economics from Dartmouth and his master’s in finance from Columbia. Edward’s career has taken many turns, working as an executive at a technology company, an investment banker, and even a diplomat. His diverse experiences throughout his career have given him a well-rounded perspective to interpreting macroeconomic events. He is the author of "Credit Writedowns," a blog that examines economic and political trends through a global lens. Mr. Harrison has successfully predicted economic patterns such as the 2007 Financial Crisis and the Mid-Cycle Pause between 2014 and 2021. He is the founder of "Real Vision," a financial media startup intended to promote financial awareness through political and economic analysis. He has also appeared as a commentator on numerous news stations, such as the BBC. Together we discussed what caused the rise in populism in Europe and across the world, what it means for the future of the post-WW2 order, and why the appeal of populism is so alluring despite the general improvement of living conditions over time.
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Dr. Lafer earned his bachelor’s in economics from Swarthmore College and his Ph.D. from Yale in political science. He has taught at numerous colleges around the world including the University of Oregon, UMass Amherst, Tel Aviv University, and Hebrew University. His work and teachings have focused on industrial policy and labor law. From 2009-2010 he served as Senior Policy Advisor to the United States Congress as part of its Committee on Education and Labor. Dr. Lafer is the author of "The Job TrainingCharade" and "The OnePercent," both examinations of the failure of modern economic and labor policy in America. He is currently a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington D.C. where he studies topics such as unions and labor law. Together we discussed the decline of union membership, why the decline of big labor led to increased influence from non-profits, and how a better-planned tax system can better serve working-class Americans.
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Mr. Davies was the program director of the Henry George Institute and editor of the Georgist Journal. He is the author of "The Sassafras Crossing" and "The Alodia Scrapbook," both of which are fiction novels that explore the topic of development on a local, more personal level. In addition to his novels, he was the editor of the Mason Gaffney Reader and the creator of Henry George’s abridged version of The Science of the Political Economy, one of George’s seminal works. A lover of all things Henry George, Lindy spent his life promoting Georgist values and spreading his word. Mr. Davies, unfortunately, passed away in 2019. May he rest in peace. Together we discussed the progress Georgists have made in promoting Georgist values, how monopolies act as extractive institutions in the economy, and why a systemic view is better for solving economic quandaries than a micro-based approach.
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Dr. O’Neil earned her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and received her Ph.D. from Harvard in mathematics. She spent the early part of her career teaching at MIT and Barnard but eventually left for the private sector. After a few years as a finance professional, she eventually became disillusioned with the industry and would eventually join the Occupy Wall Street movement. She is a regular contributor to Bloomberg and is the author of "The Shame Machine," "Doing Data Science," and "Weapons of Math Destruction";which all explore the negative impacts data analytics and algorithms have on society. Dr. O'Neil joined us in discussing how big data and the use of algorithms became more common in everyday life, how their use creates negative externalities with socioeconomic repercussions, and what caused her dislike of the finance industry.
Dr. Lapavitsas earned his master’s from the London School of Economics and his Ph.D. from Birkbeck, University of London. He has taught at the New School and the School of Oriental and African studies. Dr. Lapavitsas is known as a sharp critic of western financial capitalism. He has worked as a regular columnist for The Guardian and founded Research, Money, and Finance, a collective of political economists who focus on money, finance, and the two's intersection with capitalism. In 2015, he was elected to the Greek Parliament as a member of the Syriza party in order to help Greece regain its footing after the Greek Debt Crisis. He is the author of numerous books, including "Crisis in the Eurozone," "Profiting without Producing," and "The Left Case Against the EU." Dr. Lapavitsas joined us to discuss how leaving the EU’s monetary union could transform the Greek economy, why financialization harms people in the long-run, and why Germany’s wages remain stagnant despite its economic dynamism.
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Mr. Amin received his bachelor’s in political science at the Sciences Po, in France, and his master’s in economics and statistics from INSEE, a demographics bureau of the French government. Samir grew up in Cairo and Paris where he witnessed the benefits of development and the horrors of colonialism as well. After graduating, he worked for the French and Mali governments where he studied under-development and its linkage to the world order. Mr. Amin is known for his work on dependency theory and world system theory. He was associated with multiple socialist political groups, yet criticized Soviet communism. He is the author of many books including, "The Implosion of Contemporary Capitalism," "A Global History: A View from the South," and "Eurocentrism." He was one of the world's most prominent Marxist economists and a potent critic of capitalism. Mr. Amin joined us to discuss how monopolies can lead to oligarchies, why another financial crisis is looming around the corner, and how one can identify and define imperialism.
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Dr. Gaster received multiple bachelor's degrees from the University of Oxford in politics, economics, and philosophy. He later went on to earn his master’s in philosophy from the University of Kent and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. After two years of teaching at the University of Virginia, he would eventually become a research fellow at the Office of Technology Assessment, an arm of the United States Congress. Since then, Dr. Gaster founded Incumetrics, a consulting company that focuses on politics, economics, and technology. He is currently a visiting scholar at the George Washington University Institute for Public Policy and is the author of Behemoth, Amazon Rising. Together,the Henry George School and Dr. Gaster discussed how small firms can be successful, the rise of the gig economy, and why productivity has stagnated across developed nations.
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Mr. Harrison received his bachelor's from Oxford University and his master’s from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as The People and Wellington Journal. In 1988 he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred places an emphasis on the housing market and its interaction with the economy as a whole. He is the author of many books, including "The Corruption of Economics," "The Power in the Land," and "A Philosophy for a Fair Society," all of which critique mainstream economic thinking. Mr. Harrison joined us to discuss why he focuses so much on land and housing, rentier capitalism, and why passing redistributive policies can be so hard.
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Dr. Rasmus is a professor at St. Mary’s College in California where he focuses on inequality and economic crises. Dr. Rasmus began his career in journalism and is the author of numerous books on the political economy such as "Central Bankers at the End of Their Rope," "The Scourge of Neoliberalism," and "Epic Recession."He has served as a negotiator, organizer, and president of multiple local unions. He is the host of the radio show "Alternative Visions"and has contributed to multiple magazines, such as World Financial Review, European Financial Review, and World Review of the Political Economy. Together we discussed the impact of public policy under Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, his prediction for trade policy under the Trump presidency, and a history of the modern political economy. We apologize in advance for the poor audio quality, as Andrew was sick during the time of recording.
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Mr. Andy Stern has been a labor leader and activist since 1973. He began his bachelor’s degree in business at the University of Pennsylvania, but would eventually finish his degree in urban planning. He started his career as a welfare caseworker for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and eventually was elected Union President. He is a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University, Columbia, and the Economic Security Project. He is the author of Raising the Floor, A Country That Works, Oil: From Rockefeller to Iraq, and Who Won the Oil Wars? Most revolve around building a more egalitarian and cooperative approach to economic growth. Stern’s approach to bargaining and leadership has always been to find common ground with people he finds disagreeable. Together we discussed his negotiating techniques, what the true goal of unions should be, and how to strike a balance between improving employees’ lives while keeping employers competitive.
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Dr. Marty Rowland earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his master’s from the University of New Orleans, both in Environmental Engineering. He later went on to earn his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of New Orleans as well. He served in the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as a Senior Project Manager for Environmental Remediation to help the city improve environmental quality, bettering living standards for all New Yorkers. He has taught at various institutions, such as Pace University and here at the Henry George School of Social Science. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Asset Leadership Network, a group that promotes financial awareness as a way to achieve social objectives. Dr. Rowland joined us in discussing infrastructure management, affordable housing in Manhattan, and strategies for efficient urban planning.
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Our host, Dr. Ibrahima Dramé earned a Ph.D. in International Political Economy from the University of Tsukuba in Japan. Dr. Marty Rowland earned his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of New Orleans. He has taught at various institutions, such as Pace University and here at the Henry George School of Social Science. Dan Sullivan is a Georgist scholar, former President of the Council of Georgist Organizations (CGO), and Director of Saving Communities, a Pennsylvania-based association that promotes fiscal integrity and economic justice. Ms. Denise Favorule is a licensed Real Estate Broker at the Corcoran Group. Dr. Gevorkyan received his Ph.D. in economics from the New School. He is a Subject Matter Expert on Macroeconomics at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, a Research Fellow at the Center for Global Business Stewardship, as well as a professor of economics at St. John’s University. Together we discussed traffic congestion pricing policy, its impacts on low- and middle-income households, and different alternatives that could improve living standards in New York.
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Dr. Roemer is quite interesting, to say the least. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard and went to U.C. Berkeley for his graduate degree, but was suspended for his political activity against the Vietnam War. After spending time teaching, he would eventually return to Berkeley to finish his Ph.D. in economics in 1974. He is currently the Elizabeth S. and A. Varick Stout Professor of Political Science and Economics at Yale University, and a Fellow at the Econometric Society as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has contributed to numerous economic journals on topics such as labor economics, political competition, and climate change. In addition to his journals, Dr. Roemer has published numerous books such as "Free to Lose," "A General Theory," and "A Future of Socialism." All revolve around inequality and its relation to the political economy. Together with Dr. Roemer, we discussed the rise of Bernie Sanders, issues with Marx’s Labor Theory of Value, and how redistribution can take the form of more than welfare programs.
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Michael Mattie is the founder of Doylestown Wealth Management, a financial planning and wealth management firm. Before joining the Marine Corps, Mr. Mattie earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Delaware. After graduating he began to work in the finance industry for a number of years. Eventually, Michael wrote his own book titled "The Global Addiction to QE: The Most Important Topic Affecting your Retirement: A Guide." This book is a detailed exploration of the history of quantitative easing and its effect on financial markets. A lover of everything investing, Mr. Mattie has spent his lifetime helping others save for their retirement and understand financial markets. Together we discussed monetary policy under Alan Greenspan, his critique of the Federal Reserve, and why deficit spending may not be such a bad thing.
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Mr. Taft graduated from Washington University. Steven is currently a Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management, and Senior Portfolio Manager, as well as a certified Financial Planner and Advisor at Morgan Stanley. He began working on Wall Street as a financial advisor in the late 80s, and later went on to work for companies such as Lehman Brothers and Paine Webber. He is the author of A True Free Market: Conversations on Gaining Liberty and Justice Through Economics. Our friendly discussion included the mechanics of Henry George’s Land Value Tax, how it can eliminate other taxes, and key trends within urbanization.
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Dr. Davidson is a leader in the post-Keynesian school of thought. Initially, he did not begin his career as an economist, earning a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College in chemistry and biology. He began graduate school as a biochemistry major but switched to economics. Dr. Davidson finished his master’s at the City University of New York, and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, both in economics. He has held numerous high positions within academia, think tanks, as well as the private sector, and currently holds the Holly Chair of Excellence in Political Economy, Emeritus, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Davidson offers a depth of knowledge on subjects such as monetary policy, macroeconomics, global payment systems, and income inequality. He is the founder of the Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, and the author of 22 books including "Who’s Afraid of John Maynard Keynes?", "Financial Markets, Money, and the Real World," and many more. Together, we discussed why economists didn’t see the 2007 financial crisis coming, why Hyman Minsky’s theory of boom and bust may have been exaggerated, and the role that savings and investment play within the economy.
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Dr. Galbraith is a world-renowned economist and son of the famous economist John Kenneth Galbraith. Dr. Galbraith earned his bachelor’s from Harvard and his master’s and Ph.D. from Yale. All in economics. From a young age, James worked within the U.S. Congress working on policy. He eventually worked his way up to the Executive Director of the Joint Economic Committee role. He is also the Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, where he currently teaches. His latest book is titled "Welcome to the Poisoned Chalice: The Destruction of Greece and the Future of Europe." The book is a detailed investigation into the cause of the Greek Debt Crisis and an examination of post-crisis policy. In a series of essays and letters, Dr. Galbraith lays out the meaning of the Greek Debt Crisis and how Greece and the EU can move forward. Together we discussed the tension between national and EU governments, the political fallout caused by the debt crisis, and even brought up one of our favorite guests, Yanis Varoufakis.
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Dr. Roberts served as Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy under the Reagan administration, where he worked on supply-side reforms like the Kemp-Roth bill. Mr. Roberts has taught at many prestigious institutions such as Tulane, Stanford, and Virginia Tech. As a senior researcher at the Hoover Institution, Dr. Roberts eventually earned the William E. Simon Chair in Political Economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has dozens of articles appearing in journals such as the Journal of Political Economy, Oxford Economic Papers, and the Journal of Law and Economics. In addition to his journal articles, Dr. Roberts is the author of many books including "How America was Lost" and "The Supply Side Revolution." Together with Dr. Roberts, we discussed current geopolitics, how America lost its competitive advantage, and help explain the rise of global populist movements from both the right and left.
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Dr. Galbraith is a world-renowned economist and son of the famous economist John Kenneth Galbraith. Dr. Galbraith earned his bachelor’s from Harvard and his master’s and Ph.D. from Yale, all in economics. From a young age, James worked within the U.S Congress working on policy. He eventually worked his way up to the Executive Director of the Joint Economic Committee role. He was the former chair of the board of Economists for Peace and Security, a group of economists focusing on peace and international security. He is the director of the University of Texas Inequality Project and managing editor of "Structural Change and Economic Dynamics." He is also the Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, where he currently teaches. Together, we discussed global inequality, how the ideas of Henry George influenced China, and even debunked the efficient markets hypothesis.
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Dr. Shaikh draws from his experience of living in cities across the world including Ankara, Washington D.C., Lagos, New York, and many more. Mr. Shaikh received his bachelor's from Princeton and earned his Ph.D. from Columbia, both in economics. He is the author of "Capitalism: Competition, Conflict, Crises" and "Measuring the Wealth of Nations." He is the author of many journals on topics such as macroeconomics, competition policy, and inequality. Together we discussed the fallacies behind mainstream economic theory, how history and anthropology play a bigger role in economics than we think, and why regulation isn't that useful of a tool for managing the economy.
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Lord Turner is the former Chair of the Energy Transitions Commission, a think tank dedicated to fighting climate change through public policy. He is a senior fellow, and former chair, of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, the organization affiliated with Jayati Ghosh from our previous episode. He has held numerous high positions at multinational corporations such as McKinsey, Chubb, and many more. He has given numerous lectures at prestigious schools such as the London School of Economics and MIT. He is the author of two books: "Economics after the Crisis" and "Between Debt and the Devil." Both are sobering analyses of current macroeconomic trends. We discussed the current state of capitalism, how policy from the ’80s contributes to today’s inequality, and why liberal policies don’t always work the way they are intended.
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Scott Baker is the president of Common Ground-NYC, a Georgist group focusing on social justice and economic equity for all. He is also a blogger for the Huffington Post, as well as the OpEdNews. He has written dozens of articles regarding land speculation and how to improve the real estate market. Together we discussed the economics of real estate, how land value taxes can generate more equal opportunity, and why New York was able to achieve a building boom in the 1920s but not now.
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Dr. Hall received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Colgate University and his master’s in Zoology from Penn State. After learning more about systems ecology in the field, Mr. Hall went on to earn his Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Dr. Hall has spent his lifetime studying ecology, the environment, and its intersectionality within the economy. He participated in research at illustrious institutions such as the Brookhaven Institute in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Dr. Hall taught at numerous institutions. He is best known for his time at the State University of New York of Environmental Science and Forestry. Together, Dr. Hall and the Henry George School discussed why the mainstream economic framework overlooks environmental degradation, how more people can become aware of climate change, and why economic growth usually leads to pollution.
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Dr. Wolff is known as America’s top Marxist economist. He earned his bachelor’s in history from Harvard, two master’s degrees in economics and history from Stanford and Yale, and his Ph.D. in economics from Yale University, as well. Dr. Wolff has taught both economics and international affairs for decades. He began his teaching career at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and eventually moved on to the New School. He appears in numerous journals as a critic of conventional capitalism and is a regular contributor to the "Monthly Review." He even has his own radio show where he breaks down current issues through a Marxist lens. Dr. Wolff and the Henry George School discussed post-WWII economic policy, how the US-China relationship affects the global world order, and why real wages stopped growing at a sustainable rate after the 1970s.
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Dr. Daly is a professor emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. He received his bachelor’s degree from Rice University in Texas, and his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt. He is known chiefly for his time as a senior economist at the World Bank’s Environment Department. He is the co-founder of the journal of Ecological Economics and has written innumerable journal articles throughout the decades. He is the author of several books including "Toward a Steady-State Economy," "Valuing the Earth," "Ecological Economics and Sustainable Development," and many more. From the start, Dr. Daly has focused on sustainable development, ecological economics, and the role the state plays within the economy. His work has been quite fruitful as it has won him many awards, including Sweden’s Honorary Right Livelihood Award, the Dutch Heineken Prize for Environmental Science, Norway’s Sophie award for sustainable development, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from America’s National Council for Science and the Environment. Dr. Daly and the Henry George School discussed the growing de-growth movement, how societies can develop without harming natural endowments, and how mainstream economic indicators could be rethought to include environmental impact.
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Dr. Blyth earned his bachelor’s in political science from the University of Strathclyde and went on to earn his master's and Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University. He has taught at multiple prestigious universities across America including Johns Hopkins University and Brown. He is an Eastman Professor at Brown’s Institute for International Studies and is a William R. Rhoades scholar as well. He is the author of several books including "Angrynomics," "Great Transformations," and "Austerity." His recent focus has been austerity: its consequences, benefits, and fallacies. Together, the Henry George School joined Dr. Blyth to discuss the economic impact of austerity measures, its policy origins throughout history, and alternatives to debt reduction.
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Dr. O’Donnell earned his bachelor’s degree from Holy Cross College and his Ph.D. in American history from Columbia. He is currently a history professor at Holy Cross, where he specializes in American and urban history. Dr. O’Donnell is the author of several books including "Henry George and the Crisis of Inequality," "Visions of America," and many more. He has had many appearances on TV and even has his own podcast, "In the Past Lane," where he explores history through interviews and featured pieces. Dr. Lough, who you may remember from our previous episode, earned her Ph.D. from Brandeis University in American history specializing in cultural, political, and social movements. Her dissertation was titled "The Last Tax: Henry George and the Social Politics of LandReform." Dr. Lough is the former director of the Henry George Birthplace, Archive, and Historical Center. She is the author of "The Annotated Works of Henry George," a commentary on George’s seminal works: "Social Problems"(1883) and "The Condition of Labor" (1891). Together, we discussed Henry George’s political life and mayoral campaign, how George earned his working-class appeal, and how Henry George revolutionized and inspired the American progressive movement.
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Dr. Palley earned his bachelor’s degree from Oxford University and both his master’s and Ph.D. in Economics and International Relations from Yale University. Thomas has been featured in numerous prominent journals and has featured in publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, American Prospect, and The Nation. He previously served as Chief Economist for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, an independent arm of government that analyzes bilateral trade between the US and China. Dr. Palley has authored several books including Restoring Shared Prosperity, Financialization, The Economic Crisis, and From Financial Crisis to Stagnation. Dr. Palley joined the Henry George School to discuss his vision of periods of American economic history, how the myth of“free markets” precluded the reality of mixed-market economies, and how financialization changes firms’ social behavior.
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Mr. Duncan majored in literature and economics at Vanderbilt University and went on to receive his master's from Babson College in international finance. He was the global head of investment strategy at ABN AMRO Asset Management in London, a financial sector specialist at the World Bank, a consultant for the IMF, and was in charge of equity research at James Capel Securities and Salomon Brothers in Bangkok. Quite the resume to say the least. Richard studies the trends leading up to recent crises and what causes them. He is the author of four books titled "The Dollar Crisis," "The Corruption of Capitalism," "The New Depression," and his latest, "The Money Revolution." In his free time, Mr. Duncan publishes a bi-weekly newsletter called "Macro Watch," which offers analyses of current macroeconomic trends. The Henry George School joined Mr. Duncan to discuss how consumer credit shrank post-WWII debt, how the Federal Reserve dealt with stagflation, and how the US transitioned from a domestic to a global economy and its impacts.
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Dr. Lough earned her Ph.D. from Brandeis University in American history, specializing in cultural, political, and social movements. Her dissertation was titled "The Last Tax: Henry George and the Social Politics of Land Reform." She is the former director of the Henry George Birthplace, Archive, and Historical Center. She is the author of "The Annotated Works of Henry George,"a commentary on George’s seminal works;"Social Problems"(1883) and "The Condition of Labor" (1891). Dr. Lough joined the Henry George School to discuss Henry George's life, how other economists responded to George’s philosophy, and how local decision-makers implemented Georgist ideas into their policy.
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Dr. Ghosh is an Indian economist who specializes in Development Economics. Dr. Ghosh earned her bachelor’s degree from Delhi University and her master’s from Jawaharlal Nehru University, both in economics. She later left India to study at Cambridge University, England, where she wrote a doctoral thesis called "Non-capitalist rent theories and the case of Northern India." She is currently the Chairperson of the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning at Jawaharlal Nehru University, her alma mater. She has taught at numerous universities across India, as well as other prestigious schools such as Tufts and Cambridge University. Dr. Ghosh is the founder of the Economic Research Foundation, a progressive research non-profit focusing on data and econometrics. She is also the Executive Secretary of International Development Economics Associates (IDEAS), a group of economists who critique economic orthodoxy. In addition to publishing multiple scholarly articles, Dr. Ghosh is also an economics columnist for Business Line, Frontline Magazine, and many more. She has worked in numerous government positions across the Indian government focusing on policies concerning welfare, agriculture, and education. Dr. Ghosh joined the Henry George School to discuss the growth of leftist political movements across the world, the Greek Debt Crisis, and what, if anything, the role of the state should be within the economy.
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Dr. Batra attained his bachelor’s degree from Punjab University, his master’s from the Delhi School of Economics, and his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University, all in Economics. He is currently an Economics professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and is the author of dozens of published articles in journals such as the American Economic Review, the Journal of the Political Economy, the Journal of Economic Theory, and many more. He is the author of seven books, five of which are New York Times Best Sellers. His most prominent, and the focus of our discussion, is "End Unemployment Now."We were lucky enough to join Dr. Batra in discussing the growth of post-World War II inequality, how the accumulation of debt affects socioeconomic classes differently, and how anti-trust can help working class families.
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Jeff received a linguistics degree from California State University. Mr. Smith is a Georgist scholar and social justice activist who has promoted Georgist policies throughout his career. Mr. Smith is the author of "Counting Bounty," a book that examines the economic value of land and all of the earth’s natural resources. He served as the Director of Education at Basic Economic Education in San Diego and was the Chief Editor at Progress.org, a blog that promotes progressive policy perspectives. Jeff is also known for publishing "The Geonomist," which won a California Greenlight award. He has helped the city of Portland research new transportation policies and is a member of the International Society for Ecological Economics. Mr. Smith joined us to discuss how he helped form the Green Party in California, how progressive activist groups can build sustainable political momentum, and how Universal Basic Income may not be as helpful as some policymakers think.
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Dr. Semmler earned his doctorate from the Free University of Berlin in Germany. He is the author of several books including "Sustainable Accumulation and Dynamic Portfolio Decisions" and has appeared in numerous economic journals such as the Journal of Applied Econometrics, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organizations, and Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control. Dr. Chappe received her masters in Comparative Business Law and received her Ph.D. in Economics. Mr. Bastos Neves is a current Ph.D. at the New School of Social Research where he focuses on climate change, development finance, and macroeconomics. Together, the three talked about the impacts of carbon taxes, how taxes have impacted inequality, and how private investment patterns have changed throughout the years.
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Dr. Nell attained his bachelor's from Princeton University with an economics degree and his master's and Ph.D. from Oxford University in England, after being awarded the Rhodes Scholarship. Mr. Nell has taught at numerous universities in the U.S and across the globe including Wesleyan, Bennington College, McGill University, Bard College, and the University of Siena. He has written for many economic journals on topics such as macroeconomic theory, development, and monetary and financial analysis. He is also the author of "The General Theory of Transformational Growth," "Making Sense of a Changing Economy," and many, many more. Together, we listened to Dr. Nell's analysis of the E.U.’s response to the Greek government-debt crisis, why wages haven’t kept up with productivity in advanced economies, and how globalization has negatively impacted the U.S. economy.
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Mr. Tonelson received his bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University and is currently a Research Fellow at the U.S. Business and Industry Council, a lobbying group that fights for the growth of domestic manufacturing in the United States. He was also a fellow at the Henry Stimson Center and Economic Strategy Institute where he focused on the economic impacts of manufacturing and offshoring. Mr. Tonelson runs his blog RealityChek, which focuses on domestic production, U.S. trade deficits, free trade, and globalization. He is the author of "Race To The Bottom"which examines the role free trade and globalization have on declining wages and global labor standards. Mr. Tonelson talked about the domestic economic impacts of offshoring, protective tariffs, and how free trade helped create the 2007 Financial Crisis.
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Dr. Keen is known for his criticisms of orthodox economic thinking and its detachment from reality. Mr. Keen received his bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney. He went on to complete his master's degree and Ph.D. in Economics and Economic History from the University of New South Wales. He is the author of several books on economics, of which the two most famous are Debunking Economics and The New Economics. Both are critiques of modern economic theory that discuss debt deflation and financial instability. Dr. Keen has taught at the University of Western Sydney and Kingston University in London. He briefly worked as a fellow at the Centre for Policy Development in Australia. Dr. Keen has since retired and is now leading the development of a software platform called Minsky, which will be used to create visual models for national economies that are more accurate than previous iterations. Together we discussed the flaws behind the neoclassical economic framework, how human beings’ nature directly contradicts the current philosophical underpinnings in economics, and how firms can get away with charging prices above their marginal costs.
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Martin received his bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his master’s in Business from UCLA. Mr. Ford is a futurist and a New York Times Best Seller. He is the author of four books: The Rule of the Robots, Architects of Intelligence, The Rise of the Robots, and The Lights in the Tunnel. All his books focus on technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, and their socioeconomic impacts. He serves as an artificial intelligence expert and helps to manage Societe Generale’s Rise of the Robots index, a basket of stocks that profits from the growth of AI technology companies. Mr. Ford explained to us the power of technological progress, how information technology can create sustainable prosperity, and how automation will affect employment for both educated and uneducated workers.
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Mr. Fingleton graduated from Trinity College in Ireland, where he earned his degree in Economics, Mathematics, and English. Mr. Fingleton worked for over 27 years as a journalist in Tokyo serving as an editor for the Financial Times and Forbes, covering Asia and globalization. Mr. Fingleton is the author of three books: In Praise of Hard Industry, In the Jaws of the Dragon, and Unsustainable. He has been featured in notable publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and the Harvard Business Review. Together with Mr. Fingleton, we discussed the problems caused by deindustrialization, how free trade can hurt domestic production in the long term, and whether or not free trade is always a good idea.
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Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received his economics degree. Mr. Dodson worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership, to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping grow neighborhoods and local communities. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Mr. Dodson is the author of a three-volume work titled "The Discovery of First Principles," and many of his articles and papers on diverse subjects have been published in periodicals and journals. In 1997 he founded an online education and research project, the School of Cooperative Individualism. We were lucky enough to talk with Mr. Dodson about land value taxation, how bad tax policy can incentivize risky speculation, and why the teachings of Henry George are rarely discussed in mainstream economics classes.
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Dr. Varoufakis is a Greek economist and politician who attained his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. Dr. Varoufakis is the founder and secretary-general of the European Realistic Disobedience Front, a progressive leftward party, which is part of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025. He served as Greek Finance Minister in 2015 and is a current member of the Greek Parliament. Dr. Varoufakis explained his critique of Capital in the 21st Century, by Thomas Piketty, why mainstream economic frameworks ignore inequality, and how Piketty’s solution to alleviating poverty falls short.
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Dr. Shaikh draws from his experience of living in cities across the world including Ankara, Washington D.C., Lagos, New York, and more. Mr. Shaikh received his bachelor's degree from Princeton and earned his Ph.D. from Columbia, both in economics. He is the author of Capitalism: Competition, Conflict, Crises and Measuring the Wealth of Nations. He is the author of many journals on topics such as macroeconomics, competition, inequality, and many more. Shaikh discusses the effects of the Bretton Woods agreement, how countries like Japan and South Korea gain a competitive advantage through high productivity and low wages, and the negative impacts of free trade most economists don’t think about.
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Dr. Nell attained his bachelor's degree from Princeton University in economics and his master's and Ph.D. from Oxford University. Dr. Nell has taught at numerous universities in the U.S. and across the world, including Wesleyan, Bennington College, McGill University, Bard College, and the University of Siena. He has written for many economic journals on topics such as macroeconomic theory, development, and monetary and financial analysis. He is also the author of The General Theory of Transformational Growth, Making Sense of a Changing Economy, and many, many more. Together, with Dr. Nell, we discussed manorialism, different economic systems throughout the centuries, and historical insights offered by Marx and Keynes.
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Dr. Murray earned his bachelor's in history from Harvard and attained his Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Murray is a Hayek Chair of Cultural Studies and W.H. Brady scholar at the American Enterprise Institute where he focuses on society, culture, and universal basic income. He is the author of Losing Ground, The Bell Curve, Coming Apart, and Facing Reality. Our discussion with Dr. Murray includes welfare reforms in the 1960s, the inequality between the wealthy and working-class, and how the economic elites in the 1960s differ from modern elites.
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Ted Gwartney was the executive director of the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, an organization that promotes the ideas of Henry George. He has worked as a land assessor both domestically and internationally, where he learned to optimize land values in order to create robust funding for government projects. Ted has written several pieces on land assessment and real estate policy. Mr. Gwartney joined us to discuss how his experiences in land assessment influenced his Georgist philosophy, land and real estate policy, and how speculation can deter healthy economic growth.
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Fred Foldvary received his Bachelor's from UC Berkeley and his Master's and Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. He taught at Virginia Tech, Santa Clara University, and San Jose State. Mr. Foldvary was a research fellow at the Independent Institute and is the author of several books on economics. Dr. Foldvary joins us to discuss his examination of the business cycle and how he predicted the Great Recession, what fuels boom and bust cycles, and how to counteract the negative effects of offshoring.
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Our former president, Andrew Mazzone, was joined by Dr. George R. Tyler to discuss economic mobility in America. Doctor Tyler’s career began as an economic advisor to senators Hubert Humphrey and Lloyd Bentsen. He was appointed to the role of Deputy Treasury Assistant Secretary by Bill Clinton, and in 1995 became a senior official at the World Bank. In 1997, Tyler founded a real estate investment firm to help build homes in Virginia.
Rick Rybeck joins us to discuss Land Value Return and Recycling, an equitable and innovative funding strategy for making our cities resilient and prosperous. Mr. Rybeck received his master's in Real Estate and Urban Development from American University and his JD from the American University Washington College of law. He is the founder and Director of Just Economics LLC, a firm founded in order to guide policy towards helping families. Their goal is to promote job creation, affordable housing, transportation efficiency, and sustainable development.
Patrick Condon joins us this week for our discussion on sustainable urban planning. Mr. Condon received his master's in landscape architecture from Umass Amherst and has over 25 years of experience in sustainable urban design. Patrick started his academic career in 1985 at the University of Minnesota before moving to the University of British Columbia in 1992. After acting as the director of the landscape architecture program, he became the James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Liveable Environments. As Chair, he worked to advance sustainable urban design in numerous neighborhoods in the US, Canada, and Australia. Mr. Condon's newest book, Sick City: Disease, Race, Inequality, and Urban Land, features throughout our discussion and is available online. Together we discussed different housing policies across the world, Georgist land taxes, and how cities and towns can become more sustainable.
Our episode this week comes from our discussion with Robert Chirinko and his examination of state banks within local economies. Together we discussed the trade-offs of state versus national banks, centralization versus decentralization, and a brief history of recent state bank failures. Dr. Chirinko’s research examines business behavior with a focus on capital formation, banking, financial markets, corporate governance and finance, macroeconomics, and tax policy. He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and has held faculty positions at Cornell University, the University of Chicago and full-time visiting positions at Stanford University and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Prior to coming to the University of Illinois at Chicago, he was on the faculty of Emory University where he was the Winship Distinguished Research Professor in the Social Sciences. He is currently a professor in the Finance Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a research fellow at the Center for Economic Studies in Munich, and an affiliate and member of the Faculty Advisory Panel for the Government Finance Research Center.
In this week's episode, Mr. Thomas Greco helps examine a world without money, interest, or debt. Together, we discussed central banks’ role in the economy, how money and wealth are created, and how we can achieve economic equity and justice. Mr. Greco is a scholar, author, educator, and community economist who has been working at the leading edge of transformational restructuring for more than 35 years. He is widely regarded as a leading authority on moneyless exchange systems, community currencies, financial innovation, community-based economic development, and is a widely sought-after international speaker.
This week we were lucky enough to talk to Robert Werner about a green economy. Mr. Werner talked to us about carbon pricing, carbon dividends, and the economic costs of climate change. Werner earned his degree in Urban Studies from New York University, and since then has joined Citizens Climate Lobby and is New York State Co-coordinator.
Dr. Morris received his doctorate from Liverpool University and later went on to become a post-doctoral fellow at Imperial College in London, before moving to Strathclyde University as a lecturer. He was appointed to a post in Materials Chemistry at UCC in 1993 and, while there, held the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry. We were lucky enough to talk with Dr. Morris about sustainability, the difference between a linear and circular economy, and the history of the circular economy.
In this episode Dan Sullivan examines how our tax systems responded in the light of the pandemic and draws lessons as to how we should raise public revenue for prosperity, sustainability and fiscal resilience. Dan Sullivan is a Georgist scholar, former President of the Council of Georgist Organizations (CGO), and Director of Saving Communities, a Pennsylvania-based association that promotes fiscal integrity and economic justice.
This episode comes from our Annual Conference: Rebuilding the Economy After the Pandemic. The series begins with Dr. Jack Rasmus who spoke to us about the U.S. healthcare system and the COVID-19 pandemic. Together we spoke about the vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic, how inequality exacerbates these vulnerabilities, and possible reforms to improve the system.
In this episode, Andrew Mazzone hosts a debate between Yanis Varoufakis and Scott Baker. Dr. Varoufakis is the former Greek Finance Minister and a current member of the Hellenic Parliament. Scott Baker is the President of Common Ground-NYC, and a blogger for the Huffington Post and Oped News. The two discuss the effects of the Bretton Woods Agreement, the post-World War II recovery, economic solutions to a rising China, and the dichotomy of open borders for finance but not humans.
In this episode, Andrew Mazzone interviews Dr. Paul Craig Roberts and discusses the decline of the U.S. economy. Dr. Roberts talks about the “hubris and arrogance” in Washington, powerful private interest groups that run the country, the effects of off-shoring, and about the declining power of the United States and the dollar.
This is an interview with Dr. Gregory Clark, Distinguished Professor of Economics at UC-Davis, and a Visiting Professor in the Economic History Department at LSE.
Dr. Clark is an editor of the European Review of Economic History, chair of the steering committee of the All-UC Group in Economic History, and a Research Associate of the Center for Poverty Research at Davis.