Wicked Problems Collaborative: Recent Episodes
Chris Oestereich
How can our relationship with work foster democracy in our lives?
The latest WPC Book #2 interview was with Gabriel Mathy, an economist and economic historian at American University in Washington DC. Gabriel and I discussed the problematic state of worker control over their work lives and the promise offered by co-ops. Gabriel helped highlight challenges with our current system in the context of the pandemic. I hope you enjoy listening and that it gives you some ideas to wrestle with.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available now
Gabriel Mathy is an economics professor at American University specializing in macroeconomics and economic history. He is a supporter of a worker-owned and worker-managed economy. Mathy received his Ph.D. and MA from the University of California, Davis, and his BA at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out other WPC Book #2 interviews.
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How have these circumstances affected existing challenges?
The latest WPC Book #2 interview was with Jonathan Cohn. Jonathan was my editing partner on this effort and the earlier WPC books, and he was kind enough to be the guinea pig for my first attempt at a podcast recording. Jonathan and I discussed some of Book #2’s chapters and themes, as well as the state of inequality in the pandemic. I hope you enjoy listening and that it gives you some ideas to wrestle with.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available now.
Jonathan Cohn is a Boston-based editor and progressive activist. He has been a volunteer and organizer for numerous electoral and issue advocacy campaigns, including on voting rights, fair taxation, immigrants' rights, public education, and more.
Following Jonathan on Twitter will lead you to loads of interesting stuff and probably make you a better person.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
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What might universal basic incomes have to offer?
The latest contributor interview for WPC Book #2, What do we do after the pandemic?was with Jamie Cooke, the head of RSA Scotland. We talked about his chapter, Resetting our Foundation, in which he worked to help the reader understand the potential benefits of universal basic income programs.
We also talked more broadly about social programs and their general deterioration over the decades, as well as ways to connect with people who don’t see the value in such programs. Jamie’s commentary was loaded with insights and hope for a better path forward. I hope you enjoy the listen.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available now.
Jamie Cooke is the Director of RSA Scotland, leading the organisation’s work across a broad range of topics and thematic areas. Areas of interest include resilient cities, the future of work, inclusive growth and civic participation, alongside international relationships between Scotland and the rest of the world (especially the US, Australia, New Zealand and France). Jamie is a leading advocate, writer and speaker on the subject of Basic Income, which has moved from being a fringe concept to live policy consideration in many countries, including Scotland.
You can follow Jamie on Twitter.
Next up is my interview with Jonathan Cohn, my editing partner for the Wicked Problems Collaborative. We had an interesting discussion about the book in general, as well as a bit about the current state of affairs. Stay tuned for that and please help us find our audience by sharing this post.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available now.
Subscribe at wpcs.substack.com
How can we use story for good?
The latest contributor interview for WPC Book #2, What do we do after the pandemic? was with Suzy Waldman, a Canadian research analyst with PhDs in Communications Studies and English Literature. Suzy and I discussed her chapter, Engaging Narratives, in which she gives the reader food for thought around the potential for beneficial use of stories. After sharing an overview of her chapter and what she was trying to get at with it, we dove in deeper around the use of narrative — for good or ill — in our current context. Suzy shared loads of interesting insights, as well as some ideas around how we might use narrative to foster hope in a time when that’s become a precious commodity.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to our conversation in editing, and hope you do as well. More importantly, I hope it challenges your thinking in some way. That’s the whole point of the WPC project, not to get you to agree, but to invite you to take in other perspectives and poke and prod at your own.
I’ll be posting interviews with Jonathan Cohn, my editing partner for the Wicked Problems Collaborative, as well as Jamie Cooke, the head of RSA Scotland and a Book #2 contributor, over the next week or so. Stay tuned for those and please help us find our audience by sharing this post.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available now.
Subscribe at wpcs.substack.com
Valuing care as a societal pillar
The latest contributor interview for WPC Book #2, What do we do after the pandemic?was with Gawain Kripke. Gawain and I discussed his chapter, Can COVID spark a care revolution? In that, he shares the growing challenges around care, which, as one source defines it, “means assuming personal responsibility for others' welfare,” as well as some hopeful possibilities in the current moment. There’s a lot to learn from Gawain here as he explains what care is and why it is so important to a functioning society. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed the conversation.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available for pre-order.
Gawain Kripke is an independent consultant advising international nonprofits and philanthropies on critical policy and advocacy strategies. He spent more than 25 years campaigning on international justice, economic inequality, and environmental protection for Oxfam America and Friends of the Earth. Recently, he has been working to apply feminist principles to advocacy campaigns and public policy.
You can see more of Gawain’s background via his LinkedIn profile and he’s a great person to follow on Twitter.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
The source adds that “To assume personal responsibility for others' welfare means to acknowledge others' needs and to act responsively.” Oliner, P. M., & Oliner, S. P. (1995). Toward a caring society: Ideas into action. Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group.
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How can purpose-led businesses make things better?
The latest contributor interview for WPC Book #2, What do we do after the pandemic? was with Russ Stoddard. Russ and I discussed his chapter, The Stakeholder Virus and the Pandemic of Business for Good, in which he relates his view of a shifting business world. We also discussed a few projects he is working on, including unitco.io, which helps organizations like socially responsible small businesses, public benefit corporations, and certified B corps report on their impact, as well as another one, which teaches the basics of B Corps. Russ is a great advocate for an approach to business that doesn’t focus on profit maximization and instead aims to do good in the world. I highly recommend his book, Rise Up. It is a straightforward guide to help you think through developing a purpose orientation for a business. I’ve used it repeatedly in my teaching.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available for pre-order.
Russ Stoddard is the founder and president of Oliver Russell, a public benefit corporation that builds brands for purpose-driven companies whose products, services, or business models benefit society. Russ is a leader in the certified B Corporation community, a new classification of companies that use the power of business to solve social and environmental issues.
Follow Russ on Twitter.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
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What can we improve thanks to the pandemic's hard lessons?
I’m doing a series of interviews with contributors to the second book by the Wicked Problems Collaborative, What do we do after the pandemic? I recently sat down with Kati Sipp to discuss her chapter, The Shape of Things to Come, in which she takes a look into a future in which humanity learned valuable lessons from the pandemic and then headed down a more humane path from there. Kati and I also discussed her work in electoral politics and she shared the story of a coalition she recently worked with that took a broad approach to collectively make meaningful gains.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available for pre-order.
Kati Sipp is the Principal of New Working Majority, a consulting firm that works with workers’ organizing groups, community organizations, and social enterprises committed to fighting for racial, economic, and gender justice. Prior to her work with NWM, she served as the Managing Director for the National Guestworkers Alliance. She founded the Pennsylvania affiliate of the Working Families Party, and spent nine years working for SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, serving as the statewide Political Director and Executive Vice President of the local.
In 2013, Kati launched the blog Hack the Union, to investigate how technology is changing work, and how organizers are using technology to relate to workers in new ways.
Kati is the proud mother of Alina and Isaac. She is on the boards of Make the Road States and the Disruption Project and she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.
You can find Kati online at katisipp.com and follow her on Twitter.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
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What if we broke the concentration? What if we don't?
I’m doing a series of interviews with contributors to the second book by the Wicked Problems Collaborative, What do we do after the pandemic? This morning I sat down with David Atkins to discuss his chapter, Evict Monopoly, which looks at the escalating problem of economic concentration in the context of the pandemic. We then dug in on a few other interesting areas, including his recent article, What Happens When Republicans Simply Refuse to Certify Democratic Wins? which looked at the January attack on the Capitol as part of a growing concern, rather than an event that had been weathered. We hope you find it of interest.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available for pre-order.
David Atkins is a writer, activist, and qualitative research professional living in Santa Barbara. He is an elected DNC member from California, a contributor to the Washington Monthly's Political Animal, and president of The Pollux Group, a qualitative research firm.
You can follow David on Twitter.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
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What if we valued the things that weren't for sale?
I’m doing a series of interviews with contributors to the second book by the Wicked Problems Collaborative; what do we do after the pandemic? I recently sat down with Sam Bliss to discuss his chapter, The Necessity of Non-Market Relationships. Sam and I also discussed degrowth ( a topic covered by Riccardo Mastini in our book). He then shared a story about his experience giving a talk to a group that looks at the world very differently than he does. (I think that last bit has some good lessons for us all.) The conversation was good fun. I hope you enjoy it and pick up something good to chew on.
Thanks for listening.
-Chris
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available for pre-order.
Sam Bliss grows, shares, and studies non-market food. He co-organizes Food Not Bombs Burlington and is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Vermont. He is also one among many presidents of DegrowUS, and a member of the scholar-activist collective Research & Degrowth.
Follow Sam on Twitter.
If you’re ready for more, check out the last WPC interview with Jacob Bacharach: On Reclaiming Public Space.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
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I’m doing a series of interviews with contributors to the second book by the Wicked Problems Collaborative, What do we do after the pandemic? For that, I recently sat down with Jacob Bacharach to discuss his chapter, Reclaiming Public Space, in which he takes us on a virtual tour of his city during the early stage of the pandemic.
In that, Jacob sees his city anew and gives us the chance to do the same. Alongside the discussion of his chapter, we also talked about the recent conflict in Gaza, as well as reasons for hope in this challenging time. It was a wide-ranging discussion that was a joy to take part in. Here’s hoping it offers you some interesting insights or at least a few deep belly laughs. We certainly had our share recording it.
The interview is also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic? is available for pre-order.
Jacob is both a novelist and a regular contributor to a variety of progressive outlets. His latest book, The Doorposts of Your House and on Your Gates, is available here, and he has a long list of interesting articles available on his site. (You might start with Watching South Park at the End of the World.)
Check out Jacob’s website.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
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I sat down with Ian Welsh, a writer, editor, and blogger who focuses on politics and economics, shortly before the election. (You can find Ian’s writing at http://ianwelsh.net.) In our discussion, Ian dug into our current political circumstances and provided loads of food for thought. In doing so, he helped me see some things differently, especially the interests of wealth around our political systems.
I had a tech issue during our discussion that necessitated far more editing than usual. Given that, and the timeliness of the material, I decided to release the podcast in segments first to get what I could out as quickly as possible. The pieces are all available below, so you can catch up on anything you missed if you’ve already listened to some of it. For my part, I listened to the finished product multiple times even after having to listen to it repeatedly to get through my editing mess. There’s a lot to take in.
Follow Ian on Twitter.
Check out my book, Pandemic Capitalism.
The podcast’s backing track is Never Forget by Ketsa.
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In the second to last segment from my chat with Ian Welsh (Ian blogs at ianwelsh.net), we dug into the state of UK politics and the unusual relationship that exists between the nation’s electorate and its media. From there we dove into the interests of wealth in our chaotic political sphere as well as more generally. As ever, Ian provided interesting insights and loads of food for thought. His discussion around the interests of wealth is particularly interesting in the context of ongoing election-related irregularities in the US.
The full discussion with Ian was fun and interesting, but he was particularly animated and enjoyable to converse with during this segment. (You’ll hear me laughing more than anything else…) I hope you enjoy it.
Check out my book, Pandemic Capitalism.
The podcast’s backing track is Never Forget by Ketsa.
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In part 4 of my interview with Ian Welsh (Ian blogs at ianwelsh.net), I suggested that neoliberalism was on its last legs and asked Ian what he thought might follow. As with the rest of the interview, my questions were mere launching points. Here Ian dove into a broad conversation on geopolitics before coming back around to the factors that gave neoliberalism its ride, but were no longer tenable. We also talked about factors underpinning decisions in which people seemingly voted against their interests before taking a deep dive into the forces that led to the outcome of the Brexit vote, the problematic nature of wealth concentration during the pandemic, and a particular disconnect in modern society that warn of the potential for collapse when viewed in a historical context. We also discussed the US government’s handling of the pandemic, which wrapped back around to the collapse bit…
The full discussion with Ian was fun and interesting, but he was particularly animated and enjoyable to converse with during this segment. (You’ll hear me laughing more than anything else…) I hope you enjoy it.
Check out my book, Pandemic Capitalism.
The podcast’s backing track is Never Forget by Ketsa.
Subscribe at wpcs.substack.com
In part 3 of my interview with Ian Welsh (Ian blogs at ianwelsh.net), I asked whether a landslide loss might make the difference in getting Trump to concede. Ian talks about the potential legitimacy problem in that case before going into a discussion of what people might do to reduce their own risk (personal, political, economic…) in this uncertain moment and related considerations. We also discussed the danger represented by the model Trump has offered those seeking power, the growing problem of inequality, and the sorts of challenges that loom ahead regardless of who wins the election.
Check out my book, Pandemic Capitalism.
The podcast’s backing track is Never Forget by Ketsa.
Subscribe at wpcs.substack.com
This is the second clip from my interview with Ian Welsh (Ian blogs at ianwelsh.net). For this segment, we went on a wild ride discussing the big picture mess that is US politics and society more broadly. I asked Ian what might happen if Trump lost and refused to leave and the resulting discussion meandered through a variety of interesting topics, including the 2000 Bush-Gore election debacle and the problems it enabled, the hope embodied in the squad, whether and what sort of help people want, and the specter of twelve more years of neoliberal politics. (Perish the thought.) All of this was couched in the shadow of the increasingly problematic nature of climate change.
I’ll ask you to pay heed to Ian when he summons Donella Meadows in calling for people to make change where you can. That’s where I think we all ought to be focusing our attention. We need to try to ignore the cacophony as much as possible and try to pitch in where we can help the most. That seems crucial at this moment.
Check out my book, Pandemic Capitalism.
The podcast’s backing track is Never Forget by Ketsa.
Subscribe at wpcs.substack.com
I recently sat down with Ian Welsh (Ian blogs at ianwelsh.net) to discuss the state of big picture challenges in US politics and society more broadly. Technical challenges on my end are slowing the release of the full discussion, but the nature of the interview was really timely given the looming election day, so I’m going to start out releasing pieces and then will push the full interview asap.
In this segment, I asked Ian what scenarios were playing out in his head and as expected he didn’t answer as expected…
Check out my book, Pandemic Capitalism.
The podcast’s backing track is Never Forget by Ketsa.
Subscribe at wpcs.substack.com
My podcast interviews have been going a bit long, so I thought I’d break out some of the segments for people to pick and choose from. Here’s David Kaib from Ep. 2, answering the question, “What is socialism?”
Check out my book, Pandemic Capitalism.
The podcast’s backing track is Never Forget by Ketsa.
Subscribe at wpcs.substack.com
Here’s another clip from my interview with David Kaib. David discusses the concept of abolition and the need for it in our current circumstances.
If you enjoy this segment, the full interview is available here.
The podcast’s backing track is Never Forget by Ketsa.
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In my recent conversation with Jonathan Cohn, we discussed the possibility of Trump losing the election and refusing to accept the outcome—an outcome that seems ever more realistic. We discussed whether the system was made to handle this sort of outcome and what might happen.
If you enjoy this segment, our full interview is available here.
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In my recent interview with Jonathan Cohn, we discussed the state of the US elections. I opened this segment asking him whether he thought the elections would happen, as well as if they would be clean. Jonathan then shared some of his vast knowledge of related processes that might help maintain order, as well as his thoughts around how things might play out.
If you enjoy this segment, our full interview is available here.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out some of the other WPC Book #2 interviews.
Subscribe at wpcs.substack.com
My podcast interviews have been going a bit long, so I thought I’d break out some of the segments for people to pick and choose from. Here’s David Kaib from Ep. 2, answering the question, “What is socialism?”
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Listen now | Last week I had the chance to interview David Kaib…
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I had a great conversation with @DavidKaib this morning. We talked about the current state of politics in the US, abolition, and political education among many other things. I'm getting to work cleaning up the recording and will share it soon. For now, here’s a brief teaser in which I asked David how to handle the relentless stream of bad news that is US politics.
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I sat down last week to record the first Wicked Problems and Circular Systems podcast with Jonathan Cohn, an old friend and the editor of my books. We’re currently collaborating on WPC Book #2: What do we do after the pandemic?
Jonathan does a variety of interesting work both professionally as the Managing Editor of the Tellus Institute’s Great Transition Initiative, as well as an extraordinary array of roles supporting a variety of political campaigns and related causes.
We talked about the interesting books he’s read recently, as well as his assessment of the state of US politics. (I asked him if he thought the US would hold elections, and if so, would they be clean?) We also discussed the core challenges in US politics and Jonathan shared some thoughts on what needs to happen to send us in a better direction. If you give it a listen, I’m sure you’ll learn a lot from him. I certainly did.
Background track: Never Forget by Ketsa
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