In his latest book, The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society (W. W. Norton, 2024), Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz rethinks the nature of freedom and its relationship to capitalism.
While many agree that freedom is good and we want more of it, we don’t agree about what it is, whose freedom we’re talking about, or what outcomes we desire.
Stigli ... Show More
Jan 29
Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine
Despite reform efforts that have grown in scope and intensity over the last two decades, the machine of American mass incarceration continues to flourish. In Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine: Reform, White Supremacy, and an Abolitionist Future, formerly incarcerated activi ... Show More
44m 18s
Jan 29
Stephen Bezruchka, "Born Sick in the USA: Improving the Health of a Nation" (Cambridge UP, 2026)
How healthy you are is dependent on where you live. Americans suffer more cancers, heart disease, mental illness, and other chronic diseases than those who live in other wealthy nations, despite having the most expensive healthcare system in the world. Why? Embark on a journey to ... Show More
35m 31s
Jan 27
Tara Lohan, "Undammed: Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Life" (Island Press, 2025)
Undammed: Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Life (Island Press, 2025) is not Tara’s first book, she authored one at age eight. From their she followed her passion to become an accomplished environmental journalist, initially as a graduate student in literary non-fiction, ... Show More
36m 35s
Feb 2025
Power, freedom, and justice: rethinking Foucault
Contributor(s): Professor Mark Pennington | What are the implications of Michel Foucault’s critical social theories for how we think about freedom, power, and justice?
Political economist Mark Pennington will address this question exploring themes from his forthcoming book Foucau ... Show More
1h 26m
Aug 2025
Hasan Piker x Tom Bilyeu: Why Gen Z Is Turning to Socialism - The Battle Over Banking, Inflation & the American Dream PT 2
In Part 2 of our electrifying conversation with Hasan Piker, Tom and Hasan move from the theoretical to the practical—zeroing in on public policy, the mechanics of innovation, and the often-contentious debate over what works, what doesn’t, and why. As they continue their deep div ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 2024
The economics of irresponsibility
The classical economic assumption, from the days of Adam Smith, is that we all have free will and this freedom ensures the best possible outcomes for the economy, provided those decisions are based on greed and self-interest. This week’s episode opens with a student questioning M ... Show More
38m 46s
Oct 2024
How We've Been Tricked: The Death of Economic Freedom | Grace Blakeley Exposes the Truth
Grace Blakeley is a leading economist, author, and political commentator, known for her sharp critiques of capitalism and neoliberalism. In the fourth episode in the series 'It's Not What They Told You', she joins Mo Gawdat to discuss the decline of economic freedom, how governme ... Show More
54m 38s
Jul 2024
Ujju Aggarwal, "Unsettling Choice: Race, Rights, and the Partitioning of Public Education" (U Minnesota Press, 2024)
What do universal rights to public goods like education mean when codified as individual, private choices? Is the “problem” of school choice actually not about better choices for all but, rather, about the competition and exclusion that choice engenders—guaranteeing a system of w ... Show More
37m 31s
Nov 2023
Astra Taylor, "The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart" (House of Anansi Press, 2023)
These days, everyone feels insecure. We are financially stressed and emotionally overwhelmed. The status quo isn’t working for anyone, even those who appear to have it all. What is going on?
In The Age of Insecurity (House of Anansi Press, 2023), author and activist Astra Taylor ... Show More
1h 1m