Capitalisn't
Is capitalism the engine of destruction or the engine of prosperity? On this podcast we talk about the ways capitalism is—or more often isn’t—working in our world today. Hosted by author and journalist Bethany McLean and world renowned economist Luigi Zingales, we explain how capitalism can go wrong, and what we can do to fix it.
Cover photo attributions: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/research/stigler/about/capitalisnt.
If you would like to send us feedback, suggestions for guests we should bring on, or connect with Bethany and Luigi, please email: contact at capitalisnt dot com. If you like our show, we'd greatly appreciate you giving us a rating or a review. It helps other listeners find us too.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 41 minutes
- Episodes
- 218
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
Why America's Poor Remain Poor, With Matthew Desmond
"Poverty will be abolished in America only when a mass movement demands it," writes Princeton sociologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond in his new book, "Poverty, by America." Bui…
Bonus: Sen. Phil Gramm on Banking Deregulation
Thank you to our listeners for the feedback and engagement on last week's episode with former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm. Sen. Gramm was also one of the co-sponsors of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act of 1999…
Is American Inequality a Myth? With Sen. Phil Gramm
In his recent book "The Myth of American Inequality," former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (along with co-authors Robert Ekelund and John Early) challenges conventional wisdom on the state of income inequa…
Reinventing Democracy, With Hélène Landemore
What if we harnessed the collective wisdom of the crowds and delegated democratic leadership to the masses?
In her book "Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the 21st Century", Yale political …
Is Technological Progress Good For Everyone? With Daron Acemoglu
In his new book, "Power and Progress: Our 1000-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity", renowned MIT Professor of Economics Daron Acemoglu (with co-author Simon Johnson) argues that the benefit…
Can Labor Markets Save Capitalism? With David Autor
On this episode, our hosts Bethany McLean and Luigi Zingales sit down with renowned MIT economist David Autor to discuss the impact of technology, labor markets, and immigration on wage inequality an…
Has ‘Thinking Like An Economist’ Distorted Our Politics?
It is hard to think of an idea more central to capitalism than economics, particularly economic efficiency. Similarly, public policy is now — and has been for a while — conducted in the language of b…
Raghuram Rajan: Why The Banking Crisis Isn’t Over
Several questions continue to swirl around the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and its larger implications. In this special episode, Chicago Booth’s Raghuram Rajan – former Governor of the Reserve Ba…
Are The Twitter Files A Scandal?
- Read ProMarket's ongoing coverage of the Twitter Files, including the research summary of the Twitter Files prepared by Stigler Center Research Professional Utsav Gandhi in preparation for this episo…
SVB: The End of Banking as We Know It?
We had initially prepared an entirely different episode for today, but last week's Silicon Valley Bank collapse, the largest in U.S. history since 2008, meant a quick change of plans.
What happened? W…
The Capitalisn't Of Consulting: McKinsey And Beyond
Revisit:
- When the Profit Motive Kills, with Anand Giridharadas, on Capitalisn't
- Why the US Government Buys Overpriced Services From McKinsey, by Matt Stoller in ProMarket
ProMarket: Why Martin Wolf Changed His Mind on Milton Friedman
Read the following articles in ProMarket:
- There Is a Direct Line from Milton Friedman to Donald Trump's Assault on Democracy, by Martin Wolf
- George Stigler and the Challenge of Democracy, by Anat Admat…
Martin Wolf: Is Capitalism Killing Democracy?
Read the following articles in ProMarket:
- There Is a Direct Line from Milton Friedman to Donald Trump's Assault on Democracy, by Martin Wolf
- George Stigler and the Challenge of Democracy, by Anat Admat…
The End Of China’s Miracle?
Show notes:
- On February 9th, 2023, "China’s New Covid Strategy," the next webinar in the Stigler Center's series on China's political economy, will feature Chang-Tai Hsieh, along with Schwarzman Schol…
Revisiting The Meritocracy Debate With Adrian Wooldridge And Michael Sandel
Capitalisn't will be back in your feeds with a brand new episode on January 19. Don't forget to rate and review our podcast if you haven't already, and leave us a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.c…
He Foresaw Inflation. Here’s What He Expects Next. Feat. Lord Mervyn King
Taylor Swift, Ticketmaster, and Chokepoint Capitalism with Cory Doctorow
Read an excerpt from the book here: https://www.promarket.org/2022/10/03/why-streaming-doesnt-pay/