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
The Causes And Effects Of Today's Inflation, With Raghuram Rajan
The Federal Reserve is likely to hike interest rates in March due to high inflation and the strong labor market. But where did this inflation come from? Is it transitory or is it here to stay? Whom d…
00:54:00 |
Thu 03 Feb 2022
Meritocracy: The Genetic Lottery with Kathryn Paige Harden
Last year, Capitalisn’t featured two episodes on the pluses and minuses of meritocracy. Supporters of meritocracy, such as Adrian Wooldrige, emphasize its ethical dimension. Critics, such as Michael …
00:54:56 |
Thu 20 Jan 2022
Capitalism As A Contradiction With Yanis Varoufakis
Yanis Varoufakis is a vocal critic of capitalism. He is a Greek academic, writer, and politician – as former Minister of Finance, led negotiations during the government debt crisis of 2015. But even …
00:51:28 |
Thu 06 Jan 2022
The Political Polarization of Corporate America
Increased polarization in America has meant more political homogeneity across our digital, social, and civic spaces. But what about our workplaces, where so many Americans spend a bulk of their time?…
00:41:54 |
Thu 16 Dec 2021
Is “Woke” Capitalism A Threat To Democracy?
Vivek Ramaswamy, a scientist, lawyer, and former venture capitalist and entrepreneur, has a new book out: "Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam". In this book, he argues that "w…
00:49:09 |
Thu 02 Dec 2021
How Antitrust Failed Workers With Eric Posner
The monopoly power of massive tech platforms has thrust antitrust law back into the spotlight in recent years. But while everyone was focused on monopoly power, a handful of academics have actually b…
00:50:56 |
Thu 18 Nov 2021
A Turning Point In The History Of Capitalism?
Histories are often relegated to the sidelines of economic study. But what do we lose in our theories when we only focus on the math and models?
In his new book, “Ages of American Capitalism”, Univ…
00:43:45 |
Thu 04 Nov 2021
Is Evergrande Really China’s Lehman Moment?
In September China's second largest real-estate developer, Evergrande, missed an $83.5 million debt payment. Skeptics and bears on China have long said that its property market, which makes up some 3…
00:56:54 |
Thu 21 Oct 2021
Is Discrimination Still Causing The Gender Pay Gap With Claudia Goldin
If Claudia Goldin, Professor of Economics at Harvard University, wins the Nobel Prize in Economics next week, no-one will be surprised. Her work studying the intersection of gender and labor has been…
00:51:44 |
Thu 07 Oct 2021
Why Capitalism Isn't Without Democracy
We’re taking a week off as school starts back up, but we wanted to reshare this episode with you this week. For a show about economics, we talk about democracy a lot. But there’s an important reason …
00:25:05 |
Thu 23 Sep 2021
The Smoke and Mirrors of ESG Investing with Tariq Fancy
Environmental, social and governance investing, also know as ESG, has exploded in recent years. It promises to help us solve problems like climate change and inequality all while allowing investors t…
00:51:38 |
Thu 09 Sep 2021
The Breaking Point Of Democracy With Morton Schapiro and Gary Morson
Capitalism doesn't work without democracy. So, it's particularly concerning that polarization and fundamentalism are threatening the underlying principles that make our democracy possible.
A new boo…
00:45:48 |
Fri 27 Aug 2021
The Cost of Meritocracy With Michael Sandel
Does meritocracy create a better world for everyone, or does it create massive inequality? There's been a lot of debate in the last few years about meritocracy, and it's become even more pressing in …
00:54:06 |
Thu 12 Aug 2021
Introducing: Entitled
The University of Chicago Podcast Network is excited to announce the launch of a new show, it’s called "Entitled" and it’s about human rights. Co-hosted by lawyers and UChicago Law School Professors,…
00:37:19 |
Thu 05 Aug 2021
The Promise Of Meritocracy With Adrian Wooldridge
Does meritocracy create a better world for everyone, or does it create massive inequality? There's been a lot of debate in the last few years about meritocracy, and it's become even more pressing in …
00:44:05 |
Thu 29 Jul 2021
The Engine No. 1 David vs Exxon Goliath With Chris James
If shareholders are the owners of a company, they should be able to get that company to do what they want. But what happens when shareholders want something other than profits at any cost?
In a majo…
00:49:31 |
Thu 15 Jul 2021
The Price Of A Vaccine With Moderna CFO David Meline
There are plenty of lingering questions about the development of the coronavirus vaccine. How was the pricing decided? Did the public-private partnership with the government work? Who's right in the …
00:41:58 |
Thu 01 Jul 2021
How The Elites Are Losing Control With Martin Gurri
Occupy Wall Street, Italy's Five Star Movement, the indignados in Spain—we've seen an increase in anti-elite protests by a disabused public over the last two decades. But what has caused this "revolt…
00:47:05 |
Thu 17 Jun 2021
Why Do We Have High Prices But Stagnating Wages?
In the last few decades, American wages have stagnated for everyone except those at the very top. Yet, during this same period, worker productivity and corporate profits have soared. Why these two tr…
00:45:53 |
Thu 03 Jun 2021
Who Will Regulate The Regulators: Stigler 50 Years Later
Have you ever heard the term "regulatory capture"? It's a famous economic theory that the regulation and regulators we create to keep certain industries in check can be captured and bent to the desir…
00:30:10 |
Thu 20 May 2021
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