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
A College Admission Scandal Revisited
Capitalisn't will be returning with a new co-host in September! In the meantime, as we develop the re-launch of our show, we'll be airing previously unreleased content and re-releasing some of our fa…
00:36:51 |
Thu 20 Aug 2020
A Continuing Conversation On The Lack Of Diversity In Economics
CapitalIsn't will be returning with a new co-host in September! In the meantime, as we develop the re-launch of our show, we'll be airing previously unreleased content and re-releasing some of our fa…
00:26:58 |
Thu 06 Aug 2020
Why A Lack of Diversity Is Hurting Economics
On this episode—Kate Waldock's final episode as a co-host of CapitalIsn't—we tackle a crucial question the economics field is facing: what is it going to do about its lack of diversity? To fully inve…
00:54:57 |
Thu 23 Jul 2020
How A Spectrum Auction Cost Taxpayers Millions
There is an ongoing debate about whether private equity adds value or simply extracts value. In the economic literature, benefits are better documented than extraction for a very simple reason: when …
00:33:32 |
Thu 09 Jul 2020
Should Luigi's Pizza File for Bankruptcy?
The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on most businesses, but it has been especially hard on small businesses. But should those businesses file for bankruptcy, and what will happen to them if they d…
00:39:27 |
Thu 25 Jun 2020
Should We Defund The Police?
"Defund the police" has become one of the central demands coming from the protests that have arisen following George Floyd's killing at the hands of a white police office. On this episode, Kate and L…
00:47:47 |
Fri 12 Jun 2020
Too Big To Jail
On this episode, Kate and Luigi use a recent criminal case against Walmart over its sale of opioids to explain the tactics many huge corporations use to dodge the justice system.
00:34:41 |
Fri 29 May 2020
Coronavirus: The Future Of Universities
What will universities and colleges look like post-coronavirus? Will the entire industry be disrupted by online learning, will state schools go bankrupt, will elite universities be effected at all? O…
00:41:03 |
Fri 15 May 2020
Coronavirus: The State Bankruptcy Debate
States are facing massive shortfalls due to the coronavirus outbreak. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has suggested letting states file for bankruptcy. On this episode, Kate and Luigi explain …
00:38:20 |
Fri 01 May 2020
Coronavirus: The Risk Of Reopening
Despite warnings from government and health officials, some states are choosing to begin reopening their economies this week by ending lockdown restrictions. On this episode, Luigi and Kate lay out t…
00:33:36 |
Fri 24 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: How Are We Going To Pay For It?
Congress has already passed a $2 trillion dollar coronavirus relief bill, the largest economic relief bill in U.S. history. It's half the size of the entire annual federal budget, and another stimulu…
00:38:39 |
Fri 17 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: How To Make An Exit
For the good of public health, it's important that we continue staying in quarantine at least for the next month or two. But, eventually, we will have to leave our homes. On this episode, Kate and Lu…
00:37:13 |
Fri 10 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: The Winners And Losers In The Stimulus Bill
In order to combat the coronavirus, Congress has passed a $2 trillion-dollar stimulus bill. It targets individuals, small business and large corporations. But, from an economic point of view, who are…
00:40:19 |
Fri 03 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of The Economic Shutdown
One of the prominent economic debates to emerge during the coronavirus outbreak has been whether to continue with shelter in place measures that are hurting the economy but, hopefully, slowing the v…
00:30:48 |
Fri 27 Mar 2020
What Happened To The Middle With Paul Krugman
If you had to name the most famous living economist, it would be hard to come up with anyone other than Paul Krugman. On this episode, Kate and Luigi talk with Krugman about his new book "Arguing wit…
00:31:25 |
Mon 23 Mar 2020
The CapitalIsn’t Of Coronavirus
On this episode, Kate and Luigi give an economist view of the coronavirus outbreak. How should we think about the economic trade-offs of interventionist quarantine measures, could this virus change t…
00:43:22 |
Tue 10 Mar 2020
The Gig Economy Isn’t What You Think It Is
Companies like Uber, Lyft, and Doordash have brought the term "gig economy" into our lexicon. But what is the gig economy really? When you start digging into the data, you find it's a lot harder to d…
00:39:00 |
Thu 27 Feb 2020
Did Economists Ruin The Economy With Binyamin Appelbaum
Are the economists of the 60s and 70s to blame for our current state of affairs? That's the argument Binyamin Appelbaum makes in his book "The Economists' Hour". On this episode, Kate and Luigi debat…
00:38:48 |
Thu 13 Feb 2020
The Controversial Tax Policies Of Emmanuel Saez
Emmanuel Saez is probably one of the most controversial economists around these days. Recently, he's garnered significant attention for being one of the architects of Elizabeth Warren's wealth tax pr…
00:39:47 |
Thu 30 Jan 2020
Is The American Presidency For Sale?
As the Democratic primary is ramping up for the Iowa caucuses, everyone is talking about how much money the candidates have spent. And they're asking whether billionaires like Tom Steyer and Mike Blo…
00:32:35 |
Thu 16 Jan 2020
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