New Economics Podcast
New Economics Foundation
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Award-winning podcast about the economic forces shaping our world, with Ayeisha Thomas-Smith and guests. Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy.
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May 22, 2023
A crisis of caregiving
The friend who has to cancel plans to look after their elderly mum. The colleague who leaves their phone on loud so they don’t miss a call about their disabled child. The neighbour you’ve barely seen since their partner’s diagnosis. We’re surrounded by people who are dealing with the challenges of caregiving, but they often go unseen.
According to Carers UK, there could be over ten million people providing unpaid care in the UK. We’ll all have to care for someone or be cared for over the course of our lives. So why are the challenges caregivers face so overlooked? And how can we build a system that supports their wellbeing?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by writer and activist Emily Kenway to discuss her new book Who Cares: the hidden crisis of caregiving and how we solve it.
Grab a copy of the book, out now: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/who-cares-the-hidden-crisis-of-caregiving-and-how-we-solve-it-emily-kenway/5956477?ean=9781472288486
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Music by Chris Zabriskie and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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May 10, 2023
Should we all be troublemakers at work?
As the chancellor stood up in Parliament to present his spring budget in March, half a million people went on strike to demand better from their bosses. Teachers, junior doctors, Tube drivers, civil servants and more all walked out of work, in the biggest day of strike action in over a decade.
As the strikes rumble on into another summer, how can workers keep up the momentum? Will new legislation make it harder to fight for better pay and working conditions? And should more of us be trying to unionise our workplaces?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by workplace organiser Lydia Hughes and researcher Jamie Woodcock, authors of Troublemaking: why you should organise your workplace.
Grab a copy of Troublemaking: Why You Should Organise Your Workplace – out now www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/2889-troublemaking
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Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Apr 24, 2023
Have we been conned by consultants?
Nurses struggling without PPE, the frantic search for hospital ventilators, even the dreaded ping from NHS test-and-trace. To most of us, these memories represent some of the worst of the Covid pandemic. But for a select few companies, they were an opportunity to make millions.
Consultancy firms won over seven hundred million pounds worth of government Covid contracts to do things like run the test-and-trace system and vaccine rollout. This February, ministers dropped restrictions on Whitehall spending on consultants, allowing these firms to potentially rake in millions more.
So why is the government so dependent on consultants? Whose interests do they serve? And how worried should we be about their effect on public life?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Rosie Collington, co-author of 'The Big Con: How the Consultancy Industry Weakens Our Businesses, Infantilises Our Governments and Warps Our Economies'.
Grab a copy of The Big Con out now https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/451193/the-big-con-by-collington-mariana-mazzucato-and-rosie/9780241573082
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Music by A. A. Aalto and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Apr 7, 2023
How we can all have a home
You can’t paint your walls, you can’t have a pet, you can’t guarantee you’ll have somewhere to live in six months time. Millions of us are paying sky-high rents but struggling to make a home in a housing system where safety and security takes second place to landlords’ profits.
Some private tenants face mould and broken boilers but daren’t complain. According to Shelter, complaining to your landlord about conditions in your home more than doubles your chance of being evicted.
How did private renting become so prevalent? Why are the rights of tenants so weak? And what does this mean for our ability to make a home?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Vicky Spratt, housing correspondent at the i and author of Tenants, and Kieran Yates, journalist and author of the upcoming All the houses I’ve ever lived in.
Further reading:
- Grab a copy of Vicky's book Tenants https://profilebooks.com/work/tenants/
- Kieran's book All the houses I've ever lived in is out on the 27 April https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/All-The-Houses-Ive-Ever-Lived-In/Kieran-Yates/9781398509832
- Kojo Koram's book Uncommon wealth is available here https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kojo-koram/uncommon-wealth/9781529338652/
- Find out more about about the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's work on home-owners and poverty https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/home-owners-and-poverty
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Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Mar 13, 2023
Right to Roam
On a sunny day in January, a ghostly figure covered in green ribbons appeared on a moor in south-west England. It was a person dressed as Old Crockern, the guardian spirit of Dartmoor. He was greeted by 3000 people who had gathered to protest a court ruling that took away the right to wild camp in the area. It was the biggest countryside access protest in living memory.
The ruling reignited a long-running concern over land in England: who owns it? And who is allowed to use it? The aristocracy and landed gentry still own around thirty per cent of English land, and half of England is owned by less than one per cent of the population.
How did we get here? What does land ownership have to do with wealth and power? And is there another way?
Ayeisha is joined by Nadia Shaikh, naturalist, conservationist and land justice activist with Right to Roam and Frances Northrop, associate fellow at the New Economics Foundation.
Further reading:
- Find out more and get involved with Right to Roam https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/
- Listen to the Land for Who podcast series sharedassets.org.uk/resources/land-for-who-land-justice-podcast-series
- Find out more about the Ecological Land Cooperative https://ecologicalland.coop/
- Read the Sold from Under You investigation https://council-sell-off.thebureauinvestigates.com/
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Music by Chad Crouch and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone. With thanks to Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Feb 27, 2023
The UK's political battlegrounds
Last year the UK had three different prime ministers, four different chancellors and five different housing ministers. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's first minister for close to a decade, recently announced her resignation - and it’s not clear who will replace her. British politics now seems to be permanently tumultuous. And with a general election peeking over the horizon, political parties are gearing up to win over the public.
What are the big ideas influencing UK politics? How much appetite does the public have for change? And what will be the key battlegrounds at the next general election?
Ayeisha is joined by Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at the New Statesman, and James Meadway, director of the Progressive Economy Forum.
- James' new book The Cost of Living Crisis (and how to get out of it)is out next month versobooks.com/books/4259-the-cost-of-living-crisis
- Read Anoosh and Ben Walker's piece on the “the new social groupings of the inflation age” newstatesman.com/economy/2023/02/britain-cost-of-living-classes
- More on Scottish independence in this article by Jonathon Shafi jonathonshafi.substack.com/p/after-sturgeon-a-new-era-in-scottish
- Listen to James' podcast Macrodose patreon.com/Macrodose
- Latest from the New Statesman podcast here newstatesman.com/podcasts
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Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone. With thanks to Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Nov 7, 2022
How we win a new economy - changing the rules
Note to listeners: this episode was prerecorded in September 2022.
Over the last five episodes we’ve looked at how the UK is being torn apart. Our economy is built on huge inequalities: between working people and big business, between families and fossil fuel giants, between tenants and landlords, and between marginalised groups and law enforcement.
Are such massive divisions in our society inevitable? Can we share the wealth hoarded by the rich? And what do we need to do to build a better future?
Ayeisha is joined by Jeevun Sandher, head of economics at the New Economics Foundation, and political economist and author of The Case For A Green New Deal Ann Pettifor.
- Subscribe to Ann's substack, System Change, here: https://annpettifor.substack.com/
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Music by Chad Crouch and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Oct 28, 2022
How we win a new economy - fighting for our human rights
Note to listeners: this episode was prerecorded in September 2022.
This summer, on a small road in south-east London, a crowd of people prevented immigration officers from detaining a local man. Protestors sat on the ground in front of the van he was held in for hours, shouting “Let him go!”. From Pollokshields to Peckham, over the last couple of years we’ve seen how people can come together to physically stop immigration raids in their communities and protect their neighbours.
But with the government giving the police more powers to crack down on protests, will actions like these be able to continue? What is happening to civil liberties in the UK? And who is fighting back?
Ayeisha is joined by Zehrah Hasan advocacy director at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) and Charlie Whelton, policy and campaigns officer at Liberty (@zedhas3 and @cwhelton on Twitter).
Want to join the movement? You can get involved with groups like:
- JCWI jcwi.org.uk
- Liberty libertyhumanrights.org.uk
- Migrants Organise migrantsorganise.org
- SOAS Detainee Support soasdetaineesupport.co.uk
- Stop Deportations @StpDeportations on Twitter
- Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants lgsmigrants.com
Further reading:
- Who’s Paying The Price? The Human Cost Of The Rwanda Scheme by Medical justice medicaljustice.org.uk/whos-paying-the-price-report-released/
- The gal-dem guide to stopping a deportation flight by Zehrah Hasan gal-dem.com/guide-stopping-deportation-flight-immigration/
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Music by Chad Crouch and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Oct 14, 2022
How we win a new economy - fixing the housing crisis with social homes
Note to listeners: this episode was prerecorded in September 2022.
The cost of living scandal could force 1.7 million households into homelessness this winter, according to the charity Crisis. In the UK, we can no longer rely on social housing to protect people from sleeping rough or sofa-surfing. If you were alive in 1979, you had a 40% chance of living in an affordable council home. Today, that figure is just under 8%.
What happened to all our council houses? Did Thatcher’s right to buy policy create the housing crisis we see today? And how would our lives be different if we could depend on warm, comfortable social homes?
Ayeisha is joined by Becki Winson, NEF senior organiser and Suzanne Muna, secretary of the Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) (@RebeccaWinson and @Muna_Suz on Twitter)
-Join NEF's Homes for Us Campaign https://homesforus.org.uk/
-Find out more about SHAC and get involved https://shaction.org/
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Music by Broke for Free and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Sep 30, 2022
How we win a new economy - solving the cost of living and climate crises together
Note to listeners: this episode was prerecorded in August 2022.
2022: a year of extremes. During the 40 degree summer heat, roads melted and railway lines buckled. The London Fire Brigade had its busiest day since the Blitz as record temperatures led to hundreds of fires across the city. When it finally rained a month later, the Met Office warned of flood risk. But after a dangerously hot summer, we’re now worrying about whether we can afford our energy bills during a long, cold winter.
This was the year that the climate crisis collided with the scandalously high cost of living. But how are the two related? Why are fossil fuel companies making bumper profits while the rest of us are worried about paying our bills? And can we stay warm while making sure oil and gas stay safely under the North Sea?
Ayeisha is joined by Mika Minio-Paluello, climate and industry lead at the Trades Union Congress and Tessa Khan, environmental lawyer and founder and director of Uplift.
-Want to join a union? You can find the right one for you on the TUC website: https://www.tuc.org.uk/joinunion
- Get involved with the Stop Cambo/Jackdaw and Warm this Winter campaigns: https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/ and https://www.warmthiswinter.org.uk/
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Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Sep 16, 2022
How we win a new economy – a hot strike summer?
Note to listeners: this episode was prerecorded in August 2022.
As the first week of rail strikes came to an end in June, Google searches for the phrase “join union” had increased by 184%. News channels and politicians didn’t seem to know what to make of the broad public support for the striking rail workers. Inspired by the RMT union, the unrest spread: criminal barristers, BT workers, posties and teachers are just some of the people exploring strike action.
After decades of union busting, wage stagnation and decimated rights, are workers finally saying enough is enough? Why has the public suddenly got behind striking workers? And what would happen if we held a general strike?
Ayeisha is joined by the TUC's Sian Elliot and Sarah Jaffe, journalist and author of “Work Won’t Love You Back”(@SianCElliott and @sarahljaffe on Twitter).
-Find out more about Sarah's work at https://workwontloveyouback.org/
-Want to join a union? You can find the right one for you on the…
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Sep 2, 2022
How we win a new economy - the end of neoliberalism?
In this mini-series of the New Economics Podcast, we’ll discover how our economy has been run over the past few years - and look at the key battlegrounds for those fighting to change the rules.
Over the last few years, neoliberalism – the economic model that has dominated since Margaret Thatcher was PM – has taken a hit. Big spending and state intervention have been the name of the game, as the government scrambled to get to grips with the pandemic.
While Boris Johnson gets ready to pack up his things, we still don’t know who will be replacing him in Number 10. The two final contenders, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, have been described in the press as “channelling the blue-suited ghost of Thatcher”.
So, have the last few years solidified a new kind of economic mainstream? Or will Johnsonism be swept aside once the new PM has unpacked their toothbrush?
In the first episode of this special mini-series we’re asking: has neoliberalism hit the buffers?
Ayeisha is joined by E…
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May 30, 2022
How did the British Empire write the rules of today’s economy?
Outside of the frenzied headlines about woke warriors cancelling Jane Austen and stately homes, we’re living in a period of renewed consideration of Britain’s colonial history.
The British Empire began before the English Civil War, and shaped our country for 400 years. At its height, it covered almost a quarter of the entire world’s population. Beyond statues and street names, how is the empire still shaping our lives today?
Ayeisha is joined by Dr Kojo Koram, lecturer in law at Birkbeck and author of Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of Empire.
- Grab a copy of the book here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kojo-koram/uncommon-wealth/9781529338652/
- Further reading from Perry Anderson here: https://www.versobooks.com/authors/81-perry-anderson
- And from Tom Nairn here: https://www.versobooks.com/authors/821-tom-nairn
- More from Kojo here: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745342047/empires-endgame/
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Mus…
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May 16, 2022
Who owns the internet?
What do you get the guy who has everything? A 44 billion dollar social media platform apparently. Elon Musk has already been accused of union busting, shot a car into space, and become the world’s richest man. So what’s next on his to-do list? Buying Twitter of course!
From Mark Zuckerberg to Elon Musk, should we be worried that our online lives are in the hands of a few super-rich men? Will cryptocurrencies and Web3 make the internet good again? And what would a people-powered internet really look like?
Ayeisha is joined by Dr James Muldoon, senior lecturer in political science at the University of Exeter and Head of Digital Research at the Autonomy think tank.
You can grab a copy of James' book Platform Socialism: How to Reclaim our Digital Future from Big Tech here: http://www.plutobooks.com/9780745346977/platform-socialism/
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Poddington Bear under Creative Commons license.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us yo…
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May 3, 2022
What did Covid-19 reveal about how our economy is really run?
In the early months of the pandemic, the government shut down whole sectors of the economy and started paying the wages of a huge proportion of Brits. Some worked from home, juggling homeschooling their kids and figuring out how to use Zoom. Others risked their health to travel to work. Meanwhile Big Tech and outsourcing companies raked in money through government contracts.
What can we learn from moments when the predictable rules of economic life are suspended? Who wins and who loses in these points of crisis? And has the pandemic pushed us into a new form of capitalism?
Ayeisha is joined by Sahil Dutta and Nick Taylor, lecturers in political economy at Goldsmiths University to discuss their new book "Unprecedented? How Covid-19 revealed the politics of our economy"
- The book written alongside Will Davies and Martina Tazzioli is out now: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691630/unprecedented-by-william-davies-sahil-jai-dutta-nick-taylor-and-martina-tazzioli/
- Find out mor…
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Apr 19, 2022
What does the Sunak scandal tell us about our tax system?
A few weeks ago the chancellor presided over a spring budget which ushered in the fastest drop in living standards on record, as he told us that we “can’t protect everyone”. But this week it was revealed that his wife has avoided paying around £20 million in tax, due to her non-dom status.
Accused of “rank hypocrisy” by Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak’s popularity has certainly been dented. The Sunak family hasn’t broken the law - but what does that say about the laws that govern who has to pay tax? What’s wrong with our tax system, when the chancellor can raise taxes on working people on one hand, and benefit from tax avoidance on the other? And what would fairer taxes really look like?
Ayeisha is joined by Tom Peters, head of advocacy at Tax Justice UK.
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by David Powell.
Music by Poddington Bear under Creative Commons license.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The New Economics Podcast is brough…
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Apr 4, 2022
The UK's response to the refugee crisis
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, over 4 million people have fled the country. Earlier this month Priti Patel announced a visa application centre had been established en route to Calais for Ukrainians trying to come to the UK. But the centre never existed. Days later, the Home Office said it was actually in Lille, but would not reveal where. Officials then claimed that refugees in Calais could get free Eurostar tickets to travel to the centre - despite the fact that the Eurostar does not stop in Calais. A day later the centre was moved from Lille to a town 30 miles away.
Why has the government response been so chaotic? What are the barriers for refugees travelling to the UK? And with an anti-refugee bill moving through Parliament, what does this mean for how we treat refugees in the future?
Ayeisha is joined by Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action. Find out more about Detention Action and how you can support its work here: https://detentionaction.org.uk/
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Researched…
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Mar 21, 2022
Are fossil fuels funding the war in Ukraine?
At the time of recording, hundreds, and possibly thousands, of civilians have been killed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and more than 2.5m Ukranians have fled the country. The Russian army has been accused of war crimes after bombing a maternity hospital in the south. Allies of the Ukrainian president say that Russia will only back down if Europe bans the import of Russian oil and gas.
But what do oil and gas have to do with the war in Ukraine? Will banning Russian fossil fuels really make Putin reconsider? And what does all this mean for soaring energy bills in the UK?
Ayeisha is joined by Svitlana Romanko, Ukrainian environmental lawyer, climate activist and strategist, and spokesperson for Stand With Ukraine, and Tessa Khan, Founder and Director of Uplift, and previous guest of the podcast.
- You can sign on to the Stand with Ukraine campaign here: https://www.with-ukraine.org/
- Find out more about the Putin100 campaign: https://putin100.or…
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Mar 7, 2022
Tackling the cost of living crisis
2022 has been dubbed the ‘year of the squeeze’ by the Resolution Foundation. In April, soaring energy bills will collide with tax increases for working people. Last month grocery prices rose at their fastest rate in eight years, and inflation is at its highest level in almost three decades.
When the media talk about the ‘cost of living crisis’, what do they mean? How did we end up in a country with more food banks than branches of McDonalds? And what can the government do to make sure everyone can afford life’s essentials?
Ayeisha is joined by NEF's Alfie Stirling and Sabine Goodwin, coordinator of the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN).
Some of the clips used in this episode are from IFAN members, supporting people in food banks across the country. Thanks to Mairi McCallum, Joyce Leggate, Charlotte White, Betty Grant and Rajesh Makwana for sharing your experiences with us.
- If you’d like to get involved in NEF’s campaign for income support, head over to the Living…
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Feb 21, 2022
Tackling the energy crisis
Families are bracing for less and less money to get by as energy bills rise this spring. In the fifth richest country in the world, pensioners are skipping meals so they can afford their heating bills, and parents are only switching the heating on when their children are at home. At the same time, fossil fuel companies like BP and Shell made their biggest profit in years.
What do these two things have to do with each other? Why are energy bills soaring? And what can the government do to make sure everyone can afford to heat their homes?
We’re no longer the Weekly Economics Podcast because episodes will now be coming to you every fortnight. But as always we’ll be discussing the more important economic issues with a variety of interesting voices.
For the first episode of the New Economics Podcast, Ayeisha is joined by Dr Joseph Baines, senior lecturer in international political economy at King’s College London and Abby Jitendra, principal policy manager on energy at Citizens Adv…
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Nov 29, 2021
Closing the Covid-19 vaccination gap
Coronavirus cases are once again rising in Europe and across the world. The World Health Organisation has said that countries shouldn’t be giving out booster jabs for the rest of the year, but in the UK we’re offering third shots to people as young as 40. Meanwhile, only 3% of people in low-income countries have had a single dose.
Covid vaccines may have prevented hundreds of thousands of deaths in the UK, but who is missing out on the global vaccine rollout? Why can’t poorer countries get hold of the Covid vaccine? And how can we change the rules of our international economy so that everyone is protected during the pandemic?
For the last episode of the series, Ayeisha is joined by Achal Prabhala, writer, researcher, and coordinator of the AccessIBSA project, and Saiorse Fitzpatrick, advocacy manager at STOPAIDS.
- Listen to a previous episode on vaccine nationalism with Miriam Brett and Tahir Amin https://neweconomics.org/2021/02/weekly-economics-podcast-vaccine-nationalism
-…
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Nov 19, 2021
The future of work
A record number of employees have quit their jobs in recent months, in what’s been dubbed the Great Resignation. Newspapers report that it’s part of post-Covid demand for flexible working and better work life balance.
After last year, where up to a quarter of the UK workforce was paid not to work through the furlough scheme, are we reassessing our relationship to our jobs? How does work impact our health and sense of self? And should we improve our working conditions - or try to abolish work altogether?
Ayeisha is joined by Amelia Horgan, assistant lecturer at the school of philosophy and art history, University of Essex, and author of Lost in Work.
- Grab a copy of Amelia's book: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745340913/lost-in-work/
- Listen back to past episodes on outsourcing and the impacts of the economy on mental health: https://neweconomics.org/section/podcasts
- Read Ayeisha's piece for the second issue of the New Economics Zine: https://neweconomics.org/2020/10/this-i…
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Nov 12, 2021
Is our digital economy breeding misogyny?
In August this year Jake Davison, a 22-year-old from Plymouth, went on a shooting rampage that left six dead, including his mother and himself. In the aftermath it emerged that Davison had been a member of ‘incel’ forums online. He’s not the first mass shooter to have links to online groups espousing extreme hatred of women. Since Elliot Rodger killed six people in California in 2014, self-proclaimed ‘involuntary celibates’ have carried out multiple mass murders, mostly in North America.
What’s driving this extreme misogyny? Is incel ideology on the rise? And are Big Tech companies to blame for allowing these groups to thrive online?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined Debbie Ging, associate professor in the school of communications at Dublin City University.
- Find out more about Zizi Papacharissi's work on affective publics oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/1…999736
- Michael Kimmel's book Angry White Men is available here uk.bookshop.org/books/angry-white…era/…
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Nov 5, 2021
Trans Liberation
If you read mainstream media coverage of the issues facing transgender people in the UK, you’ll see a lot of fevered discussion of pronouns, bathroom access, and confusing legislation like the Gender Recognition Act. The media tells one story - but the other side of the coin is that half of trans people in the UK are unemployed and one in four have experienced direct healthcare discrimination.
When we focus on bathrooms and pronouns, what other conversations are shut down? What are the economic issues facing trans people today? And is trans liberation really a class issue?
Ayeisha is joined by Nim Ralph, community activist, writer, trainer and facilitator.
- Read Fergal O'Dwyer's interview with Nim in the third issue of the New Economics Zine: neweconomics.org/2021/08/why-trans-liberation-is-a-class-issue
- Read the Albert Kennedy lgbtq+ youth homelessness report: https://www.akt.org.uk/report
- Find gal-dem's investigation into transphobia in the gender-based violence sector here…
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Oct 26, 2021
Is austerity back?
At the height of the pandemic, politicians promised to do whatever it took to keep the economy going, and introduced emergency support like the furlough scheme. But now those measures have been cut and the conversation has turned to “fixing the public finances”, ending “reckless borrowing'' and preventing “soaring debt”. The word austerity hasn’t featured yet but it’s all feeling a bit familiar, isn’t it?
So, what do these phrases actually mean? Should we really be worried about things like government borrowing and public debt? And what are some of the alternative ways of thinking about our economy?
Ayeisha is joined by Dora Meade, head of messaging at the New Economy Organisers Network (NEON), and Frank van Lerven, senior economist at NEF.
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Poddington Bear and Christian Bjoerklund under Creative Commons license.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics…
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Oct 15, 2021
What really happens at a UN climate summit?
In a few weeks’ time, 25,000 people will descend on Glasgow. They are coming for the UN climate summit, also known as Cop26. The delegates might not have the pleasure of sampling the city’s mac-and-cheese pies or a dram of whiskey. Instead they will meet with others from around the world to try and agree new ways to bring down greenhouse-gas emissions.
So what happens at a UN climate conference? Are negotiators in an events centre really going to stop runaway climate change? And what should we look out for once the Glasgow conference begins?
Ayeisha is joined be Nathan Thanki, co-coordinator at the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice.
- Find out more about the COP26 Coalition: https://cop26coalition.org/
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Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Oct 8, 2021
The Great Homes Upgrade
The UK has the draughtiest and oldest housing in Western Europe. And our gas boilers pump out twice as much carbon dioxide as all of the country’s power stations.
Do we need to upgrade the UK’s homes? Why is our housing powering the climate crisis? And how can we make sure everyone’s home is warm, clean and green - whether we rent a flat or own a castle?
Ayeisha is joined by Chaitanya Kumar, head of environment and the green transition at NEF, and Martin Heath, director of Basingstoke Energy Services Co-op.
- Find out more about the Great Homes Upgrade campaign: https://greathomesupgrade.org/
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Music by Candlegravity and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Oct 1, 2021
Can we prevent living standards plummeting this winter?
Over 11m people have been furloughed in the last 16 months, and almost 6m are currently on universal credit. But over the next week, the government’s main emergency policies to help people through the pandemic will end. People on furlough will find out if their jobs are still waiting for them, and people on universal credit will find their benefits cut by £20 a week.
The government seems to be acting like we’re out of the woods of the pandemic - but are we really? With over a million people still furloughed, energy bills going up, and benefit cuts kicking in, what kind of winter are we facing? And how can we make sure everyone has enough to live on for the rest of the pandemic and beyond?
Back with a brand new series, Ayeisha is joined by Kate Bell, head of rights, international, social and economics at the TUC, and NEF senior economist Sarah Arnold.
- Read the TUC's proposal on a more progressive way to fund social care here: https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/ne…
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Aug 13, 2021
Where did our immigration system come from?
This week a controversial deportation flight took off for Jamaica. Legal challenges meant that only a tenth of the 90 people due to be deported were on the plane. The planned deportation included people whose lawyers said they had a right to stay in the UK under the Windrush rules, or who had arrived in the UK as children.
Critics say that our immigration system is unnecessarily cruel. But what is its origin story? How has it changed over time? And what does it have to do with Britain’s colonial history?
In this final episode of the series, Ayeisha is joined by Ian Sanjay Patel, LSE fellow in human rights and author of We’re Here Because You Were There: Immigration and the End of Empire.
You can grab a copy of Ian's book here: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3700-we-re-here-because-you-were-there
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Music by Blue Dots Session and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
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Aug 6, 2021
Fighting the climate crisis in the courts
With the COP26 global climate conference coming up later this year, we’re spending five episodes this series looking at pressing climate issues. In this episode we’re talking about taking the fossil fuel industry to court.
Last week, a government spokesperson said that we should freeze leftover bread and stop rinsing dishes before we put them in the dishwasher to tackle the climate crisis. Meanwhile, the government has approved a new oil field in the North Sea that we’d need to reforest the whole of England in order to offset.
Greenpeace has threatened the government with legal action over the new oil field, and they’re not the only ones trying to fight the climate crisis in the courts. So what legal challenges should we be paying attention to? How do they work? And what do they have to do with the climate movement at large?
Ayeisha is joined by Tessa Khan, international climate change and human rights lawyer, and founder and director of Uplift.
-Support the Stop Cambo (htt…
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Aug 3, 2021
Fast Fashion
With the COP26 global climate conference coming up later this year, we’re spending five episodes this series looking at pressing climate issues. In this episode we’re talking fast fashion.
Summer is here and Love Island is all over the telly. The show’s sexy singles are competing for big prize money, and the inevitable sponsorship deals with fast fashion brands like Shein, Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing. But these companies have been accused of exploiting their workers and polluting the environment.
Our t-shirt label might say ‘made in China’, but the raw materials and finished product have often travelled around the globe before it ends up in our wardrobes. How have we ended up with such a complicated system? What are the costs for our environment, and the people who make our clothes? And what can the fashion industry tell us about how our global economy works?
In this episode Ayeisha is joined by Maxine Bédat, director of New Standard Institute and author of Unraveled:…
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Jul 23, 2021
How can we tackle the climate crisis while levelling up?
With the COP26 global climate conference coming up later this year, we’re spending five episodes this series looking at some of the biggest climate issues. In this episode we’re talking about a just transition.
Last week, the prime minister travelled to Coventry to set out his post-pandemic vision for the country. It was anticipated as a flagship moment for the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda, but critics decried the speech as all talk, no action. This comes a month after the Committee on Climate Change said the UK is facing a similar problem when it comes to achieving our net zero targets: lots of ambition, but no detailed plans to get there.
So, we need more action on tackling inequality and the climate crisis, but can we do both at the same time? How do we ensure communities aren’t left behind in the move to a low-carbon economy? And what does a successful green transition actually look like for workers in high-carbon industries?
Kirsty Styles is back in the presen…
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Jul 9, 2021
A climate conversation between two generations
With the COP26 global climate conference coming up later this year, we’re going to spend five episodes this series looking at some of the biggest climate issues. We kicked things off last week with Alice Bell explaining everything you need to know about greenwashing. This week the conversation is about the climate movement with activists from two generations.
The modern environmental movement has been around for over 50 years. And over the last couple, it’s been reinvigorated by a new generation of young student climate strikers.
After a deadly heatwave swept the western US and Canada, and temperatures in Jacobabad, Pakistan soared to a life-threatening 52 degrees last week, how can activists communicate the connection between these events and the climate crisis? Is the new wave of activists more willing to talk about colonialism and capitalism? And what challenges is the climate movement facing today?
This week, we’re hosting a conversation between climate activists from two…
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Jul 2, 2021
Greenwashing
With the COP26 global climate conference coming up later this year, we’re going to spend the next five episodes of the podcast looking at some of the biggest climate issues – starting this week with greenwashing.
Last month 20 young people and scientists attempted to occupy London’s Science Museum. They were protesting the fact that a new exhibition on the climate crisis was being sponsored by Shell. Protestors accused Shell of using their sponsorship to ‘greenwash’ its reputation. The occupation ended after the museum swiftly called 40 police officers out to remove them.
Greenpeace has recently said that we’re living in “a golden age of greenwashing” and the Treasury set up a new group to clamp down on the practice in the financial sector. But what is greenwashing? Why are companies like Coca Cola and H&M suddenly desperate to prove their green credentials? And is it lulling us into a false sense of security that we’re tackling the climate crisis?
Ayeisha is joine…
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Jun 18, 2021
The Police Bill
Throughout the spring, hundreds of thousands of people across the country marched, signed petitions, and spoke out against the catchily-titled Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. Critics say the Bill would curb our freedom of speech and assembly by giving the police new powers to crack down on protest. The Bill was successfully delayed - but it’s due to resurface in Parliament next week.
So what’s actually in the Police Bill? How will it affect Black and other people of colour? And why is the government pushing it through Parliament now?
Ayeisha is joined by Zehrah Hasan, barrister, & founding member and director of Black Protest Legal Support and Becka Hudson, PhD researcher at UCL and Birkbeck, and criminal justice campaigner.
-Read Who dreamt up the police bill? The police, of course by Same Knights https://novaramedia.com/2021/03/25/who-dreamt-up-the-police-bill-the-police-of-course/
-Find out more about Black Protest Legal Support and follow them on Twitter https://b…
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Jun 11, 2021
Culture Wars
This week, the front page of the Daily Mail screamed “Outrage as Oxford students plan to axe queen”. In reality, a group of postgrads voted to take down a portrait of the queen in a single common room, in a single Oxford college, because of the portrait’s association with the UK’s colonial history.
Whether it’s the interior decor of student common rooms or athletes taking the knee in support of Black Lives Matter, by the time you listen to this podcast, new outrages are constantly emerging.
How did we get here? In the middle of a pandemic, why do these debates take up so much media space? And how should progressives respond?
The Weekly Economics Podcast is back and for the first episode of the new series, Ayeisha is joined by Hanna Thomas Uose, principal consultant at Align and David Wearing, senior teaching fellow at SOAS and associate lecturer at Birkbeck.
-Read the report "Divide and Rule: How the 'culture wars' are a reactionary backlash constructed to distract us, a…
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Apr 1, 2021
What will Biden’s America look like?
There’s a new president in the Oval Office and he’s ready to make some changes. Joe Biden wants the start of his presidency to be defined by rejoining the Paris climate agreement, vaccinating the country against Covid-19, and pulling the American economy out of a crisis.
But will this be enough to tackle the problems that led to the Trump presidency? Is Biden too concerned about building bridges with the Republican Party? And is America finally ready to start taking the climate emergency seriously?
In the final episode of this series, Ayeisha is joined by Kate Aronoff, staff writer at the New Republic, and author of the upcoming book Overheated: how capitalism broke the planet - and how we fight back.
Kate's book is out in the UK on the 13th May: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kate-aronoff/overheated/9781568589473/?lens=bold-type-books
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Mar 19, 2021
Changing the rules of our economy to stop environmental breakdown
There are just eight months left until the UK hosts the UN Climate Conference. And despite Boris Johnson’s insistence that we will have a green recovery from the pandemic, in the last month there have been a number of climate related controversies, including around the construction of a new coal mine in Cumbria, the Leeds Bradford airport expansion, and plans to cut air passenger duty on domestic flights.
Why can’t the economic status quo deal with the climate emergency? What has the fresh attention on climate actually achieved? And what can the pandemic teach us about the climate crisis?
In this episode Ayeisha is joined by Laurie Laybourn-Langton, co-author of the new book Planet On Fire, and NEF trustee.
-Planet on Fire by Mathew Lawrence and Laurie Laybourn-Langton is out on the 20th April, you can preorder a copy on the Verso website: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3702-planet-on-fire
-Find out more about Laurie's work here: https://laurielaybourn.com/
-Head to the Common…
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Mar 12, 2021
How can we make sure everyone has enough to live on?
Last week a video circulated of 800 people queuing for a food bank in Wembley. Volunteers at the London Community Kitchen said that the number was not uncommon. In Rishi Sunak’s recent budget, he announced that the furlough scheme and the temporary £20 increase to universal credit would continue until the autumn. But even with these measures, it’s obvious that huge numbers of people in the UK are struggling.
Furlough has held back a wave of unemployment - but what happens when the scheme ends? Will some jobs not come back after the pandemic? And what about the estimated 3 million people who’ve fallen through the cracks of the government’s Covid support?
In this episode Ayeisha is joined by NEF CEO Miatta Fahnbulleh and Sonali Joshi, co-founder of Excluded UK.
-For more on NEF's work around strengthening our social security system, head to our website: https://neweconomics.org/campaigns/living-income
-More on info about Excluded UK available on their website https://www.excl…
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Mar 8, 2021
Why should we care what big tech does with our data?
From the A-level algorithm scandal, to parents taking on YouTube, to making Facebook and Google pay for news, people are fighting back against the way big tech companies and governments use our data.
So what are companies like Google and Facebook actually doing with our personal data? Is the pandemic being used to surrender our data to private companies? And what role can big tech workers and users play in fighting back?
In this episode Ayeisha is joined by Duncan McCann, senior researcher at NEF, Carissa Veliz, associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University and Cori Crider, lawyer, investigator and co-founder of Foxglove.
-You can read more about Carissa's work, including a survey she did with Siân Brooke on privacy-related negative experiences, on her website https://www.carissaveliz.com/research
-Read the article in Glamour Magazine on the risks of 'sharenting' https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/child-privacy-socia…
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Mar 2, 2021
What's Brexit done to fishing and farming?
We were supposed to have cast off the shackles of EU rules around farming and fishing. Brexit was sold as a ‘sea of opportunity’. And yet, tonnes of British meat have been left rotting at European ports, while Scottish fishers have had to make a 72-hour round trip to land their catch in Denmark.
The PM has said these are just “teething problems”. But are they really? What’s it been like for UK fishers and farmers since we left the EU? And is there a chance we can use Brexit to make our food system better?
In this episode, Ayeisha is joined by Chris Williams, NEF Associate Fellow.
-To hear more from small-scale fishers on their hopes and concerns for the industry post-Brexit, watch this video: https://neweconomics.org/2018/10/fishing-after-brexit-voices-from-the-coast
-You can also listen to Chris talking to fishermen about their experiences on this Radio 4 documentary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000rm92
-Find out more about the Eastbourne Fishing Quay on our website…
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Feb 15, 2021
Vaccine Nationalism
By the middle of January, 49 wealthy countries had administered 39 million doses of the Covid vaccine. But the world’s poorest countries had only done 25 jabs, all of them in just one country: Guinea. Not 25 million, not 25,000 - just 25.
Why can’t some countries get hold of the vaccine? Why are rich countries buying more doses than they need? And are we seeing the rise of ‘vaccine nationalism’?
In this episode, Ayeisha is joined by Miriam Brett, director of research and advocacy at Common Wealth and Tahir Amin, co-executive director of Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge.
-For more, read Common Wealth's report on what's wrong with our IP system: https://www.common-wealth.co.uk/interactive-digital-projects/ip-infogram
-And Tahir's piece for Foreign Affairs is available here: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/2021-01-29/folly-hoarding-knowledge-covid-19-age
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Music by Poddington Bear under Creative Commons license.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Pro…
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Feb 5, 2021
Is outsourcing out of control?
Meagre food packages for kids on free school meals. A £22bn track and trace system that isn’t fit for purpose. And people asked to travel hundreds of miles for a Covid test. What do all of these things have in common? They’ve all been outsourced to the private sector.
But why are these vital services being run by the private sector? Are the allegations of cronyism true? And who’s making money out of all this?
Ayeisha is joined by New Statesman’s Britain editor, Anoosh Chakelian and David Hall, founder of the Public Services International Research Unit at the University of Greenwich.
For more on this area, you can listen to a previous episode we did with Cat Hobbs, director of We Own It campaign, Hilary Wainwright, co-editor of Red Pepper magazine and Sahil Dutta from Goldsmiths University on Public Ownership: https://soundcloud.com/weeklyeconomicspodcast/public-ownership-20
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
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Jan 29, 2021
Exposing the truth about modern slavery
From Sports Direct warehouses to nail bars, awareness-raising campaigns warn that modern slavery is happening all around us. Over Christmas, fashion brand Boohoo cut ties with 64 garment suppliers in Leicester after it came out that factories were paying their workers as little as £3.50 an hour. And this month the foreign secretary said he would clamp down on companies who used forced labour in their supply chains.
But how useful is the concept of ‘modern slavery’? What kinds of exploitation does it disguise? And what does it say about how we’ve designed our economy?
For the first episode of a new series of the Weekly Economics Podcast, Ayeisha is joined by Emily Kenway, author of new book The Truth About Modern Slavery.
Grab a copy of Emily's book, out now with Pluto Books: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745341224/the-truth-about-modern-slavery/
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
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Dec 1, 2020
Finding hope during and after the pandemic
Joe Biden has defeated Donald Trump to win the US election. Test results from around the world suggest that a coronavirus vaccine is on the horizon. Over the past month there have been more bright spots than usual in a difficult, painful year. At the same time, with the number of coronavirus deaths at their highest since May, many parts of the country still subject to severe restrictions and unemployment skyrocketing, many of us are hesitant to declare that the worst days are behind us.
So, how has this year affected our mental health? How can progressives stay well enough to fight for change? And have we forgotten how to feel hopeful?
Ayeisha is joined by researcher and author, Christine Berry and Farzana Khan, executive director and co-founder of Healing Justice London.
If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode, you can contact the Samaritans for free at 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org/
Further reading/watching from this episode:
-The Impact of…
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Nov 16, 2020
Should we work less after the pandemic?
Setting up a desk area in the kitchen, Zoom call-induced headaches, or getting furloughed and paid to not do any work - this year has shaken up the world of work like never before. The pandemic has made us reimagine how work fits into our economy and our lives.
So, with 79% of business leaders and nearly two-thirds of the public open to bringing in a shorter working week in light of the pandemic, should we be thinking more about working less? Could a shorter working week help us recover from coronavirus?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Alfie Stirling, NEF Director of Research and Chief Economist, and Anna Coote, Principal Fellow at NEF to discuss their new book with Aidan Harper, The Case for a Four-Day Week.
The book will be out on the 27th November, go to the Polity website to grab a copy https://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509539642
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Poddington Bear and Blue Dot Sessions under Creative Commons lic…
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Nov 6, 2020
Should we shake up taxes to recover from the pandemic?
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that Britain faces new tax rises in the wake of the pandemic. But over the summer Labour’s shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds warned against increasing taxes during an economic crisis. Meanwhile, new research has found that increasing numbers of Tory voters are in favour of higher taxes.
So, what do Labour and the Conservatives think about tax rises? Should we be changing the tax system during a recession? And if taxes do rise, who should be paying the most?
Ayeisha is joined by Robert Palmer, executive director of Tax Justice UK and Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at the New Statesman.
-Find out more on Tax Justice UK's work on tax and public opinion here:
https://www.taxjustice.uk/tax-and-public-opinion.html
-Read the report Living on Different Incomes in London: Can public consensus identify a 'riches line'? https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/publications/can-public-consensus-identify-a-riches-line/
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Oct 23, 2020
The US election narrative war
The US presidential election is less than a fortnight away - and Donald Trump and Joe Biden are pulling out all the stops to get the votes. But after a chaotic debate forced moderators to cut the candidates’ mics to stop them interrupting each other, it’s hard to get a grip on what messages they’re trying to get across.
How have the different campaigns been selling themselves? Will Biden’s attacks on Trump be a winning strategy? And how should progressives be pushing for change?
Ayeisha is joined by communications expert and principle at ASO Communications, Anat Shenker-Osario.
Resources available at https://asocommunications.com/
and https://raceclassnarrativeaction.com/
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Poddington Bear and Chris Zabriskie under Creative Commons license.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.n…
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Oct 16, 2020
What's going on with Brexit?
Brexit - remember it? Way back in the distant past of 2019 it felt like it was all the newspapers could talk about. It might feel like it’s done and dusted, but the process is still rumbling on.
We’ve got an Internal Market Bill that the government itself admits will break international law. MPs just voted through a Bill refusing to guarantee food and farming standards after we leave the EU. And apparently we’re moving the UK border to Kent.
So, what exactly is going on? What will happen when the transition period ends on New Years Eve? And what does it all mean for the UK economy?
Ayeisha is joined Marley Morris, Associate Director for Immigration, Trade and EU relations at the Institute for Public Policy Research.
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Poddington Bear and Christian Bjoerklund under Creative Commons license.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Oct 9, 2020
Building a caring economy
“We want to build back greener as we recover from Covid-19” - that was the message this week at the Prime Minister’s Conservative Party Conference speech. But in all the talk of wind turbines and technology, the place of care in our economic recovery didn’t really get a look in.
Why is care often so overlooked when we think about the economy? And how would our lives change if we put care at the centre of our economic decisions?
Ayeisha is joined by Jo Littler, Professor of Social Analysis and Cultural Politics at City University of London, Marion Sharples, Project Manager and Researcher at the Women’s Budget Group and NEF Senior Economist, Sarah Arnold.
The Care Manifesto: The Politics of Interdependence is available on the Verso website https://www.versobooks.com/books/3706-care-manifesto
Read the final report of the Commission on a Gender-Equal Economy https://wbg.org.uk/commission/
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
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Oct 6, 2020
Is competition killing us?
Our track-and-trace system will be “world-beating”. The development of the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine is “months ahead” of its competitors around the world.
This is how politicians and the media have been talking about our lines of defence against the coronavirus pandemic. But when facing up to a global problem that connects us all, why is competition the only language we have to talk about it?
How has competition come to define our economy and society? What do we miss out on when we focus on competition? And is there a way out?
Ayeisha is joined by Michelle Meagher, author of new book, Competition is Killing Us and Grace Blakeley, staff writer at Tribune and author of upcoming book, The Corona Crash: How the Pandemic will Change Capitalism.
Grab a copy of Michelle's book https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/315/315772/competition-is-killing-us/9780241423011.html
Grace's book is out on the 27th October https://www.versobooks.com/books/3723-the-corona-crash
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Sep 25, 2020
Can unions transform the economy?
Amid the coronavirus crisis, the number of people becoming members of a union has skyrocketed. Unison reported 65,000 new members since the start of the year, and in the last six months, 50,000 people have joined the National Education Union. The TUC worked with the chancellor to create the furlough scheme, and teaching unions were partly responsible for the government U-turn over face masks in schools.
It certainly looks like union influence has had a boost, as they fight against redundancies and for the health and safety of their members. But what about outside of the workplace? Can unions and their members change the rules of the economy?
Ayeisha is joined by Alice Martin and Annie Quick, authors of Unions Renewed: Building Power in an Age of Finance.
Grab a copy of the book at https://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509539116&subject_id=2
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Poddington Bear and David Hillowitz, used under Creative Common…
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Aug 14, 2020
Covid-19 and global capitalism
It’s a cliche by now to say that Covid-19 has upended our economy. Industries have ground to a halt, and are only just beginning to start up again. Just this week the UK plunged into recession, with the worst drop in GDP of any G7 nation.
But what about outside the G7? How have the effects of Covid ricocheted around the global economy?
In the last few episodes we’ve heard how Covid-19 has affected government spending, unemployment, and the hostile environment in the UK. For this episode, we want to look farther afield at how the pandemic is affecting economies across the world - especially in the Global South.
Ayeisha is joined by Dr Tobias Franz, Lecturer in Economics at SOAS and Shreya Nanda, Economist at the Centre for Economic Justice at the Institute for Public Policy Research.
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Poddington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
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Aug 7, 2020
How do we win a green recovery?
We’re facing two global crises. We have scientific evidence for how to deal with both of them, but governments aren’t acting quickly enough. They both show how we are all more connected than we previously thought. And to tackle them will require massive changes in how we run our economy.
The first problem is Covid-19. The other, though it’s fallen off the front pages, is as urgent as ever: the climate crisis.
How do we keep climate in the picture? Should we bail out struggling polluting industries? And how can we make sure our Covid recovery is green?
In this episode of the Weekly Economics Podcast, Ayeisha is joined by Chaitanya Kumar, Head of Environment and the Green Transition at the New Economics Foundation and Fatima Zahra-Ibrahim, co-director of Green New Deal UK.
Read new NEF report on decarbonising the Bank of England's corporate QE programme here: https://bit.ly/30yURpe
Vice investigation into company bailouts is available here: https://bit.ly/33HFtcd
Write to your…
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Aug 3, 2020
Where does conservatism go next?
For most of the last decade, the Conservative government has said they want to cut government spending to balance the books as they rolled out austerity nationwide. But since the start of lockdown, something seems to have changed. The chancellor keeps saying “this is not the time for ideology” as he announces new, expensive schemes to keep the economy afloat.
So - what’s going on? It’s not the first time that politicians have announced ‘the end of austerity’. But, with the government paying the wages of up to a third of the UK workforce through the furlough scheme, has something shifted? Has the government truly moved ‘beyond ideology’? Will austerity be back - but by another name? And where does conservatism go from here?
In this episode of the Weekly Economics Podcast Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by NEF CEO Miatta Fahnbulleh and Director of Research & Advocacy at Common Wealth Miriam Brett.
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
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Jul 22, 2020
Can we avoid a tsunami of job losses?
It feels like every day there are new dire predictions of the state of the UK economy and jobs. Last week we discovered that the number of paid employees in Britain has plunged by 650,000 since the start of the pandemic. As the furlough scheme winds down, the Office for Budget Responsibility says 1.4 million furloughed people are at risk of unemployment. And almost a third of companies plan to cut jobs in the next three months.
So, did the job retention scheme save jobs or just delay the inevitable? How are unions supporting workers during this time? And what can we do to avoid a tsunami of job losses?
In this episode of the Weekly Economics Podcast Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Alfie Stirling, Head of Economics at the NEF and Nikki Pound, Policy and Campaigns Support Officer at the TUC.
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Jahzzar, used under Creative Commons licence.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Jul 14, 2020
Do police and prisons keep us safe?
At the end of June Keir Starmer said of Black Lives Matter protesters in an interview: “Nobody should be saying anything about defunding the police.” At the same time, the UK government announced four new prisons. Olympic athlete Bianca Williams has said she felt like “being black is a crime” after she was stopped and handcuffed by police while driving in London. And last week it emerged that the Met police carried out 22,000 stop-and-searches on young Black men during lockdown.
Some campaigners, especially in the US, are talking about defunding the police. But what does that actually mean? Should campaigners be calling for it in the UK? And do police and prisons really keep us safe?
In this episode Ayeisha is joined by Dr. Adam Elliot-Cooper, research associate in sociology at the University of Greenwich and board member of the Monitoring Group.
References:
Read "Are Prisons Obsolete?" by Angela Y. Davis https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/angela-y-davis-are-prisons-ob…
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Jul 3, 2020
The Hostile Environment during coronavirus
The end of June marked the anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush Generation in the UK, and sparked renewed conversations about the Hostile Environment. It’s been reported that UK immigration policies have stopped migrants from getting healthcare during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite a government exemption from immigration checks and fees. Just this week, MPs passed a new immigration bill which ends freedom of movement and introduces a point-based system instead.
So, how has the Hostile Environment affected people, particularly during the pandemic? Have migrants been hit harder by Covid-19? And what does the new immigration bill mean for migrant communities in the UK?
We’re back for a new series of the Weekly Economics Podcast, Ayeisha is joined by Zoe Gardner, Policy Advisor at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), and Akram Salhab, Advocacy and Campaigns Officer at Migrants Organise.
Take a look at the New Deal on Migration on the JCWI's website https:…
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Jun 17, 2020
Gary Younge on the global black liberation uprisings
The death of George Floyd three weeks ago at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked a fresh wave of Black Lives Matter protests across the world. In the US, calls to defund the police have won victories and across Europe leaders are taking down statues of slave traders and reviewing national school curricula. Here in the UK, hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets, despite government warnings and coronavirus restrictions.
So, why has this explosion of protest happened now? Does this mark a new moment in our collective conversation on race, racism and the role of the police? And once this moment of the whirlwind passes, how can protestors make sure we achieve lasting change?
For this special one-off episode Ayeisha is joined by Gary Younge, writer, broadcaster, and professor of sociology at the University of Manchester.
Read Gary's piece in the New Statesman here: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2020/06/we-cant-breathe
Read Nadine El-Enay's piece in openDe…
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May 15, 2020
The future of social care after Coronavirus
10,000 care home residents have died from Covid-19, more than a third of all Covid-19 deaths. On Wednesday it was reported that the death toll is likely to be double the official figure. The death rate amongst social care staff is double that of the general working age population. So the big question is; what’s gone wrong with social care?
On this episode Ayeisha is joined by Sarah Bedford, head of social policy at NEF, to talk about coronavirus and social care.
References in this epsiode:
We care workers face a terrible decision: risk people's lives or go without pay. Guardian Opinion, 08/05/20 https://bit.ly/2Lu6HbE
Time to Care: A Unison report into homecare. 2012 https://bit.ly/2z217L3
If you’re desperate for more, we’ll be following up this discussion in an online briefing over Zoom on Thursday 21 May. We’ll be talking to Sarah again, as well as Unison Organiser Conor McGurran, Emeritus Professor of Economics at The Open University Sue Himmelweit and Founder of Equal C…
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May 8, 2020
How to organise under lockdown
Between the lack of PPE for key workers, growing numbers forced onto universal credit, and worries about worker safety both now and after lockdown, there’s plenty to be angry about.
So has Covid-19 led to a new wave of organising? What does organising look like under lockdown? How does the boom in mutual aid networks fit into this? And will the demands made during the pandemic lead to lasting change after it’s over?
On this episode Ayeisha looks at what lockdown and the pandemic mean for organising with NEF Senior Organiser Becki Winson.
If you’re hungry for more, we’ll be following up this discussion in an online briefing over Zoom on Thursday 14 May. We’ll be talking to Becki again, as well as organisers Sarah Jaffe, Vik Chechi-Ribeiro and Minda Burgos-Lukes. Register for your place here https://bit.ly/3djB1Sq
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Candlegravity, used under Creative Commons licence.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your com…
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May 1, 2020
Coronavirus and the legacy of austerity
In the last few months we’ve seen the government promise billions in support for people and businesses impacted by coronavirus. Supporters of austerity claim the last decade of cuts is what enabled the government to put money into these schemes now. But is this true?
Some of our public services were barely able to cope, even before the virus struck. And so what effect did austerity have on our pandemic preparedness? And now that we’re entering another recession, will the government turn to austerity once again?
On this episode Ayeisha looks at Covid-19, austerity, and how we can respond to this crisis differently with NEF senior economist, Frank van Lerven.
If you’re craving more chat about this, we’ll be following up this discussion in an online briefing over Zoom on Thursday 7 May. We’ll be talking to Frank again, as well economists Eric Lonergan & Johnna Montgomerie. Register for your place here https://bit.ly/2xt0qK8
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Be…
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Apr 24, 2020
Childcare under lockdown
The lockdown period has been extended for at least another three weeks. Schools and nurseries remain closed, except to a few children. Many parents are at home trying to balance work with looking after their kids. But some are still being asked to pay for childcare they aren’t using. And some childcare staff are still having to go into work, often for very low pay.
What’s gone wrong with childcare? How are key workers and childcare staff managing? And are parents being asked to bail out a broken childcare system?
On this episode of the Weekly Economics Podcast, Ayeisha looks at what Covid-19 and lockdown means for childcare with Lucie Stephens.
If you’re hungry for more, we’ll be following up this discussion in an online briefing over Zoom on Thursday 30 April. We’ll be talking to Lucie, as well as Christine Berry and Zoe Raven, Chief Executive of Acorn Early Years Foundation. Register for your place here https://bit.ly/3eN1KYW
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produce…
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Apr 17, 2020
Renters, homelessness and coronavirus
During lockdown, the message everywhere is to stay home. But what should you do, when you don’t have a secure place to live? At the end of last month, the government gave councils 48 hours to house all rough sleepers in their areas. There was also a temporary ban on evictions put in place and a call for landlords to be ‘compassionate’ in their dealings with their tenants.
But has the government gone far enough? What else could they do to make sure no one loses their home during the pandemic? And can we really end rough sleeping just like that? To discuss this week, Ayeisha is joined by Joe Beswick, Head of Housing at NEF.
If you’re hungry for more on this topic, we’ll be following up this discussion in an online briefing over Zoom on Thursday 23rd April. We’ll be talking to NEF senior research Hanna Wheatley and other experts to be announced. Register for your place on the briefing here https://bit.ly/3ak0g50
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.…
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Apr 10, 2020
Fixing the Social Safety Net
As nationwide lockdown continues and parts of the economy grind to a halt, the chancellor has announced a package of measures to support people struggling with the economic fallout of coronavirus. But is it enough? Or have 10 years of cuts broken our social security system beyond repair?
The Weekly Economics Podcast is back, to dive into the economics of the Covid-19 crisis. This week Ayeisha is joined by Sarah Arnold, NEF’s senior economist.
If you’re hungry for more on this topic, we’ll be following up this discussion in an online briefing over Zoom on Thursday 16th April . We’ll be talking to Sarah again and also Caroline Molloy, editor at openDemocracy. Register to join the briefing here https://bit.ly/3eacvV9
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Poddington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Founda…
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Mar 17, 2020
The Budget, climate and coronavirus
Last week, the big red briefcase was handed over to new Chancellor, Rishi Sunak. But many of Sunak’s Budget promises were overshadowed by new measures to deal with the coronavirus. With the stock market hitting a four-year low, the outbreak is pushing us towards recession.
So what do we know about the government’s economic plans? Are they doing enough to avoid a recession? And in focusing on coronavirus, what other crises are they ignoring?
In this special episode, recorded shortly after the Budget, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Alfie Stirling, NEF’s Head of Economics, and Carys Roberts, Executive Director of IPPR.
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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.
Music by Chad Crouch, used under Creative Commons licence.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Dec 2, 2019
Election 2019
The election is just around the corner and the outcome will determine the future of the country, and the shape of the economy.
So what are the parties planning to do if they win power? How radical are their policies? And what are the differences in their economic agenda?
For our last episode of 2019 Ayeisha is joined by Anoosh Chakelian, Britain Editor of the New Statesman and co-host of the excellent New Statesman podcast, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, chief executive of the New Economics Foundation.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Nov 25, 2019
How to fix the childcare system
The childcare system in England is broken. Our nurseries are among the most expensive in the world, but our childcare professionals are some of the lowest paid workers in society. For a long time, government policy on childcare has been badly thought out and severely underfunded. More recently, big international chains have moved into the sector.
So, what should be done? How would we fix the childcare system? And what would it mean for families, and for the country, if we finally got it right? This week Ayeisha is joined by Helen Penn, Visiting Professor at the UCL Institute of Education, Amy Martin, Creative Director of Impact Hub Birmingham, and Lucie Stephens, Head of Co-production at NEF.
ALSO: Last chance to register to vote!
Register by 11.59pm on Tuesday 26 November:
https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
Register if you haven’t got a fixed or permanent address:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-to-vote-if-you-havent-got-a-fixed-or-permanent-address
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Nov 20, 2019
Universal Basic Services
Our public services are in dire need of investment. The question of how much investment has loomed large over the first weeks of the election campaign.
But in the middle of a debate over competing spending plans, isn’t it also time to ask what we want our public services to actually do for us? That’s the view of group of economists and campaigners who are pushing for something called ‘Universal Basic Services’ – a radical expansion of high-quality public services for all to areas like transport, childcare and social care.
More than 70 years after the creation of the welfare state and the NHS, is it time to reimagine the public services we should all expect? Ayeisha is joined by NEF Principal Fellow Anna Coote and openDemocracy Economics Editor Laurie Macfarlane.
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Nov 12, 2019
Hostile Environment: how immigrants became scapegoats
How did the word immigrant become such a loaded term? How did the public conversation about immigration become so toxic? And is there another way forward – an alternative to the hostile environment?
This week we're at SOAS, part of the University of London, with a live audience and Maya Goodfellow, author of the new book, ‘Hostile Environment: How immigrants became scapegoats’.
https://www.versobooks.com/books/3064-hostile-environment
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Nov 6, 2019
Algorithms of Oppression
We're away this week recording our exciting live event with Maya Goodfellow for the podcast next week.
In the meantime we're listening back to a live episode we recorded in April. Safiya Umoja Noble is an associate professor at UCLA and author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Algorithms Reinforce Racism.
She joined Kirsty Styles for a revealing look at how all kinds of negative biases are embedded in the algorithms that increasingly shape our world.
If you want to find out more about this topic, check out:
Safiya Umoja Noble, Algorithms of Oppression
nyupress.org/9781479837243/algo…hms-of-oppression/
Safiya Umoja Noble, Social Inequality Will not be Solved by an app
www.wired.com/story/social-inequ…-solved-by-an-app/
Sarah Roberts, Behind the Screen
yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300235…3/behind-screen
Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/shos…1610395694/
Content warning: in this episode there is discussion of sexual conten…
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Oct 28, 2019
The stories that broke the economy, and the stories that can fix it
Some common lines you’ll hear about the economy: we all put money in, or take it out. Some people pay their fair share, but others don’t. We can’t overspend – putting public spending on the national credit card would be irresponsible.
But not all of those lines are strictly true and the way we talk about the economy affects the way we think about its future. This week on the podcast: what we’re really talking about when we talk about the economy.
Ayeisha is joined by Anat Shenker-Osorio – communications expert, researcher and author of ‘Don’t Buy It: the trouble with talking nonsense about the economy’, and Ellie Mae O’Hagan – journalist and author of the forthcoming book on the collapse of the centre ground.
Check out Anat's Brave New Words podcast at https://bravenewwordspod.com
You can find the Framing the Economy report at
https://neweconomics.org/2018/02/framing-the-economy-2
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The award-winnin…
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Oct 21, 2019
How to make the 4-day week happen
It’s one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. But unlike the phone, the car, computers and indoor plumbing, the weekend is still stuck in the 1930s.
As productivity increased, the promise of shorter working hours always seemed just out of reach. But now, there’s a campaign to make the 4-day week a reality within our lifetimes.
Obviously many people would love to work less. But what would it mean for the economy? And what would it take to make it a reality?
Back for a brand new series, Ayeisha is joined by Alfie Stirling, Head of Economics and Aidan Harper, Researcher at the New Economics Foundation.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Aug 14, 2019
The rent is too high
More and more of us are renting for longer – not by choice, but by necessity. In cities especially, more people are renting into their thirties, forties and beyond, sometimes raising children in rented flats with no long-term security.
But what if we could do something about it? Could rent controls be the answer? With Hanna Wheatley and Eva Freeman.
Donate to the New Economics Foundation: https://neweconomics.org/donate
Rent controls report: https://neweconomics.org/2019/07/rent-control
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music this week is by Chris Zabriskie and Podington Bear.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Aug 6, 2019
The myth of meritocracy
It’s the story we’re all told when we’re growing up. Work hard at school so you can get into a good university. Work hard at university so you can get a good job. Get a masters degree – taking on more student debt – if you really want to mark yourself out. Work hard at the office so you can get ahead.
But what if that’s not the real story? Social mobility in the UK is stagnating. Class privilege is entrenched. Boris Johnson is the twentieth prime minister to go to Eton. What if the idea of Britain as a meritocracy is a myth?
To answer this question, Ayeisha is joined by Jo Littler, a reader in sociology at City University of London and author of ‘Against Meritocracy’, and Sam Friedman, associate sociology professor at LSE and author of ‘The Class Ceiling: Why It Pays To Be Privileged’.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music this week is by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podca…
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Jul 26, 2019
The new PM and the future of Conservatism
This week the UK got a new prime minister, and the Conservative party got a new leader.
After nine years in government, will this be a pivotal moment in history, or a last gasp? Apart from a more hard-line stance on Brexit and a few Winston Churchill statuettes, what will the new PM be bringing to the job?
Ayeisha discusses Boris Johnson and the future of Conservatism with Christine Berry, co-author of the book ‘People Get Ready’ and former director of policy and government here at NEF, and Andy Beckett, features writer at the Guardian.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jul 15, 2019
Is wellbeing the new GDP?
If you’ve been listening to the Weekly Economics Podcast for a while, you’ll know that we think there’s much more to economics than GDP. But it still dominates the way politicians and much of the press talk about the economy.
Now though, there are lots of new proposals for measuring what counts. So what should replace GDP? And how would it change society? Ayeisha Thomas-Smith discusses with Guardian economics correspondent Richard Partington and NEF fellow Annie Quick.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music this week is by Mr. Frisby's Beat Pocket and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jul 8, 2019
Generation Left
The polls show that while previous generations became more conservative with age, millennials are staying left wing for longer. And age and education now seem to be the big dividing line in our politics, replacing class as the key division.
So what’s going on? And what are the political implications of Generation Left?
That’s our big question on the Weekly Economics Podcast this week and to help us answer it, Ayeisha is joined by Keir Milburn, author of Generation Left, and lecturer in political economy and organisation at University of Leicester, and Shelly Asquith, a political advisor at Unite the Union.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music this week is by Covox and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jul 1, 2019
What should the climate movement do next?
It’s been a busy year for the climate movement since last summer’s scorching heatwave. Extinction Rebellion shut down the streets, the school strikes saw thousands of young people take a stand, and the Green New Deal has shot to the top of the political agenda – for now, at least.
Last month Parliament passed a motion to declare an ‘environment and climate change emergency’. Meanwhile, Theresa May is trying to use the last weeks of her premiership to build some sort of legacy, including a new target for net zero climate emissions by 2050.
So, against that backdrop, what should the climate movement do next? Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined this week by Hannah Martin from Greenpeace and Green New Deal UK.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music this week is by Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only peop…
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Jun 23, 2019
Inclusive Ownership
Last month, the owner of a chain of British hi-fi shops did something unusual. Julian Richer, the founder of Richer Sounds, gave away control of the company to the employees, and even gave them each a £1,000 cash bonus for every year they’ve worked there.
It’s a rare move for company owners to give up their wealth. Is this just generosity, or could it actually be good for business? And could it also be good economics, and even good for the planet?
We’re back for a brand new series of the Weekly Economics Podcast and this week we’re getting excited about inclusive ownership.
Ayeisha is joined by Marjorie Kelly, Executive Vice President and Senior Fellow of The Democracy Collaborative in the US, and Mathew Lawrence, director of the think tank Common Wealth and co-author of a NEF report about inclusive ownership funds.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music this week is by A. A. Aalto and Podington Bear
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast…
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May 29, 2019
Algorithms of Oppression (Live)
Algorithms have a huge influence on the way that we see the world. We increasingly understand news through social media — as libraries shut down more of our knowledge is found with the click of a search engine rather than in books or classrooms.
But the algorithms that underpin our every interaction with the digital world are not neutral. They are created by humans, and reflect the biases of the people who write them.
We hosted Safiya Umoja Noble, author of Algorithms of Oppression, to discuss her recent book with Kirsty Styles for this live episode of the podcast.
If you want to find out more about this topic, check out:
Safiya Umoja Noble, Algorithms of Oppression
https://nyupress.org/9781479837243/algorithms-of-oppression/
Safiya Umoja Noble, Social Inequality Will not be Solved by an app
https://www.wired.com/story/social-inequality-will-not-be-solved-by-an-app/
Sarah Roberts, Behind the Screen
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300235883/behind-screen
Shoshana Zuboff…
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May 20, 2019
A Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism: 7 – Changing the Rules
It’s been 4 years since Kirsty Styles and James Meadway told the story of neoliberalism, from Hayek to Thatcher to the end of history.
But now, the band is back together, alongside NEF chief executive Miatta Fahnbulleh. It’s 2019, the world is on fire, and it’s time to change the rules.
Music by Christian Bjoerklund, Mr Frisby's Beat Pocket, and Chris Zabriskie.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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May 13, 2019
A Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism: 6 - The Alternatives
Kirsty Styles and James Meadway talk about the alternatives to neoliberalism.
This episode was recorded back in August 2015, which feels like a million years ago. We still think it's worth listening to, but a lot has changed since then.
The good news is, James and Kirsty will be back for a brand new update episode next week, bringing us bang up to date on the alternatives.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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May 6, 2019
A Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism: 5 - The End of History?
James Meadway and Kirsty Styles discuss how neoliberalism lives on today.
This episode was recorded back in August 2015 and a lot has changed since then. The good news is James and Kirsty will be back for a brand new episode in a couple of weeks’ time, telling the story of the backlash against neoliberalism over the past few years.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Apr 29, 2019
A Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism: 4 – Acceptable in the 80s
James Meadway and Kirsty Styles explain how neoliberalism took hold in the UK in the 1980s.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music by Chris Zabriskie (www.chriszabriskie.com), sanmi (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/sanmi) and Christian Bjoerklund (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Christ…n_Bjoerklund) used under Creative Commons Licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Apr 22, 2019
A Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism: 3 – World Domination
James Meadway and Kirsty Styles explain how neoliberalism came to dominate economies around the globe.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music by Chris Zabriskie (www.chriszabriskie.com), sanmi (freemusicarchive.org/music/sanmi/) and Christian Bjoerklund (freemusicarchive.org/music/Christian_Bjoerklund/) used under Creative Commons Licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Apr 15, 2019
A Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism: 2 – The House That Hayek Built
Economist James Meadway and journalist Kirsty Styles continue their 6-part miniseries about neoliberalism. In part 2, they tell the story of how the once obscure ideas of theorist Friedrich Hayek moved from the fringe to the mainstream, ushering in the age of neoliberalism.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music by Chris Zabriskie (www.chriszabriskie.com) and sanmi (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/sanmi/) used under Creative Commons Licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Apr 8, 2019
A Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism: 1 – The Basics
For the next 6 weeks, we’re doing something a bit different. We’re telling the story of neoliberalism, from the beginning. We call it A Beginner’s Guide to Neoliberalism.
We first ran the series back in 2015, but it’s as relevant as ever. It’s presented by the journalist Kirsty Styles alongside James Meadway, who at the time was chief economist at the New Economics Foundation.
In part 1, James and Kirsty start with a history of our economic system, the difference between capitalism and neoliberalism, and examine how neoliberalism came to dominate modern day economics.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music by Chris Zabriskie and sanmi used under Creative Commons Licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Mar 17, 2019
What explains the knife crime epidemic? With Gary Younge
Knife crime is at a nine-year high. Everyone agrees: something must be done.
Some politicians want more police on the streets, or tougher sentences. Others want cuts to mental health services to be reversed. One MP has suggested every knife in Britain should have a built-in GPS tracker – good luck with that.
But knife crime it is a complex issue, and young people’s lives depend on policymakers getting it right. So today, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is taking a big-picture look at the issue with one of the journalists who’s covered it more than perhaps any other: the Guardian’s editor-at-large, Gary Younge.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield. Music this week is by Candlegravity and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Mar 13, 2019
How to shockproof the economy
It’s hard to listen to the news at the moment without hearing some kind of warning about economy. Nearly all of those warnings focus on one thing – Brexit. It’s true that lots of people think Brexit is risky – but in the clamour to define what Brexit means, could we be blindsided by something else?
Obviously it’s difficult to predict exactly how and when another shock to the economy might happen. But is there more we could be doing to get the economy ready for whatever might be around the corner?
Guest host Hanna Wheatley is joined by NEF's Head of Economics Alfie Stirling and Senior Economist Sarah Arnold.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Mar 4, 2019
Rewind: Can we bring down house prices without crashing the economy?
We’re away this week, but in the meantime thought we’d listen back to one of our favourite episodes from last year.
If house prices are too high for people to be able to buy houses, how can we bring them down? And can we do it without upsetting homeowners and crashing the economy?
Beth Stratford is a PhD student at Leeds University. Last February she published a blog post at OpenDemocracy that was so interesting we knew we had to get her on the podcast to talk about it. She argues it just might be possible to lower house prices without crashing the economy.
Joe Beswick, head of housing and land here at the New Economics Foundation, joined Beth and Ayeisha Thomas-Smith, to chat through the idea.
We hope you enjoy! And we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's o…
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Feb 24, 2019
What's the deal with the Green New Deal?
The Green New Deal has rocketed to the top of the agenda in the US. It's an ambitious plan, spearheaded by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to decarbonise the US economy and eliminate economic insecurity at the same time.
But in fact the Green New Deal has some of its origins here at the New Economics Foundation. So what's the story behind the development of the idea? And how would a Green New Deal actually work, both in the UK and across the pond?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined this week by:
- Ann Pettifor, director of Prime Economics and one of the co-authors of the Green New Deal report published by NEF in 2008;
- Miatta Fahnbulleh, chief executive of the New Economics Foundation;
- Waleed Shahid, communications director of the Justice Democrats, who also worked on the campaign to elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music this week is by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
The awar…
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Feb 17, 2019
Public Ownership 2.0
Public ownership is back on the agenda. Opinion polls show high levels of support for taking all kinds of things back into public hands, from the railways to water to energy, and the Labour party is committed to a vast expansion of public ownership.
But if privatisation has failed, what kind of public ownership should replace it? As the critics of nationalisation are quick to say, British Rail wasn’t that great. What should be done differently this time? If these services were nationalised, would the state even know how to run them? And are there other ways of putting them back in public hands?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Cat Hobbs, director of We Own It campaign, Hilary Wainwright, co-editor of Red Pepper magazine and fellow of the Transnational Institute, and Sahil Dutta, lecturer in political economy at Goldsmiths University.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music this week is by Podington Bear, used under Creative…
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Feb 10, 2019
What would a progressive border policy look like?
The Windrush scandal outraged the nation last year. But last week the Home Office reinstated deportation flights to Jamaica for criminal offenders who they say are foreign nationals. Meanwhile, parliament passed a new immigration bill last month, promising to control the “number and type” of people coming to the UK. The home secretary came under fire for proposing a £30,000 income threshold for EU immigrants.
A lot of the debate we hear about immigration is made in economic terms. But it’s also about identity, race and belonging. It can be hard at the moment to imagine that a more humane immigration policy might be possible, but that’s exactly what we’re trying to do this week.
Guest host Dave Powell is joined by chief exec of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants Satbir Singh, executive director of War on Want Asad Rehman, and Maya Goodfellow, author of a forthcoming book on Britain's immigration policies.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questi…
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Feb 4, 2019
How the economy is damaging our mental health
This Thursday is Time To Talk Day, a day meant to encourage people to talk about mental health.
But what are the wider social and economic factors that are causing poor mental health in the first place? Is the economy itself damaging our mental health? Is modern life making us sick?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith talks to Hana Riaz, who is researching the impact of gentrification on mental health, New Economics Foundation organiser Becki Winson, and NEF wellbeing researcher Annie Quick.
If you, or someone you know, have been affected by mental health issues, the following organisations may be able to help:
The Mental Health Foundation provides a guide to Mental Health problems, topical issues and treatment options via their website.
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/
Mind provides advice and support on a range of topics including types of mental health problem, legislation and details of local help and support in England and Wales.
http://www.mind.org.uk/
Phone: 0300 123 3393 (weekday…
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Jan 29, 2019
Why economics needs a rethink
Last week saw a record number of the world's elite flying their private jets to Davos for the World Economic Forum. Oxfam reported that in the 10 years since the financial crisis, the number of billionaires around the world has nearly doubled. It’s fair to say, the economy isn’t working for everyone.
Every week on this podcast we look at a different economic problem and how to solve it, but what if economics itself – the way we teach it, talk about it and think about it – is the real problem?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by three people working to democratise economics and change how it's taught across the country: co-director of Rethinking Economics Maeve Cohen, Chief Exec of Economy Joe Earle, and Polly Trenow from the Women's Budget Group.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music: Podington Bear and Mr Frisby's Beat Pocket, licenced under Creative Commons.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to yo…
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Jan 20, 2019
What's really making the NHS sick?
Two years ago, nurses and doctors warned that the annual NHS winter crisis was now 'the new normal'. In the cold weather, hospitals were overwhelmed by patients that they did not have the space to treat.
But we've had a milder winter this year. Is the same true for the health service? Two weeks ago, the prime minister announced a new 10 year plan for the NHS in England, promising ‘world class’ care. But critics say nothing much has changed – and that the NHS will continue to lurch from crisis to crisis.
This week, we're taking the NHS's temperature with nurse and campaigner Danielle Tiplady, lead organiser of Just Treatment Diarmaid McDonald, and NEF senior researcher Daniel Button.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Read the Just Treatment report: https://justtreatment.org/s/The-Peoples-Prescription-Final-online.pdf
Listen to our previous NHS episode: https://soundcloud.com/weeklyeconomicspodcast/happy-birthday-nhs
Produced by James Shield.…
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Jan 14, 2019
Lexit vs Remain and Reform
Grace Blakeley argues the case for 'Lexit' (a left-wing exit from the European Union) while Laurie Macfarlane thinks 'Remain and Reform' is our best option.
With a vote on the Prime Minister's deal imminent, what are the options? Paul Mason recently described Lexit – the leftwing case for Brexit – as a political fantasy, but is there still a progressive case for leaving the EU? Was there ever one? Or is our best chance to stay in the EU and reform it? Can it even be reformed?
We wanted to get to the bottom of all this, so on this week's podcast are two economists who share the same values but have come to very different positions about Lexit.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music: Podington Bear, Mr Frisby's Beat Pocket, and Jey Row, licenced under Creative Commons.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at ww…
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Dec 22, 2018
Populism (Live) with Jonathan Smucker & Chantal Mouffe
Can populism be progressive, and what role did it play in the US mid-terms this year?
We’ll be back with a brand new series in the new year, but in the meantime we wanted to bring you something a bit different: the best bits from a live event hosted by the New Economy Organisers Network in London in November about progressive populism.
The guests were the political theorist Chantal Mouffe, who literally wrote the book on progressive populism ('For A Left Populism'), and the American campaigner Jonathan Smucker, author of 'Hegemony How-To: A Roadmap for Radicals'. Podcast host Ayeisha Thomas-Smith chaired the debate.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music: Podington Bear, licenced under Creative Commons.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Aug 12, 2018
Summer climate breakdown
We’ve just had a few days of respite from the craziest temperatures, but this summer’s heatwave has felt unusual.
Parks turning to dust and reservoirs running out. Record temperatures and sweeping fires. It feels as though, this summer, we’ve had a glimpse at what our ‘new normal’ might look like. It’s a disaster on a global scale and it’s been taking hold for some time. So why aren’t we in a panic?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Dave Powell, head of environment at the New Economics Foundation, who's been feeling a bit Thom Yorke about it all.
Links:
Dave's NEF blog: 'Climate breakdown: where is the left?'
https://www.neweconomics.org/2018/07/climate-breakdown-where-is-the-left
Dave's Business Green article: 'In praise of mild discombobulation'
https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/opinion/3036945/in-praise-of-mild-discombobulation
Sustainababble - the weekly comedy podcast about the environment that Dave co-hosts with Ollie Hayes:
http://www.sustainababble.fish
Enj…
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Aug 5, 2018
Why the interest rate hike was a bad move
Last week the Bank of England moved interest rates to their highest level in almost a decade. If you’ve got a mortgage, it might get more expensive. If you’ve got savings, you might get a bit more interest on your money.
Does this tell us anything about what the Bank of England thinks is going to happen to the economy? And was it the right decision?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith speaks to Alfie Stirling, head of economics at the New Economics Foundation.
Find Ayeisha's new 4-part BBC Radio 4 series, Economics with Subtitles, on iPlayer Radio: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bf9lbd
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jul 29, 2018
Can populism be progressive?
Jeremy Corbyn and Donald Trump; Erdogan in Turkey and the Five Star Movement in Italy; Podemos in Spain and Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines. All of them have been described as populists. But what does ‘populism’ actually mean? How can it include people with wildly different ideologies under the same umbrella? Is it possible to be a progressive populist – and even if it is, should progressives use that label?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by academic and writer Eliane Glaser, and Michael Walker from Novara Media.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jul 23, 2018
The rise of the data oligarchs
There are troubling signs that the new data-driven economy is inheriting all the same problems as the old one: power imbalances, monopolies and a lack of accountability.
How gloomy should we be? Will technology inevitably lead us to a digital dystopia? Or could there be a whole range of potential futures, some of them shiny and welcoming, others dark and scary?
Hanna Wheatley is joined by New Economics Foundation researcher Duncan McCann, and Carl Miller, research director for the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jul 15, 2018
Brexit: what next?
In between the resignations and the reshuffles, what have we learned about about where Brexit will go next? Much of the focus has been on the response to the deal the prime minister reached with her cabinet at Chequers, but what was in the deal itself? How practical is the government’s position on Brexit? And what are the alternatives?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Marley Morris, senior research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, and Andrew Pendleton, NEF's director of policy and advocacy.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music by Anamorphic Orchestra and Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jul 8, 2018
Is it the end of the road for the high street?
Is British shopping in crisis? Major names are struggling or closing down, nearly 22,000 jobs are at risk, and the UK now has an estimated 1,800 fewer high street shops than it had a year ago.
Are we all just moving online and shopping from our sofas, or is this a sign that our economy might be in deeper trouble? Does Brexit have anything to do with it? Will Greggs be okay?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Krissie Nicolson, founding organiser of the East End Trades Guild, and Will Brett, NEF's director of communications.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music by Yung Kartz, Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jul 1, 2018
Can we tax our way to a cleaner planet?
One of the most fashionable economic ideas of the past decade has been ‘nudge’ theory – the idea that a little prod from government can encourage us to change our behaviour and be better citizens, maybe without even realising it. Meanwhile, good old-fashioned regulation seems to have been decidedly out of favour with recent governments – and leaving the market to just do its thing isn’t all that popular with campaigners.
When it comes to the environment, do all of these approaches have their place? What works best? And are there better or worse ways to make sure our economy doesn’t wreck the planet?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Dave Powell, head of environment at the New Economics Foundation, and Alice Bell, director at climate charity 10:10.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music by Podington Bear and Messer Chups used under Creative Commons licence.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to y…
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Jun 24, 2018
Happy birthday NHS?
Happy birthday, NHS! That was the message from the prime minister last week, as she announced an extra £20bn of funding for the NHS in England by 2023. But is that enough? And where will the money come from?
There’s been talk of a ‘Brexit dividend’ – does that mean the infamous battle bus promise has come true? Or will some of us have to pay more tax to keep our NHS on life support? And whatever happened to fixing our broken social care system?
This week, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Sarah Bedford, head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation, and Andy Cowper, comment editor of the Health Service Journal.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music: The Blank Tapes, Jahzzar and Podington Bear.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jun 17, 2018
One year on from the Grenfell Tower fire
The fire at Grenfell Tower a year ago last week was, above all, a tragedy for its residents, their friends, and their families. It’s also come to symbolise a deeper crisis in British society – at least in the eyes of many people.
On this week's podcast, we’re giving you an update on what we’ve learned since that night; what the inquiry has heard; and the shifting national conversation about Grenfell.
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith speaks to Luke Barratt, business reporter at Inside Housing, and Katya Nasim, a campaigner with the Radical Housing Network.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Jun 10, 2018
Does the Windrush scandal signal the end of Britain's 'hostile environment'?
Papers destroyed by the Home Office. Forced out of work. Denied cancer treatment. Held in detention. Deported. Those are just a few of the terrible stories we’ve heard about the treatment of the Windrush generation over the past few months.
We’ve had a change of Home Secretary, but will there be a change in policy? The government set up a ‘Windrush taskforce’ in April – but will it right these wrongs? And what does the ‘hostile environment’ policy say about the UK’s difficult relationship with its own history?
This week, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Omar Khan, director of the race equality think tank, the Runnymede Trust, and writer and researcher Maya Goodfellow, who is writing a book about the immigration debate in Britain.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
Music: Eklektik Ensemble and Podington Bear.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK'…
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Apr 3, 2018
Universal Basic Income or Universal Basic Services?
Universal basic income – an idea that almost no one had heard of just a few years ago – is now one of the most fashionable concepts in progressive politics. With automation increasing and wages stagnating, the theory is that giving everyone a set amount of money each year will liberate them to do what they want with their lives – and keep them out of poverty.
But some people think universal basic income is a utopian impossibility. Others think it’s dangerous. So there’s a proposal for another solution: universal basic services. Instead of giving people money, why not guarantee all of the public services they need to live a full life?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith explores the two ideas with Barb Jacobson, Co-ordinator of Basic Income UK, and Anna Coote, New Economics Foundation Principal Fellow.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – th…
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Mar 27, 2018
What if Russia cuts off our gas?
A nerve agent attack on an ex-Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury has led to a retaliation by the UK government – expelling diplomats and ramping up a war of words. With Putin winning another huge election victory last week, some people are worried that we’re entering a new Cold War.
Meanwhile, UK gas supplies have run low thanks to the recent winter freeze. What if Russia were to switch off our gas? Has it done it to other countries? And how would we get by?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Dave Powell, who leads on the environment for NEF, and Dustin Benton, Policy Director for the environmental think tank Green Alliance.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Music: Bengale, Eklektik Ensemble, Rockabye Baby, and Prokofiev.
Produced by James Shield.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's people-powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Mar 18, 2018
Can we bring down house prices without crashing the economy?
It’s one of the biggest contradictions in British politics. Across the country, baby boomers who own a house cheer as the value of their property rises. Meanwhile their millennial children watch on in horror, as owning their own home increasingly falls out of their reach.
Politicians talk about building more homes but very few of them talk about directly reducing house prices. If house prices are too high for people to be able to buy houses, how can we bring them down? And can we do it without upsetting homeowners and crashing the economy?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Joe Beswick, who leads on housing for the New Economics Foundation, and housing campaigner Beth Stratford, a PhD researcher at the University of Leeds.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www…
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Mar 11, 2018
Why are university lecturers on strike?
Universities up and down the country have been shutting down as lecturers have walked out, arguing that the changes to their pension schemes could leave them thousands of pounds a year worse off in retirement.
If you don’t know the difference between your defined benefits and your defined contributions, getting your head round the issues can feel like doing an economics PhD before you’ve done your 101. So this week we’re breaking down what the university strikes are all about, and what they tell us about everyone else’s pensions too.
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith speaks to two striking lecturers: Nadine El-Enany, co-director of the Centre for Research on Race and Law at Birkbeck, and SOAS Senate chair Meera Sabaratnam. They are joined by writer and researcher Christine Berry, who is also a postgraduate student at Sheffield University.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
Music: Podington Bear, licenced under Creative…
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Mar 4, 2018
'Middletown, America' with Gary Younge
As the Guardian's US correspondent, Gary Younge documented America’s social and economic challenges, the role of race in the country’s politics, and the deadly consequences of US gun laws. Now the Guardian’s editor-at-large, Gary took an unusual approach to covering the 2016 presidential election, reporting from one small town in Indiana, called Muncie, nicknamed ‘Middletown, America’.
In this week's podcast, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith asks Gary about Middletown today. Can it help explain a US election result that few people predicted? And do we have ‘Middletowns’ in the UK that can help us understand our own political upheaval?
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
Music: Podington Bear and Jahzzar, licenced under Creative Commons.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Feb 27, 2018
Is the Bitcoin boom over?
Technology is transforming the world of money. Or at least that’s what the Bitcoin junkies would have you believe. They say digital currencies have arrived and are about to revolutionise the way we buy things. But recent downturns in their prices have led some to wonder whether digital currencies have fuelled a dangerous speculative bubble that needs to be curbed by regulators. Is the Bitcoin boom over? Or was it just the start for digital currencies?
This week, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Carl Miller from Demos, Fran Boait from Positive Money, and Duncan McCann from NEF.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
Music: A Life in Pictures by David Hilowitz, licenced under Creative Commons.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Feb 20, 2018
What happened to the stock markets? (And does it matter?)
There's been a panic in the stock markets in recent weeks after the Dow Jones plunged more than 1000 points on a single Monday in the first week of February. When the stock market plunges should we all be worried? Or does it only affect those wealthy enough to be trading?
This week, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Frank van Lerven, NEF economist, and Anna Isaac, economics correspondent at The Telegraph.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Feb 11, 2018
Brexit and the People
Brexit dominates the news agenda. But with all the talk of the single market, impact assessments and trade deals, it sometimes feels as if this debate is only happening in the comment pages of newspapers, or the corridors of Westminster. What happened to the people?
The Weekly Economics Podcast is back with a special episode: a discussion we recorded live in London at the end of 2017, between political theorist Maurice Glasman, activist Ruth Ibegbuna, and the academic Rob Ford. The question journalist Mary Riddell put to them was: where are the people in the Brexit debate?
Plus: Ayeisha Thomas-Smith gives an update on CabFair, our plan to create an ethical alternative to Uber.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Simon Mathewson and Podington Bear.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out m…
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Nov 26, 2017
Budget Special 2017
Chancellor Philip Hammond got out his red box out again last week, to let us know how the country's finances are – or aren't – holding up, and what the Government's going to be doing with its money this year.
The headlines were mixed, so what should our take-away be?
Will the Chancellor's proposals be enough to make our economy "fit for the future"? And with Brexit looming, is the Government doing enough to deal with the country's economic problems?
This week, David Powell is joined by Kate Bell, Head of Economic and Social Affairs at the Trades Union Congress, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, the new CEO of the New Economics Foundation.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Nov 19, 2017
Will Brexit boost Britain's fishing industry?
Pro-Brexit campaigners have argued leaving the EU means Britain can "take control" of its fisheries. But what does Brexit really mean for fishing communities, and for the future of our fish stocks?
This week, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Fernanda Balata, Senior Programme Lead for Coastal Economies at the New Economics Foundation, Griffin Carpenter, NEF Senior Researcher, and James Wilson, a mussel farmer in Bangor, North Wales.
We also ask NEF Principal Director for Policy and Advocacy Andrew Pendleton for his predictions and expectations of this week's budget.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
This week's music:
Dolphin by Candlegravity http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Candlegravity/Dolphin/
Fishing by David Szesztay http://freemusicarchive.org/music/David_Szesztay/Acoustic_Guitar/Fishing
Lilywhite by Podington Bear http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Background/Lilywhite
The award-winning We…
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Nov 12, 2017
How will Brexit affect our lives?
The single market. The customs union. Making a deal with the EU or leaving on WTO terms. There’s a lot of jargon to contend with when we’re discussing the economics of Brexit.
Sometimes it feels like we get so caught up in pretending we know what it all means that we forget to talk about the impact it’s going to have on people’s everyday lives.
When we leave the EU, will some people lose their jobs? Will the things we buy become more expensive? Will businesses do better or worse under new trading rules?
This week, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Annie Quick, Subject Lead for Inequality at the New Economics Foundation and Sam Lowe, who leads on trade and Brexit at Friends of the Earth.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Nov 6, 2017
From the archive: Are robots already stealing our jobs?
Politicians and economists have increasingly been talking about the risks of a future where robots make all of our jobs obsolete. But is that future already upon us?
And in the meantime, are big companies using technology to create 21st century workhouses with bad conditions and even worse pay?
In this episode from the archives, Stefan Baskerville, NEF’s Principal Director for Unions and Business, joins podcast regulars Alice Martin and Annie Quick to tackle the big issues – and the threat of robots revolting…
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
To find out more about how we're working to build a fairer alternative to Uber and to support our Crowdfunder, click here: http://bit.ly/2y9DISw
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Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Oct 30, 2017
Can we do better than Uber?
Last month, Transport for London announced it was withdrawing ride-hailing firm Uber's license to operate in the capital.
Despite complaints over passenger safety and poor treatment of drivers, many Londoners came to Uber's defence, valuing its convenience. But what if we could build something better than Uber – something that is just as convenient and competitive on price, but treats its passengers and drivers with respect?
This week host Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by NEF's Principal Director for Unions and Business, Stefan Baskerville, and researcher Duncan McCann.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Oct 23, 2017
Is there a political divide between cities and towns? with Lisa Nandy MP
A characteristic feature of British society in 2017 is division. Leavers are pitched against Remainers, young against old, graduates against non-graduates. But perhaps the starkest way of understanding social division in the UK is to consider the places where people live.
A new report by the New Economics Foundation and Professor Will Jennings shows how electoral divisions have opened up between towns and cities in England.
To explore this more, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is this week joined by Lisa Nandy MP and Will Brett, Director of News and Media at NEF.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Oct 16, 2017
Will England ban fracking too?
After its recent ban in Scotland, fracking is firmly back on the media and political agendas.
But is fracking a necessary economics boost for the country, or an environmental disaster we should avoid at all costs?
This week host Ayeisha Thomas-Smith welcomes back NEF’s Environment Lead, David Powell alongside Weekly Economics Podcast newbie Hanna Wheatley, Researcher at NEF.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Oct 8, 2017
Did the party conferences have any answers?
We’re in the midst of political party conference season and we've already had more headlines and drama than most years...
But apart from politicos and journalists gossiping about party splits, are the party conferences actually offering any answers to the problems this country faces?
Lots of the headlines have been about internal disagreements in Labour and the Conservative party, but what have they and the other parties had to say about housing, Brexit, investment, our environment and the pound in your pocket?
This week host Ayeisha Thomas-Smith welcomes back NEF’s Senior Economist, Sara Mahmoud and Principal Director, Policy and Advocacy Andrew Pendleton.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org
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Oct 6, 2017
Class
This week we're bringing you something a bit different - the first episode of a new podcast miniseries from our friends at the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (or CLASS for short).
It's called CLASS on Class, and made by the same production team behind the Weekly Economics Podcast. Dr Faiza Shaheen presents an attempt to move past the superficial discussion of class politics we’ve had in Britain since the Brexit vote, featuring an all-star collection of guests.
If you enjoyed this episode, you can find the rest of the 3-part CLASS on Class miniseries here:
Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/class-on-class/id1284525511?mt=2
Soundcloud: http://bit.ly/2xmflEy
Ayeisha will be back as normal with a new series of the Weekly Economics Podcast next week.
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Sep 13, 2017
How do we empower people to take action on climate change?
As large swathes of the Caribbean have been left devastated by Hurricane Irma, the issue of climate change is once again back on the global news agenda.
It’s easy to feel defeated when the environmental crises we face are so immediate and huge. But action is urgently needed.
In this special edition of the Weekly Economics Podcast (recorded before Irma took place), we explore some of the possible solutions, debate what real action looks like and how those most affected can be the most powerful agents for change.
David Powell, Environment Lead at the New Economics Foundation, takes over hosting duties and is joined by Alice Bell, Director of Communications at 10:10, and Asad Rehman, Executive Director at War on Want.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics…
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Aug 7, 2017
Will selling off public land make the housing crisis worse?
The housing crisis is a hot topic at the moment. We often talk about who can buy, sell and rent houses - and how much they cost - but we rarely talk about the land beneath them.
Lots of land in the UK is owned by the government and local authorities - public land. But a load of it is being sold off, from old hospitals to sites owned by the Ministry of Defence. The government says that we should sell it to developers to build houses on to deal with the housing shortage. But is that really happening? Is selling off our public land really helping to solve the housing crisis?
This week host Ayeisha Thomas-Smith welcomes back NEF’s Subject Lead on Housing, Alice Martin, to talk us through these thorny questions. She’s joined by NEF researcher Duncan McCann and journalist and author Dawn Foster, both experts on the issues of housing and land.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation…
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Jul 30, 2017
What should the UK's industrial strategy look like?
For years ‘industrial strategy’ wasn’t talked about at all. But the phrase has recently made a comeback. The government thinks there are some ‘long term challenges’ for the economy in this country, and they need to get involved to do something about them.
Host Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by NEF's Senior Economist Sara Mahmoud and Will Brett, NEF's Director of News and Media, to discuss exactly what these challenges are, and to address the question: what should the UK’s industrial strategy look like?
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Jul 23, 2017
Could personal debt cause another recession?
Personal debt is at record levels with one in six of us at risk of a debt crisis.
Credit cards, overdrafts and payday loans are propping up households across the country as wages continue to fall in real terms. And many people are struggling under the pressure of paying back what they owe.
But what is the effect on the wider economy? And what should we do about it?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is back with us this week and is joined by Sarah Lyall, NEF's Social Policy Lead and special guest Dr Jo Michell, Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of the West of England.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Jul 16, 2017
Who gains from big data?
Big data. It’s one of those terms that’s far more widely used than it is understood. What is it? And just as importantly – who benefits from it?
To get the full picture on big data, we are joined this week by a special guest – Will Davies, Director of the Political Economy Research Centre and a Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. Our regular host Ayeisha Thomas-Smith returns next week – so Will Brett, NEF’s Director of News and Media, steps into the role of host. They talk about the impact of big data on how we understand society, and on how we experience the world of work.
Also joining the discussion are NEF’s Stefan Baskerville, Director of Unions and Business and Alice Martin, Subject Lead for Housing and Work.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Found…
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Jul 9, 2017
Will the 'Great' Repeal Bill really mean we 'take back control'?
The latest episode of the Weekly Economics Podcast asks whether The Great Repeal Bill will mean we 'take back control' of our laws.
Stepping in for our host Ayeisha Thomas-Smith this week is producer Huw Jordan, who will be trying to make sense of the 'Great' Repeal Bill and the legal tangle of Britain leaving the EU. He'll be joined by Dave Powell, who leads on NEF's environment work, and special guest Karla Hill, Programme Director at ClientEarth.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Jul 3, 2017
Can we save the planet despite Trump?
What more does the environment have to do to become an election issue?
Joining our host Ayeisha Thomas-Smith this week are Dave Powell, Subject Lead on Environment at the New Economics Foundation, Fernanda Balata, who leads NEF's work on coastal economies and Andrew Pendleton, Principal Director of Policy and Advocacy at NEF to discuss the environment, the election and the prospects for saving our planet.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Jun 25, 2017
What next for the NHS and social care?
6 out of 10 of us now think the NHS is one of the biggest issues facing Britain - the highest level of concern for 15 years.
This week we're joined by Allyson Pollock, Director of the Institute of Health and Society at Newcastle University, Sarah Lyall, Social Policy Lead at the New Economics Foundation and James Shield, who (when he's not producing the Weekly Economics Podcast) is Senior Policy Analyst at Macmillan Cancer Support to discuss the NHS, Social Care and more.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Jun 18, 2017
Did economics swing the election? with Stephen Bush
Elections are supposed to be won and lost on economics. But in the recent general election here in the UK, interrupted by terrorist attacks in Manchester and London and coming a year after the EU referendum, some people have said that the economy had dropped down the agenda.
But is that true?
What role did the economy really play in the election and what are the economic consequences of the result?
This week we're joined by the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush, NEF’s Principal Director of Policy and Advocacy, Andrew Pendleton, and Senior Economist at NEF, Sara Mahmoud.
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Apr 9, 2017
Are Robots Already Stealing Our Jobs?
Politicians and economists have increasingly been talking about the risks of a future where robots make all of our jobs obsolete. But is that future already upon us?
And in the meantime, are big companies using technology to create 21st century workhouses with bad conditions and even worse pay?
Joining Ayeisha this week are Stefan Baskerville, NEF's Principal Director for Unions and Business, and familiar faces Alice Martin and Annie Quick.
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This is the last episode in our current series, but we'll be back soon! In the meantime, we always love to hear from you - tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Apr 2, 2017
Power and Devolution
The triggering of Article 50 has dominated the news this week, and NEF Chief Executive Marc Stears makes a special guest appearance to give his take on what is in store as the process unfolds.
Also on the agenda is devolution. Rachel Laurence and Annie Quick join Laurie Macfarlane to discuss inequality, democracy and the North/South divide.
Tune in for all of this, plus our guests' predictions for what lies ahead on the political horizon…
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Mar 26, 2017
Solving the Housing Crisis
Britain is in the grips of a full blown housing crisis. Even if you're not struggling to meet your mortgage payments or at the mercy of a dodgy landlord, the UK's debt-fuelled property boom isn't good news for any of us.
But guess what? There's a solution!
Alice Martin, our resident housing expert, is back with us this week. Tune in for an amazing campaign win on Britain's Land Registry, why now probably isn't the time to be flogging off acres of old hospital sites, and the hottest sport of the moment - cricket (allegedly).
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Mar 19, 2017
Article 50
Breaking: Article 50 will be triggered on Wednesday 29 March, kick-starting the formal, two-year process of Britain's departure from the EU.
That's what we're talking about this week. How will the negotiations play out? Can we expect big ructions in global financial markets? What will the biggest issues be and how will they be resolved?
Tune in for all our regular features and analysis, including the shifting shopping habits of Britain's hipsters...
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Mar 12, 2017
Budget 2017
Last week was the Spring Budget, and as ever, we had experts from NEF on hand to cast a critical eye over the Chancellor’s announcements. Is the UK’s economic forecast as sunny as Philip Hammond would have us believe?
On top of our usual features and analysis, tune in to hear whether our guests are as sartorially clairvoyant as they are economically clued up…
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Mar 6, 2017
Trumponomics
We're back and kicking off our new series with President Trump - the end of economics as we know it, or Republican business as usual?
Our new presenter, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith, is joined by New Economics Foundation regulars Alice Martin, Laurie Macfarlane and Stephen Devlin. As well as Trump, we talk news from the last week and get some expert predictions on the upcoming Budget.
Tune in to find out why Mexico might want to nationalise Twitter, and the bad news ahead for Britain's vending machines...
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Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
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Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Feb 2, 2017
Podcast Update
A message from Huw and James at the Weekly Economics Podcast - we need your help!
Over the last two years the podcast has gone from strength to strength, and we want to come back bigger and better than ever in 2017.
Help us do that by filling out a short, 5 minute survey. Link's below, and we'll love you forever if you fill it out!
Thanks so much for all your support, and we'll be back soon.
www.neweconomics.org/podcastsurvey
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Dec 25, 2016
A Very Northern Christmas Special… and Kirsty's last show!
The final episode of the year and Kirsty's last show as she moves on to a new job in Manchester! Programme editor Huw Jordan chats to Kirsty about the highlights and lowlights during her two years hosting the Weekly Economics Podcast, with a little help from her niece Emily.
Featuring contributions from Olivier Vardakoulias, Caroline Lucas MP, John Hilary, James Meadway, Steve Keen, Faiza Shaheen, Christine Berry, Dan Vockins, Jacqui Howard, Yuan Yang, Emily Kenway, Mika Minio-Paluello and Alice Martin.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Huw Jordan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/huwjordan
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. To support our work please give £15 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org.
See you again in 2017!
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Dec 18, 2016
Really Take Control: The Future of Migration
How do we combat hate and racism in British society and really take control of the agenda around migration in 2017?
Marc Stears, Chief Executive at the New Economics Foundation, is joined by Nazek Ramadan of Migrant Voice and John Page from Hope Not Hate.
This is the final episode of a special six-part series asking how we can create a new economy where people can really take control of their lives.
The New Economics Foundation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NEF
Marc Stears on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mds49
Nazek Ramadan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NazekRamadan
John Page on Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnpage10
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Comfort Fit and Podington Bear.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
To support our work please give £15 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org.
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Dec 11, 2016
Really Take Control: Coastal Communities
Britain's coastal communities registered some of the strongest votes for Brexit back in June. How can we really give them control of their lives, economies and natural resources?
This week Kirsty is joined by NEF's Fernanda Balata, Blue New Deal project lead, and Andrew Binnie of COAST (Community of Arran Seabed Trust).
Part of a special six-part series asking how we can create a new economy where people can really take control of their lives.
The New Economics Foundation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NEF
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Fernanda Balata on Twitter: https://twitter.com/febalata
COAST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArranCoast
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
To support the show please give £5 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org/podcast.
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Dec 4, 2016
Really Take Control: Housing
Have we lost control of housing in the UK and how do we really take control of the places we live? With Seb Klier and Alice Martin.
Part of a special six-part series asking how we can create a new economy where people can really take control of their lives.
The New Economics Foundation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NEF
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
St Ann's Redevelopment Trust on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StARTharingey
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Comfort Fit.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
To support the show please give £5 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org/podcast.
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Nov 27, 2016
Really Take Control: Work
How can we really take control of work and our working lives? With Elly Baker and Duncan McCann.
Part of a special six-part series asking how we can create a new economy where people can really take control of their lives.
The New Economics Foundation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NEF
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Duncan McCann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DuncanMcCann4
Elly Baker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ellyannab
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Comfort Fit.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
To support the show please give £5 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org/podcast.
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Nov 20, 2016
Really Take Control: Environment
How can we really take control of our environment in a post-Brexit world? With Ruth Davis and David Powell.
Part of a special six-part series asking how we can create a new economy where people can really take control of their lives.
The New Economics Foundation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NEF
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Dave Powell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/powellds
Ruth Davis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ruthdavis27
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the New Economics Foundation is Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Comfort Fit.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
To support the show please give £5 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org/podcast.
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Nov 13, 2016
Really Take Control
'Take back control' has been the slogan of the year.
But what does it mean? Who's got control now? And how can we create a new economy where people can really take control of their lives?
Christine Berry, Principal Director for Policy and Government at the New Economics Foundation, joins Kirsty to discuss the Foundation's new agenda for change.
The New Economics Foundation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NEF
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for the Foundation is Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Comfort Fit.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
To support the show please give £5 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org/podcast.
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Nov 7, 2016
Preview: Really Take Control
'Take back control' has been the slogan of the year.
But what does it mean? Who's got control now? And how can we create a new economy where people can really take control of their lives?
Tune in next Monday for the start of this special six-part series.
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Sep 25, 2016
Marc Stears: Economics And The Crisis Of Democracy
People all over the UK have lost belief in our democracy as a way of solving their problems. But why have so many people lost faith? And how do we go about rebuilding it?
Marc Stears, Chief Executive of NEF, joins Kirsty for our last episode of the series.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Marc Stears on Twitter: twitter.com/mds49
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Crayon Mortel, Podington Bear and Free Soul School Switzerland.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Sep 18, 2016
Is Farming Destroying Nature?
The latest State of Nature report, released last week, revealed UK species are becoming increasingly endangered. But what's to blame?
NEF's David Powell joins Kirsty to explain.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
David Powell on Twitter: twitter.com/powellds
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Podington Bear and Kai Engel.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Sep 11, 2016
Faiza Shaheen: Is Sports Direct Changing Its Ways?
With Sports Direct last week announcing plans to ban notorious zero-hour contracts and improve workers' representation, is big business about to change its ways?
Dr Faiza Shaheen, Director of think tank Class, joins Kirsty this week.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Faiza Shaheen on Twitter: twitter.com/faizashaheen
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Podington Bear and Franco Luzzi.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Sep 4, 2016
Apple, Tax and the G20
Last week Apple was ordered to pay up to £11bn in fines over a sweetheart tax deal with Ireland.
But did they actually break the law? Who was at fault? And why should it matter to the rest of us?
Natasha Adams, Tax Campaign Manager at ActionAid, joins Kirsty to explain.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Natasha Adams on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tashahester
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Nick Thorburn, Lyndon Scarfe and Podington Bear.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Aug 29, 2016
Should We Start Counting The Work We Do For Free?
The latest GDP figures were out last week, but how would they be different if we starting measuring unpaid work?
Polly Trenow joins Kirsty to discuss.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Polly Trenow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pollytrenow
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Music this week is by TV Girl, Podington Bear and Donnie Ozone.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Aug 21, 2016
Deliveroo Drivers Strike
What does the Deliveroo drivers' strike mean for the future of the sharing economy - and the future of work?
Alice Martin, economy and finance researcher at NEF, is interviewed by guest host Ellie Mae O'Hagan.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Ellie Mae O'Hagan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/misselliemae
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Music this week is by Crayon Mortel, Podington Bear and The Crypts.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Aug 14, 2016
Hinkley Point C
Is it all over for the UK's first new nuclear power station in two decades?
This week's special guest is NEF's David Powell.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Music this week by Zreen Toyz, Podington Bear and Tuff Darts.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Aug 7, 2016
Can The Bank Of England Prevent Another Recession?
The Bank of England have cut interest rates and announced more quantitative easing to avoid a post-Brexit economic slowdown. Will it be enough?
Kirsty is joined this week by Fran Boait, Director of Positive Money.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Fran Boait on Twitter: www.twitter.com/franboait
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Music this week is by Podington Bear and Heavy Links.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Jul 31, 2016
The End Of Free Movement?
Does Brexit really mean the end of free movement of people between the UK and the rest of the EU? And what are the possible consequences for the UK economy?
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Olivier Vardakoulias on Twitter: www.twitter.com/o_vardakoulias
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Music this week is by Candlegravity and Podington Bear.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Jul 24, 2016
What Is The New Government's Economic Plan?
New Prime Minister, new cabinet, new economic strategy?
Laurie Macfarlane, Economist at the New Economics Foundation, joins Kirsty to predict what Theresa May and Philip Hammond have planned for the UK economy.
Recorded on Thursday 21 July, 2016.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Laurie MacFarlane on Twitter: www.twitter.com/L__Macfarlane
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
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Jun 26, 2016
Brexit
Recorded on the Monday after the Brexit vote, NEF economist Olivier Vardakoulias joins Kirsty to talk about what happens next.
Help the show by leaving a review: www.getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Recorded on Monday 27 June, 2016.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Olivier Vardakoulias on Twitter: www.twitter.com/o_vardakoulias
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Ross Haig.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear and Origamibro.
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Jun 19, 2016
EU Referendum Debate, with Caroline Lucas MP and John Hilary
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and John Hilary, Executive Director of War On Want, join Kirsty for our first debate, on the EU Referendum, taking place this Thursday 23rd June.
Recorded on Monday 13 June, 2016.
Transcript available at: www.jshield.co.uk/post/146268134305
Help the show by leaving a review: www.getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
John Hilary on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jhilary
Caroline Lucas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarolineLucas
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear.
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Jun 12, 2016
Inventing The Future: Universal Basic Income and Automation
Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams, authors of Inventing the Future, join Kirsty to discuss the possibility of a future without work.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Nick Srnicek on Twitter: www.twitter.com/n_srnck
Alex Williams on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lemonbloodycola
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Help the show by leaving a review: www.getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Quiet Music for Tiny Robots, Podington Bear and David Hilowitz.
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Jun 5, 2016
Fully Automated Luxury Communism
Novara Media's Aaron Bastani joins Kirsty to discuss his ideas about technology, the future of work and Fully Automated Luxury Communism.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Aaron Bastani on Twitter: www.twitter.com/aaronbastani
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Help the show by leaving a review: www.getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music this week is by Podington Bear, Juanitos, and Quiet Music for Tiny Robots.
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May 30, 2016
What Next For Tata Steel?
NEF economist Olivier Vardakoulias chats to Alice Martin about the government's options for the UK steel industry.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Olivier Vardakoulias on Twitter: www.twitter.com/o_vardakoulias
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Help the show by leaving a review: www.getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music this week is by Kosta T, Podington Bear and Paper Navy.
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May 22, 2016
TTIP
Sakina Sheikh, from Students Against TTIP, joins Kirsty to shed light on the secretive new trade deal.
NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef
Sakina Sheikh on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sakinazs
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Programme editor for NEF: Alex Jones.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music this week is by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
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May 15, 2016
Anti-Corruption Summit
Kirsty chats to the Fair Tax Mark's Emily Kenway about last week's anti-corruption summit and tackling tax avoidance, following the Panama Papers leak.
Help the show by leaving a review: www.getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Emily Kenway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/emilykenway
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music this week is by MIT Symphony Orchestra, Public Enemy and Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
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May 8, 2016
Elections 2016
Kirsty chats to Laurie MacFarlane, Economist at NEF, about the economic consequences of last week's elections across the UK.
Help the show by leaving a review: www.getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Laurie MacFarlane on Twitter: www.twitter.com/L__Macfarlane
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music this week is by Wellington Sea Shanty Society and Podington Bear.
www.wellingtonseashantysociety.com
www.soundofpicture.com
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May 2, 2016
Special: Ecuador
We're back with a special report from Ecuador - the little country that's doing things differently. It's the first of our Weekly Economics Podcast Stories, taking a deeper look at an idea that's caught our eye.
Please see the following links for ways you can help earthquake relief efforts in Ecuador:
www.crowdfunder.co.uk/sos-ecuador
www.oxfam.org.uk/ecuador
www.unicef.org.uk/Ecuador-Donation
https://donate.unhcr.org/gb-en/ecuador-earthquake
http://www.care.org/newsroom/press/press-releases/earthquake-ecuador
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Presented by Kirsty Styles. With guests Dan Vockins and Jacqui Howard. Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Help the show by leaving a review: www.getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
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Music by:
Revolution Void
www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Revolu…cs_of_Desire
Unknown tonada and albazo pieces by unknown Ecuadorian artists via Daniel Lofredo Rota
www.soundsandcolours.com/articles/ecuador/episode-5-musica-popular-ecuatoriana-29518/
Broke For Fr…
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Apr 18, 2016
From The Archive: Feminist Economics
We revisit an old episode with special guest Polly Trenow from the Women's Budget Group, who chats to Kirsty about feminist economics.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Polly Trenow on Twitter: twitter.com/polly_trenow
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Women's Budget Group: www.wbg.org.uk
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
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Mar 27, 2016
Preview: Ecuador
We're taking a break for the next three weeks to recharge our batteries and work on something a little bit special.
It's the first of our Weekly Economics Podcast Stories - taking a deeper look at an idea that's caught our eye.
Tune in on 18th April for a special report from Ecuador - the little country that's doing things differently. Here's a cheeky preview.
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Presented by Kirsty Styles. With guests Dan Vockins and Jacqui Howard. Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Help the show by leaving a review: http://getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Music by Los Amparito.
http://losamparito.bandcamp.com
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Mar 20, 2016
Budget 2016
Kirsty chats to Josh Ryan-Collins, Associate Director of Economy & Finance at NEF, about George Osborne's latest Budget.
Help the show by leaving a review: http://getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Josh Ryan-Collins on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jryancollins
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Alex Jones.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music this week is by Podington Bear.
www.soundofpicture.com
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Mar 13, 2016
Energy Democracy: Switched On London
What's wrong with the UK's current energy system? How could we make it more democratic?
Mika Minio-Paluello from Platform talks about the Switched on London campaign.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear and Johnny Ripper used under Creative Commons licence.
www.soundofpicture.com
www.freemusicarchive.org/music/johnny_ripper
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Mar 6, 2016
The End of Growth?
Can our economies keep growing? If not, what next?
This week Kirsty speaks with Olivier Vardakoulias, economist at NEF.
Help the show by leaving a review: http://getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Chris Zabriskie, Podington Bear and Johnny Ripper used under Creative Commons licence.
www.chriszabriskie.com
www.soundofpicture.com
www.freemusicarchive.org/music/johnny_ripper
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Feb 28, 2016
Banks: Back To Business As Usual?
Last week was results week for the UK's big banks. Has anything changed since we bailed them out? Christine Berry, Senior Researcher at NEF, joins Kirsty to discuss.
Help the show by leaving a review: http://getpodcast.reviews/id/970353148
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Johnny Ripper and Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
www.freemusicarchive.org/music/johnny_ripper
www.soundofpicture.com
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Feb 21, 2016
Richard Murphy: Tax and Google
This week Kirsty is joined by tax expert Richard Murphy to discuss the UK's tax system and how companies like Google are able to avoid paying into it.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Macaw, Silence is Sexy, and Podington Bear.
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Feb 14, 2016
Lord Adair Turner: Between Debt and the Devil
This week Kirsty is joined by Lord Adair Turner, former Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, to talk about the UK's low interest rates and problems with household debt.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear and Jahzzar used under Creative Commons licence.
www.podingtonbear.com
www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar
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Feb 7, 2016
Junior Doctors' Strike
This week Kirsty is joined by junior doctor Ben Bouquet to talk about the strikes planned for this week, and the challenges faced by the NHS.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear and Jahzzar used under Creative Commons licence.
www.podingtonbear.com
www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar
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Jan 31, 2016
Does GDP Tell The Full Story?
GDP grew by 0.5% in the last quarter of 2015 - but what does that mean, and is it even the right thing to measure? Kirsty chats to Juliet Michaelson, associate director of the wellbeing team at the New Economics Foundation.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
www.podingtonbear.com
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Jan 24, 2016
Faiza Shaheen: Inequality
The world's richest 62 people now own as much wealth as the poorest 50%, according to a new report released by Oxfam. But what are we measuring when we talk about wealth and inequality? Why does it matter? And what can we do about it? Kirsty chats to Dr Faiza Shaheen.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Faiza Shaheen Twitter: www.twitter.com/faizashaheen
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
www.podingtonbear.com
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Jan 17, 2016
Will There Be Another Economic Crash In 2016?
Back for a new series, Kirsty Styles asks economist Olivier Vardakoulias from the New Economics Foundation whether the rumours of another economic crash in 2016 are true.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Olivier Vardakoulias Twitter: www.twitter.com/o_vardakoulias
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear and Christian Bjoerklund used under Creative Commons licence.
www.podingtonbear.com
www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Christian_Bjoerklund
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Dec 6, 2015
Christmas Special: Review of 2015
In the final episode of the year, the tables are turned as Jessie Barnard interviews Kirsty about the economic highlights and lowlights of 2015. A surprise guest makes a special appearance.
Featuring contributions from James Meadway, Christine Berry, Olivier Vardakoulias, Ewa Karwowski, Yuan Yang, and the Sustainababble team.
(And thanks to the Observer's Miranda Sawyer for coining the 'lively and engaging' phrase: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jun/14/radio-review-eddie-mair-robert-peston-julian-barnes-beats1)
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Jessie Barnard on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Jessie_Barnard
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by United States Marine Band, Scott…
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Nov 29, 2015
Spending Review
To support the show and help us come back for another series in the New Year, please give £5 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org/podcast.
Chancellor George Osborne set out his long term economic plan for the third time this year in last week's Comprehensive Spending Review. Kirsty runs through the numbers with economist Yuan Yang.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Yuan Yang Twitter: www.twitter.com/YuanfenYang
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
www.podingtonbear.com
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Nov 22, 2015
Flying
To support the show and help us come back for another series in the New Year, please give £5 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org/podcast.
This week, Leo Murray from the campaign 'A Free Ride' joins Kirsty Styles to talk about airport expansion in the UK, and its link to the economy.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
A Free Ride on Twitter: www.twitter.com/a_free_ride
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Archival clips from the 1936 London Films documentary 'Conquest Of The Air'. Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
www.podingtonbear.com
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Nov 15, 2015
Special Guests: Sustainababble
In a special double-length episode, guests Dave Powell and Oli Hayes from comedy podcast Sustainababble join Kirsty to talk about the government's environmental policy — both nationally and internationally — and how it's intrinsically linked with economics.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Sustainababble on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebabblewagon
Sustainababble on the web: www.sustainababble.fish
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear (www.podingtonbear.com) used under Creative Commons licence. Sustainababble theme by Dicky Moore from Bearcraft and Dream Themes.
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Nov 8, 2015
Bank Of England
To support the show and help us come back for another series in the New Year, please give £5 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org/podcast.
This week, Josh Ryan-Collins from NEF's Economy & Finance team joins Kirsty Styles to explain the Bank of England and its role in the UK economy. Also, Batman.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Josh Ryan-Collins on Twitter: twitter.com/jryancollins
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Thanks to Jessie Barnard for reading the credits again this week.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons licence.
www.podingtonbear.com
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Nov 1, 2015
People's QE
This week Kirsty's joined by Fran Boait, Director of Positive Money, to talk about people's quantitative easing. Why is it different to other QE? Isn't it just printing money? Would it help or hinder our economy?
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Fran Boait on Twitter: https://twitter.com/franboait
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear and Waylon Thornton.
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Oct 25, 2015
China
To support the show and help us come back for another series in the New Year, please give £5 or whatever you can afford at www.neweconomics.org/podcast.
In this week's episode, regular contributor and chief economist at the New Economics Foundation, James Meadway, returns to chat to Kirsty about last week's state visit from China and what it means for the UK economy.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Thanks to Jessie Barnard for reading the credits this week!
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear (www.soundofpicture.com) and Origamibiro (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/origamibiro) used under Creative Commons Licence.
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Oct 18, 2015
Government Debt
Kirsty chats to special guest Ewa Karwowski, lecturer in economics at Kingston University, about government debt, and the Charter for Budget Responsibility, approved by MPs in parliament last week.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Ewa Karwowski on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ewakarwowski
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
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Oct 11, 2015
Steve Keen: Part 2 - Stopping The Next Crash
In the second of a two-part interview Kirsty chats to special guest Professor Steve Keen, Head of Economics, History and Politics at Kingston University, about the likelihood of another economic crash and how we can stop that from happening.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Steve Keen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/profstevekeen
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Krackatoa (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/krackatoa), Silence Is Sexy (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Silence_Is_Sexy) and Podington Bear (http://www.soundofpicture.com) used under Creative Commons Licence.
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Oct 4, 2015
Steve Keen: Part 1 - Predicting The Crash
Back from our break, in the first of a two-part interview Kirsty chats to super special guest Professor Steve Keen, Head of Economics, History and Politics at Kingston University, about how he predicted the 2008 economic crash and whether we’re on the road to another one.
Part two with Steve Keen on stopping the next economic crash is out on Monday 12 October.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Steve Keen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/profstevekeen
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear and Christian Bjoerklund used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence
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Sep 13, 2015
Trade Unions
Kirsty chats to special guest Alice Martin, researcher at the New Economics Foundation, about trade unions.
Kirsty and James are back on 5th October with more special guests.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
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Sep 6, 2015
Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism #6: The Alternatives
In the final episode of a special six-part series for the Weekly Economics Podcast, Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Chief Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about alternatives to neoliberalism.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Christian Bjoerklund (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Christian_Bjoerklund), Oskar Schuster (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Oskar_Schuster) and Broke For Free (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free) used under Creative Commons Licence.
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Aug 30, 2015
Bank Holiday Special: Shorter Working Week
Kirsty and James are away for the bank holiday, but the show must go on. Guest host Polly Trenow is joined by Sarah Lyall, NEF social policy researcher, to talk about how shorter, more flexible hours of work could be transformative for our economy and society.
Next week, Kirsty and James return with the final episode of our six-part Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism miniseries. Catch up with previous episodes in your podcast app of choice or on SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/weeklyeconomicspodcast/sets/neoliberalism
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Sarah Lyall on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarahglyall
Polly Trenow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/polly_trenow
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons BY-NC Li…
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Aug 23, 2015
Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism #5: The End of History?
In the penultimate episode of a special six-part series for the Weekly Economics Podcast, Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Chief Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about how neoliberalism lives on today.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by sanmi (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/sanmi) and Hogan Grip (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Hogan_Grip) used under Creative Commons Licence.
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Aug 16, 2015
Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism #4: Acceptable in the 80s
In the fourth of a special series for the Weekly Economics Podcast, Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Chief Economist at the New Economics Foundation about how neoliberalism took hold in the UK in the 1980s.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
James Meadway on Twitter:www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Chris Zabriskie (www.chriszabriskie.com), sanmi (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/sanmi) and Christian Bjoerklund (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Christian_Bjoerklund) used under Creative Commons Licence.
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Aug 9, 2015
Power Failure
What's at fault with our energy system? Kirsty Styles is joined by Stephen Devlin, Natural Resource Economist at the New Economics Foundation to find out.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Music credits this week are Podington Bear as usual and Candlegravity, used under Creative Commons Licence (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Candlegravity/).
Photo credit: Simon Grubb (https://www.flickr.com/people/mrgrubb/)
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Aug 2, 2015
Resilience and the Crash
Financial system resilience - what is it, and why does it matter? Should we be worried about another crash?
Kirsty Styles chats to Josh Ryan-Collins, Associate Director of Economy & Finance at NEF, to find out.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Josh Ryan-Collins on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jryancollins
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Alex Jones
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear (www.podingtonbear.com) and Flex Vector (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Flex_Vector) used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence
Image by WhatNot, via Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/whatknot/2804669838/
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Jul 26, 2015
Great Housing Crisis
Kirsty Styles is joined by economist Mary Robertson to chat about the origins of the accelerating UK housing crisis and how we can tackle it.
Kirsty also discovers why building societies are called "building societies" and makes some ornithological observations.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Alex Jones
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music courtesy of Apple; Podington Bear, under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com; and Macaw, used under Creative Commons Licence www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Macaw.
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Jul 19, 2015
Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism #3: World Domination
In the third of a special series for the Weekly Economics Podcast, Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Chief Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about our economic system, the difference between capitalism and neoliberalism and how neoliberalism came to dominate modern day economics.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
James Meadway on Twitter:www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Chris Zabriskie (www.chriszabriskie.com), sanmi (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/sanmi/) and Christian Bjoerklund (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Christian_Bjoerklund/) used under Creative Commons Licence.
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Jul 12, 2015
Summer Budget
Who are the winners and losers from George Osborne's latest Budget? Ross Haig talks to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, to find out.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Ross Haig.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
Soundcloud image for this episode by HM Treasury, used under Creative Commons Licence https://www.flickr.com/photos/hmtreasury/4724009467/
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Jul 5, 2015
Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism #2: House that Hayek Built
In the second of a special series for the Weekly Economics Podcast, Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation about how the once obscure ideas of theorist Friedrich Hayek moved from the fringe to the mainstream, ushering in the age of neoliberalism.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Chris Zabriskie (www.chriszabriskie.com) and sanmi (www.freemusicarchive.org/music/sanmi/) used under Creative Commons Licence.
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Jun 28, 2015
Greek Myth
As the Greece crisis deepens, Kirsty Styles chats to economist Olivier Vardakoulias about how we got here and what happens next.
We revisit Greece this week following our 2 March 2015 episode, 'Does Greece need a plan B?'. You can catch up or listen again here:
https://soundcloud.com/weeklyeconomicspodcast/ep-3-does-greece-need-a-plan-b
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Alex Jones
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at:
www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
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Jun 22, 2015
Rethinking Economics
Kirsty chats to special guest Yuan Yang, co-founder of Rethinking Economics, an international network of students campaigning for better economics education.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Yuan Yang on Twitter: www.twitter.com/YuanfenYang
Rethinking Economics on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RethinkEcon
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
A special Weekly Economics Podcast shout-out to the Observer's Miranda Sawyer for this lovely review last week: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jun/14/radio-review-eddie-mair-robert-peston-julian-barnes-beats1
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Like this week's music? Find us on Spotify: www.sptfy.com/4rg
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingt…
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Jun 15, 2015
Beginner's Guide to Neoliberalism #1: The Basics
In the first of a special series for the Weekly Economics Podcast Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about our economic system, the difference between capitalism and neoliberalism and how neoliberalism came to dominate modern day economics.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Chris Zabriskie and sanmi used under Creative Commons Licence
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Jun 8, 2015
RBS Fire Sale
Kirsty chats to special guest Christine Berry, a researcher in the economy and finance team at the New Economics Foundation, about the chancellor's plans to sell the taxpayer's stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Like this week's music? Find us on Spotify: www.sptfy.com/4rg
Music by Podington Bear used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
Music by Dexter Britain used under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA Licence www.dexterbritain.co.uk
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May 31, 2015
The Queen's Speech and Tax
Kirsty and James delve into the Queen's Speech to take a look at the government's plans on tax.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Like this week's music? Find us on Spotify: www.sptfy.com/4rg
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
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May 25, 2015
Deflation and, er… Eurovision
Following the first fall into deflation in the UK since the 1960s, Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about good inflation, bad inflation, negative inflation and deflation, and what it all means. Also, some (pre-Eurovision) chat about Eurovision.
Recorded Friday 22nd May
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
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May 17, 2015
Northern Powerhouse
Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about the building of the 'Northern powerhouse'.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan.
Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
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May 10, 2015
The Next Five Years
Guest host Huw Jordan chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about the results of last week's general election and the implications for economic policy over the next five years.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Huw Jordan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/huwjordan
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
Soundcloud image for this episode by Number 10, used under Creative Commons Licence www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/17490028521
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May 4, 2015
Dealmakers and Dealbreakers
With the election looming, Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about the deals each of the political parties might conceivably do on economic policy.
(Recorded Friday 1st May)
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
Soundcloud image for this episode by UK Parliament, used under Creative Commons Licence www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/2700549755/
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Apr 26, 2015
Carbon Bubble
Special guest Stephen Devlin, an environmental economist at the New Economics Foundation, joins Kirsty to chat about the carbon bubble and the growing momentum behind the divestment movement.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Stephen Devlin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/_stephendevlin
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
Soundcloud image for this episode by zpeckler, used under Creative Commons Licence www.flickr.com/photos/zpeckler/3740470967
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Apr 19, 2015
Manifestos
Last week the political parties launched their manifestos ahead of the election. Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about the differences between the parties' economic policies.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
Soundcloud image for this episode by Ruaraidh Gillies, used under Creative Commons Licence https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruaraidhg/17192410805
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Apr 12, 2015
Feminist Economics
Special Guest Polly Trenow from the Women's Budget Group chats to Kirsty about feminist economics and the gender impact of measures announced in the 2015 Budget.
Behind-the-scenes podcast team selfie: https://twitter.com/kirstystyles1/status/586589212268482560
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Polly Trenow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/polly_trenow
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
Women's Budget Group: http://wbg.org.uk
WBG briefing: http://wbg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WBG-Budget-2015-Briefing.pdf
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
Soundcloud image for this episode by Jay Morrison, used under Creative Commons Licence
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Mar 29, 2015
Europe Jargon Buster Spectacular
Europe, the EU, the ECB, quantitative easing… this week we take on subjects that are usually seen as complicated, boring or even frightening. Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, to break down the jargon.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Soundcloud image for this episode by Alf Melin, used under Creative Commons Licence https://www.flickr.com/photos/alfmelin/7035825939
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Mar 22, 2015
What Should Have Been In The Budget
Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about last week's Budget and what should have been in it.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
Soundcloud image for this episode by HM Treasury, used under Creative Commons Licence
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Mar 15, 2015
What Will (And Won't) Be In The Budget?
In a special pre-budget episode, Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation, about what will (and won't) be in the budget. Plus, we imagine what Chancellor Meadway would do differently.
Jargon of the week: trade deficit and current account deficit
Links:
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbear.com
Music by Christian Bjoerklund, used under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA Licence http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Christian_Bjoerklund/Skapmat/christian_bjoerklund_-_skpmat_ep_-_04_-_the_professors_lab
Soundcloud image for this episode by HM Treasury, used under Creative Commons Licence http://flickr.com/photos/hmtreasury/4720955639www.flickr.com/photos/w4nd3rl0st/5454805481
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Mar 8, 2015
Have Living Standards Bounced Back?
Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), about the Institute for Fiscal Studies' report on living standards.
—
Jargon of the week: Debt and deficit
Listener question of the week: Robin Hood tax
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Links and reading list:
Cribb, J., Hood, A., Joyce, J. (March 2015), “Living Standards and Future Challenges”, London: Institute for Fiscal Studies: www.ifs.org.uk/publications/7615
ONS (March 2015), “Economic Review”, London: Office for National Statistics: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171766_397535.pdf
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Like this week's music? Find us on Spotify: sptfy.com/4rg
Soundcloud image by Jason Mrachina, used under Creative Commons licence www.flickr.com/photos/w4nd3rl0st/5454805481
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Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
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Mar 1, 2015
Does Greece Need a Plan B?
A month on from the Greek election, Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), about the Syriza-led government's deal with the Eurogroup and whether it needs a Plan B.
Jargon of the week: Troika
Links and reading list:
Letter from Yanis Varoufakis to Eurogroup, leaked 24 February 2015: http://bit.ly/17Y5umG
Kasinos, A., Mariolis, T. (2012), “Switch to devalued drachma and cost-push inflation: a simple input-output approach to the Greek case”, Modern Economics 3: http://bit.ly/1EsAh86
Kouvelakis, S. (2015), “The Alternative in Greece”, Jacobin: http://bit.ly/1Dkgbex
Lapavitsas, C., et al. (2011), Breaking up? A route out of the euro crisis, London: Research on Money and Finance
Lapavitsas, C. and Flassbeck, L. (2015), Against the Troika: crisis and austerity in the eurozone, London: Verso
Mason, P. (2015), “Missing from Greek deal: figures”, Channel 4 blog: http://bit.ly/1FXKWtc
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter…
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Feb 22, 2015
Inflation
Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), about the Bank of England's inflation report and what it means for the UK economy and real wages in 2015.
Jargon of the week: Inflation and deflation
Listener question of the week: What are hedge funds?
Links:
Matthew Whittaker, “Boom time for wages?”, Resolution Foundation blog (17 February 2015): www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/blog/boom-time-for-wages-how-realistic-is-a-doubling-of-wage-growth-by-the-end-of-the-year
Bank of England, “Overview of the Inflation Report”, February 2015: www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/inflationreport/infrep.aspx
CIPD, “Labour Market Outlook”, Winter 2014-15: www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/survey-reports/labour-market-outlook-winter-2014-15.aspx
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1
James Meadway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadwaj
Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons BY-NC Licence www.podingtonbea…
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Feb 15, 2015
Global Debt
Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), about the rising level of global debt and whether that might spark another economic crash.
Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod
Kirsty Styles on Twitter: http://twitter.com/kirstystyles1
James Meadway on Twitter: http://twitter.com/meadwaj
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
Links:
McKinsey Global Institute: Debt and (not much) deleveraging http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/economic_studies/debt_and_not_much_deleveraging
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Feb 5, 2015
Pilot: Has The UK Economy Recovered?
Kirsty Styles chats to James Meadway, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), about the reality behind the falls in inflation and unemployment and rises in real wages and growth.
Music:
Featuring Going Forward Looking Back by Podington Bear (00:17 — 01:07) under CC BY-NC licence.
Podington Bear: http://soundofpicture.com/
CC BY-NC: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Produced by James Shield & Huw Jordan
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