Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer The Story That Built Today’s Economy (with George Monbiot and Binyamin Appelbaum)
Jan 6, 2026
George Monbiot, an English journalist and environmental activist, teams up with Binyamin Appelbaum, a lead writer for The New York Times on economics. They delve into the construction and implications of neoliberalism, revealing how it was intentionally crafted by key thinkers and wealthy benefactors. The discussion highlights the deliberate narratives that have made extreme inequality seem inevitable and critiques the economists who prioritized market solutions at the expense of social equity. Both guests advocate for redefining economic policies to prioritize fairness and democracy.
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Markets As The Measure Of Worth
- Neoliberalism frames competition as the defining feature of human life and markets as the primary way to measure worth.
- George Monbiot argues this reduces social relations to buying and selling and brands the poor as undeserving.
Narrative Power Over Policy
- Successful political change requires a gripping narrative, often a 'restoration story' with villains and heroes.
- Monbiot shows neoliberals used that plot to portray the state as the villain and markets as the restoring hero.
Failed Doctrine Survives Without A New Story
- Despite the 2008 crisis exposing neoliberalism's failures, its narrative persists because no compelling replacement story has dominated.
- Monbiot emphasizes the urgent need to craft a new, persuasive restoration story centered on cooperation.
