The David McWilliams Podcast
David McWilliams & John Davis
The aim of this weekly podcast is to make economics easy, uncomplicated and accessible. With the world at a political, technological and financial tipping point, economics has never been so important to all of us and yet, it’s made inaccessible and complicated by so many.I’ve always thought what is complicated is rarely important and what is important is rarely complicated.That will be our motto.Every week we are going to tease out some big economic or political issue facing us, not just here in Ireland but in Europe and further afield. Globalisation has brought us all together. We all face similar challenges whether you live in Dublin, London, Minnesota or Milan.If you would like to enjoy all of our content ad-free and have early access to episodes, subscribe to DMCW+ on Apple Podcast.If you would like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/DavidMcWilliams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 8, 2022 • 44min
Lizz Truss: Friend or Foe? And the state of the UK nation
The rotating cast of Torie leaders continues, this time it’s Lizz Truss’s time in the spotlight. What exactly is going on in the UK, and where is the nation headed? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 6, 2022 • 33min
How it all came down: The story of the last leader of the USSR
More than a few years back, I got the chance to sit down and chat to the most consequential politician of my life, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last President of the USSR - the very antithesis to Vladimir Putin in every way, politically, intellectually and emotionally. We look back at his life and a leader who drastically changed the course of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 1, 2022 • 28min
The Chinese property bubble has just burst, here’s what you need to know
Many in China have stopped paying their mortgages - what happened to this once golden goose of investment? And perhaps more importantly: how does this end? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 30, 2022 • 36min
With Euro/dollar below parity, lets talk exchange rates
Within the Euro, given the vastly different economic structures and stage of economic development, some countries, like Ireland, have undervalued exchange rates and others, like Croatia/Italy/Greece have overvalued exchange rates. This means that Ireland experiences massive supply problems, in housing, transport, too much inward investment etc, while the others experience severe deficient demand problems, unemployment, emigration etc. This represents a permanent flaw at the heart of the system; will it be fixed in the next crisis? The solution is fiscal federalism, like Canada, USA or Australia, but who in Europe wants that right now? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 25, 2022 • 46min
Weedenomics
The war on drugs has failed and the public perception of marijuana is changing rapidly, here's some numbers that underscore why legalization is long overdue! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
5 snips
Aug 23, 2022 • 46min
Financing a Revolution: The economics of Michael Collins
New countries start with no money. The departing colonists take everything with them, including capital. Like all former colonies, the New Ireland had no money. Micheal Collins, revolutionary leader and Minister of Finance, as well as head of the army, laid out a plan. From crowd-funding the 1916-1921 revolution, to setting up a national bank and a new national insurance company, designed to stop capital flowing to London, from marketing Ireland abroad, to rejecting state socialism and focusing on investment both national and foreign, Collins' economic vision for Ireland was the direct opposite to either the conservatism of the first 1920s governments or twisted radicalism of De Valera. What might have been - had he not been assassinated at 31, 100 years ago this week. Here’s his incredible story and how money & economics played a pivotal role in it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 18, 2022 • 37min
The Economics of Music
Today an Irish artist needs to get around 4000 streams an hour or about 300,000 per month to earn the minimum wage which we know is far below what is needed to pay the rent. How can someone survive trying to be a musician? Today we explore the "new" economics of music, what is the financial reality for young and not so young musicians, the history of the music industry and why the economic of our old friend Joseph Schumpeter is behind it all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 16, 2022 • 35min
Why the housing crisis can undo 30 years of economic growth
All over the world rent prices are skyrocketing and bringing unbearable pressure on the young and the most vulnerable. let’s talk about how this comes about and what can be done to fix it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 12, 2022 • 30min
How behavioural economics and personalization shapes your life
In partnership with Liberty Insurance, we bring you: Nudges, choices and personalization - today's episode is all about the countless small decisions we make everyday and how those choices are being influenced in new & various ways. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 11, 2022 • 28min
The Return of Malthus?
Droughts in Europe, resource-wars and global warming got us thinking about Thomas Malthus and his observations about population. Can we square the world's finite resources with the demands of 7 billion wannabe consumers? We talk positive checks, why hunter gathers were taller and ate better than the first farmers, plus the big Malthusian warning from the past, the Irish Famine. In the past two hundred years ,the world prized itself free of the Malthusian Trap via technology; could we be about to fall back into the grip of Malthus? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
