

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

Jan 28, 2021 • 31min
105 - The Rentier Economy
Ireland, like many economies is hostage to the rentiers, companies that sidle up to governments to get a licence to provide some product or service that the government used to provide. This is a licence to print money, because the rentier company has a monopoly to hoover up rent rather than make anything. They dominate the property market, utilities and have led to the infantilization of the public sector. At every stage prices rises because these are the opposite of competitive companies. Given that rentiers drive up property prices, sanctioned by government, is it any surprise the young are voting radical? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 26, 2021 • 51min
104 - Doughnut Economics
The arrival of Joe Biden has led to a profound change in tone, with America quickly re-signing back up to the Paris Accord. The planet is back on the agenda and the mantra of growth at all costs irrespective of the environmental costs, is being reappraised. We talk to Kat Raworth, author of "Doughnut Economics" about a different way of looking at the world, the economy and how we understand our relationship to the world around us, our priorities and the need to re-frame economics for the 21st century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 21, 2021 • 28min
103 - Doc Martins, the financialization of the global economy, IPO's, inequality and Joe Biden's political agenda
We explain by way of the SFX and Doc Martins how financial markets create inequality. Late stage financial capitalism generates super normal profits for owners of capital and debt by way of IPOs, and forces wage moderation on ordinary workers. We explain how understanding the credit cycle is key to understand the modern economy through the prism of the glorious Doc Martin, focusing on trickle down economy, opportunism and leveraged profits and market booms and busts. What does this mean for the economy? Unfortunately: most likely - further wealth division. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 19, 2021 • 47min
102 - The last day of Trump
Trump is gone but what next for Trumpism? The saga is far from over. While the armed Boogaloo boys are mobilizing across the United States we talk with Professor William Black to get a thorough understanding of what’s going on in America and what the future holds for Donald J. Trump. Also a quick hit on how China has emerged unassailable from both Trump and Covid, plus America's first internal rebellion and the vision of Alexander Hamilton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 14, 2021 • 41min
101 - How to end this Lockdown for good!
We still have time to do a New Zealand, with the vaccine roll out going so slowly, can we do a Taiwan and be out and about my St Patrick's Day? We talk zero Covid with Prof Aoife McLyset: How we can administer an economic vaccine while we wait with a bit of imagination, plus what the new biotech revolution - ushered in by the mRNA vaccine - means for all of us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 12, 2021 • 1h 8min
100 - American Carnage and its radicalized Middle
Trump is over, Trumpism is not. The great American experiment is only starting, as the Republicans become the party of the anxious while, the Democrats - the party of the satisfied. As the world's economic power shifts to Asia, we should try to understand people's real fears. Also, why the world need fewer "blackboard" economists and more "kitchen table" economists and will America's next president, Joe Biden lead the charge of change? All that teased out with the help of the extraordinary writer, thinker & author of "The people, no" - Tom Frank! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 7, 2021 • 41min
The Brexit Dividend - for everyone bar Britain!
Interesting times! As the US is engulfed by a culture war, we look at a culture war closer to home. Here’s why Brexit provides a once in a generation opportunity and how we can seize it. Brexit is a change and change is the one thing that is constant. Embrace it. Economically, there’s huge upside. Politically, it makes constitutional change on this island more likely. We are chatting to Andrea Catherwood on the future of Ireland, how to avoid our own culture war and how we best negotiate it from here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 5, 2021 • 55min
Every Day is Crucial!
Welcome back to the podcast 2021! During the height of the civil rights campaign when people were dying needlessly, Martin Luther King deployed this expression “the extreme urgency of now” to describe the urgency of achieving civil rights immediately, not sometime in the future. Precisely the same can be said about the vaccine. Every day is crucial and the roll out of the vaccine will be the litmus test for how serious your country is! . Join us as we kick off the year by talking about the importance of moving fast, trusting institutions and learning from other parts of the world in order to get our economy (and life!) back on track Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 24, 2020 • 37min
Christmas Podcast
Thanks for your support all year. This week we take stock of Ireland after the year we’ve just had and how your view on COVID actually tells much more about who you are and what you think than you might originally think. Happy Christmas!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 22, 2020 • 51min
Investor or Speculation? Tech, market madness & the cost of mistakes
Technology changes the world - but not everyone who bets on technology wins. With the recent boom in tech IPOs we take a look at what the market with the help of FT’s John Thornhilll and explore a short history of market mania, from AirBnB, to canals, railways, Irish Navies, Homer Simpson plus a cameo from Ken Clarke late night in bar in Hong Kong Halloween night 1997. A few thoughts on global monetary policy too! What’s not to like? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.