Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff
Democracy at Work, Richard D. Wolff
Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a weekly nationally syndicated program produced by Democracy at Work and hosted by Richard D. Wolff. The program explores complex economic issues and empowers listeners with information to analyze not only their own financial situation but the economy at large. Beyond focusing a critical eye on the economic dimensions of everyday life - wages, jobs, taxes, debts, interest rates, prices, and profits - the program also explores systemic solutions to our economy's problems including alternative ways to organize production and distribution of the goods and services we all depend on.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 4, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: Is US Capitalism in Decline?
On this episode of Economic Update, Prof. Wolff presents updates on inequalities in pay for CEOs vs average workers; economics of mega-mergers; billionaires' idea of "charity;" economic consequences of attacking Huawei Corp; Bernie leads on two new bills in Congress to expand and provide loans to employee-owned businesses and worker coops. On the second half of the show, Prof. Wolff interviews Prof. Ric McIntyre on basic problems of US capitalism today.
Jun 27, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: China's Economic Record and Strategy
As follow-up to earlier parallel program on the USSR, this program seeks to offer (1) an overview of China's economic development mostly over the last 25 years (GDP, real wages, etc.), and (2) its economic strategy: learning but also differing from Soviet strategy. Some historical context is also provided.
Jun 20, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: Rise and Fall of the USSR
In this episode of EU, Prof. Wolff tries to go beyond simplistic, sterile Cold War debates of demonizers vs celebrants of the USSR. USSR's strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures are examined from revolutionary beginnings in 1917 to its 1989 implosion.
Jun 13, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: A New Labor Movement Rising
Updates on US church membership and its tax subsidies, Toyota and Merkel slam US economic nationalism, 40 US states sue price-gouging pharma firms, Trump ("self-described "tariff man") does not understand that Americans pay all tariffs he imposes, Mothers' Day and the minimum wage, capitalism and politicians' corruption. Interview Neha Mathew-Shah, Pres., Progressive Workers Union.
Jun 6, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: 3 Basic Kinds of Socialism
As ever more people become anti-capitalist and look toward socialist alternatives, it is important to grasp key differences among the alternative kinds of socialism. This program explains those differences among (1) the moderate or "democratic" socialism ( a la Scandinavia), (2) the communist kind of socialism (in the USSR and People's Republic of China, and (3) the new socialism focused on democratizing the work place. Doing better than capitalism will require deciding which of these three kinds of "socialism" (or what combination of them) will be the better economic structure.
May 31, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: Understanding Marxism
This special edition of "Economic Update" is devoted to Understanding Marxism, the title of a short new book just published by Democracyatwork. Today's program, like the book, explains Marxism's systemic insights into capitalism now. We discuss Marxism's basic criticisms of capitalism and also its complex relationship to socialism. Finally, we offer a survey of the last century of Marxism's huge, diverse influences on modern economics, politics and culture around the world.
May 23, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: The Great American Purge
The program begins by explaining the economics behind the great US anti-leftist purge ("McCarthyism") after 1945. It then shows the economic impacts of that purge over the last half century. Finally, it explains how that history produced a very different political response to the crash of 2008 compared to FDR's response to 1929. *Note: This is a rebroadcast. A new episode of EU will not be released this week in observance of Memorial Day.
May 16, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: Living in a Socialist Economy
On this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on the US "bribing for college admission" scandal, how lobbyists reflect and worsen inequality, So. and No. Carolina teachers strike for better education, how NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) reflect and worsen workplace inequalities across global capitalism. On the second half of the show, Prof. Wolff interviews author Victor Grossman, American who lived and worked in socialist Germany across the entire history of the GDR.
May 9, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: Social Movement for Economic Democracy
On this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on 60 megacorps who paid no 2018 Federal taxes, GM's CEO gets $29.1 million while GM fires thousands, wrecks communities, etc., Notre Dame tragedy exposes French inequality as billionaires suddenly find money for a church, not for people, rising wave of US worker strikes reflect militance and unity. On the second half, Prof. Wolff interviews Rebecca Lurie, Director of Community and Worker Ownership Project, CUNY.
May 2, 2019 • 29min
Economic Update: Lawyers vs. the System
On this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on US college students as share-croppers for investors, on conservatives' fake opposition to gov't intervention in the economy, on deepening inadequacy of retirement savings of US baby boomers, and on how fading US middle class leads many first to blame/scapegoat foreigners, then fellow citizens. In the second half of the show, Prof. Wolff interviews Michael Steven Smith on his new book, Lawyers for the Left.
