Debunking Economics - the podcast - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Debunking Economics – the podcast — Education
Debunking Economics – the podcast

Economist Steve Keen talks to Phil Dobbie about the failings of the neoclassical economics and how it reflects on society.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © Copyright 2016 . All rights reserved.

Latest Episodes:

Is your money safe in the bank. Or is it time to buy gold? Feb 20, 2017

Show notes

You’ve probably seen them – emails telling you now is the time to buy gold. When currencies collapse, gold is the safe-haven that speculators turn to. In this episode, Phil Dobbie explores the idea of stocking up with gold, with Professor Steve Keen. Is gold safer than keeping money in a bank? Is it premature to buy gold right now? What are the signs that an economic downturn and banking crisis is occurring? But buying gold isn’t the answer – reducing your level of debt is.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do Banks Really Work for Us? Feb 17, 2017

Show notes

It’s very easy to look at the big salaries in the city and compare it to the average wage and assume bankers are taking us for a ride. But, for time immemorial we have needed money as a more effective means of trade than bartering. Who wants a chicken egg in exchange for today’s paper? So, banks emerged as the intermediary that enables trade. But, as Prof Steve Keen explains to Phil Dobbie, banks don’t just act as an intermediary, they also create money, and focus on encouraging us all to build up debt. So, can we regulate banks to ensure they work in ways which are best for the community? Part of the answer, says Steve, is to see them focus more on equity than loans.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does the government choose to spend? Feb 07, 2017

Show notes

Phil Dobbie asks Professor Steve Keen about the role of public sector spending. We’ve learnt that the government can create money, through its central bank, and this is, in effect, pumping new money into the economy. The alternate approaches, tax increases or austerity, pull money out of the economy. So public sector spending is a good thing, particularly when the economy is experiencing hardship – but how do they determine what’s best to spend money on. Aren’t government’s notoriously bad at decided how and where to inject funds? Isn’t there a need to focus on productivity rather than pushing up wages?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fixing the Issue of Hereditary Wealth Jan 30, 2017

Show notes

The rich poor gap in modern society isn’t just related to income. In fact, recent statistics in the UK point to a narrowing of the income gap since the financial crisis. The bigger issue is the inheritance of wealth, giving some a head start and inflating house prices beyond the reach of many. In this edition Phil Dobbie asks Prof. Steve Keen whether a heftier inheritance tax is the answer. There’s discussion of the problems with that approach, how land tax is similarly distortionary, and a suggestion of a better way of narrowing the gap – but we’d better do something about it, before civil unrest reaches fever pitch.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Trump Will Fail, Then U-Turn Jan 22, 2017

Show notes

Trump’s Presidency created optimism for many – those looking for work and investors who expect his infrastructure program will create untold wealth for the entire population. He reinforced that promise in his inaugural address, talking of new roads and highways and bridges, and the wall of course. Professor Steve Keen is a big supporter of this plan, but believes it’ll fail for one simple reason. The plan is accompanied by a determination to return the budget to surplus, pulling money out of the US economy and countering any benefits from his infrastructure plans.

He talks to Phil Dobbie about his change in attitude to Trump’s administration – and what he think will happen next, including a recession in 2018.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May's Got the Wrong Plan For Brexit Jan 18, 2017

Show notes

Journalist Phil Dobbie and economist Steve Keen agree on lots of things, but fall on either side of the Brexit camp. One believes Britain should have remained to fight EU bureaucracy from the inside, the other suggests the community is fundamentally flawed, along with the concept of free trade, and will collapse soon anyway.

In this FREE podcast Phil questions Steve on whether, irrespective of the ideology, Brexit will inflict a lot of short term hurt on many of those who voted for it. There’s also discussion on Theresa May’s 12 point plan, which both agree seems to ignore the opportunity and focuses on making the mistakes of the European partnership in other parts of the world. In other words, will Theresa May just make things worse?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Trump Be Good for the US Economy? Jan 17, 2017

Show notes

This week Donald Trump becomes the 45th President of the United States. In this free edition of the Debunking Economics podcast Phil Dobbie asks Professor Steve Keen whether he will be good news for his country, particularly those struggling to find jobs in the rust belt of Middle America. Trump is planning a spending spree to get the country back on track, but who will pay and will it be possible to target projects on those who need the work the most?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can We Stop Economic Cycles? Jan 16, 2017

Show notes

The economy has always suffered the impacts of boom and bust cycles. Reserve banks and governments try desperately to remove them, hoping for the nirvana as a stable economy. But are they on a hiding to nothing? In this podcast Phil Dobbie asks whether it’s possible to, at the very least, reduce the size of the cycles and the subsequent hurt they inflict.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did Keynes have a better plan for exchange rates? Jan 10, 2017

Show notes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Growth. Do We Really Need It? Jan 03, 2017

Show notes

In this edition of the Debunking Economics podcast Phil Dobbie asks Professor Steve Keen why the economy is dependent on growth. Is it psychological – that we like to think we are better off – or is there a mathematical reason that demands growth? Mainstream economists are hell-bent on growth and believe that innovation will always ensure we manage to do more with the resources available. But can that be achieved without ruining the planet, and how do we ensure there is an effective distribution of wealth and consumption?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Related Podcasts