Economics For the People

October 23, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP23: Economics of the Government Shutdown; Unhoused Deportees in Tijuana

In the October episode of our podcast, we discuss the economics of the government shutdown and the situation of unhoused deportees in Tijuana Mexico. First, in our Dollars and Sense Debrief, Chris Sturr interviews photojournalist David Bacon. In the U.S. media there is very little attention to what happens to most people when they’re deported. Many who are deported go home to communities far south of the border. But the people who are just dumped through the border gate and have no home to go to find themselves in cities like Tijuana. David documents their living conditions in detail. In our feature segment, Sirisha and Taki are in conversation with Professor Mathew Forstater from the University of Missouri Kansas City about the federal government shutdown. As of early November, approximately three million federal government employees have been directly impacted by the shutdown as most are on furlough. In addition, over 40 million food stamp recipients are impacted as SNAP benefits are significantly curtailed. Listen to Professor Forstater provide crucial insights as we move into the second month of the shutdown.

#shutdown #immigration #mexico
***
Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and David Bacon - 2:20 minutes
Feature interview with Mat Forstater - 23:20 minutes

September 25, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP22: A History of Municipal Socialism in the US; The Military Occupation of DC

In the September episode of our podcast, we focus American cities. In our first segment, Chris Sturr interviews Professor Shel Stromquist about the history of municipal socialism in the United States. He reminds us that in the early 20th century there were over 150 municipalities across the country with socialist governments. He also emphasized that these socialist governments were directly responsible for improving the material conditions of the working class by constructing key infrastructure projects like drainage systems and clean drinking water. In our feature segment, we spoke with Professor John Willoughby about the situation in Washington DC. As of early October, the Trump administration has dispatched the National Guard to Chicago and is attempting to do so in other cities like Portland. In this context, we zoom in on DC and have a wide-ranging conversation about the repression, the organized and spontaneous resistance to what can only be called a military occupation, and the history of the movement for self-determination since the 1860s.

#DC #MunicipalSocialism #occupation #FreeDC

***

Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Shel Stromquist - 2:23 minutes
Feature interview with John Willoughby - 17:46 minutes

August 28, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP21: Class and Inequality in India and China, Military Keynesianism

In the August episode of Economics for the People, we interview Professor Vamsi Vakulabharanam about his book Class and Inequality in India and China, 1950-2010. On the eve of Indian Independence from British rule, and upon the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War, both countries were similar in economic terms. However, their trajectories diverged significantly over the period of time under investigation. Why? In our regular Dollars and Sense segment, Chris Sturr interviews Richard Wolff about Military Keynesianism: how it ended the Great Depression, its impact on the US economy over the 20th century, and why the ruling class continues to support it. 
#militarism #keynesianism #class #inequality #india #china
***
Feature interview with Vamsi Vakulabharanam - 2:07 minutes
Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Richard D. Wolff - 36:32 minutes

July 24, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP20: Cryptocurrency

Our July episode is all about crypto. We present two different perspectives on how to understand cryptocurrency. In our Dollars & Sense Debrief, Chris Sturr interviews economist Gerald Epstein from the University of Amherst, who talks about the risks of crypto to the financial system as a whole. Our feature interview is with Professor Rohan Grey, in which we discuss crypto in detail. What is it? How does it affect the working class? What is the future of crypto? Rohan also dissects the crypto legislation that passed in Congress and was signed by President Trump this month. Additionally we converse about the STABLE Act (2020) proposed by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, which Professor Grey helped design, which would have provided an alternative regulatory framework for crypto.

#crypto #finance

***
Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Gerald Epstein - 3 minutes
Feature interview with Rohan Grey - 21:30 minutes

Correction: In our introduction, we made an error. We incorrectly stated that Professor Gerald Friedman was being interviewed in the Dollars and Sense Debrief. In fact, Chris Sturr spoke with Professor Gerald Epstein. We apologize for any confusion.

June 26, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP19: Wildcat strikes in Asia, Socialism in Seattle

In our June episode, we spoke with Kshama Sawant about her campaign to win the House seat in Seattle's 9th Congressional district. Kshama was a member of city council in Seattle for about a decade, helping to win important victories for the working class such as the highest minimum wage in the US, the Amazon tax, and stronger protections for tenants. She is also co-founder of the organization Workers Strike Back. Additionally, we discussed tariffs, imperialism, and working class unity. In the Dollars and Sense Debrief, Chris Sturr interviewed economist Amanda Page-Hoongrajok about the recent history of wildcat strikes in the garment industry of Vietnam, China, and Bangladesh. 

#wildcatstrikes #fightback #socialism #kshamasawant

***

Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Amanda Page-Hoongrajok - starts at 3 minutes
Feature interview with Kshama Sawant - 18:25 minutes

May 22, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP18: Fusion of state and finance, work intensification

In the May edition of our podcast, Chris Sturr speaks with Mike Prokosch about the widespread practice of short staffing, which is basically polite language for work intensification. Mike gives an insightful policy recommendation that can be deployed by workers. In our feature segment, Sirisha and Taki have a conversation with Stephen Maher (co-author with Scott Aquanno of: The Fall and Rise of American Finance: From J.P. Morgan to BlackRock). Stephen gives an excellent and historically informed overview of the role of finance in American capitalism from the days of J.P. Morgan down to the present. The current configuration of capitalism, which has resulted in a fusion between finance and the Fed, earns some warranted attention. And, it is an interesting empirical fact that three big asset management firms control virtually the entire economy. Listen to the podcast for the details.

#fed #finance #usa #moneycapital
***
Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Mike Prokosch - begins at 2:20
Feature interview with Stephen Maher - begins at 19:30

April 24, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP17: American Possibilities

Our April episode featured John Miller discussing the economics of Trump's tariff policy, while Michael Yates shared his insights about the labor movement, unions, and the working class. Yates has long been affiliated with the Monthly Review School and was a labor educator for many years. We discuss the life of Paul Sweezy, a radical economist whose legal drama with the Attorney General of New Hampshire ended up in the Supreme Court and effectively marked the end of McCarthyism. We also talk about the state of the working class today and how labor unions should start spending their $35 billion war chest. And more.

#tariffs #proworker #education #unions
***
Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and John Miller on tariff policy - begins at 2:19.
Discuss of tariff policy with Taki and Sirisha - starts at 18 minutes.
Feature with Michael D. Yates - starts at 27:30

March 27, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP16: The Political Economy of the Middle East

In our feature segment this month, Taki and Sirisha have a wide-ranging conversation with Professor Adam Hanieh about the Gulf Countries. We spoke about class, highlighting that these countries are entirely capitalist. Each of the Gulf countries for example is run by conglomerates controlled by the ruling monarchies, and sustained by an extremely exploited labor pool of immigrants, many of South Asian origin. Unions and strikes are completely banned, and you are subject at any moment to deportation. There is no path to citizenship. Additionally, we talk about the history of left movements in the region including Arab nationalism. There is a lot more that I cannot do justice in a short summary - Professor Hanieh is obviously brilliant and I strongly suggest that you listen to the episode in its entirety. 

#gulf #gcc #fossilcapitalism #immigration #neocolonialism
***
The interview with Professor Hanieh starts at 2:24 minutes.

February 27, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP15: The fires in Los Angeles and Syria

In our feature segment this month, Taki and Sirisha have a conversation with Professor Yasser Munif about the current state of Syria. From the beginning of the revolt in 2011, through the civil war, the fall of the Assad dynasty, to current political prospects: the mise en scene is starting to emerge of a new Syria. We also discuss the country's economic prospects and what will be required to form an economy that serves people's needs. Finally, the liberation of prisoners from Assadist jails was a key abolitionist moment that connects Syria to the United States. In our regular Dollars & Sense Debrief, Chris Sturr interviews economist Bill Barclay about the burning of Los Angeles and he debunks right-wing myths about the wildfires.

#syria #abolition #la #climatechange

***

Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Bill Barclay - 2:30 minutes
Feature segment with Yasser Munif - 17:40 minutes

January 23, 2025 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast

EP14: Deindustrialization and migration in rural Pennsylvania, the Trumpian moment

In our feature segment this month, Taki and Sirisha interviewed blogger Carl Beijer (carlbeijer.com) in a wide ranging conversation about the Trumpian moment in the United States. In the Dollars and Sense Debrief, Chris Sturr speaks with journalist Kalena Thomhave about deindustrialization and immigration in the rural town of Charleroi, a small borough in western Pennsylvania. Charleroi was in the national spotlight during the presidential campaign because Trump attempted to villify the local population of Hatian immigrants, falsely claiming they were responsible for a local crime wave and draining money from the town's budget.

Our intro and outro music is from Ana Tijoux's Somos Sur featuring Shadia Mansour. The music we play in between segments is from the Blue Scholar song No Rest for the Weary.

#rustbelt #immigration #trump

***

Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Kalena Thomhave - 2:55 minutes
Feature segment with Carl Beijer (carlbeijer.com) - 18:25 minutes