Latest Releases
Economic Update: What Socialism Needs to Succeed
[S13 E39] New
This week's episode features a discussion of (1) the crisis of today's real left; (2) the need to acknowledge, build upon, but also go well beyond the successful socialisms of the 19th and 20th centuries; (3) the macro focus on the state and the omission of a microfocus on the workplace; and (4) democratizing workplaces as 'what is to be done'.
More →Capitalism Hits Home: US Empire Falls. Families Fail. Why?
[S06 E11]
All Empires rise and fall. America's empire is no exception. We need to admit it. To make Americans' lives better, we could start with cutting the military budget, and not just because we can, but because we should.
More →Ask Prof Wolff Live October 25, 2023
Join this special iteration of "Ask Prof Wolff" where we respond to your questions live! (October 25, 2023)
More →Economic Update: American Families Today Are Crisis Ridden
[ S13 E38 ] New
This week's episode features updates on President Biden's inadequate student debt relief, Bastille Day and the French Revolution, and alternatives to Artificial Intelligence being installed to increase profits and joblessness. Prof. Wolff also interviews Dr. Harriet Fraad on the causes and consequences causing the crisis facing U.S. families today.
Ask Prof Wolff Live October 18, 2023
Join this special iteration of "Ask Prof Wolff" where we respond to your questions live! (October 18, 2023)
More →Economic Update: Today's Agents of Change: Strikes, Unionization & Labor Militancy
[ S13 E37 ] New
Updates on how Social Security makes African-Americans subsidize whites, lessons from a new survey of young Americans' politics, the injustice of Europe's central bank raising its interest rates, Taylor Swift publicly supports Hollywood strikers, and Coco Gauff publicly supports climate change activists. Interview Mike Elk, Editor of The Payday Report, tracking the strike wave across America and especially the huge autoworker's strike.
Ask Prof Wolff Live Oct 11, 2023
Join this special iteration of "Ask Prof Wolff" where we respond to your questions live! (October 11, 2023)
More →Economic Update: Corporate Greed VS Labor: The Struggle Intensifies
[ S13 E36 ] New
Updates on writers (WGA) strike, auto-workers (UAW) strike, failure of US Federal Reserve, US govt subsidizes private capitalists. Interview Pete Dolack on his new book "What Do We Need Bosses For? Toward Economic Democracy".
More →Economic Update: Private Profits vs Public Treasure with Eleanor Goldfield
[ S13 E35 ] New
In this week's Economic Update episode, topics include the successful unionization efforts at Starbucks stores across the U.S., challenges within the British university system, the United Auto Workers (UAW) gearing up for negotiations, and the vital importance of preserving the Redwood forests, featuring an interview with filmmaker and activist Eleanor Goldfield. These discussions shed light on workers' rights, education, labor solidarity, and environmental conservation.
More →Global Capitalism: September 2023
[September 2023] New
In this episode, Professor Wolff discusses the resurging US labor movement, highlighting its recent prominence in sectors such as Starbucks, medicine, and autoworkers. He explores the underlying reasons for this resurgence, labor's objectives and strategies, its political partnerships, and the enduring debate between capitalism and socialism within the movement.
More →Economic Update: Profit & Inequality: Two Driving Forces of Capitalism
[ S13 E34 ] New
Updates on economists favoring rent control, leading global capitalists resent/resist US's China-bashing, urgent drug shortages in US and a public pharma industry. Major discussion of causes of rising US economic inequality since 1960s and its socially explosive political effects.
More →Economic Update: Today's Class Struggles with Chris Hedges
[S13 E25] New
Updates on US small/medium businesses converting to worker coops, strikes at west coast ports and UPS, an employer uses fake priest to get workers' confessions for employers' use, Delaware allows businesses to vote in local elections (alongside individuals). Interview Chris Hedges on class struggles here and now.
More →Global Capitalism: July 2023
[July 2023] New
In this lecture, Prof. Wolff discusses the why private Capitalism makes that turn; why state Capitalism makes that turn; will the authoritarian state save or end Capitalism? (United States vs. China) Along with Socialism and the Authoritarian State.
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Alternative Family Structures are Not New
[S6 E11] New
Socialist visions of communal shared domestic labor and child rearing have existed in the past and exist in the present. In 1917 following the Russian Revolution the government changed the rules and created a domestic revolution. At the turn of the century in the United States over 200 large and established socialist communes existed. Domestic revolution was then considered a valuable means of revolutionary change.
More →Economic Update: Capitalism's Costly Contradictions
[S13 E24] New
Updates on real US unemployment problem; Congress betrays students on student debt issue; huge majorities polled support US teachers, increased teachers pay, teachers' freedoms to teach about race, and teachers' power vs boards of education and state governors, importance of ILWU strike shutting down west coast seaports. Major discussions of capitalism's contradictions around (1) capitalists forever "saving on labor costs,"and (2) capitalists celebrating self-correcting markets."
More →Ask Prof Wolff: The Many Interpretations of Marx
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I wrote an email response to someone who had a lot of strange ideas about Marx and all of the purported evil done in his name. He and others seem to hold Marx personally responsible for the crimes of Pol Pot, Stalin...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Capitalism’s Impact on Our Personal Lives
[S06 E10]
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad continues speaking about the impacts of a corrupt capitalism system on mental health and personal lives.
More →Economic Update: Varoufakis' Critique of Capitalism Today
[S13 E18] New
Yanis Varoufakis, elected member Greek parliament, joins Prof. Wolff on this week's show and offers his original, critical perspectives on (1) the banking crisis, (2) the decline of the US empire and US capitalism, (3) the mass uprisings of the French and Greek working classes in Europe, (4) the collapse...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: The True Cost of Sanctions
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Are sanctions, which are detrimental to ordinary citizens, in some cases justified in order to try to pressure...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: BRICS & The End of US Dominance
[S6 E09] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad discusses the decline of the American empire, both globally and domestically. After WWII, the US was the only industrialized nation that stood strong, helping it ascend to global dominance. Today, however, the world order is shifting. The BRICS economic alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is extremely powerful and widespread, with over 19 more countries hoping to...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Can Capitalism Be Reformed?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Have you looked into the concept of Collective Capitalism as theorized by G. Means and its influence on Japan (which has the largest Communist Party not in control of the government)? Also, the public private relationship in Singapore's economy seems very different from the Western financial capitalist system. Are these various "Eastern" economic models something that would...
More →Economic Update: The Emerging New World Economy: A New Empire, a Multipolar World, or a Post-Capitalist System
[S13 E17] New
Four key changes drive a new world economy emerging from the old. First is Capitalism's transition from neoliberal, globalizing to nationalistic capitalism. Second is the end of the stale, old debate between private and state capitalism in favor of private + state capitalism hybrids. Third is the post-peak decline of the US empire. Fourth is the urgent question of what comes next...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: How Treasury Bonds Help Corporations and the Rich
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Please explain the role of the bond market (US Treasuries) in the...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: The Corporatization of Academia
[S5 E08] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey reflects on how universities in the US have shifted and evolved under advanced capitalism to function more and more like corporations. The ethos of the academic model is no longer about universities paying professors to teach, but rather that professors earn their keep by making money for the university. We are seeing increased bureaucratization, a push for entrepreneurialism among professors, and a growing corporate managerial structure. This reorganization of education around monetization...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Who Do Politicians Really Serve?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "It seems like you believe capitalists aren't just greedy and evil but in a system requiring them to do what they do. Is this also true of politicians who vote for and carry out...
More →Cities After… From Exclusion to Gentrification: The NIMBY-YIMBY Politics
[S3 E07] New
In this episode of Cities After…, Prof. Robles-Durán examines the histories and ideological underpinnings of the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) and YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) urban development movements. On the surface, these movements may seem to have opposing politics. However, by looking closely at their evolution and participation, it becomes clear that both have been co-opted and obscured by politicians and the media in order to serve the corporate elites and capitalist developers. As the story goes, the NIMBYs are...
More →Economic Update: Today's Medicare for All Battle with Dr. William Bronston
[S13 E16] New
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff discusses US deaths from Covid, poverty in the US labor force, US and Canada cooperate against immigrants, US warfare vs China's peacemaking, Amazon profits from cutting back on "free" shipping. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Dr. William Bronston, advocate for single-payer...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Lessons from France’s Pension Struggle
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "In view of the French retirement proposals and the argument that fewer active workers are supporting more retired workers, can you address how changing demographics will affect...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Signs of a Declining Empire
[S6 E08] New
The US is out of control and we are in denial. The proof is abundant: Mass shootings, extreme inequality, lost wars, weak currency, high suicide rates, corporate greed, climate crises, deregulation, and more. In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad draws on decades of experience as a psychologist to remind us that...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: AI & ChatGPT - What are the Economic Impacts?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I am writing to seek your insights on the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, particularly with regards to its implementation by profit-driven companies. It is evident that AI technology has the potential to bring significant advancements in various sectors. However, there is a growing concern that AI's deployment by...
More →All Things Co-op: Silicon Valley Bank and the Mania of Capitalist Banking
[S7 E12] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry, Kevin, and Cinar discuss the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, financial markets, self-regulation and the role of capitalist ideology in modern banking, the effect on...
More →Economic Update: When We Put People First in US Politics
[S13 E15] New
Ask Prof Wolff: The Impact of China on Small U.S. Businesses
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I am a pediatrician but like everyone in the medical field, we are tired of serving insurance companies and Medicine is not fun anymore. I wish we had public insurance as I don't see how health can go with...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Housing in a Broken System
[S5 E07] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey shares major lessons he learned while studying the housing issue in Baltimore in the late 1960s and asking the questions: Why is housing quality so appalling in low-income areas? Why had past attempts to change that failed? How could the richest nation in the world tolerate this? Harvey explains how he came to...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: The Illusion of Woke Economics
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Please discuss woke economics. I have seen YouTube clips using this term. After viewing a couple clips I concluded this is capitalism claiming to be the...
More →Cities After… The Business of Homelessness
[S3 E06] New
The number of people experiencing homelessness has been dramatically increasing across the globe. This crisis has been exacerbated in the last decade by uncontrolled predatory real-estate speculation, the pernicious privatization of social or public housing stock, record levels of inequality, a miserable supply of affordable homes, and the erosion...
More →Economic Update: The Marxist Tradition
[S13 E14] New
Ask Prof Wolff: How Capitalism Distorts The Immigration Issue
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "What do you think about the left's view of immigration and why do you think that seems to be the consensus view? Why are most on the left so in support of...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: All Empires Rise and Fall, The US Is No Exception
[S6 E07] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad traces a brief history of the rise and fall of the American empire. Throughout much of the 20th century, the US was the dominant global power, with strong unions, social programs, and a strong currency. Today, our wealthiest people are barely taxed, social services are...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Is the U.S. Dollar in Trouble?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I'd love to hear your thoughts on what a world looks like if the US dollar loses its primacy. What does the "economy" look like...
More →All Things Co-op: Lula's Brazil & The Landless Workers Movement
[S7 E11] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry, Cinar, and Kevin talk to Marcelo Netto, a Brazilian journalist and activist with the Landless Workers Movement in Brazil. They discuss Lula 3, the third term for Brazil's president Lula De Silva, the history of Brazil's...
More →Economic Update: Why the US Constitution is an Obstacle to Change
[S13 E13] New
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on the US banking crisis, plant closing injustice, growing child labor in the US, Biden's budget's tax "proposals," and a new book that shows US homelessness is an economic problem. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Prof. Robert Ovetz...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Why Democratic Workplaces Are Better for Work-Life Balance
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Are Americans ready for Democracy (at work or anywhere else)? I have been a volunteer in a non-profit for decades. We are a 12 step program and have plenty of participation in our weekly meetings. We are nominally democratic in that we ideally hold a monthly group conscience in which we can make simple decisions like...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Daniel Ellsberg, Government Dishonesty & Nuclear Weapons
[S5 E06] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey explores the contributions made by Daniel Ellsberg, the political activist known for releasing the Pentagon Papers in 1971. Ellsberg gave the public a look into the ways in which the US government was lying about the Vietnam war with the Pentagon Papers, and offered a look into how the US military...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: What Europe Got Wrong about Sanctions on Russia
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Why, in your opinion, did European countries go along with the USA on sanctions on Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year? Did European leaders miscalculate...
More →Cities After… The Problems with Supply and Demand in the Housing Market
[S3 E05] New
"Housing is a basic human need and the market tends to ignore social needs, as it prioritizes individual profit.” - Prof. Robles-Durán
There is a widespread belief that the central culprit of the housing crisis in most metropolitan regions around the world today is the lack of supply. This notion has been well spread by mainstream media outlets and urban professionals, such as urban planners, architects, housing developers, and real-estate agencies. For those disseminating this idea, ending the housing crisis is...
More →Economic Update: How Austerity Paves the Way for Fascism
[S13 E12] New
In this week’s Economic Update, Prof. Wolff interviews Prof. Clara Mattei on her new book "Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism"...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: What Is Economic Nationalism?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I would like Prof to explain what the meaning of Economic Nationalism is and...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: The Impact of Gender Roles - Care Work, Mass Violence & the Way Forward
[S6 E06] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad continues to explore the ways our upbringing within gender roles impact our relationship to society, and specifically, why it’s mostly men who commit acts of mass violence. Women traditionally occupy the role of “care worker” and learn to relate differently through the act of caring. Those care occupations, however, are some of the lowest paid and are highly undervalued. Other countries, such as New Zealand and Sweden, are exploring...
More →
Ask Prof Wolff: Does Our Education System Reinforce Capitalism?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "How could the education system transform under a worker-cooperative economy? What would schools look like for young children to young adults? How would it compare to a...
More →All Things Co-op: People Power - Imagining a World without Bosses
[S7 E10] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin and Cinar speak with sociologist, political scientist, author and documentary filmmaker Dario Azzellini. They discuss recuperated workplaces—workplaces that have been abandoned by private capitalist owners and taken over by workers and reorganized to be democratically controlled—and why the process of...
More →Economic Update: Social Security, Ohio Derailment, Puerto Rican Poverty - US Capitalism Provokes
[S13 E11] New
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff focuses on the struggle over Social Security- real versus false alternatives- and the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment tragedy. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Alexis Colon about the colonial status of Puerto Rico...
More →
Ask Prof Wolff: Can Profits Be Excluded From Food and Healthcare?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Would you agree that for large monopolistic industries that the entire society depends on for survival, like food, energy, defense, and health care, worker coops would not...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: The Circulation of Fictitious Capital
[S5 E05] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey explains Marx’s analytical techniques of presupposition and posit and applies them to today’s capital circulation system and the crises that may emerge from the ever-growing fictitious capital investments. By looking at the presupposition, or what came before a system, and the posit, what happens as...
More →Global Capitalism: March 2023
[March 2023] New
Challenging Capitalism
with Richard D. Wolff
Co-sponsored by Democracy at Work & Left Forum
In this lecture, Prof. Wolff discusses the following topics:
- France’s General Strike March 7, 2023
- Women, Unions and Strikes in the US
- Inflation, Profits...
Cities After… The Threat of Mega-Landlords
[S3 E04] New
In this episode of Cities After…, Prof. Robles-Durán discusses the growing prevalence of corporate landlords and their devastating impact on affordable housing and homeownership. The mass acquisition of single-family homes and apartment buildings by private investment companies, backed by global finance and, often, as Prof. Robles-Durán reveals our own...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Why Does a Piece of Lumber Cost More Today Than It Did 10 Years Ago?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I don’t understand how inflation works. How can a 2x4 cost...
More →Economic Update: Establishment Media & Russia with Aaron Maté
[S13 E10] New
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on dying empires and climate crisis; mass shootings; fast-food mega-corps fund referendum to slow California plan to raise fast food workers wages and working conditions, and why the debt ceiling debate in Congress is a phony GOP-Dem political theater. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Aaron Maté...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Why Do We Spend So Much on the US Military Industrial Complex?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "To what extent does the US Military Industrial Complex factor into the US economy as a whole? It seems like the US is at endless war and, in my opinion, there has to be a significant...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Where do Gender Roles Come From?
[S6 E05] New
In this episode of CHH, Dr. Harriet Fraad traces back the origin of gender roles to the beginning of civilization to explore how and why certain types of work have been historically and traditionally...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Why Can’t We Imagine Moving Past Capitalism?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "How should we answer when people say, 'capitalism is the only way there is, nothing else works.' How do we live without earning and profiting from our working and, in doing...
More →Economic Update: Are Mega-Corporations Ruining Our World?
[S13 E09] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents a critique of monopoly and oligopoly; past efforts and success in popular control over mega-corporations - in US and abroad; the fight back by mega-corporations to nullify reforms and regulations. Finally, some real solutions...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: How Do Austerity Politics Impact Policing?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "From a Marxist economic perspective, can you explain how austerity politics and austerity measures eventually...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: The Impact of War on Civilians
[S5 E04] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey focuses on the impact of war on civilians, both today in Ukraine and historically. While it is a war crime to attack civilian populations, there is a long, deadly history of it. From the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the fire bombs in Dresden and Tokyo, the US is far from...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: What Happens to the Stock Market After Capitalism?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I, as a socialist myself, agree with the socioeconomic model that you advocate, with worker-owned cooperatives substituting today's private businesses. However, making the actual changes, reforms and, if you like, revolution, would also bring an end to stocks, stock-based companies, and the stock market. I can't get my head around...
More →Cities After…Urban Activisms at the Border with Fonna Forman & Teddy Cruz
[S3 E03] New
In this episode of Cities After…, Prof. Robles-Durán interviews Teddy Cruz and Fonna Forman about their work with public institutions and community partners on both sides of the US/Mexico border, in San Diego and Tijuana. Tijuana, as Cruz reminds us, has always been a geography of conflict and of crisis. Cruz and Forman’s work is deliberately situated at the intersection of formal, often exclusionary, American institutions and grassroots community organizing. By building coalitions, the interplay between various groups—researchers/political scientists and migrants/community organizers becomes more...
More →Economic Update: Inequality’s Insidious Spread - COVID-19, India, Insurance
[S13 E08] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on India's extreme inequality and its lesson, employers squeeze employees with "non-compete" job contracts, and how the profit motive distorts the concept of insurance. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Dr Stephen Bezruchka...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: BlackRock, Homeownership and Reverse Mortgages
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Based on the content that I consume, my expectation is that factions of the 1% like BlackRock intend to own all family housing in America and rent it to us. The prices of homes going down paired with higher interest rates makes the game even more favorable for those who...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Inflation & Manufactured Poverty
[S6 E04] New
In this week’s episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad continues her discussion of the personal effects of inflation. In a country that bombards all of us, even our youngest children, with images of wealth and prosperity as a symbol of worthiness, it is humiliating to struggle to make ends meet. Our culture blames the individual for being stuck in a cycle of poverty, yet...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Fascism, Keynesianism, and Military Spending
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "As we see billions once more go to Ukraine, as we have seen trillions upon trillions go to wars since WWII, isn't it correct to say that Military-Keynesianism is fascism? Technocratic fascism? If so...
More →Economic Update: Unionization, Marxism and Education
[S13 E07] New
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff shares updates on Starbucks union growth; Texas journalists and Yale graduate students/employees unionize, strike, win; Western Mass Labor Federation denounces Biden's denial of railway workers' right to strike; two major kinds of US tax injustice: (1) exempting bonds and stocks from property tax when 10% richest own 80% of stocks and bonds, and (2) failing to levy excess profits tax on war profiteers as UK and Portugal have already done. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Notre Dame Professor Emeritus David F. Ruccio...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Understanding Surplus & Capitalism’s Abuse of It
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Can there be another segment about surplus and economic sinks? If capital has to increase all the time, why is there a...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Applying Marx’s Theories to Contemporary Struggles
[S5 E03] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey focuses on the concept of totality, conceptualized in Marx’s Grundrisse, and the importance of situating theoretical frameworks within on-the-ground struggles. Harvey explains how he’s spent his life’s work attempting to do this, focusing on issues such as...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: How To Get People on the Right to Hear Your Arguments
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "The war of ideas is real and, as often as I can, I engage with opposing ideas. From my perspective, I find that socialistic approaches to most social/economic issues check the box of many of the purported ideals of my more/less conservative neighbors, however, I cannot pierce the armor of their preconceptions. I'm tired of blaming...
More →Cities After... Neo-Imperialism & Neo-Fascism at the Border
[S3 E02] New
In this episode of Cities After…, Prof. Robles-Durán takes a closer look at the ever-growing migrant crisis along Mexico-US border cities and its critical socio-environmental implications. It is an issue of urgency, particularly given the humanitarian disaster, the heightened American security impositions, the neo-fascist retaliations from Texas and other Republican states, as well as the political ramifications at both sides of the border.
More →Economic Update: 2023 World Economic Trends
[S13 E06] New
Identifying and examining the larger economic dimensions and trends of three key aspects of today's global economy: Russia/Ukraine war, Europe's quandary, and the decline of the US empire. Attention focuses on the immense direct and indirect costs of the war in Ukraine; on Europe's desperate position and choices caught between the US and China blocs in the world economy; and on how the US empire is responding to its decline in the world economy. Our approach is to stress...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Is Capitalism a Religion?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Is capitalism a religion? Has it become the established...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: What Are The Personal Costs of Inflation?
[S6 E03] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad is joined by Prof. Richard Wolff, host of Economic Update to discuss inflation and the collateral damage it has caused Americans. In the first part, Prof. Wolff explains what inflation is and the real reasons behind the rising prices. Dr. Fraad then explains what inflation means to the majority of people. She explores...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Capitalism is Unstable… and It’s Designed That Way
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Are any complex systems eternally homeostatic? Cyclic behavior is a euphemism for millions of people will lose their jobs and homes, quit school, etc. I don't think that anyone imagines an economic system sans fluctuations. That would be truly Utopian. Or dystopian rather because fluctuations can be...
More →All Things Co-op: Ask Live
[S7 E09] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, hosts Kevin, Larry and Cinar answer questions from a live audience. This live event originally aired on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 1pm ET. Kevin, Larry and Cinar answered questions about the challenges and importance of cooperatives...
More →Economic Update: A Corporatized America with Chris Hedges
[S13 E05] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff explains why capitalism does not deserve credit for improved living conditions, Home Depot billionaire blames US capitalism's problems on US workers being "lazy, fat, and stupid," Southwest Airlines as example of failures by both corporations and their gov't "regulators," George Santos as creature of capitalist advertising. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Chris Hedges...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Why Retired Individuals Are Critical For Social Change
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Hello, I am an officially retired person, although I continue to work on projects in the arts, in part to supplement Social Security and in part as a labor of love. I often feel that I...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Making Sense of Today’s Inflation - Debt, Austerity and Tax Cuts
[S5 E02] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey uses the diagram of capital’s circulatory processes, shared in the last episode, and applies it to the pressing issue of inflation today. Harvey draws parallels to how inflation was handled during the Reagan and Thatcher administrations, with austerity politics and the resulting reduced standard of...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Shouldn’t We Have a Political Party That Isn’t Capitalist?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I was wondering if there has ever been a political party that focuses primarily on the formation, maintenance and sustenance of worker co-ops? My understanding is that worker co-ops are all inclusive by design and would include folks that have been...
More →Cities After… Urbanization as the Text of Inequality
[S03 E01] New
Welcome to Season 3! In this episode of Cities After…, Prof. Robles-Durán presents a personal account of his life in Tijuana, Mexico to illustrate how cities are central to understanding the ways in which capitalism materializes into our daily lives. By tracing his earliest experiences with capitalism’s complexities, Robles-Durán reveals...
More →Economic Update: Economics for a New Year
[S13 E04] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff discusses US spending for war in Ukraine paid for by higher interest rates and inflation hurting middle and small businesses ; a rational transport system is NOT electric cars; an appreciation of the "degrowth"...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Why Yale and Other Non-Profits Should Be Called “Tax-Exempt”
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "One issue I hope Prof. Wolff might address is a comparative analysis of the role of for-profit vs. non-profit corporations. For example, in the recent shows on inflation, he notes that raising prices by the employer is motivated by profit maximization. This dynamic can't play an obvious role for a non-profit, but they...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Ukraine War & Our Coping Mechanisms
[S6 E02] New
"Denial is a way the brain copes with a painful reality." In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad continues her discussion of how Americans are coping with a falling empire: by not facing it. Human brains have the capacity to look away or...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Consumer Co-ops vs. Worker Co-ops
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "You're known as an advocate of worker cooperatives. However, back in the 19th century, Friedrich Engels (as well as Eduard Bernstein, the father of Democratic Socialism) was very skeptical of worker cooperatives because of the power the workers at a company could still have over the general public to whom they were not responsible to, meaning they could still, for example, create a monopoly, jack up prices, and engage in protectionist tactics. Instead, Engels and Bernstein preferred...
More →All Things Co-op: Law for Cooperative Movements
[S7 E08] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin talks to movement lawyer and Clinical Law Professor Julian Hill. Julian’s research and teaching focuses on how law can be used as a tool to support the solidarity economy and social movements. Kevin and Julian discuss Julian’s background and how they got involved in cooperatives and the solidarity...
More →Economic Update: "American Midnight" Democracy's Forgotten Crisis
[S13 E03] New
In this week's Economic Update, Prof. Wolff presents updates on the French School of Economic Warfare and sanctions against Russia; how asset price declines threaten US pensions, electric replace fossil fuel private cars because of profit motive, instead of for a rational transportation policy; US police in elementary schools: bad for students, parents, teachers and even police; honoring Staughton Lynd, US radical academic and labor organizer who died on 11/18/22. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Adam Hochschild...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Labor Unions, Leadership Corruption, and Co-ops
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Can you please address the previous and current systemic collusion/connivance between the union leadership [of possibly every labor union] and the corporate management? And not just the fairly recent scandal of UAW/FCA regarding eroding solidarity and...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Capital in Motion
[S5 E01] New
Welcome to Season 5! In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey discusses the ever-expanding circulatory systems of capital. He shares a diagram, designed by fellow d@w host Miguel Robles-Duran (Cities After…), which illustrates capital in motion. Like the human body, capital has many circulatory processes that can be analyzed both individually as well as...
More →Global Capitalism: January 2023
[January 2023] New
The Second War in Ukraine
with Richard D. Wolff
Co-sponsored by Democracy at Work & Left Forum
In this lecture, Prof. Wolff discusses the historical aspects of the ongoing war in Ukraine, and how it reveals how far along we are into a second, economic war between the U.S. and China. Wolff explains what he sees are the impacts of this second war on the US, Europe, and China.
Ask Prof Wolff: A Socialist Solution to Oil Prices and Sanctions
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Hello Professor Wolff, here in Germany, gas prices are very high due to the sanctions policy with Russia. It is typical of a market economy that the gas that has become scarce is priced higher in order to alleviate the shortage. In this way, the scarce gas is distributed to the...
More →Economic Update: What's Wrong With Capitalism?
[S13 E02] New
Capitalism Hits Home: Waking Up to the Falling American Empire
[S6 E01] New
Welcome to Season 6! In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad dissects a harsh reality: the American empire is falling and the signs of its decline are everywhere. High divorce rates, low wages and high unemployment, mass shootings...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Ethics in Capitalist vs. Cooperative Enterprises
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Greetings Prof Wolff, my question is one of ethics. How does a collective remain competitive in a dog-eat-dog capitalist environment when the expectation is that a worker-owned enterprise would be presumed to follow the law? I'm not saying all privately-held enterprises are corrupt but it follows that if a...
More →All Things Co-op: Developing the Co-op Sector
[S7 E07] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin speaks with Paul Hazen, executive director of the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council (OCDC) and Cooperative Development Foundation hall of fame inductee. Drawing on a lifetime of cooperative development work, Paul shares his insights on the importance of cooperatives in rural communities, how he...
More →Economic Update: Surging US Labor Activism
[S13 E01] New
In this week's Economic Update, Prof. Wolff discusses explosive labor militancy across 2022 in US and UK, Wells Fargo bank again fined for illegal practices on 16 million bank customers, US-Russia economic warfare undercuts European economies...
More →Ask Prof Wolff LIVE: The Manipulation of Labor Markets
An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "Can you discuss the concept of labor markets and how...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Broken Social Bonds
[S5 E22] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad continues her discussion of the impact of broken social bonds on our mental health. This week she focuses on government and the ways in which our American government has failed to protect us— with huge increases in poverty, low wages, unjust...
More →All Things Co-op: NYC's Christmas Tree Cooperative
[S7 E06] New
In this holiday-themed episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin speaks with Ellis Roberts of New York State of Pine, a worker cooperative selling Christmas trees in New York City. They discuss the exploitation of workers and huge markups for consumers from traditional Christmas tree companies, New York State of Pine’s democratic...
More →Economic Update: What "Capitalism's Decline" Means (REPEAT)
[S10 E46] REPEAT
This week's show is dedicated to a discussion of the signs of US capitalism's decline. US history as the passage of US capitalism from its birth, through its state-supported growth and expansion, to its global peaking from...
More →Ask Prof Wolff LIVE: Interest Rates Hurt the Same People Inflation Hurts
An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "If inflation is a result of employers increasing prices to make higher profits, how does the Fed...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Mainstreaming Marxism & Redefining Capitalism
[S4 E20] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey considers the hostility and glorification of ignorance—a legacy of McCarthyism—towards the teachings of Marx, especially within academia and the mainstream media. Academia has become a money-making institution and even liberal mainstream media, claiming to be tolerant, espouse repressive tolerance. Harvey draws on his experience writing and teaching about Marxism to reject the need to define...
More →Cities After…Silvia Federici on Feminism, Communal Spaces, and Collective Memory
[S02 E19] New
This episode of Cities After… is a conversation between Prof. Robles-Durán and Silvia Federici, feminist activist and scholar, which took place at the New School in New York City. Silvia Federici has been shaking Marxist traditions to their core since the 1960s by posing critical questions about the role of women’s reproductive labor in the development of our human environment and social conditions under capitalism. In this conversation, Robles-Durán and Federici weave through Federici’s life and work in Italy, the US, Nigeria...
More →Economic Update: Inflation and Labor Shortage
[S11 E25] REPEAT
In this week's show, Prof Wolff talks about the social effects of inflation and the lack of accountability on the part of employers. Capitalist employers set prices with the only motive of maximizing. Employees, the vast majority, must live with inflation but are excluded from decisions setting prices. Employers...
More →Ask Prof Wolff LIVE: The Role of the State
An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "In a worker cooperative society, what would be the role...
More →
Capitalism Hits Home: How Disconnection Harms Us
[S5 E21] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad speaks on the value of connection for our emotional, political, psychological and social lives as human beings. We’re seeing more and more disconnection as the pandemic draws on, remote work increases, and our state fails to take care of our needs. Connection is...
More →All Things Co-op: Cooperative Socialism with Ben Burgis
[S7 E05] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar, Larry, and Kevin talk to philosopher, podcaster, and Jacobin contributor Ben Burgis about his views on cooperatives and their relationship to socialism. Burgis and the ATC guys discuss the value of co-ops under a capitalist economy...
More →Economic Update: Instability - Capitalism's Constant
[S12 E47] New
In this week's Economic Update, Prof. Wolff presents updates on the Twitter-Musk scandals, critique of profit as return to risk, mass European union-led strikes against inflation, economic crisis of 54 poorest...
More →Ask Prof Wolff LIVE: Understanding Fascism
An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "Fascism is when the state and corporations merge, so why isn’t the system that...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Pedagogy of the Emancipated Laborer
[S4 E19] New
As more and more people begin to recognize the pitfalls of the systems we're entrenched in—capitalism, neoliberalism, consumerism, and more—we are often left without clear directions for instilling change. In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey addresses the question he is so often asked, and often asks himself: “What should we do?” Harvey urges us to begin by looking at our individual situation, particularly...
More →Economic Update: Persuasion vs. Polarization
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff discusses the massive strike of Canadian public employees; economics of the unemployed; business owners,executives and lawyers dominate US state legislatures; and how rising interest rates push the most vulnerable to the margins of US capitalism. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Anand Giridharadas...
Ask Prof Wolff LIVE: We've Heard of Inflation, But What's Deflation?
An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "What are the major historical downsides to a deflation? Are price decreases in a specific sector (e.g. fuel if, hypothetically, the shocks to...
More →All Things Co-op: Just Work for All with Joshua Preiss
[S7 E04] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry and Kevin talk with Dr. Joshua Preiss, professor of Philosophy and the Director of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Dr. Preiss talks with Kevin and Larry about the notion of the American Dream, notions of fair rates and just work, this American economic ideology and its relation to economic reality, Adam Smith and the framework of the "Well Ordered Society," the current Winner Take All economic arrangement, the...
More →Economic Update: The Terminal Crises of Global Capitalism
[S12 E45] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on students' solidarity with workers at Smith College; US car industry manipulates supply/demand to inflate prices, profits; Teamsters strike, solidarity defeat Sysco Systems; Starbucks provokes its 250 unionized stores, and why rising wages do not "cause" inflation. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Prof. William I. Robinson...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Expanding Economics Curricula
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "How different would teaching economics be in a world full of...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Religion’s Impact on Politics
[S4 E18] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey considers the role of religion in various political movements with particular attention to the growth and impact of the Evangelical movement in the US today. Religion has often been at the center of political movements, with black churches during the civil rights movement and the Theology of Liberation in...
Ask Prof Wolff: Global South - Breaking the Cycle of Foreign Debt
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "My question is regarding global south countries that are (1) highly indebted to foreign institutions like the IMF, and World, other countries and are stuck in a debt trap, and (2) are highly dependent on remittances from expat workers, as well as exports to meet their balance of payments problems. Just to meet their debt servicing commitments they...
More →Cities After…Office Spaces as Homes - Pt. 4: Housing Justice with Cea Weaver
[S02 E18] New
In this fourth and final episode of the Cities After…Office Spaces as Home mini-series, Prof. Robles-Durán talks to Cea Weaver, a prominent housing organizer in New York City who coordinates Housing Justice for All. In 2019, Weaver coordinated a statewide coalition to pass what many consider the most progressive housing laws in recent decades. She is currently working with...
More →Economic Update: Nomi Prins on the Distorted US Financial System
[S12 E44] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff talks about a new Congress report on huge US wealth inequality; Angela Merkel on relying on Russian oil and gas, the irrationality of 20,000 immigrants dumped on NYC, and Harvard exploiting its tax-exempt status. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Dr. Nomi Prins...
More →Global Capitalism: November 2022
[November 2022] New
After the Elections: Now What?
with Richard D. Wolff
Co-sponsored by Democracy at Work & Left Forum
In this lecture, Prof. Wolff will discuss the following:
- US mid-term elections
- US Capitalism: Crises at home...
Ask Prof Wolff: MAGA Communism
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I listen to a lot of podcasts such as yourself to get a broader perspective. I love the clarity you bring to pretty much any subject you discuss. I would like your take on something I've heard recently, that communism is actually conservative fascism. It was in the context of the MAGA Communism narrative that has been...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Fed Reserve Blames Inflation on Workers
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "It appears to me that the Fed policies, i.e. rate hikes, are being weaponized against us workers for our meager gains in wage increases via union building and the continuing leverage...
More →All Things Co-op: Workplace Dictatorships
[S7 E03] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin chats with Professor and author Elizabeth Anderson about her book Private Government, which pushes back on the myth that a free market means workers are free. Most workplaces function like dictatorships, with their own private governments—employers—calling the shots. Kevin and Professor Anderson discuss...
More →Economic Update: Capitalism vs Socialism is NOT Markets vs Planning
[S12 E43] New
This week on Economic Update, Prof. Wolff shows how the economics of existing capitalist and socialist economies make use of both markets and planning. The opposition of markets and planning is largely false and has worked to distract students and observers of economic systems from better differentiations such as how they differently organize their workplaces: hierarchical in the case of capitalist, democratic...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Hitler’s Nazi Party & Democratic Elections
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "It’s often said as an argument against democracy that Hitler’s Nazi party was democratically elected. Is that true? How should we reconcile a belief in democracy with...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Metabolic Relations Between Markets and Politics
[S4 E17] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey explores the relationship between markets and the state. Drawing on examples such as Britain in the 1970s, France in 1981 under Mitterrand, and Bill Clinton in the 1990s, Harvey argues that, under capitalism, the state is not sovereign and democracy cannot be fully realized, and what you instead have is the...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Impact and Relevance of Kroger/Safeway Merger
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Can you comment on the upcoming merger between Kroger and Safeway-Albertsons? I live in Seattle where nearly all of the grocery stores are owned by those two companies. I'm concerned that the merger will...
More →Cities After…Office Spaces as Homes - Pt. 3: Utopian Living-Workspaces
[S02 E17] New
This is part three of the Cities After…Office Spaces as Homes series. In the last podcast, Prof. Robles-Durán pictured a dystopian future where waged labor takes over the household and unfolded a seemingly despairing critique of the post-covid exploitative tendencies in...
More →Economic Update: Ana Kasparian on Today's US Crisis
[S12 E42] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff discusses US sanctions against Chinese semiconductor chip makers, OPEC+ cuts oil production by 2 million barrels per day boosting inflation, desperate UK conservatives abandon Brexit scapegoat to cozy up to Europe, and what US might do to solve "labor shortages." In the second half of the show, Wolff is joined by Ana Kasparian, host of “The Young Turks”...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Overdetermination - Freud & Marxist Philosophy
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "How did you arrive at overdetermination as an ontological and epistemological theory for...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Family - A Feminist, Class Analysis
[S5 E20] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad traces the history of the traditional family unit and offers a class analysis of how it has shifted and evolved since the 1700s. Fraad discusses the feudal arrangement of families, the impact of...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Gandhi, Ambedkar, and India's Freedom Movement
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Hello, I would like to make a comment in reference to Prof. Wolff’s Economic Update on colonialism, where he mentioned India's freedom from the British via the passive movement of ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi. In reality, it was a combination of resistance against the empire that led to the overthrow of the Brits from India. These resistances included infamous communist/socialists like Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose, Mahatma Ayyankali and many more. The most critical of them all was the father of the current Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, the most highly educated Indian at the time. Mr. Gandhi followed much of B.R. Ambedkar's revolutionary struggles and nonviolent resistance before Gandhi started his movement against the British. He was a lawyer as well who not only fought against the British but also against the Indian ruling classes/elites and beholders of the racist caste system of India, which...
More →All Things Co-op: Tech Cooperatives and Software Engineering with Politics Rewired
[S7 E02] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op in honor of National Co-op Month, Kevin interviews Priya Chatwani, a software engineer and organizer at Politics Rewired, a tech cooperative which grew out of the 2020 Bernie campaign that aims to build technology for Left organizing. Kevin and Priya speak about how Politics Rewired got started, the technology they’re currently...
More →Economic Update: Means TV - An Anti-Capitalist Netflix
[S12 E41] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff discusses global capitalism's "perfect storm" (inflation + rising interest rates + reduced production = "stagflation"); 1000 SFO food workers strike and win; FedEx reinforces "stagflation" predictions, and hurricane Ian confirms system's failures to plan for predictable disasters to lessen their costs and impacts. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Nick Hayes of Means TV...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Economics Nobel Prize - Ben Bernanke
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I'd like to hear Prof Wolff comment on esteemed colleagues, economists around the world who advocate for the fair distribution of...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Metabolic vs. Independent Relations
[S4 E16] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey explores the importance of delineating between metabolic and independent relations. Bourgeois economics believes the process of production, distribution, consumption, realization and exchange are all independently related, yet Marx reveals that they are locked in together through the circular concept of metabolic relations. Metabolic relations...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Democratic Divisions of Labor
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "To what extent do we also have to take into account the need to reorganize the composition of jobs within the coop, so as to avoid recreating...
More →Cities After…Office Spaces as Homes - Pt. 2: Hybrid Work and Work From Home
[S02 E16] New
In Pt. 2 of the Cities After…Office Spaces as Homes series, Prof. Robles-Durán discusses the impacts of the hybrid work and work from home models which have exploded as a result of the pandemic. These seemingly unstoppable trends have rattled municipalities worldwide with...
More →Economic Update: The Economics of Colonialism Part 2 - The Neo-colonialism Variation
[S12 E40] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents a brief summary of last week's Part 1 as basis for analyzing how WW2 provoked the political independence struggles that changed colonialism into neo-colonialism; how and why political independence is not, by itself, a break from colonialism; why neocolonialism lasts into the present and positions a rich minority of each former colony as the ally, collaborator, and agent of continued entrapment of...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: The Landlord Problem
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Does there exist any movement to abolish land-lording? Seems like the existence of landlords is a major part of the problem. Workers are doubly exploited. First, at work where they are not paid what their work is worth, and again, in the home where they are charged more than...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Individualism is a Capitalist Deception
[S5 E19] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad argues against capitalist values like individualism and freedom. Too often those in charge, the "great male heroes,” receive all the credit for achievements built on the backs of so many. Fraad suggests that freedom through connection, gratitude for those who...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: IRAs & Risky Investments
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Can this financial system ever get away from the stock market (Wall St. casino)? I'm watching my IRA go further and further...
More →All Things Co-op: Union Co-ops - An Interview with Worx Printing
[S7 E01] New
Welcome to Season 7 of All Things Co-op! In this special episode in honor of National Co-op Month, Kevin speaks with Kevin O’Brien, co-founder of the Union Co-op, Worx Printing. You may have seen Worx Printing at the Democracy at Work online shop at https://democracy-at-work-shop.myshopify.com/. In this interview, O’Brien discusses his path to starting Worx, globalization and the apparel industry, the benefits and importance of the union-coop model, best practices for running and sustaining a business, and more. You can find more about Worx and support their work at https://worxprinting.coop/.
More →Economic Update: The Economics of Colonialism Part 1 - The British Empire
[S12 E39] New
This week's show focuses on an analysis of capitalist colonialism that begins with the passing of Queen Elizabeth as a monument to the passing of the British Empire itself. Wolff discusses the differences between pre-capitalist and capitalist colonialism, the goals of capitalist colonialism, the development of...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: How Would a Socialist Society Handle Insurance?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "With so many types of insurances provided in the capitalist system, such as house, car, business, content insurances, and so on, would a democratic-socialist society need to...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Marx’s Historical Materialism
[S4 E15] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey uses Marx’s theory of historical materialism as a means of tackling large societal problems such as climate change. Marx asserts that there are seven distinctive aspects of society which coexist and coevolve in relation to one another. These elements—technology, relationship to nature, labor process of production...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: How to Hold On to Systemic Progress
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "After we win over capitalism, how do we keep it? Human history tells me highly skilled sociopaths always rise to the top. To not repeat...
More →Cities After…Office Spaces as Homes - Pt 1: The Modernist Legacy
[S02 E15] New
This episode of Cities After… is the first of a two-part series in which Prof. Robles-Durán will explore a post-covid urbanization trend taunting real estate developers and municipal governments across the globe: the adaptive reuse of vacant office spaces into homes. As businesses struggle to lure employees into the full-time occupation of their corporate cubicles and housing prices continue to rise, some champion the rezoning and transformation of office space into residential property as a win-win scenario for cities, while others...
More →Economic Update: Insecure Housing is a Social Crime
[S12 E38] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff talks about the large strikes in Seattle (teachers) and Minnesota (nurses), the significance of Sweden's big vote for ex-Nazi party, and how anti-Russia sanctions cause US electricity prices to rise at twice the inflation rate. In the second half, Wolff interviews Leilani Farha...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Why Capitalism Is Obsessed With Growth
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "The focus on economic growth, something you talked about in the September 2022 Global Capitalism lecture, seems misplaced, at least for rich nations. I'm reminded of the Kenneth Boulding quote from the early 1970’s—“Anyone who believes that exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Adoring the Monarchy
[S5 E18] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad dissects the bizarre American adoration of the British monarchy following Queen Elizabeth II’s death. The monarchy symbolizes the absence of social mobility, hierarchy, and the...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Interest Rate Hikes - Who Wins, Who Loses?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Prof Wolff, now that we've entered a recession here, how would the continued Fed interest rate hikes correlate to supply shortage due to our low production capacity? At what rate would the Fed...
More →All Things Co-op: Shifting to a Cooperative International Order
[S06 E12] New
In this special All Things Co-op season finale, Kevin traces a brief history of international relations, discusses the rise of international law and the failure of the UN to address our current global dilemmas, and...
More →Economic Update: The Harm Done by Economists
[S12 E37] New
This week on Economic Update, Prof. Wolff talks about the unionization drive among minor league professional baseball players, high poverty rates among US families working full-time year round, and the economics of discrimination against pregnant women. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Prof. George DeMartino...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Religion and Capitalism
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "In his book "One Nation Under God: How Corporate American Invented Christian America, Kevin Kruse talks about an alliance between American capitalists and conservative religious leaders, going back to the 1930s. This alliance pushes capitalism in churches under a biblical veneer of 'free-market Gospel.’ Capitalists supply the money, and the churches...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Beyond Reorganization of Production
[S4 E14] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey considers a looming question: is capitalism too big to fail? He speculates on what approaches may lead to a successful socialist alternative. Is it a reorganization...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Can Worker Co-ops Be Truly Democratic?
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "We agree that capitalism is imperfect and that it separates people into the employer and employee classes. However, resources needs to be planned, coordinated and managed otherwise chaos ensues. In many cases, resources are best handled in bulk to attain...
More →Cities After…Climate Change Series: David Harvey on the Metabolic Relation to Nature - Pt. 5
[S02 E14] New
Concurrent to the very important contributions of early Marxist eco-feminists in the 1960s and 1970s, Prof. David Harvey was amongst the first intellectuals that began to read in Marx a complex critique of capitalism's destructive metabolic relation to nature, a topic that has been constant in his writings from 1970 until today. In this episode of Cities After…, Prof. Robles-Durán speaks with Prof. David Harvey on...
More →Economic Update: Rising Labor, Faltering System
[S12 E36] New
This week on Economic Update, Prof. Wolff talks about the prospects for a labor-union-worker co-op alliance; megacorp stock buybacks; why and how US/UK sanctions on Russia failed so far; the financial abuse of US retirees; and lastly...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: China’s Housing Market & GDP
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "China is having some problems, specifically with their housing market. What's the reason for this and...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: System-Driven Loneliness
[S5 E17] New
**CW: This episode contains discussions of rape**
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad takes a look at capitalist-driven loneliness. Crime is often thought of as a person breaking the law, but what about the crimes capitalism allows, and even celebrates? In our workplaces we get ripped off, monitored, and lose our humanity. Commodities are sold to us only to get recalled, addictive pain-killers destroy lives with...
More →Global Capitalism: September 2022
[September 2022] New
China vs. US - System Rising vs. Falling
with Richard D. Wolff
Co-sponsored by Democracy at Work & Left Forum
In this lecture, Prof. Wolff will discuss the following:
- Compare economic performances (GDP growth, inflation, real wages)
- Ukraine War/Taiwan Provocations as both China-US conflicts...
Ask Prof Wolff: Consumer Support for Amazon, Starbucks Unions
A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Professor Wolff, how can consumers support the push for unions in...
More →Economic Update: Record Homelessness Defies US "Solutions"
[S12 E35] New
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff gives updates on China's changed global economic strategy, California's struggle over higher minimum wages, Boston Mayor siding with Starbucks' strikers, and “regulatory capture" issue again as Philip Morris hires top FDA tobacco scientist. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Rob Robinson...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Pollution - Capitalism’s Creation, Everybody’s Problem
A Supporter of Democracy at Work asks: "GDP accounts for what we produce, but abjectly fails to take into account what we destroy to produce it, nor does it accept in its estimation the vast value of the natural world, and how this...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Facing the Stick of Dynamite in the Ukraine-Russian Conflict
[S4 E13] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles (ACC), Prof. Harvey reflects on the current Ukraine-Russia conflict and shares his conflicting...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Western Capitalism’s Decline
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "Hello Professor Wolff, I’m not sure how familiar you are with Canadian economics but things are very bad here. The average home price in 1980 was $47k ($163k adjusted for inflation), in 2000 it was $119k ($190k adjusted for inflation). Between January 2020 and March 2022, the average home price soared from $504,350 to $795,952. The average home price in my town, with a population of 100,000, is $1 million now. My entire generation has been...
More →Cities After…Climate Change Series: The Circular Economy - Pt. 4
[S02 E13] New
In Pt. 4 of Cities After…Summer Climate Change series, Prof. Robles-Durán talks about the most significant delusional solution to Climate change to date: The Circular Economy, an economic framework that highlights enormous business opportunities in the reuse and recycling of...
More →Economic Update: What is Communism?
[S12 E34] New
This program covers the origins, evolution, and current significance of "communism." After a brief history of communism as a utopian ideal of community, we treat Marx's presentation in the Communist Manifesto, and then communism's subordination to "socialism" to World War 1. That War changed everything. It split socialists everywhere into a Socialist Party and a Communist Party with key differences but also commonalities. When most European communist parties collapsed...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Athenian Democracy & Capitalist Propaganda
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "I noticed that in the Merriam-Webster dictionary result on Google Search for the word Marxism it listed antonyms as democracy, self-governance, self-government, self-rule. This seems very off and yet it comes from such a reputable source. Marxism is not by any stretch the...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: Trauma & Survival Mechanisms
[S5 E16] New
**CW: This episode features discussions of sexual assault and police brutality**
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad draws on her therapeutic expertise to discuss psychological mechanisms people unconsciously rely on when facing a reality that is too much to bear. These tools—dissociation, denial, and projection—can happen in both our personal and political lives. Fraad looks at personal traumas from clients as well as societal traumas, such as...
More →All Things Co-op: Our Ecological Imperative
[S06 E11] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar and Kevin discuss the issue of the environment, its destruction, the cause (spoiler alert: it’s capitalism) and the only true way we can address this looming crisis. They discuss the underlying reason why we have...
More →Economic Update: Loneliness - Capitalism's Collateral Damage
[S12 E33] New
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on record homelessness in New York City, rapidly rising US household debt as recession looms, Washington retreats from globalization to economic nationalism, and 2.2 million in the US lacking running water. In the second half of the show, Wolff Interviews Dr. Harriet Fraad...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Free Markets & Monopolies
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "In college many years ago I took a couple introductory courses in economics. There I learned that a free market was a market with perfect competition where buyers and sellers could freely enter the competition. From this definition, it followed that a free market would set the price on a good so that supply equaled demand. And there was enough of a discussion on...
More →Economic Update: Recession - Capitalism's Failure Invites System Change
[S12 E32] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff defines recession and shows its relation to inflation and stagflation in their respective roles within capitalism's inherent instability. Rooted in the structure of capitalism, recessions represent both costly burdens on employers and employees alike and also strong incentives to question, challenge, and go beyond...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: The Transition to Worker Ownership
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "I’d like to ask a question because it seems to me that whenever a situation occurs where unionized workers try to take over a business from their employers, offering to buy it, the employers would rather...
More →All Things Co-op: The Co-op Wars
[S06 E10] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar and Kevin talk with Erik Esse, the producer of the new documentary The Co-op Wars. The Co-op Wars traces the history of the food cooperative movement in the mid to late 1970s in Minnesota's Twin Cities. The rapid development of the food co-op network in the area prompted a split between anarchist "hippies" and...
More →Economic Update: The Deepening Fragility of US Power
[S12 E31] New
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on successful unionization at Trader Joe’s, lottery tickets as disguised regressive taxation, gasoline inflation brings record profits to big oil companies, and pharmaceutical industries' ad campaign to...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Journalist Cooperatives - An Antidote to Corrupt Media
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "Can you imagine that journalist cooperatives could exist, function well, and possibly help us out of some of our current problems? (Maybe such have existed, or do exist, but I just am not aware of them?) We know that the present media system is ethically bankrupt, where corporate or government (or quasi-government) directed agencies distract, manipulate, and...
More →Economic Update: Noam Chomsky on Fragile US Empire
[S12 E30] New
In this week’s show, Prof. Wolff gives updates on US freight workers strike preparations; progressives and labor targeting municipal government; Chipotle store-closing to stop unionizing, and Occupy Wall Street's "Debt Collective" $5.8 billion student loan forgiveness win. In the second half of the show, Prof. Wolff interviews Noam Chomsky...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Will Politicians Ever Stand Up to Big Business?
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "I am confused by the 7/12/22 article in the Washington Post: 'Republicans threaten Wall Street over climate positions' by Steven Mufson (https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment). Are Republicans really...
More →All Things Co-op: The Issue of Inequality
[S06 E09] New
Polls show that most Americans think economic inequality is a problem, but if you listen to right-wing capitalist apologists, you’ll hear that economic inequality is either not that big of a deal, a consequence of economic freedom, and/or...
More →Economic Update: Marianne Williamson on US Politics
[S12 E29] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on the decline/fall of Boris Johnson and the parallels with Trump; the Sri Lanka collapse and its lessons; Match Corp secretly funding sides in "culture wars" to keep customers, and the latest from UK's Conservative party. In the second half of the show, Wolff talks with Marianne Williamson...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: The Impacts of a Wage-Price Freeze
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "My question is about the wage-price freeze concept. If we are to assume that workers would have their wages frozen after decades of stagnated real wage growth and a collapse in purchasing power and we freeze prices how they currently are, then how would workers be able to pay for necessities when such a huge...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Capital's Double Consciousness
**Anti-Capitalist Chronicles will take a brief hiatus during August 2022. We'll be back with new episodes in September!**
[S4 E12] New
In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey continues his discussion of Brad DeLong’s new book, Slouching Towards Utopia, in which DeLong notes the contradiction between an emerging middle class over the last century through technological innovation and stagnant levels of happiness. To explain this dilemma, Harvey looks closer at how these technological advancements shape...
More →Economic Update: Twin Upsurges - Unionizing and Left Politics
[S12 E28] New
In this week's show, Prof Wolff discusses the unionization efforts by post-doc medical researchers vote union, central bankers mislead on inflation, rising economic footprint and power of...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Marx on the Role of the State
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "I recall having heard you say that Karl Marx never really talked much about the State because he wasn't all that interested in the State. People tell me their beef with Karl Marx is that he advocated for...
More →Capitalism Hits Home: United We Win, Divided We Fall
[S5 E15] New
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad continues her discussion of the recent Supreme Court decisions and asks: why were these decisions made when they do not align with the majority of American’s beliefs? When a system fails for the mass of people, fascism can develop to ensure that system continues. As the US becomes more and more divided, Fraad argues that...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Human Needs Should Not Be Tied to Profit
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "This is a question that I hope Dr. Wolff will discuss regarding US profit extraction from basic necessities for workers and families. How much does the extraction of profit from basics like health care, energy, housing, transportation, communication and food hurt the competitiveness of US workers by...
More →All Things Co-op: Democracy at Work - 10 Year Anniversary Special
[S06 E08] New
In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry, Cinar, and Kevin celebrate Democracy at Work’s 10 year anniversary by reflecting on their history and involvement with d@w. The ATC guys discuss the value of d@w, their own political histories and...
More →Economic Update: Swedish Socialism Undone
[S12 E27] New
In this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on SCOTUS decisions, on the chaos of a declining capitalism, French elections and a strongly resurging French left, and on the meaning of recent collapse of the cryptocurrency markets. In the second half of the show, Wolff interviews Eleanor Goldfield...
More →Ask Prof Wolff: Why Are Strikes and Unions Increasing?
A Patron of Economic Update asks: "Workers are organizing and Trade Unionism is on the rise in the UK and around the world. Can you offer an analysis of the present wave of class...
More →Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Shifts in World Hegemony
[S4 E11] New
In this episode of ACC, Prof. Harvey discusses the new book by Brad Delong, “Slouching Toward Utopia,” which aims to explain the massive creation of wealth over the last 150 years for the upper and middle class, its effect on the world order and why it’s failed to deliver an increasing sense of happiness among that top 50%. Harvey takes us through the history of the various world powers, from...
More →Global Capitalism: July 2022 Live Economic Update
[July 2022] New
War, Sanctions, Deepening Splits: Economic, Political, and Cultural
with Richard D. Wolff
Co-sponsored by Democracy at Work, Left Forum & Judson Memorial Church
In this lecture, Prof. Wolff will discuss the following:
- Global economic splits: US/UK/Japan/Australia vs BRICS+
- US political splits: inflation, interest rates, recession, stock market crash, deepening inequality, Democratic Party self destruction
- Cultural splits: abortion, Miranda, church-state...







