Economics For the People

In our April episode, we spoke with Rajeev Ravisankar, a researcher and journalist whose work focuses on the political economy of media — specifically on labor organizing in newsrooms and the growing movement toward worker-run media cooperatives. Rajeev brings a political economy framework to questions that mainstream media criticism rarely asks: who owns the news, under what conditions is it produced, and what happens when journalists organize to change those conditions. We were delighted to have him join us for a conversation about the economics and politics of the media industry. In our Dollars and Sense debrief, Chris Sturr interviews economist John Miller about the macroeconomic impacts of the war in Iran. #media #news #iran #unions *** Taki and Sirisha interview Rajeev Ravisankar - 2:20 minutes Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and John Miller - 28:30 minutes

In our March episode, Sirisha and Taki dissect the 2026 Missouri Budget. It is necessary to understand that any state budget is a document that reflects our values as a society. On the revenue side, the budget proposes to slash the progressive income tax and increase regressive sales tax. On the spending side, there would be across the board cuts except for public safety. In our Dollars and Sense debrief, Chris Sturr interviews Professor Sasha Breger Bush about U.S. foreign policy under the Trump Administration. In a key insight, Professor Bush highlights that power and access to trade routes are just as important as raw materials like oil or critical minerals. And finally, we have an extra this month: Sirisha speaks with local organizer Zachary Mueller about how to fight fascism and cultivate democracy. #mobudget #greenland #foreignpolicy *** Segment with Zach Mueller - 1:40 minutes Taki and Sirisha discuss the 2026 Missouri Budget - 19:15 minutes Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Sasha Breger Bush - 38:20 minutes

In our December episode, we converse with Professor Neni Panourgia about the Greek military dictatorship of 1967-1974, known in Greece simply as the Junta. Professor Panourgia grew up during the Junta years and she shares with us her experiences of life under a military dictatorship. Does it hold any lessons for those of us living in the United States today? In our Dollars & Sense debrief, Chris Sturr interviews journalist Kalena Thomhave about the importance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and what changes are on the way for SNAP after the passage of the Trump administration's "Big, Beautiful Bill." #fascism #junta #greece #snap #foodstamps *** Feature interview with Professor Neni Panourgia - 3:20 minutes Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Kalena Thomhave - 34:20 minutes

‘Tis the season to advertise! In our Special Feature this month, we replay Prof. Zoe Sherman's segment from November 2023. Zoe helps us peel back the glittering layers of advertising and the holiday season where capitalism meets celebration. Our Dollars & Sense Debrief features an interview of Rob Larson about the consumer credit industry. This is especially important as credit scores are utilized increasingly across the economy and not only in loan applications (e.g., by landlords and employers). #blackfriday #consumerism #advertising #creditscores *** Feature interview with Zoe Sherman - 3:15 minutes Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Rob Larson - 35:37 minutes

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

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

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. *** Feature interview with Vamsi Vakulabharanam - 2:07 minutes Dollars and Sense Debrief with Chris Sturr and Richard D. Wolff - 36:32 minutes

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

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 - 3 minutes Feature interview with Kshama Sawant - 18:25 minutes

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 […] The post EP18: Fusion of state and finance, work intensification appeared first on KKFI.

We are back with apologies for our brief hiatus. Our April episode featured John Miller discussing the economics of Trump’s tariff policy, while Michael Yates shared his insights about the […] The post EP17: American Possibilities appeared first on KKFI.

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 […] The post EP16: The Political Economy of the Middle East appeared first on KKFI.

In our feature segment this month, Taki and Sirisha have a conversation with Professor Yasser Munif about the current state of the Syrian Revolution. From the beginning of the revolt […] The post EP15: The fires in Los Angeles and Syria appeared first on KKFI.

In our feature segment this month, Taki and Sirisha interviewed socialist blogger Carl Beijer (carlbeijer.com) in a wide ranging conversation about the Trumpian moment in the United States. In the […] The post EP14: Deindustrialization and migration in rural Pennsylvania, the Trumpian moment appeared first on KKFI.

Our December episode is dedicated to celebrating the 50th anniversary of our partners at Dollars & Sense Magazine. Dollars & Sense is a national magazine published six times per year, […] The post EP13: 50th Anniversary Celebration for Dollars and Sense Magazine appeared first on KKFI.

In our feature this month, we interview economist Richard Wolff about the US election that was held on November 5th. He emphasized many important points, including that in the context […] The post EP12: Analysis of the US Presidential Election, the Evolution of GOP Economic Policy appeared first on KKFI.

In our feature this month, we speak with Professor David Cayla about his latest book, focusing on the decline of neoliberalism and populism. If neoliberalism is disappearing, what will replace […] The post EP11: The Decline and Fall of Neoliberalism, Trump’s Tariff Proposal appeared first on KKFI.

In our feature this month, we interview Ulysses “Deke” Clayborn, the administrator of HUD in the Great Plains Region, which includes Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska. We discuss housing policy, […] The post EP10: HUD Policy in Our Region, Who Finances the Democrats and Republicans appeared first on KKFI.

In our feature this month, we interview Professor Alfredo Rosete, Associate Professor of Economics at Central Connecticut State University. We discuss the popular Japanese manga One Piece, and its implications […] The post EP9: One Piece, Work and Debt, Economics of the World Cup appeared first on KKFI.

In June 2024, the report “Color of Wealth Chicago” was released, which discusses wealth inequities across racial lines and contextualizes these inequities by adopting a historical approach. We speak with […] The post EP8: The Color of Wealth in Chicago, Sing Sing Prison appeared first on KKFI.

In this month’s ECON101, we dig deeper into the government’s unemployment numbers and discuss the reserve army of labor. In our feature interview, we converse about the politics of Modern […] The post EP7: Unemployment and the Reserve Army, Politics of Modern Monetary Theory, and Trump’s Economic Record appeared first on KKFI.

Is student debt a mechanism to discipline workers? In our Special Feature with Jason Wozniak, we discuss the interplay between student debt and control of students and workers. In our […] The post EP6: Student Debt, Safe Staffing for Nurses, Elite Panic over Shoplifting appeared first on KKFI.

What happens to residents 40 years after a devastating gas leak? In our special feature we converse with Madhumita Dutta about enduring suffering of Bhopal’s residents, the courageous women who […] The post EP5: Sales Taxes, Prison Labor, and Industrial Disasters appeared first on KKFI.

How can a community address the issue of food apartheid? By establishing its own grocery co-op. In this episode, we hear from Amaha Sellassie about how Dayton, Ohio started the […] The post EP4: Food Apartheid – Solidarity Economies – Stock Buybacks appeared first on KKFI.

In this episode’s Econ 101, what thoughts did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. offer on the impact of the economy on working people? Sirisha and Taki discuss the connections between […] The post EP3: Latinos in Kansas City – Dr. King’s thoughts on the economy – Student debt crisis appeared first on KKFI.

‘Tis the season to advertise! In our Special Feature Prof. Zoe Sherman helps us peel back the glittering layers of advertising and the holiday season where capitalism meets celebration. In […] The post EP2: Advertising and the Holiday Shopping Season – Land Back – Racial Inequality appeared first on KKFI.

In this podcast, our feature is an interview with Professor Raja Swamy about disaster capitalism. Why do capitalist responses to ostensible natural disasters seem to just make everything even worse? […] The post EP1: Disaster Capitalism, Cost of Living Adjustments, and the Millionaire Tax appeared first on KKFI.