2026 Midterms: Promises vs. Economics
Everyone covers the 2026 midterms like a sports match, so we pulled the candidates' actual economic platforms and stress-tested the math.
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Capitalisn't
Capitalism is the engine of prosperity. Capitalism sows the seeds of its own demise. Could both be right? Economists Luigi Zingales (University of Chicago) and Kate Waldock (Georgetown) shar...
Episodes
20 of 255 episodesThe Case That Could End Super PACs - ft. Larry Lessig
Everyone blames Citizens United for super PACs. Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig says they're blaming the wrong case, and he is actuall...
The Workplace Is a Dictatorship? - ft. Elizabeth Anderson
At the center of our market economy sits an institution that runs more like a dictatorship.
Why Congress Protects Car Dealers More Than Elon Musk - ft. Eric Zwick
For every member of the Forbes 400, there are more than 4,000 private business owners worth at least $10 million. You probably have never he...
Can Capitalism Serve the Common Good? - ft. Mariana Mazzucato
The public often helps fund breakthroughs, while private companies claim all the profits. Economist Mariana Mazzucato thinks it’s time to re...
The One Thing That Could Decide If AI Takes Your Job - Ft. Luis Garicano
AI is coming for your job; AI isn't coming for your job. Economist Luis Garicano thinks both camps are asking the wrong question.
Can Liberalism Survive This Kind of Capitalism? - ft. Daron Acemoglu
For most of the last century, liberal democracies offered a simple deal: the economy grows and, if you work hard, you get a fair shot at the...
How Washington Privatized The Capital Market - ft. Renée Jones
Amazon went public three years after it was founded. SpaceX stayed private for 24 years. What changed and why does it matter?
A Conservative's Attack On Neoliberalism - Ft. Chris Griswold
The GOP is often associated with free-market fundamentalism, deregulation, and tax cuts. But a new faction on the right is challenging that...
Was The Constitution An Anti-Democratic Coup? - ft. Michael Klarman
Were the foundations of American governance engineered to protect the wealthy? Harvard Law professor Michael Klarman argues that the US Cons...
Our Personal Finance Mistakes Are The Industry's Profits - ft. John Campbell & Tarun Ramadorai
Is personal finance rigged against ordinary people? Economists argue the system rewards the wealthy and financially savvy at the expense of...
Was Free Trade Ever Really Free? - ft. Fmr. Biden Trade Rep. Katherine Tai
Free trade was never actually free? That's the case Katherine Tai, Joe Biden's former U.S. Trade Representative, brings Bethany McLean and L...
Why Corporations Always Win At The Supreme Court - ft. Adam Winkler
Many people think corporate personhood is the problem behind many issues in law and politics. This guest argues it might actually be the ans...
You Can't Buy Trust - ft. Wikipedia Co-Founder Jimmy Wales
How does a free, decentralized, volunteer-run encyclopedia produce something more trusted than nearly any for-profit institution?
Is Healthcare Making Capitalism Sick? - ft. Zack Cooper
Are stagnant wages the hidden price tag of a broken healthcare system? On this week's Capitalisn't, Yale health economist Zack Cooper argues...
How “Muskism” Is Changing American Capitalism - ft. Quinn Slobodian
Conventional wisdom suggests that Silicon Valley billionaires are libertarians trying to escape government oversight, but Quinn Slobodian ar...
Is Capitalism Delivering For The Majority? - ft. Steve Kaplan
The US economy looks great on paper: high GDP, low unemployment, and booming markets. So why does it feel like the system is broken for so m...
Is The College Promise Broken? - ft. Noam Scheiber
For decades, Americans were promised that a college degree guaranteed a secure spot in the middle class. But instead of entering corporate m...
The Real Cause Of Wage Stagnation - ft. Arin Dube
Economic models have treated the labor market like a perfectly competitive system where wages naturally align with worker value. Arin Dube,...
Is Everyone Getting Adam Smith Wrong? - ft. Glory Liu
Most people associate Adam Smith with free markets and “the invisible hand”. But does this conventional narrative purposefully ignore Smith’...