The Story That Built Today’s Economy (with George Monbiot and Binyamin Appelbaum)

Most people buy the fiction that markets are “natural,” inequality is inevitable, and government should step aside — but where did that idea come from? In this episode from 2019, Nick and Goldy talk with English journalist George Monbiot and American journalist and author Binyamin Appelbaum about how neoliberalism was deliberately built and sold — not stumbled into. They unpack how economists, funders, and institutions rewrote the rules to favor markets over people, shifted political norms, and made extreme inequality seem inevitable — and what that history means for reclaiming an economy that works for everyone. George Monbiot is an English journalist, author, and political/environmental activist. He writes a regular column for The Guardian and has published several books on politics, ecology, and society. He’s known for critiquing corporate power, neoliberal economics, and environmental degradation. Binyamin Appelbaum is an American journalist and author. He is a lead writer on business and economics for The New York Times editorial board. He previously covered the Federal Reserve and economic policy for the Times and has written widely on how markets and policy shape society. Social Media: georgemonbiot.bsky.social bcappelbaum.bsky.social @BCAppelbaum Further Reading: The Economists' Hour: False Prophets, Free Markets, and the Fracture of Society Website: Facebook: Pitchfork Economics Podcast Bluesky: @pitchforkeconomics.bsky.social Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Threads: pitchforkeconomics TikTok: @pitchfork_econ YouTube: @pitchforkeconomics LinkedIn: Pitchfork Economics Twitter: @PitchforkEcon, @NickHanauer Substack: ⁠The Pitch⁠

You can listen to The Story That Built Today’s Economy (with George Monbiot and Binyamin Appelbaum) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Story That Built Today’s Economy (with George Monbiot and Binyamin Appelbaum) is an episode from Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer by Civic Ventures.

This episode is 60:59 long.

This episode was published on Jan 6, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.