Political Economy
Marxism will be the core to our approach to political economy. But we are open to a range of other views as well--the solidarity economy, Keynesian schools of thought, and debates between various opposing schools as well.
Introduction to Marxian Economics: 4 Lectures
Richard Wolff and Stephen Resnick, UMass Amherst
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Reading Marx's Capital
13 Video Lectures with David Harvey, author of 'The Enigma of Capital'
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The Shock Doctrine
75-Minute Film Version of Naomi Klein's Anti-Capitalist Book
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23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism
8-Part Video Interview with author Ha-Joon Chang
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Debt: The First 5000 Years
For thousands of years, the struggle between rich and poor has largely taken the form of conflicts between creditors and debtors—of arguments about the rights and wrongs of interest payments, debt peonage, amnesty, repossession, restitution, the sequestering of sheep, the seizing of vineyards, and the selling of debtors' children into slavery. By the same token, for the past five thousand years, popular insurrections have begun the same way: with the ritual destruction of debt records—tablets, papyri, ledgers; whatever form they might have taken in any particular time and place. Enter anthropologist David Graeber's Debt: The First 5,000 Years (July, ISBN 978-1-933633-86-2), which uses these struggles to show that the history of debt is also a history of morality and culture. 80-minute documentary
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If You Don't Like Capitalism or State Socialism, What Do You Want?
Gar Alperovitz speaking at the Schumacher lectures, November 5th, 2011
New York, New Economics Institute. 60-minute video lecture. A text article on the same topic, by Gar and Steve Dubb, is available
HERE.
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The 'Nerdiest of All' Discussion in Marx: the Transformation Problem
This three-part 27-minute video by Brendan M Cooney brings clarity to Marx's theory of Value and defends it against all comers, including the 'theory of marginal utily' favored by modern economists who like to dismiss Marx .
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Post-Election Economic Battles There will be an austerity slam after the election. Mel Rothenberg talks about how to fight back. A key issue will be Medicare for All, building on the movement that has taken root over the past few years. Listen to the audio file here. .
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Finance Capital: Parasites over Enterprise. This 15-minute video interview is an excellent discussion-starter on the need for a popular front vs Wall St speculators, austerity and war. Conducted by Paul Jay of the Real News Network, the subject is Gerald Epstein, codirector of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) and Professor of Economics. He received his Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. He has published widely on a variety of progressive economic policy issues.
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Getting Rid of Poverty in America. Tavis Smiley moderated a 2.5 hour C-Span discussion focusing on poverty in the United States. Panelists discussed issues including the importance of education, prisons, welfare programs, the size of government, and the federal budget. The panelists generally criticized the administration for not focusing on poverty and Tavis Smiley called on President Obama to hold a “White House Conference on the Eradication of Poverty in America.” Mr. Smiley’s annual forum was titled “Vision for a New America: A Future without Poverty.” It was held in the Lisner Auditorium of George Washington University.
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