The United States was woefully unprepared for the novel coronavirus pandemic due to economic inequality, poor planning, limited state capacity, and an unequal healthcare system that has left millions of Americans vulnerable. That’s the argument of economic analyst Doug Henwood. He joins us on the program today to discuss the intersection of the pandemic and […]
The Political Economy of the Pandemic
How do we begin to understand the worsening economic crisis intertwined with the pandemic? What is to be done in the short term to avert possible worst-case scenarios? For this episode, Allen takes up these questions with political economist James K. Galbraith. James K. Galbraith is an American economist and professor of government in the […]
Disaster Capitalism and Lessons from Post-Katrina New Orleans
Disaster capitalism describes the process of private industries springing up to profit from large-scale crises, according to Naomi Klein, who popularized the term in her influential 2007 book The Shock Doctrine. Is this what we’re seeing now with the coronavirus pandemic? To explore this question, Ali spends the hour with Vincanne Adams, professor of medical […]
Understanding the Political Crisis in Bolivia with Ben Dangl
Exactly one month ago yesterday, a right-wing coup overthrew Bolivian president Evo Morales and forced him into exile. Today on the show, Allen speaks with historian and journalist Ben Dangl about the events leading up to the political crisis, the developments of the past month, and the broader historical context for the forces at play […]
