Ask Prof Wolff

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "How different would teaching economics be in a world full of coops? What would be the same/different?"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "My question is regarding global south countries that are (1) highly indebted to foreign institutions like the IMF, and World, other countries and are stuck in a debt trap, and (2) are highly dependent on remittances from expat workers, as well as exports to meet their balance of payments problems. Just to meet their debt servicing commitments they end up having to borrow more. How can these countries escape their balance of payments problem? Does either increasing local taxation of working classes or the local elite help? If not, then what would?"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I listen to a lot of podcasts such as yourself to get a broader perspective. I love the clarity you bring to pretty much any subject you discuss. I would like your take on something I've heard recently, that communism is actually conservative fascism. It was in the context of the MAGA Communism narrative that has been discussed and in some cases pushed by creators such as Jackson Hinkle. Is someone trying to rewrite the meaning of communism? Or, did I miss something along the way?"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "It appears to me that the Fed policies, i.e. rate hikes, are being weaponized against us workers for our meager gains in wage increases via union building and the continuing leverage gained through the pandemic. If both sides continue at this pace what do you foresee as the conclusion?"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "It's often said as an argument against democracy that Hitler's Nazi party was democratically elected. Is that true? How should we reconcile a belief in democracy with the fact that sometimes democracy can lead to evil people being elected?"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Can you comment on the upcoming merger between Kroger and Safeway-Albertsons? I live in Seattle where nearly all of the grocery stores are owned by those two companies. I'm concerned that the merger will create an effective monopoly and that my food costs will go even higher. Thanks!"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "How did you arrive at overdetermination as an ontological and epistemological theory for explaining the world (or at least part of the world)?"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Hello, I would like to make a comment in reference to Prof. Wolff's Economic Update on colonialism, where he mentioned India's freedom from the British via the passive movement of 'Mahatma' Gandhi. In reality, it was a combination of resistance against the empire that led to the overthrow of the Brits from India. These resistances included infamous communist/socialists like Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose, Mahatma Ayyankali and many more. The most critical of them all was the father of the current Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, the most highly educated Indian at the time. Mr. Gandhi followed much of B.R. Ambedkar's revolutionary struggles and nonviolent resistance before Gandhi started his movement against the British. He was a lawyer as well who not only fought against the British but also against the Indian ruling classes/elites and beholders of the racist caste system of India, which Mr. Gandhi was an avid supporter of, along with his upper caste followers. Indians still continue to suffer from the very same caste system Mr. Gandhi advocated for and wrote strongly for its preservation, even during the British overthrow. The reason Gandhi is prevalent in the mainstream is because of Nehru's Indian Congress party and his daughter Indira Gandhi's government pushing propaganda and marketing, such as the famous movie funded by her government called 'Gandhi,' that put this racist individual on a pedestal. He was a documented pro-segregationist during his days as a lawyer in South Africa as well. The noticeable commonality between Mr. Gandhi and other resistance fighters during the early 1900s to mid-century like B.R. Ambedkar was that they were all anti-imperialist. However, there are many differences between these two leaders as is well documented in Arundhati Roy's book, 'The Doctor and the Saint.'"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "I'd like to hear Prof Wolff comment on esteemed colleagues, economists around the world who advocate for the fair distribution of economic wealth and resources as well as the Nobel Prize in Economics going to Ben Bernanke."

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "To what extent do we also have to take into account the need to reorganize the composition of jobs within the coop, so as to avoid recreating a controller class, as described by Michael Albert in 'No Bosses'?"