Ask Prof Wolff

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "Workers are organizing and Trade Unionism is on the rise in the UK and around the world. Can you offer an analysis of the present wave of class consciousness and what it means for the workers movement in the period of increasing inflation?"

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "What is the connection between capitalism and the ability for rulers to control women's bodies and the quantity of laborers born (what the business world refers to as 'human capital')?"

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "I would love to hear you talk about degrowth. It's something I've been reading a little about for a few years. I probably (don't remember, exactly) first heard about it from Jason Hickel."

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "How would inflation, cyclic depression and the other harmful capitalistic economic behavior be avoided in the cooperative model?"

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "If pay for workers increases, won't that increase consumption (unless its stolen back through inflation) and, in turn, America's carbon footprint? I'm concerned about sustainability."

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "Christopher Leonard, author of "The Lords of Easy Money" has a piece in the 6/11/22 NYT (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/11/opinion/fed-federal-reserve-inflation-democrats.html) that addressed the issue of inflation's cause(s). He danced around your principal point, without actually saying it, namely that capitalism is in its death throes. I would be interested in your comments on his writing."

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "I have always been interested in the idea of what individualism would be like under socialism. Say, for example, some people don't enjoy working in groups and prefer to work independently through freelance as they then have the time and flexibility to work on their own terms and not have to negotiate and make agreements with a group of people. Will there be options for people to work as sole proprietors/entrepreneurs in a socialist environment?"

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "Dear Prof Wolff, can you please explain the similarities and differences between supply-side and demand-side economics?"

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "Prof. Wolff, do you believe the equality we seek can be brought about by the swift and sudden collapse of corporate fascism, a civil war, or by an evolution in the culture through constant promotion of Marxist/socialist thought? Would the latter be likely to produce the desired change within our lifetime?"

A Patron of Economic Update asks: "Prof Wolff, can you explain the relationship between debt and inflation? Would canceling $1.7 trillion in student debt cause inflation to increase, as is reported in the media, or would canceling it actually cause inflation to decrease?"