Macrodose

By Planet B Productions

What's Macrodose about?

Your weekly fix of everything economics. Hosted by James Meadway.

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Macrodose episodes:

05.01.2024
How Climate Change is Killing Workers
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: a warning from the world bank that inflation could start rising again this year (0:46), a new report showing that climate change is creating serious health hazards for 70% of the world's...
04.26.2024
ROUNDTABLE: A History of the World in 7 Cheap Things (Revisited)
** Check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel - youtu.be/O5xSeNmF-v0 ** On today’s episode James Meadway is joined by Raj Patel and Jason W Moore for a revisit of their book A History of the World...
04.24.2024
An Uninsurable World
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down new research that shows the world will lose one fifth of its income to climate change over the next 25 years (1:45), the skyrocketing price of insurance in the UK (7:21) and...
04.17.2024
A Short History of Burnout w/ Hannah Proctor
This week on Macrodose Hannah Proctor leads us on an exploration of burnout. What are the origins of the term, and how can political movements and people on the frontline endure in the face of defeat. Hannah Proctor is a Wellcome...
04.10.2024
The Future of Nuclear Power
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down a new report over in the US which lays out the climate risks to nuclear power (0:44), a look at how the scarcity of data will squash the dreams of machine learning...
04.03.2024
AI Colonialism
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down Britain's ever failing water system and how to fix it (0:53), how AI is feeding colonial forms of exploitation (7:41) and climateflation - how new research shows prices are only likely to...
04.02.2024
ROUNDTABLE: The Economics of The Green Transition
On today’s episode James Meadway is joined by Brett Christophers and Adrienne Buller to discuss the economics of the green energy transition, asking how we could finance it and what’s stopping us? They talked “market failures”, “maladaptation” and the future...
03.27.2024
Rachel Reeves and the Future of British Economics
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Mais Lecture and what it tells us about a future Labour government (0:40) and a listener question - how do we stop the wealthy holding governments hostage by...
03.20.2024
How Oil Works
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down Britain’s Risotto Crisis (1:28), and a listener question - how does the global market for fossil fuels actually work (7:35)? Grab your free ticket the upcoming book launch of 'The Exhausted of the...
03.13.2024
Should the Bank of England be Independent?
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down talk of an economic bounce-back in the United States and what’s driving it (0:47), how interest rates in the Global North helping to fuel a “silent debt crisis” in the Global South...
03.06.2024
Budget Reaction Special w/ Stella Tsantekidou
On this week’s Macrodose, BUDGET SPECIAL! James Meadway is joined by Stella Tsantekidou to give an immediate reaction to today's budget announcement by UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Stella Tsantekidou is a former Labour Party advisor and head of policy for the...
02.28.2024
Why Your Easter Egg is Smaller This Year
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down chocflation - why Easter Egg prices are so high (2:07), how the world is becoming uninsurable as climate change meets capitalism (8.40) and a listener question - how do the Office for...
02.21.2024
The Truth about Britain’s Recession
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down the real meaning of the news that the UK has entered a recession (0:51), the geopolitical consequences of the vast amount of energy required to run the digital economy (8:36) and the...
02.20.2024
ROUNDTABLE: Anarcho-Capitalism and the Future of Money
Today's episode is hosted by author and labour journalist Sarah Jaffe who is joined by two thinkers whose work on money, neoliberal capitalism, the state and its discontents, cryptocurrency, conspiracy theories, and so much more have overlapping and fascinating insights...
02.14.2024
A Devastating Labour U-turn
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down the Labour Party abandoning their £28bn green investment pledge (2:14), the farmers' protests across Europe (10:33) and a listener question - why are supermarkets so keen on us using their loyalty cards...
02.07.2024
Tides of Trade
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down the economic consequences of the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea to global trade (1:46) and a recent report from the New York Times suggesting the Biden administration in the US is...
01.31.2024
Against Landlords w/ Nick Bano
On this week’s Macrodose Nick Bano gives an alternative perspective on the housing crisis. Throwing out the usual talk of supply, demand, and financialisation, and instead focusing on the underlying dynamic that is actually responsible for producing property values -...
01.29.2024
ROUNDTABLE: The Political Economy of Palestine
Welcome to this very first episode of Macrodose Roundtable, the show where we go in depth with some of the brightest minds from the world of economics and ecology. Macrodose roundtables are an opportunity to expand some of the ideas...
01.24.2024
The Era of Cloud Capital w/ Yanis Varoufakis
On this week’s Macrodose Yanis Varoufakis provides the compelling argument that capitalism has been killed and replaced by a new economic system - Technofeudalism. Yanis is an economist, politician, formerly Greece’s finance minister and author of several books, including most recently...
01.17.2024
Pharmanomics w/ Nick Dearden
On this week’s Macrodose Nick Dearden takes us on a deep dive into the the history of the pharmaceutical industry - asking how it became the leviathan it is today, why it has been able to assert its unchecked geopolitical...
01.10.2024
The Making of Uber w/ Dalia Gebrial
On this week’s Macrodose Dalia Gebrial takes us on a deep dive into the gig economy (1:54). What are the real costs of the platform promise? Who is losing out, why and how? And what explains its meteoric rise? Dalia Gebrial...
01.03.2024
Debt, Tomatoes and the Carbon Cost of Crypto
On this week’s Macrodose we bring you our second and final holiday special before we return to the regular show next week. We’ve picked 3 more of our favourite stories from the last year. First, should we worry about government...
12.27.2023
Economics Fundamentals
On this week’s Macrodose we bring you a selection of our favourite stories of the last year. First, from “planetary boundaries” to doughnut economics - are there quantifiable limits to our exploitation of nature (0:40), next Greedflation - what is...
12.20.2023
Ghosts of COP Past, Present and Future w/ Asad Rehman
On this week’s Macrodose, Asad Rehman takes us on a journey through COPs past (1:28), present (8:07) and future (14:13). Asad has attended a staggering 15 COPs and was in attendance this year at COP28, helping coordinate the global climate justice...
12.13.2023
How Interest Hikes Fuel Climate Change
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: how interest rates have been impacting the UK economy (1:10), the growing risks of climate change to global health (10:08) and the decision to host COP in Azerbaijan next year (14:11). The Fix:...
12.06.2023
COP Special
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: the new Loss and Damage Fund agreed at this year’s COP (0:42), why the phasing out of fossil fuels being met with so much resistance (7:59) and a response to some listener...
11.29.2023
The Economics of Argentina’s New President
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: what the victory of far-right libertarian Javier Milei means for Argentina and the world (1:19) and how climate change is driving inflation and directly squeezing British households (9:49). Find the full MACRODOSE READING...
11.24.2023
[LIVE] Where next for the UK economy?
Macrodose is turning 1! To celebrate we hosted our first Macrodose live event. In this panel discussion James Meadway is joined by Labour MP Nadia Whittome, Senior Fellow at the Social Market Foundation Shreya Nanda and author/Guardian columnist Owen Jones...
11.22.2023
Autumn Statement Special w/ Grace Blakeley
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway is joined by Grace Blakely to discuss today’s Autumn Statement from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt - what this all means for you, and where next for the economy? Grace is an economist and author of the...
11.15.2023
The EV Myth
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: why EVs are not the answer to climate breakdown (0:40) and a surprising success story around price controls in Switzerland (6:09). A massive thank you to all of our existing Patreon subscribers, your...
11.08.2023
Arctic Resource Wars
Arctic rolls, not Arctic resource conflicts! On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: how the race for Arctic resources is reshaping global capitalism (0:44) and a new report on the decrepit state of Britain’s public services (7:52). A massive thank you...
11.01.2023
Who wins from war?
FOLLOW OUR NEW SOCIAL CHANNELS FOR UPDATES:⁠ linktr.ee/macrodosepodcast⁠ On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: leaked transcripts that show how big arms manufacturers are profiteering from Israel's war on Palestine (0:39), and why the American economy growing so much faster...
10.25.2023
Water
FOLLOW OUR NEW SOCIAL CHANNELS FOR UPDATES: linktr.ee/macrodosepodcast On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: how China’s semiconductor industry is driving regional water shortages (1:50), what we can learn from Labour’s 2019 election defeat about the roadblocks to nationalisation (10:33),...
10.24.2023
UNLOCKED: Why you should care about semiconductors w/ Richard Jones
MACRODOSE EXTRA takes you behind the scenes to go in-depth with some of the leading voices from the world of economics. Our guest today is Richard Jones. Richard is Professor of Materials Physics and Innovation Policy at the University of Manchester....
10.18.2023
Israel/Palestine
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway takes a look at the devastating events in Israel and Palestine. James examines the wider geopolitical and economic forces behind the conflict in the Middle East (2:09), before taking a look further afield to...
10.17.2023
Show update + Macrodose LIVE!
Macrodose LIVE is coming soon! Thursday, November 16th (18:30) at Space4, Finsbury Park, London to be exact... Tickets are limited and will be out on early release for patreon subscribers later this week, keep an eye on our socials for...
10.11.2023
Conference Debrief w/ Owen Jones
On this week’s Macrodose, Owen Jones debriefs us on the Labour and Conservative party conferences after attending both in the last week. He explores how the Tory Conference might represent a scary swing to the far right (1:04) and asks...
10.04.2023
Monopoly Capitalism w/ Níall Glynn
On this week’s Macrodose, Níall Glynn leads a deep dive into monopoly capitalism - untangling the web of concentrated power that touches every corner of our lives (0:59). A massive thank you to all of our existing Patreon subscribers, your support...
09.29.2023
UNLOCKED: Understanding Inflation w/ Isabella Weber
Our guest today is Isabella Weber. Isabella is an economist working on inflation, China, global trade and the history of economic thought. She is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Berggruen Fellow, and an...
09.27.2023
Hot Labour Autumn for the UAW w/ Sarah Jaffe
On this week’s Macrodose, Sarah Jaffe digs deeper into the United Auto Workers strike (1:01) and a listener question - how can care and teaching jobs challenge our assumptions about trade union struggles (15:13)? A massive thank you to all of...
09.20.2023
15 years on from 2008
Fill out our listener survey here: tinyurl.com/3xsja7pw On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: the United Auto Workers strike that’s got the US establishment worried (1:15), the new era of capitalism: 15 years on from the 2008 financial crash (7:23)...
09.13.2023
Disaster for UK green energy plans
Fill out our listener survey here: tinyurl.com/3xsja7pw On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: Britain's failed offshore wind auction (0:46), Panama Canal drying up (7:00) and a listener question: cost-free reforms vs redistributive policies - could Starmer’s tinkering actually change...
09.06.2023
Another Brick in the Wall
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: the dangerous defunding of Britain’s schools (0:46), the central bankers' annual gathering in Wyoming last week (9:43) and a listener question on China, resource conflicts and the "new commodity superpowers" (15:15). A massive...
08.30.2023
Local Government Special w/ Antonia Jennings
On this week’s Macrodose, Antonia Jennings breaks down: the increasing trend of local governments going bankrupt (1:30), the power of local government to mitigate ecological collapse (7:45), and a listener question - GDP is a crude and outdated metric, but...
08.26.2023
UNLOCKED Making Neoliberalism: the economics of Empire w/ Kojo Koram
After Kojo Koram stepped in to guest-host the regular show this week, we're unlocking this fascinating MACRODOSE EXTRA chat with James recorded back in January. Empire, colonialism and the dawn of free market thinking - from Enoch Powell to Margaret...
08.23.2023
How Jamaica almost stopped neoliberalism w/ Kojo Koram
On this week’s Macrodose, Kojo Koram tells us a longer form story: how Jamaica nearly saved the world from Neoliberalism, and the international economic order that never was (1:40). For a deeper look into how Britain's economy has been and continues...
08.16.2023
Is Bidenomics working??
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: the reality behind the touted success of Bidenomics (1:41), and the role of organised labour today - what’s the future for trade unions, and can they be a vehicle for political change...
08.11.2023
Beyond Techno-Solutionism: gender and platform work w/ Anjali Krishan and Kavita Dattani
FULL EPISODE available at: patreon.com/Macrodose Our guests today are Anjali Krishan and Kavita Dattani. They’ve joined us today on behalf of Fairwork, an action-research project coordinated by the Oxford Internet Institute to discuss the new report they’ve co-authored entitled ‘Beyond techno-solutionism:...
08.09.2023
Inflation Nation(s)
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: global food inflation (0.44), Italy’s 40% windfall tax on bank super profits (5.34) and a listener question - isn’t greedflation just capitalism (9.35)? A massive thank you to all of our existing Patreon...
08.02.2023
Petro Politics
On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: the economics behind Rishi Sunak’s decision to allow over a hundred new drilling licences for North Sea oil and gas (0.43), the continuing economic slowdown in China (5.32) and a listener question...

What's Macrodose about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Macrodose episodes:

How Climate Change is Killing Workers

ROUNDTABLE: A History of the World in 7 Cheap Things (Revisited)

An Uninsurable World

A Short History of Burnout w/ Hannah Proctor

The Future of Nuclear Power

AI Colonialism

ROUNDTABLE: The Economics of The Green Transition

Rachel Reeves and the Future of British Economics

How Oil Works

Should the Bank of England be Independent?

Budget Reaction Special w/ Stella Tsantekidou

Why Your Easter Egg is Smaller This Year

The Truth about Britain’s Recession

ROUNDTABLE: Anarcho-Capitalism and the Future of Money

A Devastating Labour U-turn

Tides of Trade

Against Landlords w/ Nick Bano

ROUNDTABLE: The Political Economy of Palestine

The Era of Cloud Capital w/ Yanis Varoufakis

Pharmanomics w/ Nick Dearden

The Making of Uber w/ Dalia Gebrial

Debt, Tomatoes and the Carbon Cost of Crypto

Economics Fundamentals

Ghosts of COP Past, Present and Future w/ Asad Rehman

How Interest Hikes Fuel Climate Change

COP Special

The Economics of Argentina’s New President

[LIVE] Where next for the UK economy?

Autumn Statement Special w/ Grace Blakeley

The EV Myth

Arctic Resource Wars

Who wins from war?

Water

UNLOCKED: Why you should care about semiconductors w/ Richard Jones

Israel/Palestine

Show update + Macrodose LIVE!

Conference Debrief w/ Owen Jones

Monopoly Capitalism w/ Níall Glynn

UNLOCKED: Understanding Inflation w/ Isabella Weber

Hot Labour Autumn for the UAW w/ Sarah Jaffe

15 years on from 2008

Disaster for UK green energy plans

Another Brick in the Wall

Local Government Special w/ Antonia Jennings

UNLOCKED Making Neoliberalism: the economics of Empire w/ Kojo Koram

How Jamaica almost stopped neoliberalism w/ Kojo Koram

Is Bidenomics working??

Beyond Techno-Solutionism: gender and platform work w/ Anjali Krishan and Kavita Dattani

Inflation Nation(s)

Petro Politics