Can economics be reimagined for a just future?

In this episode of TBLI Radical Truth, we sit down with Rob Johnson, President and co-founder of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) — one of the most consequential voices challenging the orthodoxies that have shaped global finance for decades.

Founded in 2009 with George Soros, William Janeway, and James Balsillie in the wake of the global financial crisis, INET has become the world's leading catalyst for fresh economic thinking — tackling everything from inequality and climate change to financial instability and democratic erosion.

In this episode:

• Why the current economic models are fundamentally inadequate for governing our societies and markets
• How new economic thinking can build financial systems that serve humanity — not the other way around
• The dangerous discontents driving political turmoil in advanced economies — and what economics gets wrong about them
• Why markets are tools, not magical carriers of goodness — and what that means for policy and investing
• The intersection of economic reform, climate transition, and social justice
• How INET's Commission on Global Economic Transformation is reshaping the conversation between academia, policy, and practice
• What a genuinely equitable and sustainable economic system actually requires

The key insight: We are living through the failure of two romances — the romance of unfettered free markets and the idealistic romance of government. New economic thinking demands we replace both with something more honest, more human, and more effective.

⏱️ Episode Guide:

• 0:00 — Reimagining economics for a just future
• 0:X:XX — Why current economic models are failing society
• 0:X:XX — INET's origins and mission after the 2008 financial crisis
• 0:X:XX — Inequality, climate, and democratic erosion: economics as cause and cure
• 0:X:XX — The Commission on Global Economic Transformation
• 0:X:XX — What new economic thinking actually looks like in practice
• 0:X:XX — Building bridges between academia, policy, and real-world impact

👤 About Rob JohnsonRob Johnson is President of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET), which he co-founded with George Soros, William Janeway, and James Balsillie in 2009. Institute for New Economic Thinking Previously, he was a Managing Director at Soros Fund Management, managing a global currency, bond, and equity portfolio specialising in emerging markets, and a Managing Director at Bankers Trust Company. Earlier, he served as Chief Economist of the US Senate Banking Committee and Senior Economist of the US Senate Budget Committee. Princeton University He served on the United Nations Commission of Experts on International Monetary Reform under the chairmanship of Joseph Stiglitz. Princeton University He was Executive Producer of the Academy Award-winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side, directed by Alex Gibney. Grokipedia He holds a PhD and MA in Economics from Princeton University and a BS in both Electrical Engineering and Economics from MIT. Institute for New Economic Thinking

Whether you are an economist, an impact investor, a policymaker, or simply someone who believes the global economic system needs a fundamental rethink, this conversation is essential listening.

Note: Please update timestamps marked 0:X:XX once confirmed.

ABOUT TBLI RADICAL TRUTHReal experience. Real results. No greenwashing. TBLI Group is the world's leading ESG and impact investing network — educating, advising, and connecting investors for 25 years.

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