Today our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. For the next twelve weeks, our discussions will revolve around the topic of housing and house prices with three subtopics. The first will be root causes, followed by an evaluation of current policy responses, and finishes with alternatives to current policy and thinking around affordability.

For today’s program, we were lucky enough to have Angela Lee Stovall on the podcast. Angela is a research and policy manager for JustFix.Nyc. JustFix.Nyc is a non-profit that helps ensure livable housing standards in New York, by offering renters and tenants resources and data to help navigate the unaffordability crisis in residential housing. 

In our previous talks, we’ve mentioned how buying your first home can become increasingly unattainable. But buying a house is only part of the equation. According to the Furman Center, 66% of households in New York City rent. When rent prices skyrocket, millions of people and families have to put more of their paychecks toward housing instead of other necessities. But it goes beyond housing. Our guest today helps ensure more equitable outcomes that the current market doesn’t create. By providing transparency, data, and resources, JustFix.Nyc helps ensure renters receive the same rights and dignity that homeowners have. Often, renters find it more challenging to exercise their rights, say voting for example, compared to their home-owning counterparts. By better distributing economic power, JustFix.Nyc helps to better distribute political power too.

Ms. Stovall began her career as a defense attorney against eviction cases for the New York Legal Assistance Group. Recently, she worked as part of New York City Commission on Human Rights’ Income Discrimination Unit, as an intervention manager. She has constantly worked towards ending discrimination and reducing inequality. 

Together, we discussed how real estate has become increasingly corporatized, why higher concentrations of land ownership in the hands of fewer people leads to inequality, and how affordable high-quality rentals can help sustain a healthy middle class.

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Today, our discussion comes from our most recent annual conference: Why is Housing so Unaffordable? Causes and Solutions. For the next twelve weeks, our discussions will revolve around the topic of housing and house prices with three subtopics. The first will be root causes, followed by an evaluation of current policy responses, and finishes with alternatives to current policy and thinking around affordability.

Our first discussion was held with Dr. Ryan-Collins, an economist for the University of London. Dr. Ryan-Collins received his bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Warwick in sociology and industrial relations, respectively, and his Ph.D. in applied economics from the University of Southampton. His research focuses on macroeconomic stability, housing and land, and sustainable development. He was a Senior Economist for the New Economics Foundation and a council member of the Progressive Economy Forum. Both advocate for macroeconomic policy that promotes sustainable development and reduces inequality. He is also the author of numerous books and journals, including Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing, Why Can’t You Afford Home, Where Does Money Come From?. All offer a progressive analysis of recent global macroeconomic trends. Currently, Professor Ryan-Collins is a professor of Economics and Finance at the University College of London.

Together, we discussed some of the trends going on within housing, what caused the decline in homeownership in developed nations, and why some of the classical theories around land ownership may need rethinking. 

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Mr. Manekin is a social entrepreneur and community organizer from the Baltimore area. I first met him at a professional development training camp where he gave a speech about social entrepreneurship and how we can become the change within the communities that we want to see. Thibault is the cofounder of PeacePlayers and Seawall. PeacePlayers is an international non-profit that helps bridge divides and empower youth through sports and education. Seawall is a real estate development company that operates as a social business. Collaborating with the community, Seawall has successfully renovated and developed quintessential parts of the Baltimore area, giving them new life and a new look. They have successfully built three apartment buildings offering discounts to local teachers, renovated Baltimore’s famous Lexington Market, as well as many other examples, all while shaping their plans based on the community’s needs and input.

I encourage you to think about Thibault’s idea of social entrepreneurship and how his philosophy penetrates not just into his business model but how he views the idea of work as a whole. 

Together, we discussed how state and local governments, along with the private sector, can cooperate to help communities develop, how your values can impact your business practices, and how real estate and land can impact society. 

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Ms. Brown is a community organizer and mayoral candidate for the City of Toronto. She received her bachelor’s from Ryerson University in public administration and governance, and her master's from Humber College in human resource management and administrative services. Chloe has spent her life advocating for change within her community. Her campaign focuses on issues of inequality, land use, and quality of life. Many of her solutions revolve around an equitable use of land or progressive taxation that would distribute benefits to the working class.

When listening to this talk, think about land ownership and all the different benefits of it. If you are a renter or someone who just likes to move around a lot in this age of digital nomads, what are the economic or political benefits you miss out on? Ms. Brown looks to solve this problem by removing the mutual exclusivity of land ownership and rights. I encourage you to think about how expanding liberty to those without ownership of land could diffuse power, and how that would create different economic outcomes. 

This week we discussed how Toronto can improve housing, why relying on real estate developers can lead to unaffordable housing, and how taxation can be used to incentivize equitable development. 

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Tideman is a Georgist economist, whose family have been Georgists for generations. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Reed College and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. He has spent his career immersed in economics, teaching at numerous universities such as Harvard, the University of Buckingham, and Virginia Tech, where he currently teaches. Dr. Tideman reached the pinnacle of his career in the 1970’s working for the president's council of economic advisers. He has held advisory positions within the Office of Management and Budget and Treasury Department. He is the author of many journal publications and is the author of two books: Collective Decisions and Voting and Land and Taxation; both examine collectivist economic models and decision-making.

This week we discussed left-libertarianism, how land values and taxes can be systematized, and why a carbon tax is insufficient for promoting equality but good for the environment.

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Cohen received his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam, both in economics. Before his academic career, Dr. Cohen worked as a management consultant at Accenture. He has spent over 24 years studying and understanding the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. Josh’s expertise ranges from regulatory practices to drug discovery and has over one hundred publications in numerous journals. In addition to his publications, Josh has also written for numerous periodicals and is currently a contributor to Forbes. 

Together, we discussed the changes within the pharmaceutical industry caused by the IRA, how drug prices are formulated from manufacturer to consumer, and why the IRA is more of a reform than it is large-scale change.

We hope to see you all at our Annual Conference! The link is below:

https://www.hgsss.org/annual-conference-2023/

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Bauman earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Reed College, and his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Economics. Known as the first and only “Standup Economist” Dr. Bauman likes to inject humor into his teachings and analyze economic issues through a comedic lens. He is the author of several books including, "Tax Shift" and "The Cartoon Introduction to Economics." The former is an analysis of how to align our environmental goals with our tax system, while the latter is a beginner's book to learning economics. When he is not writing, Dr. Bauman performs his routine at companies, colleges, and conferences. He has performed for events hosted by Time Magazine, PBS, and NPR. He is also an activist, supporting and leading multiple environmental movements, most prominently, Clean the Darn Air, a movement created to encourage more environmental ballot initiatives in his home state of Utah.

Dr. Bauman joined the Henry George School to discuss reforming economics education, how Canada implemented a carbon tax, and how taxing land value can improve welfare outcomes.

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Mr. Marinescu graduated from the University of Waterloo with a mathematics and computer science degree. Floyd is the founder and CEO of C4Media, InfoQ, and UBI Works. C4Media and InfoQ is a news organization that spreads information about computer software and SaaS (software as a service). UBI Works is an organization Mr. Marinescu created in order to raise awareness of the benefits of UBI and its socioeconomic benefits. When he is not working towards either of these endeavors, he is also an angel investor for several startups that look to make a social impact. 

When listening to our guest, I find it immensely helpful to consider his intellectual journey, and how he arrived at his conclusions. I find it very formative in understanding our guest’s logic.

Together, we discussed the benefits of having common and public goods, how rent-seeking negatively impacts well-being, and the pros and cons of incremental vs systemic change.

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Rasmus is a professor at St. Mary’s college in California where he focuses on inequality and economic crises. Dr. Rasmus began his career in journalism and is the author of numerous books on the political economy, such as "Central Bankers at the End of Their Rope?", "The Scourge of Neoliberalism," and "Epic Recession." He has served as a negotiator, organizer, and president of multiple local unions. He is the host of the radio show "Alternative Visions" and has contributed to multiple magazines, such as "World Financial Review," "European Financial Review," and "World Review of the Political Economy."

We discussed the monetary response to Covid-19 and its macroeconomic impact, how modern technology impacts communication in politics, and Dr. Rasmus' critique of mainstream monetary theory.

We hope you enjoy this talk and make sure to check back on our page every week for a brand-new episode! 

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Mr. Harrison received his bachelor's from Oxford University and his master’s from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as "The People" and "Wellington Journal." In 1988 he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred emphasizes the housing market and its interaction with the economy. He is the author of many books, including "The Corruption of Economics," "The Power in the Land," and "A Philosophy for a Fair Society," all of which critique mainstream economic thinking. Most of today’s discussion will center around Fred’s book "#WeAreRent," which offers policy solutions that empower societies to adapt to crises and transform governance for the common good. When listening to this episode, I encourage you to listen to Fred’s solution to rent-seeking, which requires a more moralistic approach to capitalism. It is also worth considering how land comes into play and how Mr. Harrison’s solutions impact property values. Together, we discussed how land value taxes could lower rents, why progressive policies can be unpalatable to most people, and how old ideas perpetuate the issues progressives try to solve. 

To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/