Neoliberalism and economic nationalism are the two dominant meta-models for the global economy today. Proponents call them pathways to prosperity, but both have been blamed for exacerbating ongoing climate degradation, record levels of inequality, and political instability. 

Is there a way to build a more inclusive, more sustainable, and more prosperous economy for everyone?

Economists Dani Rodrik and Suresh Naidu say their profession needs to adopt a more holistic view of prosperity, one that includes traditional metrics but also expanded measures of wellbeing like the ability to live a healthy life, to participate in democracy, and to inhabit a liveable planet. They’re two of the founding members of Economics for Inclusive Prosperity, a network of academic economists from Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and other leading universities working to transform their field around this more expansive vision.

In the inaugural episode of the Economics for Inclusive Prosperity Podcast, Rodrik, a professor of political economy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and Naidu, a professor of economics and international and public affairs at Columbia University, join host Ralph Ranalli to talk about the groups’ efforts to foster new thinking and policy ideas among their peers. They also highlight significant changes in approaches and research that are already underway, particularly among a new generation of economists using big data and empirical tools to challenge old orthodoxies.

Economics for Inclusive Prosperity (EfIP) is a network of academic economists from Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and other leading universities who are committed to an inclusive economy and society. EfIP members are working to transform their field around a new vision of prosperity—a vision that includes traditional economic metrics, but also expanded measures of wellbeing including access to health, to democratic participation, and to a livable planet. They’re also highlighting the important changes in economics that are already underway.

Host Ralph Ranalli is a podcaster, entrepreneur, and former journalist, who has also hosted “HKS PolicyCast,” the award-winning flagship podcast of the Harvard Kennedy School. He holds a BA in political science from UCLA and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University.

The Economics for Inclusive Prosperity Podcast is recorded at the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The show is co-produced by Ralph Ranalli and Tony Ditta.