In the early months of the pandemic, the government shut down whole sectors of the economy and started paying the wages of a huge proportion of Brits. Some worked from home, juggling homeschooling their kids and figuring out how to use Zoom. Others risked their health to travel to work. Meanwhile Big Tech and outsourcing companies raked in money through government contracts.

What can we learn from moments when the predictable rules of economic life are suspended? Who wins and who loses in these points of crisis? And has the pandemic pushed us into a new form of capitalism?

Ayeisha is joined by Sahil Dutta and Nick Taylor, lecturers in political economy at Goldsmiths University to discuss their new book "Unprecedented? How Covid-19 revealed the politics of our economy"

- The book written alongside Will Davies and Martina Tazzioli is out now: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691630/unprecedented-by-william-davies-sahil-jai-dutta-nick-taylor-and-martina-tazzioli/

- Find out more about Sahil and Nick's work here: https://www.perc.org.uk/

- Further reading on the care crisis and coronavirus by Emma Dowling here: https://www.versobooks.com/books/4031-the-care-crisis

-----

Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.

Music by C. Scott and Poddington Bear under Creative Commons license.

Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!

The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org