For most of the last decade, the Conservative government has said they want to cut government spending to balance the books as they rolled out austerity nationwide. But since the start of lockdown, something seems to have changed. The chancellor keeps saying “this is not the time for ideology” as he announces new, expensive schemes to keep the economy afloat.

So - what’s going on? It’s not the first time that politicians have announced ‘the end of austerity’. But, with the government paying the wages of up to a third of the UK workforce through the furlough scheme, has something shifted? Has the government truly moved ‘beyond ideology’? Will austerity be back - but by another name? And where does conservatism go from here?

In this episode of the Weekly Economics Podcast Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by NEF CEO Miatta Fahnbulleh and Director of Research & Advocacy at Common Wealth Miriam Brett.

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Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone.

Music by Chad Crouch and Poddington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.

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

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

Where does conservatism go next?

Award-winning podcast about the economic forces shaping our world, with Ayeisha Thomas-Smith and guests. Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy.

News

Britain’s favourite broadcaster David Attenborough once said: “Anyone who thinks you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman - or an economist.”

But our political leaders don’t seem to agree. Both our major political parties have made growing the economy a key metric for their success in government.

So what is economic growth? How did it become so central to our understanding of the economy? And should we really be striving for infinite growth on a finite planet?﻿

Ayeisha Thomas Smith is joined by Kate Raworth, economist and author of Doughnut Economics,﻿ and Michael Jacobs, professor of political economy at the University of Sheffield.

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Music: Under Suspicion by Lee Rosevere, Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-serious/under-suspicion/, used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush

The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future

New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254

Should we be going for growth?

We’re waiting longer than ever for hospital appointments, our kids’ schools are literally crumbling, and homelessness has sky-rocketed in the past year. This week’s spring budget was a vital chance for chancellor Jeremy Hunt to respond to the huge problems our country is facing.

But instead of trying to fix any of our problems, the chancellor announced a cut to national insurance that will benefit the richest households twelve times more than the poorest.

So what do Jeremy Hunt’s announcements mean for people across the UK? Why are the opposition talking about maxed out credit cards? And what needs to happen to save our public services and boost living standards for all?

Ayeisha Thomas Smith is joined by Hannah Peaker, director of policy at the New Economics Foundation, and Lydia Prieg, head of economics at the New Economics Foundation

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Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.

Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush

The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future

New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254

Spring budget reaction

Worried about your carbon emissions? Don’t stress! You can pump out as much as you want - as long as you buy some offsets to balance it out. Scared of the collapse of wildlife? No problem! We can figure out how much money our ecosystems are worth, and let the market do the rest!

Welcome to the logic of green capitalism. Fossil fuel giants claim to celebrate sustainability while pumping out toxic emissions. Governments are relying on carbon offsets to make their climate promises add up. And we’re told that we can fight the climate crisis with the magic of economic markets.

Why have corporations got so interested in sustainability? Will carbon offsets save us - or are they just a cute accounting trick? And if wind and solar energy are so cheap, why haven’t we embraced them?

﻿﻿Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by ﻿Adrienne Buller, author of The Value of a Whale: On the illusions of green capitalism, and Brett Christophers, ﻿author of The Price is Wrong: Why capitalism won’t save the planet.

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Music by Serge Quadrado, used under Creative Commons licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush

The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future

New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254

Can capitalism save the climate

It’s 2024 and in Westminster an election is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Step back a little further and across the UK millions of us are more concerned with how we’ll afford to pay their sky-high rent or energy bills. Zoom out further again and we see a world where billions of people are reckoning with the threat of the climate crisis.

For the first episode in a new series of the New Economics podcast, Ayeisha is joined by the new chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, Danny Sriskandarajah, to discuss the biggest challenges facing the world and how we can win a new global economy.

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Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.

Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush

The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: https://neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future

New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254

Introducing the new chief executive of NEF

The Metropolitan Police’s diversity and inclusion strategy claims it is determined to “eliminate racism and discrimination”. But the force was branded ‘institutionally racist’, and not for the first time, in an official report this spring. Recently, a Met firearms officer has been referred to prosecutors on a potential murder charge for shooting dead Black Londoner Chris Kaba last September.

So, what does racism have to do with our 21st century economic system? How can we understand institutions who uphold racism while claiming to value diversity and inclusion? And what does it mean to truly be anti-racist?

For the final episode of this series, Ayeisha is joined by Arun Kundnani to discuss his new book, What Is Antiracism?: And Why It Means Anticapitalism.

Grab a copy of Arun's book here: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/2670-what-is-antiracism

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Music by Chris Zabriskie and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.

Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.

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

Where does conservatism go next?

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