32 minutes
|
August 20, 2024
#7 Not Just Economics
How to Build a Just Economy with Nick Romeo
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About The Speaker
Nick Romeo is a journalist and author who has spent years covering economic policy and ideas for The New Yorker magazine. His recent book, The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy (January 2024 from PublicAffairs and Basic Books), uses extensive original reporting to provide a road map for a sustainable and fair twenty-first-century economy. The Guardian praised the book as “an enlightening, inspiring read,” and the Washington Post called it “a brisk and sensible book that details bold and ingenious proposals in measured tones.” Nick has also contributed front-page breaking news stories, profiles, and essays to The Washington Post, The New York Times, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, and many other venues. He teaches at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
Episode Description
In this episode, Nick Romeo, a journalist and an author, discusses some of the ideas from his recent book, The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy. He discusses widening wealth inequality and the climate crisis and argues that these are urgent challenges with existing global solutions. He emphasizes that policy choices, not natural laws, shape economic systems and critiques business models relying on underpaid workers, advocating for fair wages and worker well-being as measures of success.
Nick highlights the importance of aligning economic systems with societal values, noting that many progressive policies have broad support. He also discusses “true pricing,” which includes products’ environmental and social costs, suggesting a gradual implementation for essentials like fuel to avoid unrest.
He argues that political choices and calls for effective regulation inherently shape markets. While acknowledging the successes of free-market economics in emerging economies, Nick questions whether these gains could be achieved without the associated negative impacts.
Nick critiques billionaire philanthropy, questioning the morality of wealth accumulation that exacerbates societal problems and calling for a reassessment of how wealth is generated and distributed.
Tune in for a rich dialogue that challenges conventional wisdom and proposes a more equitable and sustainable future with the potential for positive change.
Additional inspirations from Nick Romeo
- Book : The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy
- New Yorker Articles : Nick Romeo Articles
- Website : nickromeowriter.com
