Episodes
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If you’re a subscriber of our show, you’ve probably noticed that we’ve switched up the types of content we’ve published lately. We’re working on a lot of new projects, and talking to some interesting people, and we’re excited to share the results our listeners. But until those projects are completed, the conversations are had, and the podcasts are published, we are going to be on a brief hiatus. Our goal is to return with fresh perspectives, new topics, and exciting interviews that will continue to enrich your understanding of the world of economics and Georgism.
We’ll be back before you know it; we’re expecting sometime in August or the early fall. We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop with any new updates or announcements about the show.
We deeply appreciate your support and patience during this time. I encourage you to revisit some of our past episodes—there’s plenty of content to explore after all, and you might discover new insights you missed the first time around.
Stay connected with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, or our website, hgsss.org. We can’t wait to come back stronger and better, delivering the quality content you’ve come to expect from The Henry George School Podcast.
Thank you for being part of our community. Until we meet again, stay curious and keep questioning everything.
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Today our discussion comes from our most recent seminar “The Rise of Automation and AI – Curse or Blessing for the Working Class?” and was recorded in May of 2024. Our Talk is hosted by our Director of Education, Ibrahima Drame, who is joined by Dr. Sandeep Sacheti, Dr. Ansel Schiavone, and Mr. Ed Dodson.
Dr. Sandeep is an Executive Vice President at Wolters Kluwer, an IT and software company for professional services. He received his doctorate from UC Berkeley and has 20 patents in decision science, fraud verification, and identification.
Dr. Ansel Schiavone is an economics professor at St. John’s University where he researches inequality, microeconomics, and the political economy. He received his bachelor’s degree from Dension University and his PhD from the University of Utah, both in economics.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received his economics degree. Ed was also a manager at Fannie Mae. Edward is also the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
Together we discussed why AI won’t replace as many jobs as we think, how Neo-classical labor models fail to hold up in the real world, and the Georgist perspective on how AI would impact labor throughout the economy.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Semmler is the Arnhold Professor of International Cooperation and Development at the New School in New York City, where he researches macroeconomics, the economics of climate change, and financial markets. Dr. Semmler is also a Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Capitalism and Society, an institute that examines the shortcomings of orthodox economics and looks to understand the economy through a more realistic and complex lens. Willi has also taught at other universities such as the American University in Washington D.C., the University of Berlin, and the University of Bielefeld in Germany. He is the author of numerous journal articles and has written many books such as Asset Prices, Booms, and Recessions and Sustainable Macroeconomics, Climate Risks, and Energy Transitions. Dr. Semmler is a trustee and long-time member here at the Henry George School as well. He is an expert on all things macroeconomics, sustainability, and business cycles. Dr. Semmler studied at the University of Munich and Technical University in Germany and earned his PhD from the Free University of Berlin.
Together we discussed why economics should begin considering the environment in its analysis, why environmental risks pose economic risks, and how the profit motive incentivizes conservation or degradation.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Horn is the Director of Practical Philosophy and Ancient Philosophy at the University of Bonn. Most of his work focuses on classical philosophers like Plato or Aristotle and how we deal with modern questions of ethics and morals. However, Dr. Horn has also written extensively on political philosophy, and the roles ethics and justice play within politics. In addition to his position at the University of Bonn, Dr. Horn also teaches at the New School. He is an alum of the New Institute, a German think tank dedicated to understanding the relationship between well-being and living standards, and how this impacts the human condition.
Today, Dr. Horn joined us to explain environmental ethics, some of the different schools of thought within ecological ethics, and introduced us to the idea of political ecology. It was quite a fascinating discussion, to say the least.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Rowland served in the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as a Senior Project Manager for Environmental Remediation to help the city improve environmental quality. He has taught at various institutions, such as Pace University and here at the Henry George School of Social Science. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Asset Leadership Network, a group that promotes financial awareness to achieve social objectives. Dr. Marty Rowland earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his master’s from the University of New Orleans, both in Environmental Engineering. He later went on to earn his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of New Orleans as well.
We were joined by Dr. Rowland to discuss Henry George’s work on monetary policy and central banking, some critiques of George’s analysis, and the difference between metal-backed currencies versus fiat currencies.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion was recorded in April of 2024, where our guest, Mr. Matthew Colantonio, joined us.
Mr. Colantonio is an active community member and has focused his career on economic and community development. He was an AmeriCorps volunteer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he saw the importance of effective land and tax policy. Currently, he is a statistician at the State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Health. Matt received his bachelor’s degree in business from St. John’s University, my alma mater, and his master’s in applied economics from Boston College.
Mr. Colantonio joined us in discussing the history of Pennsylvania, how Henry George’s single tax can jumpstart Pittsburg’s property sector, and why speculation tends to depress economic outcomes.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Ancient Greek Language and Literature and his Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from Trinity College in Dublin. He has conducted extensive research on the Money Supply and recent trends in Monetary Policy. He is also the Managing Director of Fiduciary Automation, a company that helps businesses check if their financial ideas meet legal requirements and identify areas of ambiguity. In addition to Fiduciary Automation, Dr. Perry is also the founder of XML Special Interest Group, a platform for professionals who use Extensible Markup Language (XML), a coding language.
Dr. Perry joined us to discuss why raising or lowering taxes is not realistic if the government should have the ability to tax citizens, and how the how the separation of state developed over time.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Mr. Van Gorder is an independent scholar and cofounder of the Greshm Institute. The Greshm Institute is a non-profit organization that fosters dialogue around Universal Basic Income (UBI). Derek is also working on a series of essays on the dynamics of UBI and how it is economically viable. In addition to his work with the Greshm Institute, Mr. Van Gorder is also a filmmaker and videographer for documentaries, indie films, and music videos. He received his bachelor’s degree from Bard College at Simon’s Rock.
We were joined by Mr. Van Gorder to discuss the dynamics of UBI, how it can be used for monetary policy, and why a universal basic income is the most efficient policy tool for macroeconomic management.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Ancient Greek Language and Literature, and his Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from Trinity College in Dublin. He has conducted extensive research on the Money Supply and recent trends in Monetary Policy. He is also the Managing Director of Fiduciary Automation, a company that helps businesses check if their financial ideas meet legal requirements and identify areas of ambiguity. In addition to Fiduciary Automation, Dr. Perry is also the founder of XML Special Interest Group, a platform for professionals who use Extensible Markup Language (XML), a coding language.
We were joined by Dr. Perry to discuss his analysis on recent macroeconomic trends, how asset bubbles are formed, and why the Fed always miscalculates unemployment.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion was recorded in January of 2024, where we were joined by our guest, Dr. Walter E. Perry.
Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Ancient Greek Language and Literature, and his Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
from Trinity College in Dublin. He has conducted extensive research on Money Supply and recent trends in Monetary Policy. He is also the Managing Director of Fiduciary Automation, a company that helps businesses check if their financial ideas meet legal requirements and identify areas of ambiguity. In addition to Fiduciary Automation, Dr. Perry is also the founder of XML Special Interest Group, a platform for professionals who use Extensible Markup Language (XML), a coding language.
We were joined by Dr. Perry to discuss why the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy has been ineffective, how AI and computer science can be used to understand why monetary policy is failing, and a brief history of modern monetary history.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion was recorded in October of 2023, where we were joined by our returning guest, Dr. Aleksandr Gevorkyan
Dr. Gevorkyan received his bachelor’s degree in International Trade and Finance from Louisiana State University, two master's in Economics from The New School and Louisiana State University, and his Ph.D. in economics from New School. He is an expert on Central Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union economies. He is the author of numerous journal articles, as well as two books: Transition Economies and Financial Deepening and Post-Crisis Development in Emerging Markets. He is a professor and Henry George Chair in Economics at St. John’s University, as well as a member here at the Henry George School.
Today we will explore Diaspora Bonds and how they can impact development. Many underdeveloped nations don’t have the financial capacity to pursue transformative projects like building hospitals or infrastructure. Diaspora Bonds help fund these projects from expatriates who want to help their home country. Dr. Gevorkyan also explores how other nations have successfully used their diaspora to spur growth.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s discussion was recorded in September of 2021, where we were joined by our returning guest, and long-time faculty member of the school, Ed Dodson.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping to revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
Today, Mr. Dodson explains the impact of the American Rescue plan, and why it may not have helped the people it was most intended to. Ed helps break down a Georgist analysis of the macroenvironment pre-Covid, and how the American Rescue Plan fails to address its vulnerabilities.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Snapshot is a more brief format for introducing listeners to complex concepts they may not be familiar with. We take big ideas and distill them into a bite-sized format so you can get an understanding of these ideas through a particular lens. We’ll explore ideas like moneterism, historical materialism, or opportunity cost, and how they are relevant to the real world. You don’t have to be an expert on economics, we’ll explain it to you.
For our discussion today, we will be talking to our returning guest, Mr. Tom Rossman.
Mr. Rossman is a financier and investor, who specializes in developing nations and emerging markets. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mr. Rossman helped establish investment institutions in Turkey, former Soviet Union states, and North Africa. Throughout his career, Tom has helped nations democratize and sustainably develop to bring new opportunities to these regions. He has spoken at conferences across the world from Baku to London to Houston. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and religious studies from Nyack College and earned his master’s from Tufts in international relations. Currently, he is an advisor to the Telosa Community Foundation; a group hoping to build a futuristic from-scratch city that will revolutionize urban living.
Mr. Rossman introduces us to the concept of equitism. When most social scientists discuss fairness, they usually mention equality or equity. Equitism takes these ideas a step further. Equitism is a system in which city people own or have a stake in the land. In theory, this should give them more power to determine their socioeconomic outcomes.
Together we discussed a brief history of economic thought, how equitism reconfigures capitalism, and how a more even distribution of land can improve environmental outcomes.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Rethinking Economics is all about questioning the core foundations of economics. This series questions economic orthodoxy to better understand the forces and shifts shaping our society and the world. Together, we’ll interrogate things like the efficacy of economic models, if mainstream assumptions are always correct, and why the ideas and concepts you learn about in textbooks may lead you astray.
For our inaugural discussion of the series, we will be talking to our returning guest, and one of my favorite economists, Dr. Steve Keen. Our talk was recorded in March of 2024, and is hosted by me, Nathan Greene, a researcher here at the Henry George School.
Many people, including myself, don’t fully understand monetary theory or monetary economics. Admittedly, it’s quite confusing. There are a lot of dynamics at play from banks, to households, money, and central banks, just to name a few. If you ever learned the terms money multiplier, monetary base, or reserve requirement ratio, but are not really sure what it means, you’re not alone.
Dr. Keen is an expert on the dynamics of monetary economics and macroeconomics. We’ll explore his critiques of the efficient market hypothesis to his more recent analyses of debt dynamics and financial instability. Together, we talked about the shortcomings of conventional economic thinking, and why it’s so damaging not just to the economy, but the planet as well. By questioning fundamental assumptions, he invites us to reconsider our approach to economic policy and reshape our vision of a more equitable and sustainable future. At a time when the world is largely ignoring calls to abandon fossil fuels and the green transition feels painstakingly slow, his ideas and critiques feel more important now than ever before.
Dr. Keen received his bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney and went on to complete his master's and Ph.D. in Economics and Economic History from the University of New South Wales. He is the author of several books on economics, of which the two most famous are "Debunking Economics" and "The New Economics: A Manifesto." Both critique conventional economic theory. We were even lucky enough to hear about his upcoming book, "Rebuilding Economics from the Top Down." Dr. Keen has taught at the University of Western Sydney and Kingston University in London. He is currently leading the development of a software package called Minsky, a dynamics-based visualization tool for macroeconomic modeling.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today’s episode our discussion came from our most recent seminar, McGirt v Oklahoma: Unraveling the Impact on Tribal Economics and Sovereignty. Our conversation was recorded in February of 2024 and is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member, who is joined by our guest, Dr. Brian Hosmer.
Dr. Hosmer is the head of the History department at Oklahoma State University and previously held the H.G. Barnard Chair at the University of Tulsa. He has held numerous teaching positions at institutions such as the University of Delaware, University of Wyoming, and the University of Illinois Chicago. His research and teaching interests focus on indigenous history, environmental history, and the intersection of economics and indigenous nationhood. He is the author of several books including "American Indians and the Marketplace," "Tribal Worlds," "Native Americans and the Legacy of Harry S. Truman," and many more.
Since settlers arrived in North America, the history of native Americans and indigenous people in the US has always been dictated by its relationship with settlers and the governments they would go on to establish. This relationship has almost always been exploitive and led to a diminished wellbeing for indigenous people.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, median per capita income for native Americans is $35,310 compared with the average of $51,371, and the poverty rate on reservations is almost double the national average. While some attempts have been made to correct the wrongs of history, like the Indian Self-Determination Act, these solutions ultimately had their shortcomings as well.
Our guest today helps us explore the current interaction between the US government and indigenous nations, how a recent Supreme Court Case impacts this interaction, and how this translates to economic outcomes.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today's discussion came from our most recent seminar and was recorded in January of 2024. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School.
To celebrate Black History Month, we wanted to pause our regular content and give our listeners a special series on the political economy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This week’s talk will conclude our 3-part series exploring Dr. King’s intellectual evolution, and how it impacted his solutions to addressing poverty.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled "The Discovery of First Principles."
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in January of 2023. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School.
To celebrate Black History Month, we wanted to pause our regular content and give our listeners a special series on the political economy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For the next two episodes, we’ll continue our 3-part series exploring Dr. King’s intellectual evolution and how it impacted his solutions to addressing poverty.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Today's discussion came from our archives and was recorded in January of 2022. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School.
To celebrate Black History Month, we wanted to pause our regular content and give our listeners a special series on the political economy of Martin Luther King. For the next few episodes, we’ll have a 3-part series exploring Dr. King’s intellectual evolution, and how it impacted his solutions to addressing poverty.
Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Chappe is a Decentralized Finance economist and Director of R&D and Strategy at DeVol Network, a cryptocurrency platform. Dr. Chappe is also an economic advisor for The Predistribution Initiative, a non-profit that supports creating investment structures that better distributes wealth with workers and communities. Dr. Chappe is also a Research Fellow with the Open Society Foundation. Dr. Chappe earned her bachelor’s in Law and French Law from King’s College London, a master’s degree in Comparative Business Law from the University of Pantheon-Sorbonne in Paris, a master’s in law from New York University, and her doctorate in economics from The New School for Social Research. Needless to say, she has quite an extensive resume. Raphaële’s research interests include monetary policy and shadow banking.
We were lucky enough to talk to Dr. Chappe about quantitative easing, how it impacts inequality, and how recent accumulations of debt could impact the global macroeconomy.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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Dr. Horn is a philosopher who uses his philosophical training toanalyze public policy. Writing for journals such as The Journal of Philosophy and Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Walter has published many articles on topics such as metaphysics, epistemology, or the psychology of religion. He is also the author of Democratic Theory Naturalized, which deeply examines populism and power relations within a democracy. As a professor, Dr. Horn has taught at Brown University and Framingham State University. When he’s not busy writing about psychology or philosophy, our guest loves to write and analyze music and has several recorded albums.
I want to start off by asking you, what defines democracy? If I asked you, what makes a country a democracy, what would your answer be? Would it be free and fair elections? Checks and balances? Freedom of speech? Fair judicial processes with juries of your peers? The term democracy originates from Greece, “demos” meaning people, and “kratos” meaning rule. When the term was first coined, democracy was mostly practiced in Athens, which selected random citizens to fill judicial and administrative positions and had an assembly of all Athenian citizens to pass legislation.
I would define it as a distribution of power between different actors within society, from executive to legislative branches to corporations and consumers. Democracy is defined as rule by the people; but since its conception, society has always struggled to achieve a true democracy. Even in Athens, where the idea was born, democracy has never been fully achieved. For example, the legislative body I just mentioned excluded women and slaves from participating.
Turning to current times, we’ve seen democracies morph and change. The United States has gone through many changes and had its democratic institutions tested. Donald Trump, the 45th President, could potentially be convicted guilty of numerous charges while running for president, creating a potential constitutional crisis if he wins. He was also responsible for the insurrection on January 6th, creating profound legal questions about the constitutional power of presidents. But the executive branch isn’t the only feature of our government that is being questioned.
Some have begun to question certain aspects of our democratic institutions. One example is the Electoral College, a process where a body of electorates vote for both president and vice president in tandem with the popular vote. Another is the Supreme Court, where members hold life-long tenures, have very few checks or balances, and are nominated by presidents, not citizens. According to Gallup, 28% of adults are “satisfied with the way democracy is working in this country”. As these aspects of our government’s structure become increasingly criticized, it is fair to wonder how we can improve these institutions and make government more democratic. This is where Dr. Horn comes in.
To improve our system of government and create outcomes more beneficial to the public, Dr. Horn believes society needs a healthy dose of populism. Populism is a complex idea, usually harboring negative connotations from both the left and right. But to Dr. Horn, populism is a move toward radical democracy and the empowerment of people. Governments, democracies, and constitutions all change over time. But what these changes are, and who they impact, have lasting consequences on how we organize our society and decide who gets to make what decisions.
Dr. Horn earned his bachelor’sdegree from Ithaca College, and his Ph.D. from Brown University, both in philosophy.
Together, we discussed Dr. Horn’s definition of populism, how democratic reform can empower citizens, and why education is so important to achieving democratic outcomes.
To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/
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