Anti-Fascist Economics (with Isabella Weber)
Summary
Nick Hanauer interviews economist Isabella Weber, author of *Anti-Fascist Economics*, to explore the link between economic policy and democratic stability. They discuss how decades of neoliberal austerity and profit fundamentalism have fueled global fascism, arguing that "middle-out" economics and public control over essentials are necessary to restore democratic power and affordability.
Topics discussed
Introduction and AMA segment teaser
Fuel prices, heating costs, and the link to fascism
Isabella's book: Anti-Fascist Economics and democracy
Isabella's thesis: intertwining economics and democracy
Critique of interest rate policy and global right-wing rise
Historical economic shocks and the rise of the extreme right
The crisis of livelihoods and the 50-year wage stagnation
Restoring essentials and democratic trust in government
Subordination to capital and the definition of efficiency
Defining life's essentials and the failure of markets
Profit share data and the psychological component of neoliberalism
Convergence of neoliberalism, social Darwinism, and fascism
Tech elites, profit fundamentalism, and historical parallels
Capital won't save democracy: redistributing power and income
Climate change, inequality, and the affordability agenda
Economics as a moral science and the need for paradigm shift
Concrete policies: housing, energy, and tenant rights
Windfall profits, public options, and inflation burden
Personal motivation: growing up in Nuremberg and anti-fascism
Defending market capitalism vs. offering economic solutions
Dismantling countervailing power and avoiding collapse
AMA: Defining neoliberalism vs. orthodox economics
AMA: Origins of the term and the concept of market humanism
AMA: Naming struggles and why market humanism fits
Conclusion and resources for listeners
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