Economic Update – Knowledge, Class and Economics – 01.21.18

Updates on problems and solutions for workplace discrimination, China’s ascending economy, capitalism’s drive to income and wealth inequalities, economics of immigration’s winners and losers, US capitalism and African-Americans. Interview with co-author Prof. Richard McIntyre on new book: Knowledge, Class and Economics: Marxism Without Guarantees.   Download this episode (right click and save)

Alternative Visions – Why the FED Will Soon Raise Rates And What Happens When It Does – 10.07.16

Dr. Rasmus explains why a Federal Reserve interest rate hike is coming very soon. Why central bank monetary policies in US, Europe and Japan have failed miserably to generate real economic growth since 2010, but were always focused on boosting stock, bond and other financial markets. Now, however, they no longer even stimulate financial assets but are increasingly causing financial instability in pension funds, insurance annuities, bank margins, retirees’ consumption, and will therefore soon be shelved. Anticipating the shift, central banks in Europe and Japan are adjusting their monetary policies in turn. The likely negative consequences of the US Fed rate shift globally are discussed. A new shift to fiscal infrastructure spending, business tax cuts, and abandonment of austerity fiscal policies are now on the agenda following the US election and in 2017 in Europe and beyond. The show concludes with analysis of the 1st presidential debate and why Trump, despite a disastrous debate performance may still win critical ‘swing states’ in November.

Larry Elliott – World Bank issues ‘perfect storm’ warning for 2016

The risk of the global economy being battered by a “perfect storm” in 2016 has been highlighted by the World Bank in a flagship report that warns that a synchronised slowdown in the biggest emerging markets could be intensified by a fresh bout of financial turmoil. The Bank said the possibility that Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – …

JIM RUSSELL – What the Rust Belt Can Teach Us About White Flight, Gentrification, and Brain Drain

The dying cities of the Rust Belt shouldn’t have brain gain. But they do. Real estate appreciation within an urban core suffering from demographic decline doesn’t make any sense. Yet these neighborhoods exist in places such as Buffalo and Pittsburgh. To be young, college-educated, and white means to flee where manufacturing used to rule. Boom goes Detroit. Concerning migration, expect the unexpected in America’s …