Stay Up To Date With News & Events
Copyright 2021 © All rights Reserved. Real Progressives
Powered by Modern Monetary Theory
It’s not such a stretch to have Mark Blyth as a guest on our podcast. Although we normally feature proponents of Modern Monetary Theory, our interests are, above all, in the health of the planet and the social, physical, and economic health of our fellow citizens.
In this episode, host Steve Grumbine and Professor Blyth find that they share two concerns of utmost import: austerity, as both an economic as well as an ideological system, and the climate crisis.
Blyth is known for his pop culture references and his fantastic sense of humor. “A Lannister always pays his debts” leads to an illustration of the difference between public and private debt. Hint: the first is intergenerational. Grumbine may not agree that generations of private individuals are actually responsible for repaying the government’s commitments, but they both know that when wages are stagnant, personal debt is likely to be devastating and never-ending.
We think our listeners will get a kick out of Blyth’s irreverence as much as Grumbine clearly does. When Steve challenges Blyth’s comparison of Venezuela’s sovereign currency to that of the United States, Blyth retorts that it’s all “smoke and mirrors and bullshit.”
Professor Blyth is concerned that MMT proponents haven’t faced up to the reality of political obstacles. “Have you met Republicans?” They’re not going to agree to “just take the Fed, write a big check, stick a golden penny in the Fed, and we’ll do a green new deal.” Well, we can’t argue with that.
You’re going to enjoy this conversation that takes us back to 1315, revealing that there has been a downward trend in interest rates for 700 years. (Did we mention that Grumbine and Blyth agree that the threat of inflation is vastly overblown?) Whether you’re interested in Westeros or Brexit or the Grateful Dead, it’s an episode you won’t want to miss.
Mark Blyth is The William R. Rhodes ’57 Professor of International Economics, Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
Follow him on Twitter @MkBlyth
Coming Soon
Share this Episode
Follow the show and subscribe on your favorite player.
It’s not such a stretch to have Mark Blyth as a guest on our podcast. Although we normally feature proponents of Modern Monetary Theory, our interests are, above all, in the health of the planet and the social, physical, and economic health of our fellow citizens.
In this episode, host Steve Grumbine and Professor Blyth find that they share two concerns of utmost import: austerity, as both an economic as well as an ideological system, and the climate crisis.
Blyth is known for his pop culture references and his fantastic sense of humor. “A Lannister always pays his debts” leads to an illustration of the difference between public and private debt. Hint: the first is intergenerational. Grumbine may not agree that generations of private individuals are actually responsible for repaying the government’s commitments, but they both know that when wages are stagnant, personal debt is likely to be devastating and never-ending.
We think our listeners will get a kick out of Blyth’s irreverence as much as Grumbine clearly does. When Steve challenges Blyth’s comparison of Venezuela’s sovereign currency to that of the United States, Blyth retorts that it’s all “smoke and mirrors and bullshit.”
Professor Blyth is concerned that MMT proponents haven’t faced up to the reality of political obstacles. “Have you met Republicans?” They’re not going to agree to “just take the Fed, write a big check, stick a golden penny in the Fed, and we’ll do a green new deal.” Well, we can’t argue with that.
You’re going to enjoy this conversation that takes us back to 1315, revealing that there has been a downward trend in interest rates for 700 years. (Did we mention that Grumbine and Blyth agree that the threat of inflation is vastly overblown?) Whether you’re interested in Westeros or Brexit or the Grateful Dead, it’s an episode you won’t want to miss.
Mark Blyth is The William R. Rhodes ’57 Professor of International Economics, Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
Follow him on Twitter @MkBlyth
Coming Soon
Episode 110 - Taming the Megabanks with Art Wilmarth
Episode 109 - Institutions with Linwood Tauheed
Episode 108 - Knowledge is Power with Rev. Delman Coates
Episode 107 - We Are Losing the Media War with Jordan Chariton
Episode 106 - Reform or Revolution with Danny Haiphong
Episode 105 - The Case for Scottish Independence with Kairin Van Sweeden
Episode 104 - Focus on the Family with June Carbone
Episode 103 - Anatomy of a Job Guarantee with Fadhel Kaboub
Episode 102 - The Global Scourge of Neoliberalism with Patricia Pino
Episode 101 - Beat Back Better: Organizing in 2021 with Emma Caterine
Episode 100 - Flying with Sara Nelson
Episode 99 - A Modern Debt Jubilee with Steve Keen
Episode 98 - Imminent Collapse with L. Randall Wray
Episode 97 - Solidarity with Joe Burns
Episode 96 - Treasury's Gift To The Fed with Robert Hockett
Episode 95 - The Land Value Tax with Joshua Vincent and Rich Nymoen
Episode 94 - Political Sobriety with Rohan Grey
Episode 93 - The Public Banking Act with Rohan Grey
Episode 92 - Propaganda and the Vortex of Centrism with Esha Krishnaswamy
Episode 91 - Crisis Management with Warren Mosler
Episode 90 - The MMT Sequence with Warren Mosler
Episode 89 - Juxtapositions with Bill Mitchell
Episode 88 - Debt Deflation and the Neofeudal Empire with Michael Hudson
Episode 87 - A Just Transition Through Participatory Governance with Cindy Banyai
Episode 86 - 2020 with Margaret Kimberley
Episode 85 - Shadow Banking with Robert Hockett
Episode 84 - African Sovereignty and a Global Green New Deal with Fadhel Kaboub
Episode 83 - Mutual Credit and the War on Cash with Brett Scott
By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. Read more