Roughly 90% of the world’s economics professionals failed to see the current economic crisis forming on the horizon of the early 21st century. Many of them are now striving for stability through policies of refinancing and quantitative easing. While this class of economic thinkers have driven the planet’s policies for decades, their faulty logic is being exposed by structurally high unemployment and failing banks. Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi are using central bank policies to prop up a system that’s imploding due to heavy debt burdens by using national deficits for attempts to accelerate private debt accumulation once again. Could one of the few economists that predicted the current financial crash outline a path forward for educating the next round of economists while providing an alternative to austerity?

In Extraenvironmentalist #39 we speak with Steve Keen about how neoclassical economics controls the ways our governments think. Steve draws on themes from the second edition of his book that exposes neoclassical economics and its faulty logic, Debunking Economics. In the first half of the interview, we draw on a technical understanding of where neoclassical economics has gone wrong and where the economies of the Eurozone are headed through following the path of austerity. In the second half, we talk about modern debt jubilees and retooling economics education. After which, Jennifer Baichwal joins us at the 95′ mark to talk about her newest film, Payback, based on Margaret Atwood’s book about debt and debtor relationships. Last of all, Seth and I recall our recent gig at Jackson Hole.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:39:33 — 146.2MB) | Embed

Podcast (96kbps): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:39:19 — 109.5MB) | Embed

// Music (in order of appearance)
Vacationer – Good as New via The Swill Merchants
Niia – Mad World via The Music Ninja
Mark Foster, Kimbra, A-Trak – Warrior via Hard Candy
Dragonette – Let It Go (The Knocks Remix) via KickKickSnare
Ibrahim Ferrer – Ay Candela (Henry Krinkle Remix) via International Beat Forum

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[First Break] – 35’40″
Austerity Suicides
Greeks in Despair
This is War: Italy Burns Paintings to Protest Austerity
Greek Town Develops Alternative Currency
[Second Break] – 67’40″
Bernanke Impresses Students at GWU
Steve Keen on Ponzi Schemes
Krugman Knocked Out of Neoclassical Orbit by Steve Keen
[End]
Michael Hudson – INET Talk on the Politics and Economics of Restructuring

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