Author: Dave

What the 1% Don’t Want You to Know

On the Bill Moyers show, Economist Paul Krugman explains how the United States is becoming an oligarchy – the very system our founders revolted against. The discussion is focused on the work of Thomas Piketty, and includes a mention of the recent paper on oligarchy in the US by Martin Gilens, and Benjamin I. Page.

Thomas Piketty on Wealth, Income and Inequality

The following video is of Thomas Piketty giving a lecture on his new book Capital in the 21st Century. For a review of the book see Martin Wolf in the Financial Times here.

 

 

Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Thomas Piketty speaking on his newly released book on inequality Capital in the Twenty-First Century. For a review of the book see Paul Krugman’s article in the NYRB.

A Lecture by Walter LaFeber

The following is a lecture given by the great historian of US foreign policy Walter LaFeber.

Gar Alperovitz on his life, the atomic bomb, and socialism

Part One: “Understanding the Imperialist System Changed My Life”

Part Two: “Nuclear Attack on Japan was Opposed by American Military Leadership”

Part Three: “Capitalism in Long Term Stagnation and Decay”

Part Four: “The Promise and Limitations of Worker Cooperatives”

Part Five: “What Would You Do If You Had Political Power?”

If you don’t like capitalism or state socialism, what do you want?

 

Mark Blyth: Austerity – The History of a Dangerous Idea

Mark Blyth: Austerity – The History of a Dangerous Idea is one of the best lectures on political economy, explaining the historic role of public debt, that I’ve heard. The beginning is slightly tedious, as it’s hardcore economics, but it gets much better as Blyth explains the economic crisis and the politics behind austerity.

 

Life and Ideas of Amartya Sen

The following video is a documentary on the life and ideas of Dr Amartya Sen. For more watch his Conversations with History interview.

Chris Hedges: The Myth of Human Progress and the Collapse of Complex Societies

Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist specializing in politics and society, spoke at Moravian College on Tuesday, October 22, 2013. Hedges is the seventh Peace and Justice Scholar in Residence at Moravian College. His talk was drawn from his most recent book, Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt.

James Scott: The Art of Not Being Governed

The author of several books including Seeing Like a State, Professor Scott’s research concerns political economy, comparative agrarian societies, theories of hegemony and resistance, peasant politics, revolution, Southeast Asia, theories of class relations and anarchism. We talk with Professor Scott about his newest book, The Art of Not Being Governed. It is the first-ever examination of the volumes of literature on state-making that evaluates why people would deliberately remain stateless.

Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask

The documentary film, Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask, explores the life and work of the psychoanalytic theorist and activist Frantz Fanon who was born in Martinique, educated in Paris and worked in Algeria. Examines Fanon’s theories of identity and race, and traces his involvement in the anti-colonial struggle in Algeria and throughout the world.