Renegade Economists

Our final radio show on 3CR sees Karl going out on a win, discussing Victoria's Windfall Gains Tax legislation that passed last week. Along the way you'll hear analysis of Australia's record land price inflation, why we need to switch taxes off the productive sector and onto monopoly interests plus a statement from Saul Eslake at the Housing Affordability and Supply Inquiry on how the mechanics of a land tax works. We finish up admiring the founders of 3CR and their establishment of long term community infrastructure and its parallels to Georgist thinking. Long live the beloved airwaves of 3CR. Show notes

Karl celebrates 600 episodes with a walk through economic history over the last 14 years of the show, highlighting some of the key aspects of Georgist economics along the way. How's this: wealth must flow to those who employ and create rather than those who hoard and wait. Show notes

Tyson Yunkaporta, author of Sand Talk discusses his page turner in light of beer pong and nudie runs, complexity theory and strange attractors. We touch on aspects of steady state economics, futurism, the neo-liberal subject and challenging the wellness industry to delve further into structural analysis. Show notes

Dominic Gilligan (Inverloch Sustainable Living) takes us through his social change evolution in light of his responsibility to himself, of ensuring his independence. You will hear of his insights on the 18.6 year business cycle and how anyone on a limited income can use this to benefit themselves and the planet. Show notes.

Investment banker and reformer James Murray joins to discuss government addiction to Quantitative Easing. Can nation’s sustain COVID driven budget deficits, alongside the reliance on money printing to keep pushing the growth machine along? We discuss reforms such as the Tobin Tax, jubilee, MMT and the future of currency. Show notes.

Karl is joined by his colleagues Emily Sims & Jesse Hogan to pull apart property lobby spin in light of the recent Victorian Budget. We actually had a few wins, with the Rezoning Windfall Gains tax ruffling feathers amongst those who see it as their right to the golden pen tick, of having their land rezoned by the millions. These are the sort of policies needed to quell a global property bubble out of control. Check the show notes to reference the column inches we didn;t have time to mention: https://www.prosper.org.au/2021/05/rights-to-rezoning/

Karl monologues past his doom scroll and onto new evolutions in the treatment of carbon pollution. Is a well-being index the centrepiece of the next economy? How can addressing land speculation assist in the degrowth/ steady state agenda? Standby for another edition of the Renegade Economists – reforming economics from a diversion play for monopolists and into a meaningful interpretation of reality. Show notes.

Prof Michael Hudson (michael-hudson.com) joins to talk about society’s fragility under the weight of land based debt. How have geo-political debates been defined by the contest between the predatory, extractive model and public ownership? Good vs bad money printing, multi generational mortgages and climate pressures are also discussed. Good times. Show notes

REPLAY: As Facebook shuts down Oz media feeds, we revisit pod #383, March 2015 where we discuss the state of Big Tech and the associated emergent factors with Max C, silicon valley entrepreneur. How could we ensure a fairer future exists between our data, their profits? http://www.earthsharing.org.au/2015/03/big-tek-future-reform/

Its an absolute pleasure to have Fred Harrison (Share the Rents) kick the year into gear with an appraisal of his new book series ‘We Are Rent’. Listening to his surgical tact one can’t help but feel these teachings contain deep and meaningful wisdoms addressing the key issues of our times. Just when you think you know it all, Fred unpeels another layer of understanding: “We continue to privatise the essence of our humanity. Those of us who claim to own land and therefore claim the rents that are produced in our societies are actually enacting the role of slavery. We are appropriating other people’s humanity.” Show notes

Karl reviews Australia's recent land valuation bonanza, what it means for social equity and how recent government public policy has dealt with it. As we emerge from the pandemic, how are governments sculpting their policy to suit? Show notes

Has Big Pharma exposed society to undue risk in the covid era? In our 2nd episode on this issue, Tahir Amin (i-mak.org) takes us through the R & D ecosystem of pharmaceutical development. Is Big Pharma's role to develop life saving products or digest competition? Listeners will understand why this market is in urgent need of a major overhaul. As always, policy pathways are provided as a matter of courtesy. Show notes

A recording from Prof Nicole Gurran’s 129th Annual Henry George Commemorative Dinner: "So in terms of affordable rental housing, if granny flats are it, we were going great guns." Prof Gurran takes us through the motivations of blaming planning for affordability issues versus how well the sector actually performs. Transcript & Vid.

With the corona crash only just beginning economically speaking, we need the best tools available. So we delve back into the archives to this 2012 interview with the late Dr Adrian Wrigley. Dr Wrigley looks at how the link between currency creation and land rents is key to a stable economy where reward is based on effort, not privilege. There are some important learnings here as more jurisdictions look at local currencies as a recovery tool. Transcription & show notes.

Will McMahon (Action on Empty Homes, UK) and Helene Caloir (Local Initiatives Support Corporation, NY) join host Karl Fitzgerald to discuss the global housing crisis in light of one of our regular themes - vacancy. A global issue calls for a global response yes? We discuss pandemic related themes to empty homes, homelessness and the international nature of commodification. Can we work together to move beyond the reform theatre enveloping housing policy? A big announcement looms. Show notes.

Renowned health economist Stephen Duckett (Grattan Institute) discusses our health system’s ability to address the pandemic. From preventative practices to problems with our private health system, we then delve into issues surrounding medical R&D. Have the oligopolistic practices of Big Pharma exposed society to undue risk in this cover era? Some hard questions need to be asked! Show notes

Based on a recent event we held Airlines, Highways and Airwaves, Policy Director Jesse Hermans joins to discuss the power of monopoly in the pandemic era. We discuss why monopolists should also be sharing in the pain of the pandemic and why governments could be ensuring this occurs before bailouts are requested. Show notes.

Gary Flomenhoft (UQ) joins the show to dissect the evolving cov-19 conundrum. The good, the bad and the ugly of coronavirus policy responses are discussed from our perspective of monopoly power. Topics include degrowth, rental relief, money creation and oil. What can nations do to encourage greater resilience?Show notes

OK its back to the Georgist podcourse, this month looking at Green economics in the context of the green new deal. Along the way we look at the yellow jackets movement, Australia’s carbon tax history, the pros and cons of the various carbon pricing systems and then look at the holistic reform needed to unify carbon taxes with inequality, sprawl and resource plundering. Thanks to AOC for the sound grabs. Show notes

Josh Ryan-Collins is a UK economist pushing the envelope on finance and banking reform, with his clear and cohesive manner. We asked him to present on LIfe After Interest Rates in early December, so here is the recording. Have monetarists snookered themselves? The decline of the home owning democracy requires some urgent policy alternatives. Josh provides his take on the link between land and credit cycles. The powerpoint to this can be found on our youtube channel.Next month, back to the podcourse, sorry I've let the feed drop of recent, I've been flat out. Thanks, Karl