Modern economics often credits Adam Smith as its cornerstone, but another key figure, David Ricardo, has shaped our world in ways we rarely examine. Ricardo, the wealthiest stock trader of his day, developed the theory of comparative advantage, a concept that helped justify globalisation but concealed deeper ties to power, empire and slavery.

In this episode, Jess Miles speaks to Nat Dyer, author of Ricardo's Dream: How Economists Forgot the Real World and Led Us Astray. They unpack Ricardo’s legacy, from his famous theory involving English cloth and Portuguese wine to its surprising connections to the welfare state. They also explore why abstract economic models, despite their flaws and potential for manipulation, remain so dominant in shaping policies today.

Nat Dyer is a Fellow of the Schumacher Institute, the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRSLI).

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/ricardos-dream

The full transcript of the podcast is available here: [TBA]

Timestamps:

01:12 - What's your background, and why did you write the book?

03:12 - Was David Ricardo, and what was his dream?

08:42 - What is the example of English cloth and Portuguese wine?

18:02 - How was his theory able to become so influential?

22:16 - What does having this idealised view of economics mean for individuals?

29:25 - What's the relationship between Ricardo's legacy and the welfare state?

33:29 - How have these abstract theories contributed to climate change?

37:22 - Why do we trust, and defend, these models?

40:11 - What ideas are coming through to challenge these models?

45:08 - How do you feel about David Ricardo?

47:30 - What are you working on now?

Intro music:

Cold by yoitrax | @yoitrax

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The budget and resources that have been dedicated to combatting terrorism this century are staggering. But has it worked?

In this episode, George Miller talks to Leonie B. Jackson, author of 'What is Counterterrorism for?', about the exceptional measures that states have taken in recent decades – such as detention without trial and targeted killing – in reaction to terrorist threats which they often portray as existential. When the terrorist spectacularly demonstrates that the state has failed to protect its citizens, Leonie explains, there’s an all-too-familiar recourse on the part of the state to put its response on a military footing.

Leonie B Jackson is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Northumbria University and an editor of the journal Critical Studies on Terrorism.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-is-counterterrorism-for

The full transcript of the podcast is available here:

Timestamps:

01:15 - How did 9/11 and its aftermath play a role in your thinking about terrorism?

02:24 - What was it that drew you to the field of counterterrorism in particular?

06:48 - What are counterterrorism's animating questions or its concerns?

08:03 - When did counterterrorism actually come on the agenda as something which merits very serious scrutiny?

11:58 - What are the problems with the power counterterrorism grants?

18:01 - How important is it to actually look at what works and what doesn't work within the field of counterterrorism?

21:38 - Do you see a great variety of counterterrorism approaches?

24:35 - Do you think there's a public readiness to tolerate if not to embrace the things which have been done in the name of counterterrorism, especially in the last quarter of a century?

28:20 - Is there some way of reaching beyond the academic community and advancing this argument?

Intro music:

Cold by yoitrax | @yoitrax

Music promoted by www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Follow the Transforming Society blog to be told when new articles and podcasts publish: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/follow-the-blog/

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As the US election approaches, MSNBC notes that the question of “what it means to be a man” is now a defining theme. In this episode, Jess Miles and Karen Lee Ashcraft revisit Karen's concept of 'viral masculinity' — a powerful current of aggrieved manhood fuelling far-right ideologies worldwide.

They explore the manosphere, the online ecosystem where this resentment takes root, analysing how figures like JD Vance and Andrew Tate tap into youthful discontent and guide it toward political extremism. Ashcraft argues that, much like a public health crisis, the rapid spread of aggrieved masculinity affects society at every level, shaping policies, identities and even environmental stances.

Offering tools for positive change, Karen discusses her concepts of 'lateral empathy' and 'critical feeling' as an alternative approach to defusing the far-right’s emotional momentum.

Karen Lee Ashcraft is Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder. She grew up in the lap of evangelical populism, and her research examines how gender interacts with race, class, sexuality, and more to shape organizational and cultural politics.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/wronged-and-dangerous

The full transcript of the podcast is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2024/10/29/podcast-viral-masculinity-and-the-far-right-karen-lee-ashcraft-on-gender-in-the-us-election/

Timestamps:

01:19 - Why do we need to consider gender when talking about the rise of populism?

08:26 - How do you get from the manosphere to voting and politics?

15:23 - How do you explain female far right leaders like Giorgia Meloni and Marine Le Pen?

22:08 - Why is it important to envision the feeling of aggrieved manhood?

24:14 - Why do you see aggrieved manhood as a public health problem?

35:49 - What's the problem with feeling and emotion being ignored in many contexts?

40:05 - How do individuals like JD Vance represent this viral masculinity?

48:25 - What is lateral empathy, and why is it an important tool?

56:11 - What are you working on now and what are your plans?

Intro music:

Cold by yoitrax | @yoitrax

Music promoted by www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Follow the Transforming Society blog to be told when new articles and podcasts publish: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/follow-the-blog/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.