Mostly Economics

Dean Baker has a conversation with EPI president Heidi Shierholz about her new report, The Case for Tripling Union Membership. They discuss the economic benefits of boosting unionization rates, why employers can get away with union busting so often, and policy fixes like the PRO Act. This episode paints a clear picture of what is standing between workers joining unions and creating a world of greater economic equality. -- Read EPI's new report: https://tinyurl.com/ycx4ah68 Follow Follow Heidi Shierholz and EPI https://x.com/EconomicPolicy https://bsky.app/profile/epi.org  -- Follow Dean and CEPR  https://x.com/deanbaker13  https://x.com/ceprdc  https://bsky.app/profile/deanbaker13.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/ceprdc.bsky.social

Dean Baker speaks with Vicente Martinez, a Texas-based barista of eight years, about the Starbucks Workers Union new boycott campaign launched after five years of stalled talks with the company. Vicente recounts their own experience with understaffing, fighting to get enough hours to make a living wage and qualify for the basic benefits that Starbucks boasts it provides its workers. -- Support Starbucks Workers Union https://www.boycottstarbucks.net Follow Dean and CEPR https://x.com/deanbaker13 https://x.com/ceprdc https://bsky.app/profile/deanbaker13.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceprdc.bsky.social

Rep. Ro Khanna joins Dean Baker to talk about the Iran war and his firsthand account of settler violence in the West Bank. He also makes the case for lowering the Medicare age to 50, calling it the kind of pragmatic, wage-boosting policy that would appeal to working class voters. -- Learn about Representative Ro Khannahttps://khanna.house.gov/https://x.com/RoKhanna Follow Dean Baker and CEPR https://x.com/deanbaker13 https://x.com/ceprdc https://bsky.app/profile/deanbaker13.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/ceprdc.bsky.social

In a recent conversation, Dean Baker welcomed Gerald Epstein, PERI/UMass Professor of Economics, to discuss the innovative collection of policy essays titled Game Changers: Economic Policies for a Working America. This project, comprising contributions from around 40 experts, aims to propose transformative economic policies that could reshape the landscape for working Americans. These are ideas worth sharing with your home state's elected officials. -- Follow Dean Baker and CEPR https://x.com/deanbaker13 https://x.com/ceprdc https://bsky.app/profile/deanbaker13.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/ceprdc.bsky.social Read Game Changers https://peri.umass.edu/gamechangers/

Dean Baker speaks with economist and CEPR co-founder and co-director Mark Weisbrot about the rare conditions that prompted the IMF to issue a lifeline to developing countries in the form of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) in 2021, defying the US treasury. Allocating SDRs helped the global south, but it was just as much a rescue mission for the global economy, an action that had the support of Wall Street. Dean and Mark also discuss the US' deadly blockade and widespread sanctions regime that continues to immiserate the people of Cuba, Venezuela, and other sovereign nations opposed to US hegemony. --