Design Economics Podcast with Vinny Tafuro

Institute for Economic Evolution, Inc.
  • 5.0 (1)
  • SOCIAL SCIENCES

Join us to discover how design thinking can revolutionize economics for the 21st century. Learn about the Institute for Economic Evolution's three tenets of design economics and meet the pioneering thinkers who are shaping this approach. From challenging economic orthodoxy to creating human-centered solutions, explore how design economics is evolving economics to better serve humanity and the environment.

  1. EP 13 Pam Shockley-Zalabak: The Trust Deficit: Economics' Costly Blind Spot

    FEB 2

    EP 13 Pam Shockley-Zalabak: The Trust Deficit: Economics' Costly Blind Spot

    Join host Vinny Tafuro for a compelling conversation with Dr. Pamela Shockley-Zalabak, former Chancellor of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and leading researcher on organizational trust. Their discussion explores the 50-year decline in social trust, reveals how the 2016 election exposed a crisis in social capital, and examines why orthodox economics has ignored trust despite its role as the market's true "invisible hand." Dr. Shockley-Zalabak shares insights from her decades of research across 400+ organizations and 20 countries, introducing her five-driver trust model and discussing her forthcoming book on navigating our current trust crisis. ★ Support this podcast ★

    55 min
  2. EP 12 John Feldman: Documenting Revolution, Scientific Paradigm Shifts

    JAN 12

    EP 12 John Feldman: Documenting Revolution, Scientific Paradigm Shifts

    Join host Vinny Tafuro and guest John Feldman, filmmaker and founder of Hummingbird Films, for a conversation about how ecological documentaries challenge scientific orthodoxy. Over his forty-year career, John's work has evolved from defending traditional evolutionary theory to documenting how cooperation and symbiosis drive evolution and ecological health. Their conversation explores how this intellectual humility contrasts with the scientific overconfidence that plagues economics, and how interdisciplinary filmmaking can disrupt entrenched paradigms in both science and economics. https://hummingbirdfilms.com ★ Support this podcast ★

    56 min
  3. EP 2.4 Tonya Donati: Growing Slow is Sexy: Kombucha, B Corps & Patient Capital

    12/02/2025

    EP 2.4 Tonya Donati: Growing Slow is Sexy: Kombucha, B Corps & Patient Capital

    Join host Vinny Tafuro and guest Tonya Donati, Founder and CEO of Mother Kombucha, for a conversation about building a certified B Corp through bootstrapped, regional growth. Tonya's journey from occupational therapist to beverage entrepreneur reflects a shift in business fundamentals—rejecting the venture capital model in favor of profitability, community anchoring, and stakeholder capitalism. Their conversation explores how B Corps formalize the paradigm shift from shareholder primacy to values-driven business, and how slow, sustainable growth is making traditional business fundamentals sexy again. Support the Design Economics Podcast on Patreon ★ Support this podcast ★

    47 min
  4. EP 2.3 Walter Balser: Decentralization & Paradigm Shifts in K-12 Education

    11/10/2025

    EP 2.3 Walter Balser: Decentralization & Paradigm Shifts in K-12 Education

    Join host Vinny Tafuro for an engaging conversation with guest Dr. Walter Balser, Clinical Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Florida. Dr. Balser teaches graduate courses on organizational leadership, technology leadership, and qualitative research methods, and his research examines the changing education ecosystem from the standpoint of decentralization, blended capital, and technological disruption. Their conversation explores the decentralization and paradigm shifts occurring in K-12 education and how AI will not replace teachers but instead may help scale the creative ability of education systems to meet students where they are. Click here to view the episode transcript. ★ Support this podcast ★

    46 min
  5. EP 2.2 Stan Deetz: Systems Design to Slow Down Capitalism

    10/08/2025

    EP 2.2 Stan Deetz: Systems Design to Slow Down Capitalism

    Join host Vinny Tafuro for a conversation with Dr. Stan Deetz, exploring why corporations—not governments—make most decisions affecting our lives. Stan reveals how externalized costs and the relentless pursuit of speed are destroying economic systems, from quarterly reporting cycles to high-frequency trading. They discuss practical solutions, including enforcing antitrust legislation, using transaction taxes to make short-termism expensive, and designing collaborative processes that enable diverse stakeholders to make creative decisions together where it matters most—in corporate boardrooms and community spaces. 2025, Communication Theory at the Crossroads - Stan's newest book developing the theory of relational constructionism and co-generative democracy, providing frameworks for designing interaction processes that enable diverse groups to make creative, mutually beneficial decisions together. Click here to view the episode transcript. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 1m
  6. EP 2.1 Melanie Sue Hicks: Invisible Snake Bites, The Economics of Broken Workplaces

    09/09/2025

    EP 2.1 Melanie Sue Hicks: Invisible Snake Bites, The Economics of Broken Workplaces

    Join host Vinny Tafuro and guest Dr. Melanie Sue Hicks, a workforce and employee experience expert with more than two decades of experience in organizational development and culture, for a conversation about workplace dysfunction and its broader economic impact. Today's conversation focuses on the hidden costs of employee disengagement, drawing from Dr. Hicks' research on psychological contracts and generational workplace dynamics. Dr. Hicks introduces the concept of "invisible snake bites" - the accumulated damage from unmet workplace expectations that costs the global economy $9 trillion annually. Click here to view the episode transcript. ★ Support this podcast ★

    49 min
  7. EP 1.6 Thaddeus Squire: Fiscal Sponsorship as Management Commons

    06/06/2025

    EP 1.6 Thaddeus Squire: Fiscal Sponsorship as Management Commons

    Join host Vinny Tafuro and guest Thaddeus Squire, Chief Commons Steward at Social Impact Commons, for a conversation about fiscal sponsorship in the social sector. Thaddeus has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit management field, and today’s conversation focuses on the evolution of fiscal sponsorship. Thaddeus and his organization have coined the term “management commons” to better illustrate the nuance and breadth of what fiscal sponsorship can do beyond the transactional. Guest Bio Thaddeus Squire, Chief Commons Steward at Social Impact Commons, has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit management field, focusing on arts and cultural heritage. A serial nonprofit entrepreneur, he founded Peregrine Arts in 2004, a multi-arts producer, followed by Hidden City Philadelphia, among other curatorial projects. Links Mentioned National Network of Fiscal SponsorsThe UndersectorElinor OstromDavid BollierFree Fair and Alive, David BollierClick here to view the episode transcript. ★ Support this podcast ★

    58 min
  8. EP 1.5 Riane Eisler: Nurturing Our Humanity and Partnership Economics

    05/07/2025

    EP 1.5 Riane Eisler: Nurturing Our Humanity and Partnership Economics

    Join host Vinny Tafuro and guest Dr. Riane Eisler, renowned systems scientist and author, as they explore her groundbreaking work on partnership systems and their impact on economic structures. Drawing from her 2019 book "Nurturing Our Humanity," co-authored with Douglas Fry, Eisler discusses how the biocultural partnership-domination lens reveals patterns that conventional economic frameworks miss, offering practical paths toward more equitable, sustainable economic systems. ★ Support this podcast ★

    58 min
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Join us to discover how design thinking can revolutionize economics for the 21st century. Learn about the Institute for Economic Evolution's three tenets of design economics and meet the pioneering thinkers who are shaping this approach. From challenging economic orthodoxy to creating human-centered solutions, explore how design economics is evolving economics to better serve humanity and the environment.

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