Barry's Economics

Barry's Economics

Barry’s Economics is about explaining the economy without the jargon. Using humour, storytelling, and behavioural science, Barry explores wealth, power, inequality, and the hidden forces shaping everyday life.

  1. 4d ago

    What Banksy Shows Us About Power - Barry's Economics

    Filmed in front of over 20 original Banksy works across London and Bristol.This is a video about what Banksy keeps showing us, how he actually works, and why (after all this time) he's still relevant and properly revolutionary.And the answer isn't actually "because his prints sell for a lot." In fact it's almost the opposite of that.Most people know Banksy as a street artist. This video is about what he's actually doing. What he keeps pointing at. Why the establishment can't touch him, and why that fact alone tells you something important about how power and money really work.Also - For the Banksy Tour Guide that helped me around Bristol - The Lovely Luke Sergent - go to https://blackbeard2banksy.com/ to book a tour from himREFERENCES:ELINOR OSTROM:https://www.actu-environnement.com/media/pdf/ostrom_1990.pdfGARRETT HARDINhttps://math.uchicago.edu/~shmuel/Modeling/Hardin,%20Tragedy%20of%20the%20Commons.pdfhttps://archive.org/details/makingofenglishw0000thom_p8v7Gerald Marwel and Ruth Ames Social Experiement:"Economists free ride, does anyone else?: Experiments on the provision of public goods"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/004727278190013X"Does Studying Economics Inhibit Cooperation" Study:https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257%2Fjep.7.2.159I’m Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.How to Support Barry’s EconomicsHelp us stay independent and keep making videos like this.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomicshttps://ko-fi.com/barryseconomicshttps://www.patreon.com/barryseconomicsFollow and leave a review for future episodes!Mailing list: https://barryferns.co.uk/You can also follow me on Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomicsInstagram: instagram.com/barryseconomicsTwitter: twitter.com/barryseconomicsSubstack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomicsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/barryseconomics.bsky.socialReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/If you’re new to this, check out Gary's Economics first! His channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00Want to see the stand-up side of all this?Find my live comedy and storytelling here:https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryfernsTo learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/

    23 min

  2. May 26

    Elon Musk: A Predictable Tragedy - Barry's Economics

    Elon Musk. Tesla. Spacex. Cybertrucks. Solar Power... not your normal supervillain origin story. But the neuroscience explains everything.Do you remember when we all kind of liked Elon Musk?Electric cars. Space travel. Solar panels. He felt like the closest thing we had to a real-life Tony Stark.And now he's... this.Nobody's asking the right question. Not "what did he do?" but "what happened to him?" Because there's a scientific answer. And the unsettling part isn't what it says about Elon Musk. It's what it says about everyone with that much power.Fifty years of peer-reviewed research on power, wealth and the brain from Columbia, Berkeley and McMaster University, shows that power isn't a metaphor for corruption. It's a corruption toxin. It does measurable damage to specific neural pathways. This is the psychology of billionaires. This is the neuroscience of wealth and power. And this is why Elon Musk was always going to become this.Galinsky et al. (2006) :Power and Perspectives Not Taken, Psychological ScienceSukhvinder Obhi: Power and neural mirrorin, McMaster UniversityPaul Piff: Wealth, empathy and the dose-response relationship, UC BerkeleyRoger Fisher: Preventing Nuclear War, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 1981I’m Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.How to Support Barry’s EconomicsHelp us stay independent and keep making videos like this.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomicshttps://ko-fi.com/barryseconomicshttps://www.patreon.com/barryseconomicsFollow and leave a review if you enjoyed the episode!Mailing list sign-up: https://barryferns.co.uk/You can also follow me on Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomicsInstagram: instagram.com/barryseconomicsTwitter: twitter.com/barryseconomicsSubstack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomicsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/barryseconomics.bsky.socialReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/If you’re new to this, check out Gary's Economics first! His channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00Want to see the stand-up side of all this?Find my live comedy and storytelling here:https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryfernsTo learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/

    34 min

  3. May 18

    The Wealth Tax Debate Is A Trap - Barry's Economics

    The Wealth Tax Debate Rages OnBack and ForthUp and DownBut what does it miss?And Why Is It Always so Circular and Never Ending?I’m Barry Ferns, a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.How to Support Barry’s EconomicsHelp us stay independent and keep making videos like this.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomicshttps://ko-fi.com/barryseconomicshttps://www.patreon.com/barryseconomicsFollow and leave a review if you've enjoyed the episode!Mailing List: https://barryferns.co.uk/You can also follow me on Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomicsInstagram: instagram.com/barryseconomicsTwitter: twitter.com/barryseconomicsSubstack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomicsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/barryseconomics.bsky.socialReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/If you’re new to this, check out Gary's Economics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00Want to see the stand-up side of all this?Find my live comedy and storytelling here:https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryfernsTo learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/

    12 min

  4. May 5

    Change Is Possible Here's How - Barry's Economics

    This is the only comedian in the world who has actually changed tax law. (as far as I know)Not highlighted it - Changed it. With jokes, a mahogany buffet, and a few hundred letters from members of the public.On Barry's Economics, we spend a lot of time talking about what needs to change; inequality, taxation, who owns what, who decides what. Mark Thomas spent decades actually doing it.This conversation is about how change works. Not in theory but in practice.And it starts with the most powerful weapon the people who benefit from inequality have - the belief that nothing can change. Mark Thomas is proof that belief is wrong.I’m Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.How to Support Barry’s EconomicsHelp us stay independent and keep making videos like this.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomicshttps://ko-fi.com/barryseconomicshttps://www.patreon.com/barryseconomicsFollow and leave a review for future episodes!Mailing List: https://barryferns.co.uk/You can also follow me on Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomicsInstagram: instagram.com/barryseconomicTwitter: twitter.com/barryseconomicsSubstack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomicsReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/barryseconomics.bsky.social If you’re new to this, check out Gary's Economics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00Want to see the stand-up side of all this?Find my live comedy and storytelling here:https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryfernsTo learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/

    19 min

  5. Apr 27

    Why Politicians Keep Getting It So Wrong - Barry's Economics

    Every Political and Economic debate about poverty and inequality goes the same way. Left says redistribute. Right says grow grow grow. Round and round.Why is it so endlessly circular - and why does nothing ever actually get fixed? One reason could be that there's an entire category of evidence that never makes it into the roomWe account for bias in medicine, law, and aviation. We just don't do it in economic policy. This video is about why that has to change.Sources mentioned:Keltner, D. - The Power ParadoxKraus, M.W. et al. - Social class, solipsism, and contextualismMirror neuron / wealth research - Sukvinder ObhiI’m Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.How to Support Barry’s EconomicsHelp us stay independent and keep making videos like this.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomicshttps://ko-fi.com/barryseconomicshttps://www.patreon.com/barryseconomicsFollow and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode!Mailing List: https://barryferns.co.uk/You can also follow me on Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomicsInstagram: instagram.com/barryseconomicsTwitter: twitter.com/barryseconomicsSubstack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomicsReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/If you’re new to this, check out Gary's Economics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00Want to see the stand-up side of all this?Find my live comedy and storytelling here:https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryfernsTo learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/

    18 min

  6. Apr 20

    We Treat Billionaires Like Oracles. Here's Why That's Wrong - Barry's Economics

    We often treat extremely wealthy individuals as if they have a deeper understanding of how the world works. But there is a structural reason to question that assumption. As wealth increases, people become less exposed to many of the constraints and trade-offs that shape everyday life. Research in behavioural science suggests that people rely heavily on their own experience when forming judgments. At the same time, studies on power indicate that increased influence can change how people interpret others and the world around them. This episode looks at the neuroscience of power, the psychology of wealth, and why the people we treat as authoritative voices may be working from a very different version of reality. I’m Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.How to Support Barry’s EconomicsHelp us stay independent and keep making videos like this.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomicshttps://ko-fi.com/barryseconomicshttps://www.patreon.com/barryseconomicsFollow and leave a review for future videos!Sign-up to mailing list: https://barryferns.co.uk/You can also follow me on Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomicsInstagram: instagram.com/barryseconomicsTwitter: twitter.com/barryseconomicsSubstack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomicsReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/If you’re new to this, check out Gary's Economics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00Want to see the stand-up side of all this?Find my live comedy and storytelling here:https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryfernsTo learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/

    14 min

  7. Apr 13

    The Manosphere Isn't About Men. Or Women - Barry's Economics

    Everyone has a take on the manosphere.This isn't one of them.Because the debate you've been watching - the one about men, women, masculinity, feminism, Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson - isn't actually about any of those things.It's about something else entirely. Something far more boring and far more profitable.The science on this is extraordinary. And nobody is talking about it.Research and sources in this video:Naomi Eisenberger, UCLA, social exclusion and physical painHenri Tajfel, group identity, tribalism and prejudiceNYU Center for Social Media and Politic, algorithmic radicalisation on YouTubeMolly Crockett, Nature Human Behaviour (2017), moral outrage and social media amplificationDaniel Kahneman, System 1 and System 2 thinkingAnne Case and Angus Deaton, Princeton, Deaths of DespairLink 1 - Henri Tajfelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciSx1EG4V0sLink 2 - Molly Crockethttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRAfcpPpXrgLink 3 - Anne Case and Angus Deatonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX9k4s_UWiU&t=320sLink 4 - Daniel Kahnemannhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PirFrDVRBo4&t=195sI’m Barry Ferns, a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.How to Support Barry’s EconomicsHelp us stay independent and keep making videos like this.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomicshttps://ko-fi.com/barryseconomicshttps://www.patreon.com/barryseconomicsFollow and leave a review for future episodes!Mailing List: https://barryferns.co.uk/You can also follow me on Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomicsInstagram: instagram.com/barryseconomicsTwitter: twitter.com/barryseconomicsSubstack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomicsReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/If you’re new to this, check out Gary's Economics first! His channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00Want to see the stand-up side of all this?Find my live comedy and storytelling here:https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryfernsTo learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/

    32 min

  8. Apr 6

    The Economy Needs You To Feel Like A Failure - Barry's Economics

    You live in the wealthiest civilisation in human history. And yet - it's not enough, right?That's not a character flaw. It's the system working exactly as designed.This video is about what happens when the right answer becomes the wrong one. And why the neuroscience, the psychology, and the data all say the same thing: beyond a certain point, growth stops converting into wellbeing. That's not a side effect. It's the whole business model.Covering: dopamine and the wanting brain (Robert Sapolsky), the Easterlin Paradox, Maslows hierarchy, Tim Kasser on materialist values, Csikszentmihalyi's research, and Seligman's PERMA model. All peer-reviewed. All explained without the jargon.This isn't an argument against ambition. It's an argument for a better kind of it.I’m Barry Ferns, a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.How to Support Barry’s EconomicsHelp us stay independent and keep making videos like this.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomicshttps://ko-fi.com/barryseconomicshttps://www.patreon.com/barryseconomicsFollow and leave a review for episodes! Join my mailing list: https://barryferns.co.uk/You can also follow me on Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomicsInstagram: instagram.com/barryseconomicsTwitter: twitter.com/barryseconomicsSubstack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomicsReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/If you’re new to this, check out Gary's Economics first as his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00Want to see the stand-up side of all this?Find my live comedy and storytelling here:https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryfernsTo learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/

    31 min
See All (57)

About

Barry’s Economics is about explaining the economy without the jargon. Using humour, storytelling, and behavioural science, Barry explores wealth, power, inequality, and the hidden forces shaping everyday life.

Information

  • Creator
    Barry's Economics
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    57
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Barry's Economics
  • Show Website
    Barry's Economics

You Might Also Like