Macrodose

Planet B Productions
  • 4.8 (26)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Your weekly fix of everything economics. Hosted by James Meadway.

  1. 2D AGO

    China's Global Reserve Currency Push

    On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how China is pushing for an end to the dollar’s domination as the global reserve currency (0:35) and how resource constraints in the world economy are pushing governments to build up stockpiles of essentials (10:32). Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.

    16 min
  2. How Wall St. Gambles on Your Future w/ Ann Pettifor

    JAN 29

    How Wall St. Gambles on Your Future w/ Ann Pettifor

    In the latest episode of The Break–Down, host Adrienne Buller is joined by renowned economist Ann Pettifor to discuss her new book, The Global Casino: How Wall Street Gambles with People and Planet. We’ve all heard the refrain. Whenever a politician proposes a policy that might genuinely improve people’s lives — free and fast buses, affordable housing, large-scale renewable energy — the response is immediate: we can’t afford it. Media pundits and technocrats fixate on national debt, balanced budgets and the need not to “spook” the ever-mysterious bond vigilantes. This obsession doesn’t just dominate public debate — it paralyses action on the very challenges we urgently need to confront, from transforming our energy system to properly funding care for the most vulnerable. As this episode makes clear, it’s also profoundly misleading. The Global Casino traces the extraordinary power of Wall Street, revisits Keynes’s legacy, and asks a fundamental question: what is money, really? For Ann Pettifor, money is an extraordinary human invention — one that could be used to reshape our world for the better, rather than to enrich a powerful few. In today’s episode, she explains how — and why it matters now more than ever.

    1h 6m

  3. JAN 28

    Mark Carney Drops Kayfabe

    On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s blockbuster speech at the World Economic Forum (0:57), the UK government’s long-delayed report on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and national security (7:43), and how China’s expansion in the Arctic may well be threatening Russia’s sphere of influence, more than that of the United States (14:47). Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. Planet B, the production company that brings you Macrodose, is hiring a new Head of Production: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/head-of-production/en

    21 min

  4. JAN 21

    Trump's Tariff Tantrum Over Greenland

    On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the worsening trade and tariff war over Trump’s plans for Greenland (1:24), some positive climate news from India and China, where coal-fired power generation has fallen for the first time in decades (13:13), and an interesting new report on AI productivity (15:23). Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. Planet B, the production company that brings you Macrodose, is hiring a new Head of Production: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/head-of-production/en

    20 min

  5. JAN 14

    Iran Crisis & Trump vs. The Fed

    On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the climate change context behind the current protests in Iran (1:05), and Donald Trump’s bustup with federal reserve chair Jerome Powell (10:12). Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. Planet B, the production company that brings you Macrodose, is hiring a new Head of Production: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/head-of-production/en

    19 min

  6. JAN 7

    Venezuela, Greenland, and the New Resource Colonialism

    For the first Macrodose episode of 2026, James Meadway takes a look at US President Donald Trump's operation in Venezuela and the seizure of the nation's leader Nicolas Maduro (1:26). Plus Trump's posturing about his desires to annex Greenland (7:39). Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.

    16 min

  7. 12/17/2025

    The 2025 Review w/ Faiza Shaheen & Kojo Koram

    On this week's macrodose - a special lookback at the tumultuous year that was 2025, and the various twists and turns for our global economy. James Meadway is joined by Faiza Shaheen — author, economist and Executive Director of Tax Justice UK — and Kojo Koram, author, Professor at Loughborough University, and host of Death in Westminster, a forthcoming narrative series about inequality in the UK, produced by Planet B Productions. Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.

    52 min

  8. 12/10/2025

    Approaching Peak Oil

    On this week's episode of Macrodose, James Meadway takes a look at how the drive to produce and consume more is creating a monumental trail of waste (0:33), and what the impacts of surpassing ‘peak’ demand in oil will be (5:09). Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠. To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.

    15 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

Your weekly fix of everything economics. Hosted by James Meadway.

Information

  • Creator
    Planet B Productions
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    238
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Planet B Productions
  • Show Website
    Macrodose

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