322 episodes

We are living through a paradigm shift from trickle-down neoliberalism to middle-out economics — a new understanding of who gets what and why. Join zillionaire class-traitor Nick Hanauer and some of the world’s leading economic and political thinkers as they explore the latest thinking on how the economy actually works.

Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer Civic Ventures

    • Government
    • 4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

We are living through a paradigm shift from trickle-down neoliberalism to middle-out economics — a new understanding of who gets what and why. Join zillionaire class-traitor Nick Hanauer and some of the world’s leading economic and political thinkers as they explore the latest thinking on how the economy actually works.

    The True Cost of Trump’s Tax Plan (with Samantha Jacoby)

    The True Cost of Trump’s Tax Plan (with Samantha Jacoby)

    In his State of the Union Address, President Biden made it clear that taxes and tax policy were his next big target for a middle-out makeover. However, we can't talk about the future of taxes without discussing the potential expiration of Trump’s’ 2017 tax law. Samantha Jacoby, a senior tax analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, joins us today to help us understand the repercussions of Trump's tax policies and the opportunities ahead. Trump’s tax law was marketed as a boon for every working American, promising an average annual benefit of $4,000. But Jacoby unveils the true economic reality behind the Trump tax law: the primary beneficiaries were the wealthiest individuals and corporations; they did not pay for themselves as promised; and despite the trillions of tax giveaways to people at the top, most Americans saw no tangible economic benefit.

    Samantha Jacoby is a Senior Tax Analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Before joining the Center in 2018, she practiced tax law at two international law firms in New York and Washington, D.C. Previously, she worked as a policy and research analyst at the Solar Energy Industries Association, where she focused on the impact of tax incentives on the renewable energy industry.
     
    Twitter: @jacsamoby

    The 2017 Trump Tax Law Was Skewed to the Rich, Expensive, and Failed to Deliver on Its Promises
    https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/the-2017-trump-tax-law-was-skewed-to-the-rich-expensive-and-failed-to-deliver 

    IRS Funding thread by Samantha on Twitter
    https://x.com/jacsamoby/status/1752088112291807298?s=20

    After Decades of Costly, Regressive, and Ineffective Tax Cuts, a New Course Is Needed Bipartisan Senate Action Passes Minimal Test for IRS Funding While Multiple House Republican Bills Fail 
    https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/after-decades-of-costly-regressive-and-ineffective-tax-cuts-a-new-course-is 

    Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
    Twitter: @PitchforkEcon
    Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics
    Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

    • 34 min
    Middle Out to Mainstream

    Middle Out to Mainstream

    Eleven years ago, Democracy Journal released a special issue on "The Middle Out Moment" that explored the implications of what was then the brand-new theory of middle-out economics. The moment may not have fully arrived back in 2013, but no doubt it's here now. So this week, Democracy Journal is publishing a follow-up edition called "The Middle Out Moment Part Two," marking the fact that what was once a new idea has now gone mainstream. In this episode, we'll hear from several of the economists, researchers, and former administration officials who contributed to the special issue as they explore how middle-out economics has been put into practice — and discuss the work that lies ahead as middle-out economics becomes the new mainstream.

    Guests include: Felicia Wong, Bharat Ramamurti, Tara McGuinness, Sandeep Vaheesan, Todd Tucker, Ronnie Chatterji, Neale Mahoney, and Heidi Shierholz

    The Middle-Out Moment is Here: https://democracyjournal.org/category/magazine/72

    Twitter: 
    Michael Tomasky - @mtomasky
    Felicia Wong - @FeliciaWongRI
    Bharat Ramamurti - @BharatRamamurti
    Tara McGuinness - @taradmcguinness
    Sandeep Vaheesan - @sandeepvaheesan
    Todd Tucker - @toddntucker
    Ronnie Chatterji - @RonnieChatterji
    Neale Mahoney - @nealemahoney
    Heidi Shierholz - @hshierholz

    Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
    Twitter: @PitchforkEcon
    Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics
    Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

    • 55 min
    Why Americans are so displeased with the economy (with Aaron Sojourner)

    Why Americans are so displeased with the economy (with Aaron Sojourner)

    The latest economic indicators show a historically strong economy. Over the past couple of years, the unemployment rate has consistently stayed below 4%, real wages have been growing faster than they have in decades, and economic growth has been strong. And yet, public opinion surveys consistently show dissatisfaction with economic conditions. Aaron Sojourner, a labor economist from the Upjohn Institute, joins us to discuss his research findings into why Americans are so displeased with the economy. Aaron helps us unpack the complicated relationship between news coverage of the economy and its effect on consumer sentiment.

    Aaron Sojourner is a labor economist and senior researcher at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. His research focuses on the effects of labor-market institutions, policies to promote efficient and equitable development of human capital, and behavioral economic approaches to consumer finance decisions. He’s also served as the senior economist for labor on the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers for Presidents Obama and Trump.

    Twitter: @aaronsojourner

    BlueSky: @aaronsojourner.bsky.social

    Threads: aaronsojourner

    Why are Americans so displeased with the economy?
    https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-are-americans-so-displeased-with-the-economy

    Aaron’s thread on within-worker real wage growth on Threads:
    https://www.threads.net/@aaronsojourner/post/C3OVo8FrDgV/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== 

    Tax Subsidies for Journalism Are Only for Rich People: Perry Bacon Edition
    https://cepr.net/tax-subsidies-for-journalism-are-only-for-rich-people-perry-bacon-edition

    Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
    Twitter: @PitchforkEcon
    Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics
    Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

    • 37 min
    A Tale of Two Tax Systems (with David Cay Johnston)

    A Tale of Two Tax Systems (with David Cay Johnston)

    While the average American worker is subject to a progressive income tax system where tax rates increase as income rises, the wealthy often exploit a range of loopholes and deductions that significantly reduce their tax burden—sometimes to the point where the biggest corporations and one-percenters pay nothing at all. David Cay Johnston, a tax policy expert and former investigative journalist for the New York Times, joins us today to help unravel the complexity of the American tax system, which has functionally created two different tax systems: One for the wealthy and powerful and one for everyone else.

    David Cay Johnston is an award-winning investigative journalist and author known for his expertise in tax policy and economic inequality. Johnston worked as a tax reporter for The New York Times for over a decade. At the Times, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting in 2001 for his coverage of tax loopholes and corporate tax evasion. Throughout his career, Johnston has authored several critically acclaimed books, including "Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich—and Cheat Everybody Else" and “Divided: The Perils of Our Growing Inequality.”

    Twitter: @DavidCayJ

    The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans--and How We Can Fix It by Dorothy Brown
    https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9780525577331 

    More from David Cay Johnston: 

    “Alvin Bragg’s roadmap to convict Donald Trump”
    https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/01/08/alvin-braggs-roadmap-to-convict-donald-trump/

    Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich--and Cheat Everybody Else
    https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9781591840695 

    Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill)
    https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9781591842484 

    Divided: The Perils of Our Growing Inequality
    https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9781595589231 

    Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
    Twitter: @PitchforkEcon
    Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics
    Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

    • 41 min
    Why Flying Is Miserable And How to Fix It (with Ganesh Sitaraman)

    Why Flying Is Miserable And How to Fix It (with Ganesh Sitaraman)

    Ganesh Sitaraman joins us today to discuss his new book, Why Flying Is Miserable And How to Fix It. Air travel has become an increasingly frustrating experience, with countless horror stories of cancellations, delays, lost baggage, cramped seats, and poor service. For most of the 20th century flying was luxurious and fun, so it’s especially baffling that air travel is plagued by these problems in the 21st century. Sitaraman delves into the reasons behind this dismal state of affairs, tracing it back to a deliberate choice made by elected leaders in the 1970s to roll back regulations, supposedly in order to increase competition and improve the experience of flying for everyone. After enduring half a century of turbulence caused by deregulation, people are fed up with the state of air travel, and Sitaraman gives us some insight into how we can begin to fix it.

    Ganesh Sitaraman is a law professor and the director of the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator for Political Economy and Regulation. He was previously a senior advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren on her presidential campaign and is a member of the Administrative Conference of the United States and the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee. Sitaraman is the author of several influential books, including "The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution," "The Public Option: How to Expand Freedom, Increase Opportunity, and Promote Equality," and his most recent book, “Why Flying Is Miserable And How to Fix It.”

    Twitter: @GaneshSitaraman

    Why Flying Is Miserable And How to Fix It https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9798987053584 

    Book Website https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/why-flying-is-miserable/

    More from Ganesh Sitaraman: 

    The Atlantic - Airlines Are Just Banks Now https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/09/airlines-banks-mileage-programs/675374/

    The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9781101973455

    Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
    Twitter: @PitchforkEcon
    Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics
    Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

    • 55 min
    The Future of Bidenomics (with Jared Bernstein)

    The Future of Bidenomics (with Jared Bernstein)

    President Biden’s economic policies mark a paradigm shift away from the trickle-down economics that have held sway over Washington DC for the past 40 years. Bidenomics recognizes that a strong and inclusive economy grows from the middle class outwards, centering working Americans and their families rather than relying on a top-down approach that benefits the wealthy first and foremost. In this episode, President Biden’s chief economic advisor, Jared Bernstein, joins us to unpack the key ideas behind this middleout understanding of how the economy really works, and to explain how Bidenomics is reshaping the economy to truly work for all Americans—not just a wealthy few at the top. After helping to engineer a best-in-the-world economic recovery from the pandemic, Bernstein explains what's next for Bidenomics and the American economy.

    Jared Bernstein is a prominent economist and author who is widely recognized  for his expertise in labor economics and income inequality. As the chair of the United States Council of Economic Advisers, he serves as President Biden’s top economic adviser. From 2009 to 2011. From 2009 to 2011, he served as Chief Economist and Economic Advisor to then-Vice President Biden. Bernstein is a prolific writer and commentator whose work emphasizes the importance of addressing income inequality and promoting policies that benefit working families and the broader economy.

    Twitter: @econjared46

    Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
    Twitter: @PitchforkEcon
    Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics
    Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

    • 40 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
1.4K Ratings

1.4K Ratings

703:PrincessAbigail ,

Flying is not my concern.

I want to start by saying I love this podcast. I listen to it every week, and I’ve learned a lot. However, the flying is miserable episode seemed so out of touch to me. I don’t care if it’s miserable to fly. Most of the people I know can’t afford to fly anywhere for any reason. Flying being miserable is just one more symptom of the erosion of our society.

mmatteis ,

Insightful!

Thank you for an easy way to understand “middle out bottom up” economics!! I have a republican neighbor who thinks the reason her portfolio is doing so well is that the interest rates haven’t gone up recently and that Biden controls the feds and interest rates!! Now I have some easy to understand reasons why her economic outlook is rosey and she should consider voting for Biden to keep it going!!
😃😃

Elaine in Baltimore ,

Finally!

Not bipartisan- not negative- they just tell you the why and the how. So insightful. Thank you.

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