The New Economics Podcast reading list

The AI bubble, the global arms trade, and Nigel Farage’s TikTok game were just some of the topics we covered on the latest series of the New Economics Podcast. If you enjoyed the series, and want to learn more about the topics we covered, here’s some suggested reading.

If you’re looking to understand how progressives should be responding to AI…
Is AI something we should be worried about, excited for, or somewhere in between? Eleanor Shearer and Carsten Jung joined Ayeisha to talk about the biggest questions on AI and why we need a thoughtful, progressive response to this new technology. Listen to the episode here and find out more in this essay co-authored by Eleanor in Renewal.

If you want to know more about why right wing influencers are so successful online…
We were joined by Will Davies and Dunya Kumal to talk about why right wing influences are making such an impact online — and whether the left is lagging behind. This was an episode for anyone who wants to learn from Zohran Mamdani’s election campaign and understand what progressive individuals and organizations should be doing online. The episode was partly inspired by this essay by Will in the London Review of Books.

If you want to learn more about the economic alternatives to the UK arms industry…
On episode three, Khem Rogaly and David Wearing revealed the integral role the UK arms industry has played in supporting the genocide in Gaza. Our guests spoke about the role of US influence on our foreign policy and debunked the myth that arms companies are essential for our economic prosperity. Listen to the episode here and find out more about the alternatives to the arms trade in Khem’s report: A Lucas plan for the 21st century.

If you want some ideas on how we can build an alternative to capitalism…
Over the last four decades many of the essential services we all rely on like water, trains, and mail, have been sold off to private companies who have made billions of pounds at our expense. It’s time we start reclaiming control and power over the things we need to live a good life — but how do we do it? Keir Milburn and Frances Northrop joined us on the podcast to talk about how people are challenging the capitalist model and building better alternatives. If you enjoyed this episode, find out more in Keir’s new book, co-authored with Kai Heron and Bertie Russell, Radical Abundance.

If you’re looking for more podcasts to listen to…
This series we were delighted to join together with Macrodose and Over the Top Under the Radar for a special joint podcast episode! Hannah Peaker joined James Meadway and Carys Afoko to analyse the autumn budget — the good, the bad, and the surprising! You can catch up on that episode here and check out the other podcasts for more great, progressive content.

Thank you to everyone who listened to the latest series of the podcast! We’d love to hear what you thought of it. We’re currently running a survey for our listeners to let us know what they like about the show, what guests they want to see in future, and what we could improve. It would really help us out if you could fill in the short survey here.