Can economics fight fascism? With Isabella Weber

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• 00:00

  The price of bread has a long history of causing political trouble.

• 00:04

  This week, Americans went to the polls, and concerns over the cost of living led to a landslide for Democrats.

• 00:11

  Meanwhile, across much of Europe, people are protesting against the cost of pretty much everything.

• 00:17

  Economist Isabella Weber thinks that there's something much bigger at stake than just household budgets, important as they are.

• 00:24

  She argues that making life's essentials affordable is good economics, but it could also be critical to protecting democracy itself.

• 00:34

  She has written a book that's just come out called Antifascist Economics.

• 00:39

  So, can governments really keep fascism at bay by keeping prices down?

• 00:49

  This is The Economics Show with me, Martin Sandbu, standing in for Soumaya Keynes.

• 00:54

  And I'm pleased to say Isabella Weber is here to join us for this episode.

• 00:57

  Welcome, Isabella.

• 00:59

  Thank you so much for having me, Martin.

• 01:00

  Isabella, tell us what is antifascist economics?

• 01:04

  So at its core, it argues that fascism finds a fertile ground

• 01:09

  when there is large-scale economic insecurity

• 01:13

  and high levels of corporate concentration and private power in the economy.

• 01:17

  So an antifascist economics is one that puts a floor under people's livelihoods

• 01:22

  and a ceiling on the concentration of private and corporate wealth.

• 01:26

  I think I first came across your work when a lot of other people did,

• 01:30

  which was back in 2021 as inflation was picking up.

• 01:33

  You came out with a proposal that we might want to consider price controls,

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