A diverse group of global thinkers answers 8 fundamental questions about economics and capitalist civilization.

The objectives of this project are to shed light on the most salient challenges facing human civilization, explore the role of economics and the inner workings of capitalism, and heighten people’s awareness of both the economic system in which they live and work, and the role of economics in understanding this ever-changing system.

We are a non-commercial project, you can support us in any way you see fit.

Interviews

Yanis Varoufakis
May 09, 2021

Yanis Varoufakis

Greek. Economist, politician, leader of MeRA25 and DiEM25, former Greece's Finance Minister, author and professor
Fred Olayele
May 02, 2021

Fred Olayele

Nigerian-Canadian. Economist, scholar, public policy expert. Chief Economist at NYCEDC, New York. Focused on trade policy, innovation, FDI, urban policy, and inclusive development
Rebecca Henderson
April 25, 2021

Rebecca Henderson

American. Economist, author, John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard Business School
Rym Ayadi
April 18, 2021

Rym Ayadi

Tunisian. Economist, international Expert on Inclusive and Sustainable Socio-economic Models, Financial Architecture and Stability and Sustainable Finance
Thitinan Pongsudhirak
April 11, 2021

Thitinan Pongsudhirak

Thai. Professor and Director of the Institute for Science and International Security at Chulalongkorn University
Hannah Ryder
April 04, 2021

Hannah Ryder

British-Kenyan. Economist and diplomat. Founder and CEO of Development Reimagined, adviser
Ann Pettifor
March 28, 2021

Ann Pettifor

South African-British. Economist, adviser, author. Director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics (PRIME)
Ricardo Hausmann
March 21, 2021

Ricardo Hausmann

Venezuelan. Professor at Harvard's Kennedy School, Director of the Growth Lab
Jayati Ghosh
March 14, 2021

Jayati Ghosh

Indian. Development economist, author, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Richard Bookstaber
March 07, 2021

Richard Bookstaber

American. Economist, author, noted expert in financial risk management
James K. Galbraith
February 28, 2021

James K. Galbraith

American. Economist and adviser, author, currently Professor at the University of Texas in Austin
HRH Muhammad Sanusi II
February 21, 2021

HRH Muhammad Sanusi II

Nigerian. Economist, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, former Emir of Kano
Mark Blyth
February 14, 2021

Mark Blyth

Scottish. Economist, author, William R. Rhodes Professor of International Economics at Brown University
Albena Azmanova
February 07, 2021

Albena Azmanova

Bulgarian. Scholar, author, sociologist, Associate Professor at the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies
Keyu Jin
January 31, 2021

Keyu Jin

Chinese. Economist, Associate Professor at the London School of Economics and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader
Matheus Grasselli
January 24, 2021

Matheus Grasselli

Brazilian-Canadian. Professor of Financial Mathematics and Chair of the Mathematics of Statistics Department at McMaster University
Carolina Cristina Alves
January 17, 2021

Carolina Cristina Alves

Brazilian. Economist, Joan Robinson Research Fellow in Heterodox Economics at the University of Cambridge, Girton College
Jason DeSena Trennert
January 10, 2021

Jason DeSena Trennert

American-Italian. Chairman and CEO of Strategas, one of Wall Street’s top thought leaders on markets and economic policy
Andrew S. Nevin
January 03, 2021

Andrew S. Nevin

Canadian. Economist, Advisory Partner and Chief Economist at PwC Nigeria, working at the nexus of economics, strategy, and regulation
Leo Johnson
December 27, 2020

Leo Johnson

British. Broadcaster, writer, and noted expert on global megatrends
Penny Mealy
December 20, 2020

Penny Mealy

Australian. Economist, Research Fellow, INET, University of Oxford and Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge
Steve Keen
December 13, 2020

Steve Keen

Australian. Economist, author, and noted neo-Keynesian thinker and critic of neoclassical economics
Noam Chomsky
December 06, 2020

Noam Chomsky

American. Linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic and political activist
Roberto Mangabeira Unger
November 29, 2020

Roberto Mangabeira Unger

Brazilian. Philosopher, former Cabinet Minister - he was the first Minister for Strategic Affairs in Brazil from 2007–2009
Ludger Schuknecht
November 22, 2020

Ludger Schuknecht

German. Economist, former Chief Economist at the German Ministry of Finance, former Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD
Alan Kirman
November 15, 2020

Alan Kirman

British-French. Directeur d’etudes, CAMS-EHESS Paris Professor Emeritus, Aix Marseille University Senior Adviser, OECD NAEC Initiative
Rana Foroohar
November 08, 2020

Rana Foroohar

American. Business columnist, associate editor at the Financial Times, and also CNN’s global economic analyst
William Hynes
November 01, 2020

William Hynes

Irish. Economist, Head of the New Approaches to Economic Challenges Unit (NAEC), OECD

Roundtables

Roundtable #01
February 21, 2021

Roundtable #01

Our first roundtable focused on the question of recovery from COVID-19: how best to move forward? Is economic recovery sufficient? Are we doing enough to address systemic challenges?

Exploring Economics

The core concept of Age of Economics is to gain the insights from as diverse a group of thinkers as possible about economics and global capitalist civilization. As the first part of this project, we are interviewing 52 thought leaders – some famous, some less-well-known – from across the world over 52 weeks. We began on November 1, 2020. Our overarching objectives are to go beyond economics as it is practiced in the West, East, North or South, to go beyond geography, culture, race, religion, politics, and geopolitics, to transcend the political spectrum, with the ultimate aim of seeking a greater understanding of and deeper insights into the civilizational air we breathing and the societal water we are drinking on a daily basis. We have 8 major question categories:

Fundamental Economics

Why does economics matter?

Economic Science & Engineering

What are the differences between economic science (academic economics) and economic engineering (policymaking)?

Society & Economics

What role does economics play in society? Does it serve the common good?

Economics and the wider environment

Economics provides answers to problems related to markets, efficiency, profits, consumption and economic growth. Does economics do a good job in addressing the other issues people care about: climate change and the wider environment, the role of technology in society, issues of race and class, pandemics, etc.?

The Age of Economists

As we live in an age of economics and economists – in which economic developments feature prominently in our lives and economists have major influence over a wide range of policy and people – should economists be held accountable for their advice?

Economics & Capitalism

Does economics explain Capitalism? How would you define Capitalism?

Surviving Capitalism

No human system to date has so far been able to endure indefinitely - not ancient Egypt or Rome, not Feudal China or Europe, not the USSR. What about global Capitalism: can it survive in its current form?

Capitalism and humanity

Is Capitalism, or whatever we should call the current system, the best one to serve the needs of humanity, or can we imagine another one?