Confronting Capitalism: Socialists and Markets

It’s all too common for people to associate the mere existence of markets with capitalism. But because we know markets had a life before capitalism, we can also imagine them having a life after. On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek compare how markets operated in pre-capitalist economies versus modern capitalist economies to see if markets may prove useful in future socialist societies. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

A prisoner is held, in theory, for something they did. The people inside America’s roughly 250 immigration detention camps are held for who they are, or where they’re from. That distinction anchors journalist John Washington’s new book, How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention. He joins Suzi to trace the bipartisan machinery behind ICE detention — from the reservation system to today's $240 billion buildout — and the local permits, contracts, and licenses that make these camps more vulnerable than they look. In Surprise, Arizona, a thousand residents showed up to block a $70 million warehouse conversion. “The opposite of a camp is community,” Washington argues — and closing one, keeping it closed, depends on exactly that. Plus: Meleiza Figueroa remembers David Cobb, who died on Labor Day. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Garrison Lovely, author of Obsolete, discusses the terrors and possible promise of artificial intelligence. Dave Zirin looks back on the life and work of Howard Zinn, the subject of his new biography. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

The US Federal Reserve appointed a new chair earlier this year. Kevin Warsh replaced Jerome Powell, who had been under constant fire from the Trump administration. For many, Warsh’s appointment represented a turn towards the overt politicization of monetary policy. Is the age of central bank independence coming to an end? And is it something that the Left should mourn or celebrate? Martijn Konings, professor of political economy at the University of Sydney and author of The Bailout State: Why Governments Rescue Banks, Not People, joins Long Reads to discuss the state of central banking. Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Featuring Daniel Denvir and Ben Mabie answering questions posed by you, our listeners. Submit a question for our next mailbag: speakpipe.com/ListenerMailbag Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Read the piece Ben mentioned, “From the Camp to the Picket: Reflections from the UC Strike for Palestine”: longhaulmag.com/uc-strike-for-palestine Learn more about The Shadow Court and Disability Revolution at UCPress.edu The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Alejandro Velasco looks at Trump’s oil grab in Venezuela. Alex Vitale imagines a post-carceral future. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Unions have more public support than just about anything else in the US, and yet, their membership has cratered. This poses an immense challenge to left-wing politicians, who won't be able to enact lasting change without a robust labor movement beside them. On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber addresses the age-old question of whether unions are inherently political, the importance (and limits) of internal democracy within unions, and why socialists have always been at the heart of the labor movement. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Producer and guest host Mel Figueroa speaks with economist Michael Roberts about the teetering house of cards that is the US and global economy, and how it is all connected to the Iran war and more: Scott Bessent, bond markets, the crisis in private credit, the AI bubble, de-dollarization, and inflation. Is a recession or a depression imminent? The media financial and economic discourse is wildly different from what we experience in our day-to-day struggles; we unpack why that is, and how anxiety at the top of this K-shaped economy will still have real consequences for the US working class. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Featuring David Wallace-Wells, Madison Condon, and Moira Birss on how insurance companies profit off climate catastrophe — and, in doing so, ensure that people and the planet suffer the consequences. Guest hosted by Astra Taylor. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Read “National Disaster Insurance for All: Single-Payer Disaster Insurance and Community Resilience Investments for Safer and More Affordable Housing”: climateandcommunity.org/research/national-disaster-insurance-for-all-single-payer-disaster-insurance-and-community-resilience-investments-for-safer-and-more-affordable-housing/ Find out more about the Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World reading group here: equator.org/events/late-victorian-holocausts Find When We Are Kin and The Veiled Prophet at Haymarketbooks.org The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

David McNally, author of Slavery and Capitalism, discusses the political economy of the institution. Plus: Billy Fleming, author of Building Postcarbon Futures, explains how we might get from here to there. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.