Best Civic Ventures Podcasts (2025)

1
The Abundance Doctrine (with Mike Konczal) 40:43

4d ago40:43

40:43

What does “abundance” actually mean—and who is it really for? In this episode, Goldy and Paul welcome back economic policy expert Mike Konczal to unpack the big new idea dominating political discourse: abundance. They dive into the buzz around Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s book “Abundance,” and Konczal’s sharp critique of its deregulatory leaning…

1
Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back (with Marc Dunkelman) 54:17

12d ago54:17

54:17

Why does it feel like we can’t build anything anymore? In this episode, Nick and Goldy talk with author Mark Dunkelman about his new book Why Nothing Works, which examines how well-intentioned progressive reforms created a “vetocracy” that makes major public projects nearly impossible. From Seattle’s decades-long waterfront rebuild to the dysfuncti…

1
Live From DC: Turning Middle-Out Economics into Good Politics 54:44

19d ago54:44

54:44

Timid tweaks won’t fix a broken economy. From Nick Hanauer’s blunt critique of Democratic incrementalism to a candid conversation with Representatives Ro Khanna, Delia Ramirez, and Jim Himes on how Democrats can reclaim working-class trust by embracing economic populism and fighting for real change, this episode brings you inside the 2025 Middle Ou…

1
America Needs an Economic Bill of Rights (with Mark Paul) 39:34

26d ago39:34

39:34

Trickle-downers want you to believe that in America, freedom is a narrow idea—freedom from taxes, from regulation, from government itself. But what good is that kind of freedom if you can’t afford rent, see a doctor, or feed your family? So, this week we’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations—our interview with economist Mark Paul about hi…

1
The Middle-Out Moment Is Still Here 47:06

1M ago47:06

47:06

Twelve months ago, Democracy Journal announced we were entering the "Middle-Out Moment." A year later—after a brutal election and rising uncertainty—the question isn’t whether neoliberalism is over, but what comes next. In a new symposium titled “It’s Still the Post-Neoliberal Moment,” Democracy brings together leading voices to answer that questio…

1
Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party (with Lainey Newman) 39:31

1M ago39:31

39:31

For decades, unions were more than just labor organizations—they were community anchors that shaped working-class identity and political loyalty. But what happens when an entire generation loses its economic and social foundation? The Rust Belt’s working-class voters were once a Democratic stronghold, but that’s no longer the case. Lainey Newman, c…

1
Wall Street’s War on Workers (with Les Leopold) 36:59

2M ago36:59

36:59

Mass layoffs have become a routine corporate strategy—not because companies are struggling, but because Wall Street demands it. In Wall Street’s War on Workers, labor educator and author Les Leopold exposes how stock buybacks, deregulation, and financialized capitalism have made job cuts a tool for enriching CEOs and hedge funds at the expense of w…

1
Breaking Up Big Econ (with David Deming) 39:07

2M ago39:07

39:07

A small group of elite universities holds an outsized influence over the field of economics, shaping research, policy, and the broader economic narrative. But is that concentration of power stifling innovation and reinforcing the status quo? This week, Harvard economist David Deming joins Nick and Goldy to discuss his recent Atlantic article, in wh…

1
Poverty for Profit: How Corporations Get Rich off America’s Poor (with Anne Kim) 38:16

2M ago38:16

38:16

The U.S. spends billions on programs designed to fight poverty, but it appears that much of that money is actually making corporations richer instead of helping people. This week, Nick and Goldy sit down with Anne Kim, author of Poverty for Profit: How Corporations Get Rich off America's Poor, to talk about the vast industry that siphons public dol…

1
Why the Economy Feels Rigged—and How to Fix It (with Senator Chris Murphy) 36:32

2M ago36:32

36:32

This week, Senator Chris Murphy joins Nick and Goldy to discuss the political failure of neoliberalism and what comes next for the Democratic Party. For decades, both parties embraced free trade and deregulation, promising that economic growth would benefit everyone. But that promise went unfulfilled as wages stagnated, industries collapsed, and in…

1
The Gilded Age of White Collar Crime (with Michael Hobbes) 34:46

2M ago34:46

34:46

Only a few weeks into his second term, Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies are doing their best to dismantle the federal government's regulatory agencies. So today, we're revisiting a compelling conversation we had in 2020 with journalist and podcast host Michael Hobbes about a piece he wrote in HuffPost titled "The Golden Age of White-Collar …

1
How America Ceased to Be the Land of Opportunity (with Yoni Appelbaum) 44:05

3M ago44:05

44:05

This week, Nick and Goldy are joined by journalist and historian Yoni Appelbaum to discuss his forthcoming book, Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity. They explore how decades of failed economic policies and zoning regulations have restricted mobility, stifled economic growth, and worsened inequality…

1
The Rise of the Billionaire Oligarchy (with Thom Hartmann) 39:06

3M ago39:06

39:06

With billionaires pouring unprecedented sums of money into politics, corporate interests shaping policy, and the revelation that Trump has appointed a record 13 billionaires to top administration roles in the wealthiest cabinet in American history, it's clear how much sway the ultra-wealthy hold over our democracy. So, we’re re-airing our 2021 conv…

1
How Mexico’s Post-Neoliberal Policies Offer a Blueprint for U.S. Democrats (with Kurt Hackbarth) 37:54

3M ago37:54

37:54

This week, Paul and Goldy sit down with journalist Kurt Hackbarth to discuss the recent electoral success of Mexico's Morena party and their progressive economic agenda. The conversation explores how Morena’s focus on middle-out policies, such as significant minimum wage increases and sweeping social safety net programs and reforms, has lifted mill…

1
The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order (with Gary Gerstle) 45:34

3M ago45:34

45:34

This week, Nick and Goldy sit down with historian Gary Gerstle, author of The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order, for an in-depth exploration of neoliberalism—its origins, dominance, and decline. Their conversation examines the shifting political landscape shaped by recent presidential administrations, including the Biden administration’s effort…

1
Revisiting Trickle-Down's Stubborn Refusal to Die (with Mark Blyth) 38:41

4M ago38:41

38:41

With a second Trump administration on the horizon, we’re bracing for a return to the same failed trickle-down policies that have dominated our politics for 50 years—policies that enrich the wealthy few at the top while leaving everyone else behind. That’s why we’re resharing our 2022 conversation with Mark Blyth, a political economist who explains …

1
How AI Could Help Rebuild The Middle Class (with David Autor) 39:30

4M ago39:30

39:30

This week, Nick and Goldy discuss the future of AI and its potential impact on labor markets and society with MIT professor and economist David Autor. While many pundits predict that AI will bring economic misery to working Americans, Autor optimistically argues that AI could empower the middle class by augmenting human expertise, unlocking new sol…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Civic Ventures Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer

Civic Ventures

1
The Bootstrapped VC - A Backstage Capital Podcast

Backstage Capital

1
Baltimore Weekly

gb.tc

1
The Abundance Doctrine (with Mike Konczal) 40:43

1
Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back (with Marc Dunkelman) 54:17

1
Live From DC: Turning Middle-Out Economics into Good Politics 54:44

1
America Needs an Economic Bill of Rights (with Mark Paul) 39:34

1
The Middle-Out Moment Is Still Here 47:06

1
Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party (with Lainey Newman) 39:31

1
Wall Street’s War on Workers (with Les Leopold) 36:59

1
Breaking Up Big Econ (with David Deming) 39:07

1
Poverty for Profit: How Corporations Get Rich off America’s Poor (with Anne Kim) 38:16

1
Why the Economy Feels Rigged—and How to Fix It (with Senator Chris Murphy) 36:32

1
The Gilded Age of White Collar Crime (with Michael Hobbes) 34:46

1
How America Ceased to Be the Land of Opportunity (with Yoni Appelbaum) 44:05

1
The Rise of the Billionaire Oligarchy (with Thom Hartmann) 39:06

1
How Mexico’s Post-Neoliberal Policies Offer a Blueprint for U.S. Democrats (with Kurt Hackbarth) 37:54

1
The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order (with Gary Gerstle) 45:34

1
Revisiting Trickle-Down's Stubborn Refusal to Die (with Mark Blyth) 38:41

1
How AI Could Help Rebuild The Middle Class (with David Autor) 39:30