Invisible Handcuffs: Unchaining Economics

Our guests this episode, which kicks of Season 2, are Stefan Pühringer and Theresa Hager of the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria.We recorded this conversation at the end of the summer 2026 and are releasing it a few weeks later, during a week in which many European universities are opening their doors for a new wave of students. Which makes it an apt episode to start with because, it is all about the influence of economics education on our mindsets, on our imaginations, and how this in

In what way might economists’ flawed understanding of progress be driving the many risks we face today?This episode's guest is Luke Kemp, Research Affiliate at the Cambridge Center for the Study of Existential Risk and author of the best-selling, critically acclaimed book Goliath’s Curse, The History and Future of Societal Collapse. Luke actually trained and worked as a climate economist. Indeed he was drawn to researching civilisational collapse when he saw that climate economic models were

Our latest episode of Invisible Handcuffs I was delighted to be joined by Bhumika Muchhala, Political Economist and Senior Advisor at Third World Network as well as Part-Time Faculty at The New School. Our discussion centres on the problem of Eurocentrism in economics, and its impact on a region where neoliberal economics is arguably doing most damage: the Global South. Eurocentrism refers to the global dominance of western ideas and ideologies in economics and by default — in our international

How can philosophy of science help us in the fight to reclaim economics?That is the topic of discussion in our latest episode of Invisible Handcuffs, where I was delighted to be joined by leading a social-ecological economist Clive Spash. This discussion brought a whole new language to problems with economics that I have long sensed, but been unable to put into words. We delve deep into philosophy of science which Clive argues is crucial not just for deconstructing mainstream economics - which

This week we discuss the need to overthrow the current economic paradigm, and what a new one could look like, with Professor Steve Keen.Steve is a prolific writer, teacher, blogger and vlogger, known as one of few economists to have predicted the global financial crash and a thorn in the side of mainstream or neoclassical economics for over 50 years. A former professor of economics at Kingston university in the UK, today you’re most likely to find him on YouTube or one of his weekly online

My guest this week is Emma Holten. Emma is a feminist economist from Denmark and the author of a best-selling book, Deficit.Feminist economics, as Emma explains, is the study of the unhidden but vital work of ‘reproduction’ - that textured, often unquantifiable work that goes into making everything else in life, including economic life, possible: care, repair, love, friendship, compassion. But, that which doesn’t lend itself to being monetised and moulded into the kinds of models used by

This podcast is all about freeing ourselves from the chains of economic orthodoxy: the set of ideas that drive most decisions in governments, institutions around the world and thus are also underpin our crises.But where do these ideas come from, and why do they persist? What might alternative schools have to offer? And if such alternative perspectives could offer solutions, why are they not more widely taught? That is the topic of this week’s discussion with Professor John T Harvey of Texas

In this inaugural episode of Invisible Handcuffs, host Katy Shields speaks with economist Kate Raworth, author of 𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴: 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 21𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵.Doughnut Economics seeks to change not just the goal of our economies - away from endless growth, towards thriving within the planet's limits. It is also a call to transform economics as a discipline. Because mainstream economic models - which drive