What "Progressive" Economists Miss about Capitalism | Clara Mattei & Panos Tsoukalis at Oxford

Austerity isn't a policy mistake — it's how capitalism survives. And the economists who call themselves "progressive" may be hiding that truth more effectively than the ones they claim to oppose. In this live talk at Oxford, economist Clara Mattei presents the core argument of her new book Escape from Capitalism — that austerity is not irrational, not a failure, and not going away, because capitalism cannot function without it. She traces how "pure economics" was born to crush working-class alternatives, how austerity keeps the majority market-dependent by design, and why even the most well-meaning reforms hit hard political limits under this system. Recorded at a Rethinking Economics Oxford event, moderated by Panos Tsoukalis(PhD candidate in Politics at Oxford) Includes audience Q&A. In this talk: Why austerity is rational for capitalism — and devastating for everyone else How 19 people accumulated $2 trillion while US homelessness hit record highs The real function of regressive taxation and social spending cuts Why "progressive" economists depoliticize the economy more than their rivals How inflation exposes the system's fragility — and triggers resistance The Kalecki insight: full employment is technically possible but politically forbidden What the COVID stimulus and Great Resignation revealed about wage labor How FREE (Forum for Real Economic Emancipation) is building alternatives in Tulsa Why capitalism is more fragile than it appears — and what that means for organizing 📖 Read Clara Mattei's new book Escape from Capitalism: https://www.claramattei.com/books/esc... 🎓 Rethinking Economics:    / @rethinkingeconomics   🔔 Subscribe to FREE (Forum for Real Economic Emancipation) @FreeFreeForum⁩ ❤️ Watch, learn more, and join the FREE Forum: https://freefreeforum.org 🌱 Support FREE & Help Us Grow: https://www.freefreeforum.org/donate 🎧 Listen as a Podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5m5xbrP... ▶ Connect with FREE Linktree: https://linktr.ee/FreeFreeForum Substack: https://freefreeforum.substack.com/ X: https://x.com/freefreeforum Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freefreeforu... Instagram:   / freefreeforum   TikTok:   / freefreeforum   Facebook:   / freefreeforum   #ClaraMattei #EscapeFromCapitalism #Austerity #Capitalism #PoliticalEconomy #Oxford #RethinkingEconomics #FREEForum #Inequality #WorkingClass #EconomicDemocracy