Last week I had the pleasure to chat with Rachel Donald on her podcast ‘Platform’. The show features people who are ‘pissed off with capitalism’. Its goal is to give a platform for under-reported topics that deserve traction and attention.

Rachel and I talked about a wide range of topics, but I particularly enjoyed discussing my research on hierarchy and income. Most people take it for granted that when they go to work, they’ll take orders from a boss who earns more than them. And they may give orders to a subordinate who earns less. That’s just how companies work … a fact of life.
Rachel was blown away that mainstream economists don’t engage with these facts of hierarchy. Or if they do, they dismiss them as an outcome of ‘human capital’. (Perhaps you didn’t know, but your boss is more ‘productive’ than you.)
On another note, I’ve been listening to the Platform back catalogue, and am enjoying the material. Here are some recent highlights:
- Carey King: The Myth of Efficiency
- Steve Keen: The Economics of Climate Change
- James Dyke: Net-Zero Won’t Save Us
If you like Rachel’s work, consider supporting her on Substack. (I just did.) Like me, Rachel is determined not to paywall her content. So she relies on goodwill to support the show.
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