Shows / The David McWilliams Podcast
The David McWilliams Podcast
The aim of this weekly podcast is to make economics easy, uncomplicated and accessible. With the world at a political, technological and financial tipping point, economics has never been so important to all of us and yet, it’s made inaccessible and complicated by so many.I’ve always thought what is complicated is rarely important and what is important is rarely complicated.That will be our motto.Every week we are going to tease out some big economic or political issue facing us, not just here…
Episodes
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Who Killed the Living City?
After travelling through Montreal, Bilbao, and Vilnius, cities alive with colour, sound, and soul, I returned home and felt the contrast sharply. Dublin, like…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Content, Culture & the Bottom Line: How Finance is Killing the Avant-Garde
Are we living through the death of innovation? We’re back in HQ asking a tough question: has culture stagnated, and if so, is economics to blame? We explore…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Has the Balance of Global Power Just Shifted to Israel?
Has Israel just become the undisputed power in the Middle East? After a lightning-fast 12-day conflict, oil prices fell instead of spiking, Iran backed off…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Dollar, the Ape & the End of an Empire
Live from a packed GAA hall at the Dalkey Book Festival, this episode tackles one of the wildest questions in economics: how did humans, flimsy, anxious apes…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Memoirs of an Arab Jew
In this powerful episode recorded at the Dalkey Book Festival, we sit down with Israeli historian Avi Shlaim, whose memoir The Memoirs of an Arab Jew weaves…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Islamic Enlightenment
Tensions in the Middle East are escalating, following Israel’s surprise attack on targets across Iran on Friday, and ensuing strikes between the two powers…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Hanseatic League: Europe’s First Free Trade Zone
Forget Brussels, the first European Union was built by medieval merchants, not politicians. This week, we dive into the Hanseatic League: a loose alliance of…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Will America’s Debt Crash the Global Economy?
When Jamie Dimon warns that the U.S. bond market could "crack," it’s time to listen. This week, we dive into America’s mounting debt crisis, with U.S. debt now…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
From Bolsheviks to Bolt: The Tallinnovation Nation
We’re on the road again, this time reporting from Vilnius, Lithuania, in the heart of Europe’s Bloodlands. Don’t be fooled by the history of war and trauma…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Creativity in the Cul-de-Sac: Why the Suburbs Won
Back home at HQ, we stretch our legs and dive into something huge hiding in plain sight: Ireland is now the most educated country in the world. But what does…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Spain’s Miracle Economy: What They Got Right (That We Didn’t) with Joe Haslam
We're back in Spain, and I’ve got questions. Why is Spain growing faster than Germany, France, and even the US? Why can they build high-speed rail for a…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Bilbao Blueprint
We're in Bilbao this week, and it’s got us thinking. How does a football club that refuses to sign non-Basque players manage to qualify for the Champions…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Moody Blues: No More Finance Bros in LA
This week, we’re keeping one eye on Wall Street and the other on a canal in Dublin. Moody’s just downgraded the United States' credit rating, a move that…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Battle for Africa with Pumi Mashigo
From wine valleys to White House stand-offs, we’re in South Africa as the continent’s biggest economy finds itself caught between China, Russia, and a sulking…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Trump’s New Enemies: Billionaires, Big Pharma & Bibi?
Trump is stealing Bernie’s manifesto. In this episode, we dive into why Trump is suddenly talking about taxing the rich and slashing the cost of prescription…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
A Letter from Africa with Simon Kuper
This week I'm in South Africa on a book and speaking tour and am chatting at the Franschoek Literary Festival, so we are all South Africa today. A country of…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Inflation for Losers with Mark Blyth
Broadcast from a wine-soaked table in Italy’s Valle di Comino, ancestral home of Ireland’s chipper dynasties, this episode covers everything from Irish-Italian…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
How Canada Became the Anti-Trump Blueprint
This week, we talk about the most unexpected political shift of the year, Canada’s sudden transformation into the liberal world’s new playbook. We unpack how…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Slowing Down in an Age of Acceleration with Elif Shafak
This week, we take a breath. In a world spinning faster than a speedcubing final, we step away from bond yields and geopolitics and lean into something more…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Art of Taxation: How a Crisis Could Save Your City
Trump’s global chaos might just offer an opportunity. if we’re bold enough to take it. In this episode, we dive into how a crisis can give countries the…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Popeonomics?
We mark the passing of Pope Francis by asking: is there such a thing as "Catholic Economics"? If so, what is it, and what strain of Catholic economics did the…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The New Great Game?
The world shifting under our feet and US financial markets remain in turmoil. We explore whether Trump’s economic war with China is backfiring, and might push…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Paris, Power & Picking Sides: Europe’s Awakening in a MAGA World
Broadcasting from Paris, we bring a bottle of wine and a warning: the transatlantic honeymoon is over. As America turns inward under the MAGA banner, Europe…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Molly Bloom Model: Why Economies Should Say Yes
Yes has always been more of a worldview than a word. In this episode, we channel the spirit of Molly Bloom’s iconic soliloquy from Ulysses to explore how…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Nike Economy: Why Vietnam Is America’s Hidden Factory Floor
What do Nike runners, IKEA furniture, and half a million Vietnamese workers have in common? They’re all caught in the crossfire of Trump’s tariff tantrum. This…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Tariffs & Other Fantasies
This week, we watched the world’s biggest economy base its entire trade policy on a formula so dodgy it wouldn’t pass the Leaving Cert. We break down how…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Economics of Employee Ownership
What if the future of capitalism isn’t tech or tax, but trust? This week, we’re talking about Employee Ownership Trusts: a radical rethink of who gets to own…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Jeffrey Goldberg Has Entered the Chat
On Wednesday, we watched in real time as America’s trade policy devolved into a parody of itself. Trump’s Liberation Day was part Caesar, part Mattress Mick…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Did Ferris Bueller Predict the Trade War?
What do tariffs, the Laffer Curve, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off have in common? More than you’d think. This week, we dive into the world of trade policy…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Why Do Good People Make Bad Decisions?
From Dublin’s housing crisis to stalled metros and blocked wind farms, this week’s episode explores how well-meaning people, and governments, have tied…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Trump's First 65 Days
Trump is back, and in just 75 days, he’s issued half as many executive orders in two months than Biden did in four years. Beyond the chaos, there’s a bigger…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Trump, Putin & McGregor: Ukraine & the New World Order with Olesya Khromeychuk
Ukraine is being carved up—again. This week, Trump and Putin are discussing Ukraine’s future, and the Ukrainians aren’t even invited to the table. We explain…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Doonbeg Doctrine: Trump and the Chaos Economy
St. Patrick’s Day diplomacy, a shifting global order, and Trump whispering in Micheál Martin’s ear; he's nursing more than a hangover with his front-row seat…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Is America the Next Big Short? With Michael Lewis
In a week where the U.S. stock market has been rocked by recession fears and escalating trade tensions, we sit down with renowned author Michael Lewis, known…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Germany Wakes Up: Britain Breaks Out
For 70 years, Germany kept its head down; an economic juggernaut, but a military lightweight, happy to let America call the shots. Not anymore.J.D. Vance’s…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Casement, Congo & the Comeback of Empire: Is Trump Reviving Imperialism?
Neo-imperialism is marching, loud and proud, straight into the heart of global politics. Between Trump’s quiet dealmaking in Riyadh, to his open musings about…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The King’s Gambit: DIY Declan, Trump’s Market Meltdown & Musk’s 18th-Century Twin
What do DIY stores, French financial bubbles, and Elon Musk have in common? Kicking off with a detour into The Pope’s Children and the perils of being a DIY…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Deutschland Dilemma: Voting Blocs, Power Shocks & the Bundeswehr Rocks with Katja Hoyer
Germany’s latest election has sent shockwaves across Europe. The CDU has reasserted itself, but the far-right AfD continues to gain ground, fuelled by economic…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
MAGA, Mercantilism & Mass Extinction: The Economics of a Shifting World Order
Anxiety is in the air. Trump's latest outbursts underscore America’s shifting economic stance. Who knows if there is a method to the madness? In this episode…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Second Republic: Reinventing Ireland for the Future
What if we could start over? What if instead of just stitching the North onto the South, we reimagined the whole country. new flag, new anthem, even a…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The End of the Affair - Europe and America's Nasty Divorce
The world as we know it is over. The post-Cold War order, the American-led security umbrella, the assumption that Europe will always be protected has been…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Economics of the Merchant of Venice: Lessons from an Empire of Trade
What can a city built on water teach us about the economics of the 21st century? In this episode, we dive into the economics of Venice, how a tiny republic…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Hard Liquor, Soft Power: The Death of Proportionality
Donald Trump has always been blunt about his transactional view of global politics but has he just accelerated the decline of American soft power? We unpack…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Trump, Tariffs & the Gold Rush: The McKinley Playbook
What do Donald Trump and William McKinley have in common? More than you might think. In this episode, we dig into the economic and political legacy of…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Population Paradox: Growth, Crisis, and the Global Economy
Is rapid population growth a sign of economic strength, or the trigger for future crises? This week, we explore how shifting demographics are reshaping…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
DeepSeek, Deep State or Deep Pockets? Karen Hao on China’s AI Power Play
China's DeepSeek has done what it does best, it's made a better copy of an American product. Deepseek has disrupted the markets this week and is almost…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
From Fartcoin to Trumpcoin: How Memes and Tokens Are Redefining Power and Wealth
What do Fartcoin, Trumpcoin, and TikTok have in common? They’re all part of the new frontier where memes, tokens, and attention economics collide. This episode…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Coming IMF Bailout of Britain!
Is the UK teetering on the edge of economic chaos? With bond yields now higher than Greece’s and a rapidly weakening pound, we explore why Britain’s financial…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The MAGA Era: Irish America’s New Identity
We're diving into the seismic shifts reshaping America and their ripple effects on Irish identity abroad. With the inauguration of Donald Trump marking the…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
King Trump and the Bubble Economy
In this week’s second instalment on bubbles, we dive into America’s tech-driven exuberance and the dangers of the Magnificent Seven. Apple, Tesla, Nvidia, and…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Monsignor Joe Rogan and the Tech Bro Confessions: Risk, Bubbles, and MAGA Tailwinds
This week, we’re talking risk. From California’s burning insurance markets to the fragile dominance of America’s “Magnificent Seven” tech giants. Are Apple…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Epiphany: What Joyce, the Dead, Musk and Twitter Teach Us About Economic Power
We explore today's seismic changes in media and society, by tracing historical parallels between James Joyce’s The Dead (1907) and today’s digital age. Joyce’s…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
America’s $30 Trillion Gamble: How Debt Could Rewrite the Global Economy
We examine the cracks forming in America’s financial dominance, with $30 trillion in debt—equal to 100% of GDP—making it the largest debtor nation in history…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Runways to Reality: How Airports Reflect the World Around Us
This week, we’re diving into a surprising truth: airports are the most democratic spaces in society. Think about it—everyone passes through them, from business…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Swiftonomics and Centrist Dads: 2024 in Review
Happy New Year! Join us as we nurse our hangovers and take a ride through 2024’s greatest hits—economic and otherwise. From the explosive surge of Swiftonomics…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
Putin’s Empire, the West’s Game: Revisiting Bill Browder’s Insight on Russia
As the war in Ukraine drags on, how do we untangle the web of money, power, and manipulation at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s regime? In this Christmas…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
AI, Feudal Overlords, and the Fight for the Future: A Conversation with Martin Wolf
As we hurtle toward an AI-driven future, what’s really at stake? In this Christmas Eve special, we revisit our conversation with Martin Wolf, the Financial…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Bro-tocracy Rises: Top 10 World-Changing Events of 2024
Was 2024 the turning point for our economic, political, and cultural future? In this episode, we break down the top 10 seismic shifts that reshaped the world…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
The Prosperity Paradox: Ireland’s Boom, Europe’s Bust, and the Price of Success
Ireland’s economy is booming, bolstered by its close ties to the American economic engine. But beneath the shine of GDP growth and high living standards lies a…
- The David McWilliams Podcast
What's Next for Syria?
The fall of Assad’s 50-year regime marks a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern history, but what happens next? In this episode, we connect the dots between the…