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 in Ireland but in Europe and further afield. Globalisation has brought us all together. We all face similar challenges whether you live in Dublin, London, Minnesota or Milan. If you would like to enjoy all of our content ad-free and have early access to episodes, subscribe to DMCW+ on Apple Podcast. If you would like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/DavidMcWilliams. Join the gang! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-david-mcwilliams-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

2024:35 The Political Fallout of Housing

April 30, 2024 • 30 mins
This podcast delves into the intricate interplay of politics and housing, a phenomenon not unique to Ireland but deeply emblematic there. It examines how the control, or lack thereof, of housing can shape political fortunes. From Ireland to Britain, Canada to Australia, the "politics of housing" is a pivotal and global issue, particularly for younger generations. While Eastern European countries, with reasonable house prices, see h...

Mark as Played

2024:34 Istanbul: The Centre of our World

April 25, 2024 • 35 mins
In part two of our mini-series on Turkey, we delve deeper into the electrifying economic history of Istanbul, from the Byzantine to the Ottoman empires and up to today. We explore how these empires sent shockwaves through history, shaping the world as we know it. Without the Ottomans, Columbus might never have discovered America, there'd be possibly no Renaissance, no dominance of Europe, no humanism. And what about Attaturk? ...

Mark as Played

2024:33 The Future is Turkish!

April 23, 2024 • 33 mins
This is the first of 2 podcasts on Turkey following a quick visit to Istanbul where the inflation rate is currently at 69% annually, and the currency, the Lira, is on a devaluation spiral, but might this financial crisis be the event to kickstart economic, political and regional change. Amidst rising tensions in the Middle East and with Hamas' chief in talks in Ankara with Erdogan, Turkey finds itself in a potentially influential p...

Mark as Played

2024:32 Humanomics

April 18, 2024 • 31 mins


The majority of my tribe, economists have been getting it wrong for decades, if you go back and look at economic research from the seventies, nobody is talking about coming inequality. Yet inequality afflicts the West, dominating politics. This week, in a not-so-groundbreaking revelation, Ben Bernanke's report on the Bank of England's failures shows us how out-of-touch economists really are. Economists need to get out more, mix...

Mark as Played

2024:31 What Elon's travails tell us about the New Cold War?

April 16, 2024 • 30 mins
Elon Musk is to 2024 what Howard Roark was to 1943. In Ayn Rand's book Fountainhead, her hero Roark was brilliant, single-minded and flawed. Musk is a modern day Roark and yet despite his remarkable entrepreneurial success, from SpaceX to Neuralink, Tesla is on the skids. 10% of its workforce has just been fired and it's share price has dropped 30% since January, and its market share is dwindling in China. Musk's investments in Chi...

Mark as Played

2024:30 Common Law or Common Sense? Nimbyism's Grip on Housing

April 11, 2024 • 28 mins
In this week's episode, we plunge headfirst into the contentious issue of Nimbyism – should property ownership grant individuals the power to stop developments? We don't think so! Particularly not when contrasted with the backdrop of the housing crises gripping the English-speaking world. Bound by the chains of common law but bereft of common sense, our societies find themselves stuck in a self-inflicted housing crisis. Join u...

Mark as Played

2024:29 Eat the Rich with Nick Hanauer

April 9, 2024 • 38 mins
Are we truly living in a Plutocracy', where we are governed by the wealthy elites instead of those we voted for? As election season heats up around the globe, we tackle the age-old question: should we tax the rich more? While the wealthy typically oppose such measures, there's one dissenting, wealthy voice: Nick Hanauer, podcaster, venture capitalist, and rich lad himself who thinks that we either force the rich to pay more in taxe...

Mark as Played

2024:28 The Souk Versus The Citadel with Bassem Youssef

April 4, 2024 • 38 mins
Palestine is one of the most, if not the most, tragic national stories of the 21st century. Divided, humiliated, abused, and abandoned by both West and East, the Palestinian nature has been strangled by Israeli occupation, asphyxiated by international indifference, and its children scattered all over the world. Bassem Youssef trained cardiologist turned comedian, talks to us about how the global conversation often reverts back to t...

Mark as Played

2024:27 Sam Bankman Fried and Male Over-Confidence with Michael Lewis

April 2, 2024 • 41 mins

Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for fraud on hundreds of thousands of customers that unraveled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency. We chatted to Michael Lewis recently, who spent over a year with SBF, immersing himself in the universe of crypto-bros, and recently published his book 'Going Infinite' which tracks b...

Mark as Played

2024:26 The Curse of Inheritance

March 28, 2024 • 29 mins
 Inheritance is a tricky one. We all want to leave something to our kids if possible, yet inheritance for society makes inequality permanent, favouring the children of the rich. Millennials are about to become the wealthiest generation, which begs the question - should inheritors of wealth play a role in driving social change? What should they give back? A recent Bank of Italy paper reveals the rich stay rich. Tax records...

Mark as Played

2024:25 Should We Copy The Swiss Or Is That Too Cheesy?

March 26, 2024 • 39 mins
 How best to run an economy and a country, bottom up or top down? A trip to Switzerland got me thinking should we invert power, making the local more consequential than the nation, should we devolve government, introduce fiscal federalism and instead of our "spectator democracy" should we opt for "direct democracy" . Unlike Ireland, where accountability seems elusive, Switzerland's governance is marked by subsidiarity and acti...

Mark as Played

2024:24 The Dehumanisation of Curiosity

March 21, 2024 • 28 mins
The US House of Representatives has just approved a bill with the potential to ban Tiktok from America. But this story is about much more than corporate America's jealousy over its Chinese rival's more profitable and addictive business? Its about the direction of social media and an increasingly docile, addicted citizen, out-foxed and out-thought by an algorithm. What we are witnessing is an internal power-play within the tech cart...

Mark as Played

2024:23 The Economics of the Creative Mind with Ed Guiney

March 19, 2024 • 40 mins
The primary driver of economic growth is the innovative human mind. In this episode, we sit down with Ed Guiney, the visionary co-founder of Element Pictures, the powerhouse behind Oscar winners like 'Brooklyn', "Room" and 'Poor Things', and TV dramas such as 'Normal People'. We delve into the fascinating tale of Ireland's cinematic resurgence, driven by strategic tax incentives and our rich storytelling tradition. Join us as ...

Mark as Played

2024:22 The Irish Government, as trustworthy as a Kate Middleton photo-album?

March 14, 2024 • 33 mins
No one trusts them, the Irish government or Katie M's doctored photos. For them its part of the national theatre, for us its a national threat. How did the government misread the public and why does the public not believe them? Is Ireland progressive or reactionary? Despite a track record of successful progressive referenda, from gay marriage to abortion rights, there is now a palpable uncertainty regarding Ireland's liberal democr...

Mark as Played

2024:21 Bitcoin is Still Not Money

March 12, 2024 • 30 mins
Bitcoin is being touted as a revolutionary asset, but in reality, it's often the wealthy transferring wealth to unsuspecting individuals, marketed as a stroke of financial liberation. This asset is not money - it lacks many characteristics traditionally associated with money. It functions scarcely as a medium of exchange, lacks stability in value, and operates without regulation. Instead, it predominantly serves as a speculative as...

Mark as Played

2024:20 Why Is China Getting So Rich?

March 7, 2024 • 33 mins
For International Women's Day, we're thrilled to welcome Alice Evans, who is currently immersed in writing a book on gender equality across different cultures. This week, we travel to southeast Asia with Alice, whose storytelling transports us to China - where we explain the rise of China through their love of money, their increasing emphasis on wealth and their Lunar New Year's celebration's focus on monetary gain. Join us as...

Mark as Played

2024:19 ADHD Nation

March 5, 2024 • 34 mins
In this episode, we delve into the concept of black swan events and explore how they resonate with contemporary art & culture. A black swan event, a term popularized by Nassim Taleb, describes an unpredictable event with severe consequences beyond normal expectations. Is the tiktokisation of culture that we are experiencing its own black swan event? Is social media to blame for the shift from authentic creation to derivative works ...

Mark as Played

2024:18 Stuck in 1980s

February 29, 2024 • 32 mins
This week, we return to the theme of acceleration and confront a stark reality: much of Ireland is stuck in 1984. Despite boasting an economy that has expanded between 20 to 30 times since the mid 80s —earning us the title of one of the world's fastest-growing economies — our public infrastructure remains trapped in the past. We explore the paradox of aggregation becomes apparent: while the aggregate wealth has surged, the ben...

Mark as Played

2024:17 What is Éire Accelerationism and Why Does it Matter? with Will O'Brien

February 27, 2024 • 42 mins
Forty years since its inception, the DART and the lack of substantial progress in transport infrastructure reflects a systemic failure in Ireland's approach to development and progress. Instead of marking a milestone of achievement, the Dart's anniversary serves as a stark reminder of the political inertia and lack of commitment to meaningful change. Despite the economy expanding exponentially, with a growth of 20 to 30 times its s...

Mark as Played

2024:16 The Joy of Maths with Colm O'Regan

February 22, 2024 • 36 mins
This week, we delve into the perennial question: Why do so few students depart school with a genuine love for mathematics? Is the way we teach maths the crux of the issue? Joining us is Colm O'Regan, host of his own Mathematics podcast, to show us the story behind the numbers. Maths, essential across various studies including economics, embodies the evolution of human thought, guiding us from guesswork to certainty - yet is widely ...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Dateline NBC

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

    Death, Sex & Money

    Death, Sex & Money

    Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.

    Stuff You Should Know

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Crime Junkie

    Crime Junkie

    If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

    Start Here

    Start Here

    A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Mobile

Wearables

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.