The Rhodes Center Podcast with Mark Blyth

In December, the Rhodes Center hosted Sven Beckert, the Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University, to discuss his new book “Capitalism: A Global History.”
The title may sound dry, but in the hands of Sven, it is anything but. In it, he takes readers on a globe-trotting, centuries-spanning tour of the economic system we call “capitalism.” In doing so, he challenges many long-held assumptions about capitalism that readers might have - about its origins, its evolution, and how it has shaped our world.
On this episode, professor of American History at Brown University and Rhodes Center affiliate Seth Rockman sat down with Beckert for a discussion about the book, and about how it can help us to better understand capitalism’s past, present, and future.
Learn more about and purchase “Capitalism: A Global History”
Transcript coming soon to our website

For as long as this thing we call “capitalism” has existed, it has had its fair share of critics. (You’ve heard more than a few of them on this very podcast.)
On this episode, Mark talks with someone whose new book makes clear that when it comes to understanding this globe-spanning economic system - where it came from, how it’s shaped our world, and where it’s going – those critics might be some of our best guides.
John Cassidy is a staff writer at The New Yorker covering politics and economics, and his new book, “Capitalism and Its Critics: A History from the Industrial Revolution to AI,” tells the story of capitalism in a way you haven’t heard before.
Learn more about and purchase “Capitalism and Its Critics: A History from the Industrial Revolution to AI”
Transcript coming soon to our website

Lithium is an essential ingredient of most modern electronics. It helps to power our phones, our laptops, and increasingly EVs and other key parts of the green transition.
As Thea Riofrancos, a political scientist, environmentalist, and author of the new book “Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism,” explains to Mark on this episode, the story of lithium — how it's mined, how it’s refined, and how it makes its way around the world — isn’t just a business story. It's a story of geopolitics and power.
On this episode, Mark and Thea discuss the surprising story of lithium extraction, how the race to electrify our energy supply is reshaping the global economy, and what it all means for the future of our planet.
Learn more about and purchase Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism
Watch Mark and Thea’s discussion at the Watson School
Transcript coming soon to our website

This is the second part of a two-part series featuring Leah Downey, a political economist at King’s College London and author of the new book “Our Money: Monetary Policy as if Democracy Matters.”
Mark Blyth and Leah discuss what has happened at the Federal Reserve since they first talked about Leah’s book in May, what Leah’s book has to say about it, and what it all means for the future of central banks in the US and beyond.
Learn more about and purchase “Our Money: Monetary Policy as if Democracy Matters.”
Transcript coming soon to our website.

This is the first in a two-part series featuring Leah Downey, political theorist at King’s College London and author of the new book “Our Money: Monetary Policy as if Democracy Matters.”
On this part (recorded in May) Mark Blyth and Leah discuss her book, and take a look at the historical evolution of the relationship between independent central banks and democratic politics.
In the second part (which will come out next week) Mark and Leah explore how this relationship has changed in the US in the second Trump term, and what it might mean for US monetary policy and US politics going forward.
Learn more about and purchase “Our Money: Monetary Policy as if Democracy Matters.”
Transcript coming soon to our website.