wildly curious
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Dangers of Austerity

In the wake of the Great Recession, large Western governments have tried to keep their economies afloat by imposing austerity measures. The hope is that by reducing wages and spending they could bail themselves out of budget deficits and jumpstart global economic growth. The political economist Mark Blyth says that plan hasn’t worked out. He says austerity has led to sluggish growth and increasing inequality, and not for the first time, either. Blyth joins us to explain why austerity, like a zombie, is a dangerous idea that just won’t die. [Rebroadcast]

GUEST

Mark Blyth is Professor of International Political Economy at Brown University. His new book is called Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea [Indiebound|Amazon].

--During the program, Mark Blyth referred to the book Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History by James A. Morone [Indiebound|Amazon].

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.