“The Radical Middle is about getting beyond black and white. We challenge assumptions, ask better questions, and look for answers that don’t fit neatly on either side. Common sense shouldn’t be radical.“
In the final episode of their podcast series on the financialization of real estate and the Canadian economy, Thomas McMurtry and Ian Hull, LSM, discuss potential solutions for redirecting credit allocation away from real estate speculation toward more productive sectors. Thomas proposes shifting credit from low-risk lending to higher-risk, longer-term funding models, suggesting government backstops for small and medium-sized business loans to encourage sustainable economic growth. They explore the possibility of implementing land value taxation and other innovative tax policies to offset corporate and income taxes while targeting inelastic industries like land and natural resources. The conversation also touched on the role of technology, particularly AI, in auditing government spending and potentially driving changes in economic policy and business models.
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Inquires: theradicalmiddlemedia@gmail.com
Further Reading:
Classical Political Economy
* Adam Smith — The Wealth of Nations
* David Ricardo — Principles of Political Economy and Taxation
* Henry George — Progress and Poverty
Modern Banking & Political Economy
* Michael Hudson — Killing the Host
* Richard Werner (2014) — Can Banks Individually Create Money Out of Nothing?
* Bezemer et al. (2023) — Credit Policy and the “Debt Shift” in Advanced Economies
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XxI–FRpug
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4L8CbhlpijIoP3JMDorxvZ?si=f1e2ee7515154e48
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-radical-middle-podcast-episode-6-solutions-to-get/id1895574044?i=1000780338136
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