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FREE with Clara Mattei

Clara Mattei

The FREE podcast is hosted by economist Clara Mattei, author of The Capital Order & Escape from Capitalism; and Professor of Economics at the University of Tulsa.
FREE stands for the Forum for Real Economic Emancipation. Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/freefreeforum

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  • 27 episodes
  • Updated June 10

Episodes27

Newest first
  • Sep 3, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min

    Legal Corruption: How Power Really Works | Camila Vergara & Clara Mattei

    Corruption isn’t a scandal, it’s the law.Economist Clara Mattei and political theorist Camila Vergara expose how our democracy is designed to protect the wealthy. The constitution itself sets the rules of the game, rules that funnel power upward, reproduce inequality, and leave people powerless.This is legal corruption: not against the law, but because of the law. From elections that don’t change power to laws that put profit over people, they show why inequality isn’t an accident, it’s intentional.👉 If you’ve ever wondered why democracy feels broken, why the 1% keeps winning, and why real change feels impossible, this conversation makes it clear.Topics we cover:What “systemic corruption” really meansWhy elections deepen inequality instead of fixing itHow the constitution was designed to keep people from powerWhy democracy in practice is an oligarchic democracyWhat breaking the narrative could mean for the futureClara Mattei • Camila VergaraForum for Real Economic Emancipation (FREE)❤️ Subscribe for more conversations on democracy, justice, and economic emancipation:https://youtube.com/@FreeFreeForum📌 Watch, share, and join the FREE Forum: https://freefreeforum.org🌱 Support FREE & Help Us Grow: https://freefreeforum.betterworld.org/campaigns/support-free-today 🌍 Connect with FREESubstack: https://substack.com/@freefreeforumX: https://x.com/freefreeforumBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freefreeforum.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/freefreeforumTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freefreeforumFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreeFreeForum

  • Aug 27, 2025 · 46 min

    Democracy from Below: How to Defeat Oligarchy | Camila Vergara & Clara Mattei

    Why does democracy feel powerless against billionaires, war, and corruption?We all feel it: democracy doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. The wealth of the few grows, while the majority struggles to survive. Wars rage, children starve, and our voices barely register.In this first FREE Forum event, political theorist Camila Vergara and economist Clara Mattei expose how oligarchy isn’t an accident, it’s built into the rules of our system.From famine in Gaza to the concentration of wealth in the U.S., they show why oligarchy thrives, and how democracy from below can defeat it. This conversation is about reclaiming power from the few, and building people-led alternatives from the ground up.👉This isn’t about left vs. right. It’s about power: who has it, how they keep it, and how we take it back.❤️ Subscribe for more conversations on democracy, justice, and economic emancipation:https://youtube.com/@FreeFreeForum📌 Watch, share, and join the FREE Forum: https://freefreeforum.org🌱 Support FREE & Help Us Grow: https://freefreeforum.betterworld.org/campaigns/support-free-today#Oligarchy #Democracy #ClaraMattei #CamilaVergara #FREEForum #SystemicCorruption #peoplepowerPODCAST LINKS:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/free-with-clara-mattei/id1828302105Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5m5xbrPzTSmdGZFQuZP7ZCSOCIAL LINKS:Substack: https://substack.com/@freefreeforumX: https://x.com/freefreeforumBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freefreeforum.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/freefreeforumTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freefreeforumFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreeFreeForum

  • Aug 21, 2025 · 12 min

    Militarism, Capitalism & Austerity: The Hidden Trinity of Power

    Why do endless wars, austerity, and genocide continue — even when people everywhere demand peace and justice? This video explains the deep economic logic behind militarism, showing how capitalism and austerity are structurally tied to war spending.Drawing on Antonio Gramsci’s warning against indifference, the talk reveals how profit motives fuel violence in Gaza, Sudan, and beyond, while governments prioritize arms industries and surveillance over human needs. From record-breaking military budgets to soaring weapons stock prices, we connect the dots between economic structures and systemic violence — and why young generations are demanding divestment.This is part of FREE: The Forum for Real Economic Emancipation, a space for confronting the truths about how our economic system really works — and how we can change it.#Militarism #Capitalism #Austerity #Gaza #Sudan #AntiWar #Gramsci #FREEForum #Divestment #WarEconomy

  • Aug 13, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min

    Richard Wolff: Why Capitalism Can’t Give Us Equality

    Economists Clara Mattei and Richard D. Wolff break down why capitalism has failed to deliver on its promises of liberty, equality, and democracy. From the hidden coercion of the labor market to the politics of inflation and unemployment, they expose how the system sustains inequality — and explore how worker cooperatives could offer a real path to economic emancipation. 📚 Richard Wolff’s latest book: Understanding CapitalismCheck out: @democracyatwrk & https://www.democracyatwork.info/🎙️ Learn more about FREE at: https://freefreeforum.org #richardwolff #democracyatwork #capitalism #marxism #inflation

  • Aug 6, 2025 · 1 hr 13 min

    Weaponizing Economics: A Critical Look at the Political Economy of Palestine

    In this episode of the FREE (Forum for Real Economic Emancipation) podcast, hosts Claire and Professor Ibrahim Shikaki, an associate professor of economics at Trinity College and an expert on the political economy of Palestine, delve into the economic dimensions of the crisis in the region. They discuss Professor Shikaki's paper, "Weaponizing Economics Against Palestine," and explore how economics as a discipline can mystify the true nature of events. The conversation uses dependency theory as a framework to explain how the Global North's wealth is built on the systemic extraction of resources from the Global South. Key topics include: Historical Context: The discussion traces the origins of economic dependency back to the British Mandate, where policies encouraged Jewish emigration and shifted the weight of industrial production through concessions to Zionist organizations, changes in tax collection, and manipulation of tariffs. Post-1967 Occupation: The hosts and guest examine how the Israeli occupation after 1967 implemented military orders to restrict Palestinian industry, confiscate land, and create a dependent economy. This led to a significant portion of the Palestinian labor force working in the Israeli construction sector. The hosts discuss how Israel benefits from this arrangement by exploiting cheap labor and using the Palestinian territories as a supplementary market and a resource for factors of production. Resource Control and Austerity: The episode highlights the commodification of resources like land and water. Israel's state-owned company, Mekorot, controls the water supply, with 80% of Palestinian water having to be purchased from them. The discussion also covers the Paris Protocol of 1994, which formalized economic dependency and gave Israel the power to use clearance revenues as a tool for economic blackmail against the Palestinian Authority (PA). This fiscal dependency has left the PA unable to pay its public employees their full salaries and has contributed to high unemployment rates. Watch on Youtube. Connect with FREE and learn more: https://linktr.ee/FreeFreeForum

  • Jul 31, 2025 · 15 min

    Austerity: What They Don't Want You to Know About Our Economy | a FREE Explainer

    Why is austerity always the answer, and who does it really serve? In this explainer, economist Clara Mattei, executive director of the Forum for Real Economic Emancipation (FREE), breaks down the political logic of austerity, not as a budgeting mistake, but as a tool of systemic control. From slashed food stamps to rising interest rates, from military expansion to mass unemployment, austerity isn’t about scarcity. It’s about power. Mattei reveals how fiscal, monetary, and industrial austerity function together to keep the majority dependent on markets, wages, and private capital — all while funneling wealth to the top. This isn’t just policy. It’s a global project of exploitation and repression. 🔍 Topics Covered: What austerity really means (and why it’s so rarely defined) The truth behind budget cuts and rising debt How austerity fuels inequality, militarism, and authoritarianism Connections between the Global South, interest rates, and structural theft Why the wage labor system must be protected — at any cost Historical roots: from Mussolini’s Italy to modern neoliberalism 📌 Subscribe for more conversations on economic justice, democracy, and building a future beyond austerity. Find out more: ⁠ https://freefreeforum.org/ ✨ Stay tuned. Stay questioning. Stay FREE. #Austerity #ClaraMattei #EconomicJustice #Capitalism #Inequality #FreeForum #SystemicChange #WageLabor #Neoliberalism #PoliticalEconomy Produced by Better Worlds™ and Fast Content®

  • Jul 22, 2025 · 19 min

    The Free Market Is a Myth | FREE Podcast with Clara Mattei

    Welcome to FREE: The Forum for Real Economic Emancipation.In our first episode, Clara Mattei dismantles one of the biggest myths in economics: the idea of a “free market.”We dive deep into:✔ Why the free market is a myth and what really sustains it✔ How inequality isn’t an accident, but part of the system’s design✔ Why mainstream economics keeps us powerlessClara also reflects on her conversation with Jon Stewart and why knowledge must serve change—not protect the status quo.📌 Subscribe for more conversations on economic justice, democracy, and building a future beyond austerity.https://freefreeforum.org#FREEForum #claramattei #freepodcast #jonstewart #free #capitalorder #economics #austerity #inequality #capitalism