New Thinking: What is Political Economy?

Political economists are inspired to understanding the major challenges that face our society today: climate breakdown and global environmental change, workers' rights across global supply chains, the intensification of war, the rise of the far-right, public health crises and so much more. But what exactly is political economy? Is it a discipline, sub-discipline, field, approach, all of these, or none? How does it help us understand capitalism, history, our everyday lives?

Professor Andrew Hindmoor is Professor of Politics at University of Sheffield and Co-Director of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI). Dr Liam Stanley is Senior Lecturer in Politics at University of Sheffield. Dr Natalie Langford is Lecturer in Sustainability at University of Sheffield. For this first episode, they join Dr Remi Edwards for a fascinating discussion in which they share their perspectives on what exactly political economy is, how they came to pursue it, and the role it has played in their research careers so far.

'New Thinking in Political Economy' is a monthly podcast showcasing cutting-edge political economy research that helps us to understand the world around us.

Papers referenced in the podcast include:

Stanley, L. (2014) ‘We're Reaping What We Sowed’: Everyday Crisis Narratives and Acquiescence to the Age of Austerity', New Political Economy, 19(6), 895-917.

Jessop, B. and Sum, N. (2010) 'Pre-disciplinary and Post-disciplinary Perspectives', New Political Economy, 6(1), 89-101.

This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… committee, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley and Andrew Hindmoor. This episode was edited by Remi Edwards and Chris Saltmarsh. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.