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This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

39 ratings

Publishes	Daily	Episodes	1563	Founded	5 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	HistoryBooksArts

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Latest Episodes

Alice von Bieberstein, "Temptations in Ruin: Sovereign Accumulation and the Making of Post-Genocide Turkey" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2025)

Temptations in Ruin: Sovereign Accumulation and the Making of Post-Genocide Turkey (U Pennsylvania Press, 2025) examines the political-economic afterlife of the Armenian genocide in present-day Turkey, focusing on the region of Muş (Moush). Anthro... more

Yesterday • 36 min

Gerald F. Davis, "Taming Corporate Power in the 21st Century" (Cambridge UP, 2022)

Information and communication technologies have fundamentally altered the markets for capital, labor, supplies, and distribution in ways that undermine the basic categories we use to understand the economy. Nationality, industry, firm, size, employee... more

16 May 2026 • 1 hr 15 min

Jesper Rangvid, "How Low Interest Rates Change the World: Global Trends Caused by Low Rates and Emerging Factors Shaping the Future of Rates" (Oxford UP, 2025)

⁠How Low Interest Rates Change the World: Global Trends Caused by Low Rates and Emerging Factors Shaping the Future of Rates⁠ (Oxford UP, 2025) explores the societal impact of changing interest rates. Taking its starting point in the remarkable four-... more

16 May 2026 • 49 min

Gordon Simmons, "Mutiny in the Mountains: West Virginia Public Workers, 1969-2019" (PM Press, 2026)

Former chief steward and union organizer Gordon Simmons joins Michael Stauch to discuss his new book on the history of labor struggles by public sector workers in West Virginia since 1969. With an emphasis on rank-and-file rebellion expressed through... more

15 May 2026 • 49 min

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Recent Guests

Photis Lysandrou

Professor, author of Dollar Dominance, Why It Rules the Global Economy and How to Challenge It

Bristol University Press

Episode: Photis Lysandrou, "Dollar Dominance: Why It Rules the Global Economy and How to Challenge It" (Policy Press, 2025)

Benjamin Siegel

Author, historian and associate professor of history at Boston University

Boston University

Episode: Benjamin Robert Siegel, "Markets of Pain: Opium, Capitalism, and the Global History of Painkillers" (Oxford UP, 2026)

Stephan Meier

Behavioral economist and professor of business at Columbia University

Columbia University

Episode: Stephan Meier, "The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive" (PublicAffairs, 2024)

William I. Robinson

Professor of sociology

University of California, Santa Barbara

Episode: William I. Robinson, "Epochal Crisis: The Exhaustion of Global Capitalism" (Cambridge UP, 2025)

Paul Blustein

Author of King Dollar and senior associate at the Economics Program and Center for Strategic and International Studies; former reporter

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Episode: Paul Blustein, "King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency" (Yale UP, 2025)

Mary Lisa Gavenas

Author of Selling Opportunity, The Story of Mary Kay

Penguin (publisher)

Episode: Mary Lisa Gavenas, "Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay" (Penguin, 2026)

Stephen B. Young

Global Executive Director of the Co-Roundtable for Moral Capitalism; editor of Adam Smith and Modern Economics: Reclaiming the Moral High Ground

Co-Roundtable for Moral Capitalism

Episode: Stephen B. Young ed., "Adam Smith and Modern Economics: Reclaiming the Moral High Ground" (de Gruyter, 2026)

Trevor Jackson

Berkeley economic historian, author of The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World

University of California, Berkeley

Episode: Trevor Jackson, "The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World" (Norton, 2026)

Raffaele Danna

Historian and author of The Craft of Indo-Arabic Numerals

Harvard University Press

Episode: Raffaele Danna, "The Craft of Indo-Arabic Numerals: How Practical Arithmetic Shaped Commerce and Mathematics in Western Europe, 1200–1600" (Harvard UP, 2026)

Host

Caleb Zakarin

Assistant Editor and CEO of The New Books Network, involved with curating and producing academic content.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 39 ratings

Often great…sometimes awful
This channel is unique in the depth and breadth of content you can find. I’m pleasantly surprised more often than not. However, in not a small number of cases, the interview is almost entirely spent on details like how long a book took to write or details like research methods without talking about any key ideas. It’s also common to find guests who are activists before academics but that’s probably a reflection of academics more than this channel. The uncritical and uninteresting questions from ... more
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Some reviews express concern about the balance between detailed academic discussion and engaging storytelling.

Listeners appreciate the depth and breadth of content on various economic and historical topics.

Audience feedback indicates that the academic approach may not always resonate with casual listeners, leading to mixed reactions.

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Apple Podcasts	#223	Italy/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts	#13	Norway/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts	#40	Netherlands/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts	#41	Norway/Arts
Apple Podcasts	#120	Netherlands/Arts
Apple Podcasts	#135	Finland/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Photis Lysandrou, "Dollar Dominance: Why It Rules the Global Economy and How to Challenge It" (Policy Press, 2025)

Q: Before we get into the details, Professor Photis, can you tell us about yourself and why you wrote this book?

I'm a research professor focusing on the political economy of global finance, and I wrote this book to explain why dollar dominance remains strong and what might still challenge it, drawing on theory and empirical evidence.

Paul Blustein, "King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency" (Yale UP, 2025)

Q: What signs would indicate there is now a shift in how people are thinking about the dollar, beyond a complete collapse?

Key signals would include major economies like China or Europe taking credible steps toward financial liberalization and rule of law that restore confidence in non-dollar currencies, though the guest notes such shifts are unlikely to fully supplant the dollar in the near term.

Paul Blustein, "King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency" (Yale UP, 2025)

Q: Paul, thanks for coming on the show today to talk about your book, King Dollar. Maybe we should start by describing what power the dollar actually has.

The dollar's power stems not only from official reserves but from its pervasive use by private actors in international transactions, which gives the U.S. coercive leverage and broader influence in global finance.

Mary Lisa Gavenas, "Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay" (Penguin, 2026)

Q: How did Mary Kay get started in direct selling, given the gendered and economic context of the time?

The guest details Mary Kay's entry points through early door-to-door and small-scale sales, highlighting the obstacles women faced and how Mary Kay found opportunities within a masculine-dominated field, first finding traction with small ventures, then gaining momentum through Stanley Home Products' party-plan model, which opened doors for women to lead and organize sales in a community setting.

Mary Lisa Gavenas, "Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay" (Penguin, 2026)

Q: Can you introduce yourself a little bit for our audience and tell us why you decided to write the book?

Mary Lisa explains her background as a journalist and how her interest in Mary Kay emerged from researching and challenging the conventional, often snarky coverage of direct selling; she wanted to present a rigorous, nuanced biography that situates Mary Kay within the broader history of American business and female enterprise. The discussion covers her approach to evidence, from census records to primary coverage, and how biography can illuminate larger social and economic contexts.

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What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This audio channel features a series of discussions centered around recent scholarly research in the fields of economic and business history. With each episode, experts engage in conversations that unveil the intricacies of economic development, historical trends, and the evolution of business practices over time. Noteworthy topics often include the impact of significant events on economic systems, the interplay between culture and commerce, and a deep dive into historical figures and their influence on modern economies. The unique format allows listeners not just to engage with contemporary academic thought but also to appreciate the historical narrative that shapes our present economy.

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1. Ones and Tooze
2. The Gray Area with Sean Illing
3. The Ezra Klein Show
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this podcast launched 5 years ago and published 1563 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Photis Lysandrou
2. Benjamin Siegel
3. Stephan Meier
4. William I. Robinson
5. Paul Blustein
6. Mary Lisa Gavenas
7. Stephen B. Young
8. Trevor Jackson

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