Economics of the U.S. State

Today's entire program approaches the economic role of the state in U.S. society, past and present. We analyze two major tensions: one between minimizing the state (liberalism/libertarianism) and maximizing it (New Deal/Trumpism), and the other between a state that serves the employer class and one that serves the working class. We end with a glance at where the current rise of the DSA fits into that second tension. We hope you enjoy this discussion and look forward to joining you next week for another all-new episode of Economic Update. Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a production of Democracy at Work, Inc., and any reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited without written permission. We make it a point to keep the show ad-free and rely solely on viewer support to continue doing so. Every donation counts and helps us reach a larger audience with the information they need to better understand the events around the world that they won't find anywhere else. We want to thank our devoted community of supporters who help make this show and the others we produce possible each week. We kindly ask you to also support the work we do by encouraging others to subscribe to our YouTube channel and website: www.democracyatwork.info Professor Wolff's latest book, "Understanding Capitalism," is available now for purchase: https://linktr.ee/understandingcapitalism © 2026 Democracy at Work, Inc. All Rights Reserved