MARK BLYTH
He grew up with no parents which certainly couldn’t have been easy and later dedicated most of his younger years to music, playing bass in rock bands till the age of 28. He says that if he’ had success in the music world he certainly wouldn’t have become who he is today, but personally I think his work is so valuable that I’m actually happy he didn’t find success as a musician (sorry Mr. Blyth).
Certainly his accent and his no-bullshit style are a big part of the character, making his lectures instantly captivating and entertaining. Sometimes it’s hard to follow him because of how fast he talks and how deep the concepts are, however having watched his lectures several times I assure you that eventually anybody can grasp the gist of what he says. Enjoy!
Austerity: History of a Dangerous Idea
“…If there was an orgy in public spending, it was on asset protection and income protection for the people who had made out with the most for the past 30 years, when we bailed out those assets. That’s actually what happened.”
This presentation held at Google in 2013 provides a very interesting and robust point of view on why we had the 2008 financial crisis and why the resolution of it all was extremely unjust. It scrolls through the history of debt and all the economic theories that brought us to this point, therefore all the information here is still very relevant and provides a good lens through which we can look at the future.
Most importantly however, he draws a very clear causation between austerity and the rise of extremist/fascist political parties and cultures. This is definitely food for thought as we brace for a looming bust due to the Covid-19 global shut down and the inevitable government policies that will follow to save our economies.