Economist Isabella Weber grew up in Nuremberg, the German city where Adolf Hitler staged his vast Nazi rallies. Growing up in the shadow of that history helped shape her thinking about the relationship between economics and democracy. Now, with the cost of living dominating US politics and fuelling protests across Europe, Weber argues governments must do more to guarantee life's essentials rather than leave them to market forces. She joins guest host Martin Sandbu to explain why she believes we are living through an age of overlapping crises, how targeted price controls for essentials could help and whether making life more affordable can help keep authoritarianism at bay.
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Presented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Original music and sound design by Breen Turner. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio.