Can you be too wealthy to represent ordinary peoples' interests? What is the relationship between power and wealth in Parliament today? How does political privilege endure despite the abolition of hereditary peerages? How can political economy help us understand the House of Lords?
Huw Macartney is an Associate Professor in Political Economy at University of Birmingham. Nathaniel Sablan is a postgraduate researcher studying House of Lords Select Committees at University of Sheffield. They join Josh White to discuss to discuss Huw's new book The Assetocracy: Wealth, Power and Elitism in the House of Lords (University of Edinburgh Press, 2026). They consider the institutional shift from 'aristocracy' to 'assetocracy' including which fractions of capital are represented in the Lords; what we do and don't know about its members' financial interests; what the interplay between wealth and power in the Lords tells us about the British state and capitalism today; and do we need to abolish the House of Lords?
'New Thinking in Political Economy' is a monthly podcast showcasing cutting-edge political economy research that helps us to understand the world around us.
The series is produced by Chris Saltmarsh and Josh White. This episode was edited by Josh White with support from Chris Saltmarsh. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
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