The world faces an increasingly obvious polycrisis: Our failure to address the intersecting problems of economics, politics, climate change, environmental destruction, rapidly growing inequality, widespread anxiety, depression and substance abuse, and shrinking life expectancy. For the first time in history children and adults in many countries feel the future will be worse than the present. All this has not happened by chance.

This class will examine the 400-year-old idea of the limited-liability corporation and how the 20th century neoliberal economic model – using corporations as its agent – has come to dominate our economy, our politics, and the way we think. Economists trot out the false claim that lower taxes, less regulation, and trickle-down economics will redistribute wealth while the poor stay poor and the rich get richer. In politics, populist autocrats are elected worldwide but their simplistic solutions fail to solve voters’ problems. And the world gets warmer every day! We’ll also examine the stunning extent of corporate influence on legislation.

Finally, the class will turn to the ideas of a few thoughtful people, from across the political spectrum, who are considering the failures of our socially constructed neoliberal economic model. Economists and politicians on both the left and the right are crafting alternative models of a future where economics and politics are centered on human values instead of shareholder value.

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Format: Class members will give a presentation they select from a prepared list of topics.

Resources/Expenses: Readings, mainly from current 2025 publications, will be available in an online library created by the coordinator. No additional expenses are anticipated.