Clara Mattei

Clara Mattei, an economist and author who studies political economy and alternatives to capitalism, argues capitalism is enforced, not natural. She explores capitalism’s pillars, colonial extraction, austerity as political tool, and how economic narratives sustain inequality. She also discusses building local alternatives like participatory budgeting and community-led projects.

Clara Mattei, economist and author focused on austerity, fascism and political economy. She traces how deliberate austerity policies reshape class structure and weaken democratic control. The conversation covers the political construction of capitalism, the collapse of the middle class into wage dependence, and experiments in democratic economic alternatives.

Clara E. Mattei, professor of economics and founder of FREE, author of Escape from Capitalism. She frames capitalism as a global, violent order tied to imperialism and extraction. She traces how history and elites shape economics, critiques austerity and market myths, and highlights collective alternatives like cooperatives, participatory budgets, and food sovereignty.

Clara Mattei, economics professor and founder of the Forum for Real Economic Emancipation, outlines alternatives to austerity and capitalist growth. She discusses organizing Tulsa around participatory budgeting and production for use. Short, sharp conversations cover how austerity functions politically, rethinking GDP, and building grassroots assemblies to pressure institutions.

Clara Mattei, economist and founding president of the Forum for Real Economic Emancipation, explores how wage labor and market dependence create hidden coercion. She challenges the myth of the free market and reveals how central banks and austerity shape politics. She also discusses local, participatory alternatives and the barriers to collective organizing.