Ryan C. Smith
Author and economic historian focused on energy and the green transition, arguing for public ownership of utilities and writing on public power and infrastructure policy.
Best podcasts with Ryan C. Smith
Ranked by the Snipd community
Feb 21, 2026 • 55min
The Case for Public Electricity (with Ryan C. Smith)
Ryan C. Smith, economic historian and author on energy policy, makes the case for public ownership of electric utilities. He contrasts private utility failures like PG&E with successful municipal and cooperative models. Topics include natural monopoly economics, wildfire-linked negligence, transmission vs generation, battery storage’s disruptive role, and how to design accountable public power institutions.
Aug 6, 2023 • 59min
Ryan C. Smith, "The Real Oil Shock: How Oil Transformed Money, Debt, and Finance" (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022)
Ryan C. Smith, an economic researcher with a Ph.D. in Economic and Social History, explores the dramatic impact of oil on global finance. He discusses how the 1973 OPEC Oil Embargo and subsequent crises facilitated the rise of modern financialization. The conversation highlights shifts in wealth from industrialized nations to OPEC, creating a new debt cycle and altering financial practices. Smith also touches on the future of renewable energy and its potential to reshape finance and capitalism, showcasing the intricate connection between oil, money, and geopolitical dynamics.
