People tend to become more individualistic at the same time that hierarchy grows. What explains this paradox?

The rise and fall of empires is written in the language of energy. Let’s have a look at this ‘energy book’ and see why America won’t be ‘great’ again.

I’ve always been baffled why ‘modern monetary theory’ is called a theory . I don’t mean this in a disparaging way. As far as theories of money go, I think modern monetary theory (MMT for short) is the correct one. But having a correct theory of money is a bit like having a correct theory of traffic lights. Traffic lights (like money) are a social convention.

A talk about how and why institutions grow with energy use.

Ever wondered what trait most affects your income? Turns out it’s your rank in a hierarchy.

I discuss my research on income and hierarchy with Steve Keen and Phil Dobbie

I show how hierarchy grows with economic development — something that neoclassical economics says shouldn’t happen.

What if the free market has never been about freedom?

This site is now reader supported.

Politics determine government size, right? Yes and no. I show here that there’s more to government size than just politics.