The millennial economist who took on the world

Was all this inflation really necessary? Our guest, economist Isabella Weber (https://www.isabellaweber.com/) says no. In fact, she’s been saying no since the Omicron variant was a thing. In 2021, at age 33, Weber wrote an article for The Guardian that tied inflation to corporate greed – calling out “an explosion of profits” (https://www.theguardian.com/business/commentisfree/2021/dec/29/inflation-price-controls-time-we-use-it) as a central force in driving up prices. She was vilified online, and the establishment turned her into “the most hated woman in economics.” (https://www.newyorker.com/news/persons-of-interest/what-if-were-thinking-about-inflation-all-wrong) But history has proved Isabella Weber right, and the world’s caught up to her thinking. Weber travelled to Toronto recently to receive the Broadbent Institute’s 2024 Ellen Meiksins Wood Prize. (https://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/2024-wood-lecture) She joined us at The Globe to talk about the tumultuous ride of the past four years, the historical impact of price controls, and the bittersweet taste of vindication.  Also, Vass and Katrina lament the rising cost of deodorant. This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day. Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad. The show is produced by Andrea Varsany. Our sound designer is Cameron McIver. Subscribe to the Lately newsletter (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/newsletters/) , where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology. Find the transcript of today’s episode here. (https://lately.simplecast.com/episodes/the-millennial-economist-who-took-on-the-world/transcript) We’d love to hear from you. Send your comments, questions or ideas to lately@globeandmail.com.