Corporate landlords are taking over, making life unaffordable: Economist Michael Hudson explains why

Corporate landlords are taking over, making life unaffordable: Economist Michael Hudson explains why

Author: Ben Norton August 10, 2025 Duration: 59:54
Private equity funds and other Wall Street investors are buying up homes across the US and the West, driving up rent and the cost of living. Economist Michael Hudson explains how these corporate landlords are a result of the system of financialized capitalism, dominated by an unproductive rentier class. He is interviewed by host Ben Norton. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJd0d7Uda2M Transcript: https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/corporate-landlords-rent-michael-hudson Part 1 of this interview: https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/world-us-financial-colonialism-economist-michael-hudson Read Michael's article "How the Global Majority can free itself from US financial colonialism": https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/07/17/michael-hudson-global-majority-us-financial-colonialism/ Michael's website: https://michael-hudson.com/ Topics 0:00 Cost of living crisis in West 0:30 Blackstone: largest US landlord 1:07 Blackstone CEO is Trump donor 1:49 Investors buy up US homes 2:36 Wall Street buys single-family homes 3:54 Wall Street buys up neighborhoods 5:31 Homelessness rises in USA 6:06 Blackstone buys up homes in Spain 7:34 Introduction to Michael Hudson 9:12 Highlights 10:43 Interview starts 11:58 Feudalism, capitalism, & rentier class 16:58 Adam Smith, David Ricardo, & Karl Marx 19:10 Difference between value, price, & rent 21:33 Bankers, industrialists, & landlords 27:34 Theory of comparative advantage 28:20 Problems with economics education 30:57 Profits vs rent 32:48 Financialization and GDP 37:21 Adam Smith in Beijing 38:47 Peter Thiel defends monopolies 40:20 China's reform and opening up 43:06 China's public ownership of finance 44:25 Need to tax land rent 50:45 China's industrialization 53:54 Passive income (ie, rent seeking) 56:01 Mainstream "junk economics" 59:07 Outro

Trying to make sense of international headlines often feels like seeing only the ripples on the water's surface, without understanding the powerful currents moving beneath. Geopolitical Economy Report, hosted by journalist Ben Norton, dives into those deeper forces. This isn't just a recap of the day's events; it's a dedicated exploration of how economic systems, historical context, and raw power politics fundamentally shape global conflicts and alliances. Each episode builds on the work of the independent news outlet of the same name, translating its original journalism and analysis into a compelling audio format. You'll hear detailed discussions that connect financial policies to social movements, or trace the historical roots of a modern trade war, always with an eye toward understanding the larger, changing structure of the world. For anyone tired of superficial news cycles and seeking a more substantive, connected perspective on why nations and institutions act the way they do, this podcast offers a crucial and clarifying lens. Tune in for a regular dose of context that the mainstream frequently overlooks.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Geopolitical Economy Report
Podcast Episodes
Exposed: The US-Israeli plan to colonize Gaza [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:18
Donald Trump vowed to "take over" and "own" Gaza. The US government plans to divide the Palestinian territory into a "green zone" run by Western allies, while trapping Gazans in a "red zone", which won't be rebuilt. The…
This is Trump's plan to steal Venezuela's oil [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:33
Donald Trump admitted he wants to “take over” Venezuela and its oil. Marco Rubio is overseeing the war plans, aiming to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro and install US puppet María Corina Machado, who vowed to privatiz…
Trump is losing the trade war with China - which he started [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:38
Donald Trump is losing the trade war on China, which he started. The agreement he made at the meeting with President Xi Jinping shows how the US is much more dependent on the Chinese economy than vice versa. Political ec…
Why Trump can't end the war in Ukraine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:01
Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's top oil companies, but the US still can't stop the war in Ukraine. NATO's goals cannot be met, as the world is increasingly multipolar and Western power is declining. Geopolitic…