Jacobin Radio

Throughout the 20th century, socialism came to be associated with both central planning and shortages. But could democratic ownership of the economy work alongside market competition?

On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber examines different models of socialism that might be viable in the 21st century.

The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM

Also, don’t miss Jacobin’s May Day sale! Use the code MAYDAY2026R at checkout to get a yearlong digital subscription for $1, or $10 for the print edition: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=MAYDAY2026R

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Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Featuring Paul Heideman on how the Republican Party became so spectacularly unhinged. How the disorganization of the party and the disorganization of the US capitalist class have combined to intensify the accelerating insanity of US politics. Guest hosted by Micah Uetricht.

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Our huge new Thawra study guide and resource website thawraproject.com

RSVP to the May 20 Dig party in Seattle! eventbrite.com/e/the-dig-x-house-our-neighbors-party-tickets-1986843010930

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Buy The Social Basis of the Female Question at Haymarketbooks.org

Find Ladder or Lottery at UCPress.edu

Don’t miss Jacobin’s annual May Day sale. We're offering digital subscriptions for just $1, or $10 for the print edition. Just use the code MAYDAY2026R at checkout: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=MAYDAY2026R

The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, authors of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, on Elon’s world and what he wants to do to ours.

Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

This is the second part of a two-part interview with Sebastian Budgen, senior editor at Verso, about French politics and the state of the French left. In our previous episode, we spoke about developments since the elections two years ago when a left-wing alliance prevented the far right from taking power in Paris. This week, we’re going to be speaking about events so far this year and looking ahead to the presidential election in 2027.

Hear part one of the interview: https://apple.co/48mdnUa

Read the articles from the British press that Daniel and Sebastian discuss in the interview:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/28/political-killing-french-left-quentin-deranque-jean-luc-melenchon

https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/frances-socialists-have-gone-to-the-extreme-6djcpgbzn

Don’t miss Jacobin’s annual May Day sale! For a limited time, we‘re offering digital subscriptions for just $1, or $10 for the print edition. You’ll receive four issues plus access to the complete archive. This offer applies to first-time subscribers, but, if you’re an existing supporter, consider buying a friend or a comrade one as a gift. Just use the code MAYDAY2026R at checkout: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=MAYDAY2026R

Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Suzi speaks with Kate Levin, Janis Yue, and Sanjay Madhav, lead organizers of United Faculty-UAW, about their unionization drive at the University of Southern California (USC), one that would create the largest bargaining unit of non-tenure-track faculty at a private university in the US. Ballots go out April 24 and will be counted on May 18.

The organizers describe two years of faculty-driven organizing, built one conversation at a time. Currently 75% of USC faculty are non-tenure-track, with no job security, no say over working conditions, and no recourse against healthcare cuts or wage freezes — the result of 40 years of academic corporatization. Now they’re fighting back.

USC’s response? The administration has chosen to deploy the same constitutional wrecking-ball legal playbook pushed by SpaceX/Amazon, arguing that the NLRB itself is unconstitutional. No other university has taken such an extreme position.

This is more than a labor story; it’s an account of the assault on democratic institutions, the NLRB, worker rights, and higher education itself at a moment when universities are under attack from federal funding cuts and DEI rollbacks. USC’s non-tenure-track faculty are fighting not just for a contract but for the principle that workers can organize at all.

The organizers highlight the inspiration drawn from the successful NYU contract, and explain why winning this election in this political moment could change academic labor nationwide.

Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.