#1226 Nicolas Jabko - Technocrats in Turmoil: The Fed, the ECB, and the Changing Politics of Money
RECORDED ON MARCH 6th 2026.
Dr. Nicolas Jabko is a Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. His published books and articles have focused on European politics and political economy from a comparative and international perspective. His current research interests include central banks and the politics of money, neoliberalism, crisis politics, and sovereignty. His latest book is Technocrats in Turmoil: The Fed, the ECB, and the Changing Politics of Money.
In this episode, we focus on Technocrats in Turmoil. We start by talking about the politics of money, and central banking. We discuss how central banks fought inflation in the 1980s. We talk about economic technocrats, and technocratic neoliberalism. We discuss what changed after the 2008 financial crisis, the role of the Fed and the ECB in the waxing and waning of technocratic neoliberalism, and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we talk about the status of economics and economists in contemporary economic governance, and the implications of technocratic power for democracy.
Time Links:
Intro
What is the politics of money? What is central banking?
Fighting inflation in the 1980s
What are economic technocrats? And what is technocratic neoliberalism?
What changed after the 2008 financial crisis
The role of the Fed and the ECB in the waxing and waning of technocratic neoliberalism
Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
The status of economics and economists in contemporary economic governance
The implications of technocratic power for democracy
Follow Dr. Jabko’s work!
Follow Dr. Jabko’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/yxttpyzc
Technocrats in Turmoil: https://tinyurl.com/2h8fbeyv