Economist Isabella Weber is calling on governments to abandon ideological rigidity and adopt pragmatic policies to make life's essentials affordable, arguing this is essential to combat fascism and extreme inequality. In her new book Anti-Fascist Economics, Weber, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, contends that traditional political parties have failed to address the hardship facing ordinary people, allowing the far right to gain ground by offering an alternative vision. She said: "Currently, only the extreme right is willing to say yes, something is broken, and a different present and future is possible." Her solution focuses on housing, transport, food, water, energy and healthcare.
Weber's ideas are already influencing policymakers. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has implemented her affordability agenda through free buses, universal childcare, rent caps and public groceries. She has also consulted with US politicians including Elizabeth Warren, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, as well as UK ministers including Ed Miliband. Prime Minister Andy Burnham's recent Labour conference speech reflected her thinking, focusing on essentials that have been broken up and sold off.
Weber proposes specific interventions tailored to each sector. For food, she advocates public buffer stock systems, publicly owned entities that stabilise grain prices rather than maximise profits. She points to Mexico's canasta básica policy, where retailers voluntarily cap prices on essential goods in exchange for favourable tariffs and tax relief. After Mexico's Morena party increased its vote share from 55% to 61% in the 2024 presidential election, following this policy's implementation.
Climate change is central to Weber's framework. She warns that keeping essentials tethered to fossil fuels leaves people exposed to oil and gas price volatility, fuelling economic insecurity that authoritarian politics exploits. Research she conducted on the United States showed that 50% of profits from publicly listed oil and gas companies go to the top 1% of households, whilst the bottom 50% receive only 1%.