Using Comics to Explain Complex Economics

Economix Comics

Economix Comix is a series of comics that looks at, you guessed it, economics. Using comics is a great way to translate really complex economic ideas into something which is more relatable and understandable. Late last year the artist (and brain) behind the series of comics released a look at the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Above is one of the pages from the comic looking at the chaos of a deal the TPP really is. It’s worth a full read if you’re new to learning about the TPP and you can read it all for free here.

Economix Comix stays current too! Here’s a brief look at the Greece situation in the Euro zone.

One thought on “Using Comics to Explain Complex Economics

  1. Great blog. Economix Comix is a great idea. All of civilization’s problems boil down to economics. The real problem is that economics is not a real science. It is corrupted with political agendas. Different schools of economic thought believe different things. They even name schools in the theological tradition: “Orthodox” and “Heterodox”. It’s a disgusting mess.

    One thing about free trade in particular I find hard to remedy is the destruction of demand. Auto jobs, for example, in Canada and the US pay roughly $30/hr plus benefits. Free-trade moves these jobs to Mexico, where workers are paid $3/hr. (Canadian market fundamentalists like Stephen Gordon have said it’s pointless to invest taxpayer money in auto plants because free-trade is certain to kill all auto jobs in Canada. Not that he thinks this is a bad thing.)

    So if one looks at the economics of this, a person making minimum wage in Canada or the US certainly can’t afford to buy a new car. Obviously a person making $3/hr is not going to be able to afford a new car, or even a used car. Therefore this destruction of demand means people will be buying less cars. So this “secular stagnation” we are suffering from is really the destruction of demand manifesting itself. And things can only get worse as global wage competition further deflates wages (and increase debt burden.)

    In any case, a future economic meltdown is coming that will dwarf the 2008 derivatives-fraud meltdown. The global economy is like a star that’s run out of fuel and is about to implode. People need to be prepared to offer a viable alternative to neoclassical ideology whose reforms killed the economy over the past 35 years. That system is the Keynesian mixed-market system we used during the post-war era (1945-1980) which created modern living standards that were unprecedented in history. It’s based on demand-side economics. (Neoclassical ideology is supply-side: create the supply and people will work hard to buy it. A lot of very hard working people around the world can’t afford to buy the things they produce. It’s self-serving nonsense.)

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