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In a year marked by political backsliding and a return to outdated economic thinking, FEPS is proud to name Mariana Mazzucato as its Progressive Person of the Year. Through books such as The Entrepreneurial State and The Big Con, Mariana Mazzucato has contributed to key debates on the role of the state and public purpose in the economy. In this special edition of FEPS Talks Podcast, renowned economist and author Mariana Mazzucato joins László Andor for a wide-ranging conversation on why economics is never neutral, and why the real challenge today is not fixing markets, but actively shaping them. From parasitic public-private partnerships to the limits of competitiveness, from the EU’s Green Deal and the Draghi report to state capacity, mission-driven industrial policy and dignity, Mazzucato challenges orthodox thinking and calls for a new political economy that serves people and planet. This interview is also part of the 2026 edition of the Progressive Yearbook edited by FEPS and launched during FEPS’ traditional New Year Reception at our Headquarters in Brussels.

Europe is facing a growing mental health crisis. From digital overload to workplace burnout and addiction, too many people are struggling to stay healthy in systems that make them ill. In this episode of FEPS Talks, François Balate, FEPS Policy Analyst on Social Affairs, sits down with three leading experts: Sara Bojarczuk (University of Warsaw), Aida Bikic (University of Southern Denmark) and Jana Michailidu (University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague), co-authors of the FEPS Policy Brief "Healthy Minds, Stronger Europe"

🇮🇪 Delivery Matters More Than Promises In this episode of the Progressive Pollsters FEPS Talks series, Kevin Cunningham, MD and founder of Ireland Thinks, joins Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training, to reflect on the evolving dynamics of Irish politics — from shifting trust in institutions to the lessons progressives can draw from Ireland’s distinctive landscape. 🗳️ Cunningham explains how delivery, rather than rhetoric, shaped voter confidence during the cost-of-living crisis — and why Ireland’s absence of a strong radical right sets it apart. Yet, he also highlights the warning signs: growing frustration among younger voters, deep divides in housing and migration debates, and a widening gender gap — with young women more focused on Gaza and social justice, and young men increasingly concerned about immigration. 🌹 In the run-up to PES Congress in Amsterdam Progressive Mobilisation, the Next Left Progressive Pollsters series highlights the ongoing work of the FEPS-Karl-Renner-Institut's Progressive Pollsters network, which brings together leading pollsters and political analysts to discuss and reflect on key political and social trends shaping Europe’s destiny, especially following the European elections in 2024. 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast

Why are so many Europeans angry at politics today? Listen to the latest episode in the Progressive Pollsters FEPS Talks series with Bruno Jeanbart, Vice President of OpinionWay! From frustration with “broken” political systems to fears around identity and immigration, we look at why dissatisfaction dominates — and what that means for progressive movements. Are people really losing hope? Or can social democrats reconnect by addressing the basics: education, housing, welfare? 🌹 In the run-up to PES Congress in Amsterdam Progressive Mobilisation, the Next Left Progressive Pollsters series highlights the ongoing work of the FEPS-Karl-Renner-Institut's Progressive Pollsters network, which brings together leading pollsters and political analysts to discuss and reflect on key political and social trends shaping Europe’s destiny, especially following the European elections in 2024. 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast

Prof. Stephen Bronner has been leading an international network of scholars and experts to study dialogue and diplomacy in the world, with a particular focus on peace negotiations, in theory as well as practice. In this interview he presents his views on the Russo-Ukrainian war, but also on Israel and Palestine. He offers his assessment of the impact of the Alaska summit on the diplomacy surrounding the war in Ukraine, and elaborates on some concrete steps that could be made to bring the positions of the two sides closer to each other. He also connects the concept of peace with culture, encouraging the prevention of conflict to remain on the agenda, also as part of European foreign policy. One conclusion of the conversation is that the complexity of the maximum plan, for example, in the case of Palestine, should not be used as an excuse for not doing the absolute minimum to ensure the safety and security of the civilian population.

Discover the new podcast series "Progressive Pollsters". The second episode with Kaisa Vatanen focusing on the electoral prospects of European social democracy! 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast Over the course of four episodes, FEPS Director of Research and Training Ania Skrzypek, delves into topics including elections, populism, cost-of-living, housing, and more, with: ➡️ Marcin Duma, CEO of IBRIS, Poland ➡️ Kaisa Vatanen, Chief Officer, Datapraxis. ➡️ Bruno Jeanbart, Vice President, Opinion Way, France ➡️ Kevin Cunningham, MD and founder, Ireland Thinks All speakers are part of the Progressive Pollsters network, which brings together leading pollsters and political analysts to discuss and reflect on key political and social trends shaping Europe’s destiny, especially following the European elections in 2024.

Prof. James K. Galbraith shares his views about the dramatic changes in US politics and policy which we experienced in the past year. Europeans are still struggling to understand what produced Donald Trump and how consequential his second term in the White House can be. In the conversation with FEPS Secretary General László Andor, he explores both internal and external factors driving the political changes of our time, which also are reshaping transatlantic relations. Is Trump a conservative who is nostalgic for the 1950s or the 1920s? Or he is responding, in his own way, to contemporary challenges which Europeans are also facing? Can the US go backwards, or at some point it will be going forward again? And what the European response needs to be, especially what concerns strategic (monetary) autonomy. At the end of the conversation, he recommends to our listeners one book written by his father, John Kenneth Galbraith, and a recent one from himself too. James Kenneth Galbraith is an American economist. He is a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and at the Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin.

Discover the new podcast series "Progressive Pollsters". The first episode with Marcin Duma focusing on the far right is already available! 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast Over the course of four episodes, FEPS Director of Research and Training Ania Skrzypek, delves into topics including elections, populism, cost-of-living, housing, and more, with: ➡️ Marcin Duma, CEO of IBRIS, Poland ➡️ Kaisa Vatanen, Chief Officer, Datapraxis. ➡️ Bruno Jeanbart, Vice President, Opinion Way, France ➡️ Kevin Cunningham, MD and founder, Ireland Thinks All speakers are part of the Progressive Pollsters network, which brings together leading pollsters and political analysts to discuss and reflect on key political and social trends shaping Europe’s destiny, especially following the European elections in 2024.

We are often told that inflation “happens”, as if it is an unstoppable natural phenomenon. However, a new FEPS study shows that the inflation we experienced in 2021-2023 was largely caused by profiteering and speculation. 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast In this FEPS Talks episode, Ainara Bascuñana, FEPS Head of Communication discuss with the authors of 'The profit-price spiral in food and energy' Ben Tippet, Lecturer at King’s College London and Anna Kolesnichenko, FEPS Economic Policy Analyst. The discussion exposes the monopolistic structures within the food and energy sectors, where a handful of companies control global supply chains and manipulate prices. There is nothing unavoidable about this kind inflation, and it can and should be stopped. * There is a mistake in minute 00:14:06: It's not 20% but 2%*

In this episode of FEPS Talks, Secretary General László Andor talks with the former prime minister of Greece, George Papandreou, who in recent years has been focusing on questions of democracy in the Council of Europe. The main concern today is democratic backsliding, and in 2025 the United States is also among countries where we can observe such dramatic. According to Papandreou, the democratic questions are organically connected with the social ones, and the European Union itself also must address democratic deficits, especially what concerns economic governance. Looking back to the ancient Greek democratic legacy, Papandreou explores opportunities of direct democracy and recalls recent experiments with such methods. He also elaborates on the new horizons which digitalisation and artificial intelligence have opened up for democratic participation and governance.

📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast 🇵🇸 “What about the 6th of October? What about the 5th? There was already occupation, siege, and no future.” As the war on Gaza continues, and while much of the international community remains inactive, Palestinians face mass displacement, starvation, and the systematic destruction of civilian life—from homes and schools to hospitals and water systems. In this FEPS Talks episode, we speak with Omar Shaban, economist, political analyst, and founder of the Gaza-based think tank PalThink for Strategic Studies, for a powerful and personal testimony on life under siege—and the broader political dynamics shaping the conflict. “20,000 orphans. 86,000 amputated children. What future are we giving them?” Omar exposes the human cost of the war, challenges Western media narratives, and reminds us that this is not just about Gaza. The illegal colonisation of the West Bank and the deliberate obstruction of Palestinian statehood are part of the same brutal reality. He also stresses that what is happening in Gaza has been described by credible international organisations as genocide. Despite unimaginable loss, Omar calls for a political future grounded in peace and justice: “Two-state solution, in a different modality, is still possible. Give PEACE a chance”

“We are discussing rearming, but Europe is a peace project and housing should be the first pillar”. In this episode of FEPS Talks, the Mayor of Athens Haris Doukas speaks with FEPS Policy Analyst François Balate on the housing crisis Europe is facing. Athens is one of the 15 European cities behind the "Mayors for Housing" Alliance, which is in Brussels this week to demand swift action from the EU on housing. On the ground, in cities like Athens, Barcelona and Rome, progressive mayors are already putting in place measures to make housing more accessible to their citizens. However, they cannot do it alone - they are calling for immediate, concrete actions and resources at the European level.

📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcast Rethinking Security through Nuclear Disarmament with Florian Eblenkamp In this climate of militarisation and declining support for international law, some European countries are considering nuclear weapons a legitimate defence strategy, with calls even emerging for the development of a European nuclear programme. We interview Florian Eblenkamp, Advocacy Officer at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)—the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning organisation—to discuss the differing positions of European countries, NATO, and the broader international debate on nuclear disarmament. He demystifies the alleged military and deterrent effect of nuclear arms. Nuclear deterrence is based on the underlying threat of catastrophic mass destruction as a central part of policy, making it not only an ineffective strategy, but also a morally indefensible one. Florian challenges the perceived dichotomy between disarmament and safety, insisting that the two can—and must—reinforce one another in any just and sustainable global order.

🔊📺 Available on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcast Michelle O’Sullivan, Associate Professor at the University of Limerick, and member of FEPS Scientific Council, offers an assessment of recent developments in working conditions and industrial relations, including the successful crisis response to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are certainly fears that after a period of progress, Europe might be going backwards today, driven by the general intention to boost economic competitiveness. Her country, Ireland definitely suffered a setback 15 years ago, at the time of the great financial crisis, and the consequences are still felt. When it comes to contemporary employment reforms, according to Prof. O’Sullivan, one of the most interesting countries is the United Kingdom, where the government put forward important measures to improve labour relations, which deserve attention and support. The conversation ends with outlining some new ideas, like the 4-day work week, which is among the ideas that became subject of experiments and potentially can contribute to improve working conditions in Europe in the coming years.

Peace keeping expert Prof. John Karlsrud (head of the international NAVIGATOR research project) comments on the current European discussion regarding the creation and maintanence of peace in Ukraine. He puts forward concrete ideas regarding the composition of peace keeping forces in Ukraine, and clarifies why the United Nations could not have been more instrumental during the last 3 years of war. Prof. Karlsrud is strongly in favour of EU enlargement, including to foster peace in the Western Balkans, and finally he also comments on the broader European institutional architecture, highlighting the significance of old organisations like the OSCE and new ones like the EPC.