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Rob Hawkes

@robbhawkes.bsky.social

2.6K followers 3.5K following 250 posts

Money happens; @moneyontheleft.bsky.social editorial collective; Past Chair @modernistudies.bsky.social; credit @wherecreditsdue.bsky.social; researching literature, money, and trust; he/him; https://linktr.ee/robhawkesMotL

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Rob Hawkes @robbhawkes.bsky.social · Jan 31

“Unless we are open to new approaches to university finance, we will remain trapped by the austere logics that are destroying our cherished institutions.

Unless we are willing to act imaginatively and fearlessly to save our universities now, we will soon find that there is nothing left to save.”

UK Universities in Crisis? Time to Transform Higher Ed Finance

by Rob Hawkes and Scott Ferguson Universities in the UK are in crisis. Job cuts in the sector are reaching ‘cataclysmic’ levels, with an estimated 10,000 already lost and many more at risk. Just da…

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 1h

"If money is the ongoing process of issuing and deleting credits, it cannot be solely understood as an inert quantity that reflects past accomplishments. Money cannot be something we need to hoard to create a livable future. And it certainly cannot be scarce unless we make it so."

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Bright D Limm 임대중 @bdlimm.bsky.social · 20m

Healthcare, childcare, care for elders and disabled people. Guaranteed jobs, incomes, homes. Mass transit. Green energy.

We were taught we can't afford to provide these to everyone. But somehow we've known that's false.

Let us now unlearn the old neoliberal ways by learning how to provide for all.

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 1h

"If money is the ongoing process of issuing and deleting credits, it cannot be solely understood as an inert quantity that reflects past accomplishments. Money cannot be something we need to hoard to create a livable future. And it certainly cannot be scarce unless we make it so."

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org

Rob Hawkes @robbhawkes.bsky.social · 20m

Who isn’t?

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 2h

🪡

Will Beaman @greenbackbetter.bsky.social · 2h

Read @moneyontheleft.bsky.social's "applied primer" to heterodox economics as a flexible policy framework!

We are used to hearing about Modern Monetary Theory as an inert list of axioms about federal finance, with limited relevance to anything else.

This document pushes further.

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Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 8h

"Mamdani has already displayed unparalleled political expertise in debunking myths about public spending. We build on this expertise, equipping the mayoralty with tools to openly and comprehensively challenge what we call Neoliberal Public Finance."

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Benjamin Wilson @wilbenjamin.bsky.social · 8h

Come check her talk out at suny Cortland this evening! www.cortland.edu/cicc for details

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 21h

✨New Essay!✨

In this wide-ranging piece, @greenbackbetter.bsky.social reads “political capital” as coordinative credit, rather than backward-looking debt. From here, he outlines a new “finance franchise” in which publics extend polyvocal capacities to political leaders.

Please read👩‍💻 & share! 🙌

The Paradox of Political Thrift

By Will BeamanDemocratic endorsement politics around Zohran Mamdani continue to bend in ways that feel at once familiar and strange. A spokesman for House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries brushed off Senato…

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

videotroph @videotroph.bsky.social · 21h

Another tour-de-force piece by our own @greenbackbetter.bsky.social. Come for what Will calls the "paradox of political thrift" & the "new finance franchise." Stay for the incisive historical analysis of the past 20 years of U.S. political campaigns.

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 21h

✨New Essay!✨

In this wide-ranging piece, @greenbackbetter.bsky.social reads “political capital” as coordinative credit, rather than backward-looking debt. From here, he outlines a new “finance franchise” in which publics extend polyvocal capacities to political leaders.

Please read👩‍💻 & share! 🙌

The Paradox of Political Thrift

By Will BeamanDemocratic endorsement politics around Zohran Mamdani continue to bend in ways that feel at once familiar and strange. A spokesman for House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries brushed off Senato…

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Will Beaman @greenbackbetter.bsky.social · 21h

My latest for @moneyontheleft.bsky.social ✨✨✨

From paradoxes of political thrift to theorizing a new “Finance Franchise,” based not on legal sovereignty but on rehearsed public capacities.

Please read and share if you like it! 🙏

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 21h

✨New Essay!✨

In this wide-ranging piece, @greenbackbetter.bsky.social reads “political capital” as coordinative credit, rather than backward-looking debt. From here, he outlines a new “finance franchise” in which publics extend polyvocal capacities to political leaders.

Please read👩‍💻 & share! 🙌

The Paradox of Political Thrift

By Will BeamanDemocratic endorsement politics around Zohran Mamdani continue to bend in ways that feel at once familiar and strange. A spokesman for House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries brushed off Senato…

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 18h

"At its core, the current disaster stems from a deceptive Thatcherite conceit: ‘There is no such thing as public money; there is only taxpayers’ money.’"

UK Universities in Crisis? Time to Transform Higher Ed Finance

by Rob Hawkes and Scott Ferguson Universities in the UK are in crisis. Job cuts in the sector are reaching ‘cataclysmic’ levels, with an estimated 10,000 already lost and many more at risk. Just da…

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Where Credit’s Due @wherecreditsdue.bsky.social · 22h

#GlobalDonutDays kicks off tomorrow and we have a limited number of spaces left for our Finding the Money screening and Q&A. Join us to tell new stories about money and to give credit where credit’s due!

Doughnut Economics Action Lab @doughnuteconomics.bsky.social · Sep 11

#GlobalDonutDays 2025 | Finding the Money - Film Screening and Q&A

Film screening, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the director Maren Poitras and other guests.

🗓️ Oct 18 | ⏰ 1:30 PM BST
📍Middlesbrough (UK)

See more:

Finding the Money - Film Screening and Q&A | DEAL

Screening of Finding the Money, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the director Maren Poitras and other guests.

doughnuteconomics.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 11d

If there is not enough for everyone, the only option is to leave some of us out. This, in turn, always means harming those who are already marginalised and perpetuating cycles of violence and disempowerment.

Why Credit’s Due: Reclaiming Pride in Boro

By Rob Hawkes and Robyn Ollett The summer of 2025, like the summer of 2024 before it, has been one of heightened tensions surrounding the issues of race and immigration in the UK. This year, Union …

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Modernist Studies Association (MSA) @moderniststudies.bsky.social · 1d

Also important to note: next year's conference is jointly held with @modernistudies.bsky.social at @lborouniversity.bsky.social!

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Modernist Studies Association (MSA) @moderniststudies.bsky.social · 1d

Believe it or not, it's already time to think about MSA 2026 in Loughborough, UK. The conference will meet July 1-4, and proposals for panels, papers, roundtables, workshops, and seminars is December 1. Please note this MUCH earlier deadline. The CFP is here: www.moderniststudies.org/conference/M...

An image of a Tarot card empress with a crown of stars on a mustard yellow background. The text says: Weird Modernism, BAMS/ MSA 26, 1-4 July 2026. Loughborough University, UK

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 1d

In this special episode, Rob Hawkes joins Scott Ferguson and Will Beaman to discuss his new article “(Un)conditional Openness: Towards a Neochartalist Theory of Money and Trust,” which was recently published in Money on the Left: History, Theory, Practice.

(Un)conditional Openness: Towards a Neochartalist Theory of Money and Trust

In this special episode, Rob Hawkes joins Scott Ferguson and Will Beaman to discuss his new article “(Un)conditional Openness: Towards a Neochartalist Theory of Money and Trust,” which was recently…

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Bright D Limm 임대중 @bdlimm.bsky.social · 1d

How does capitalism ensure plenty of funds for AI but not enough for good wages, affordable housing, or childcare?

One way: let most new money be created by private banks—which, of course, lend only for profit.

@moneyontheleft.bsky.social invites us to contest this element and its entire paradigm.

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 1d

"[Democratic Public Finance] builds on MMT’s insights but pushes further: it sees money not just as a federal tool but as a design system embedded in law and governance at every level."

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 1d

What would YOU do in the shadows?!

Modern Movie Theory: What We Do in the Shadows

Will Beaman (@agoingaccount) is joined by Robyn Ollett (@robynollett) and Rob Hawkes (@robbhawkes) to discuss What We Do in the Shadows. Citing Robyn’s interpretations of vampirism in The New Queer…

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

TechGoblin @techgoblin.bsky.social · 2d

This is exactly the kind of thing that I think the world needs more of. Our political/social/economic/tech systems should be by and for the people, not billionaires who exert control over our lives.

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 3d

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 2d

"Democratic Public Finance at once delegitimizes and bypasses neoliberal sabotage from the center, as well as authoritarian subjugation and exclusion."

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 2d

"If democracy fails, it will not be because the public’s appetite was absent, but because we accepted private money’s 'no' at face value."

The Case for Fiscal Insurgency

by Will Beaman A common refrain keeps surfacing among prominent journalists- and commentators-in-digital-exile on BlueSky. Commenting on the emergence of yet another shadowy centrist think tank, Ne…

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Tori @tlc-soc.bsky.social · 2d

“Democratic Public Finance is the process of making collective capacities visible, organizing them democratically, and enabling us to care for each other”

💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 4d

✨ New! ✨

"Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City"

Grab your favorite beverage ☕ and settle in for a deep long-read.👩‍💻

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org

Rob Hawkes @robbhawkes.bsky.social · 2d

“Contrary to economic orthodoxy, [the Democratic Public Finance (DPF)] paradigm redefines politics as the process of coordinating our abundant human and material resources within ecological limits, rather than exploitative competition for scarce funds.”

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 3d

"[W]hen we allow the appearance of money scarcity to persist, current human capacities and biophysical resources can appear secondary to money’s availability, and potentially redundant."

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 2d

"For those who have studied the history of colonial Africa through its fiscal and monetary dimensions, the similarities between colonial macroeconomics and neoliberal macroeconomics are striking."

Neoliberalism’s Colonial Origins (Essay)

By Ndongo Samba Sylla For those who have studied the history of colonial Africa through its fiscal and monetary dimensions, the similarities between colonial macroeconomics and neoliberal macroecon…

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 3d

"The language and ideas we champion today shape what becomes imaginable tomorrow."

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Will Beaman @greenbackbetter.bsky.social · 3d

“It asks how public credit can be mobilized even within existing constraints—and how those constraints themselves can be named, politicized, and changed.”

- @moneyontheleft.bsky.social

Reposted by Rob Hawkes

Will Beaman @greenbackbetter.bsky.social · 3d

“DPF builds on MMT’s insights but pushes further: it sees money not just as a federal tool but as a design system embedded in law and governance at every level. It asks how public credit can be mobilized even within existing constraints…”

moneyontheleft.org/2025/10/10/d...

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org