Isabella Weber Releases Book Linking Economic Hardship to Fascism

Economist Isabella Weber has released a book titled Anti-Fascist Economics, which posits that the rise of the far right stems from a crisis of livelihoods and the failure of traditional political parties to keep basic necessities affordable. Weber argues that when people cannot afford housing, transport, food, water, energy, and healthcare, they become susceptible to authoritarianism. To counter this, she proposes a big tent economic policy featuring price caps on essential goods, regional joint procurement, and public buffer stock systems for grain.

Weber's framework has already influenced several political leaders. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani implemented an affordability agenda including rent caps and free buses, while British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has adopted messaging that criticizes the privatization of essential services. Weber cites the Saxony-Anhalt state election in Germany as a textbook example of far-right success driven by economic hardship, while pointing to Mexico's canasta básica policy as a successful model for capping prices.

Despite facing backlash from the economic establishment for her support of price controls, Weber maintains that these interventions are necessary to restore faith in democracy. She currently serves on a commission for the Federal Government of Germany to reform fiscal rules, though she describes the progress of that body as stagnant.