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Episode 7: Politics, Economics, and Culture with Professor Gigi Foster
Episode 7: Navigating Complexity: Politics, Economics, and Culture with Dr. Gigi Foster
In this episode of the Veriditas Podcast, Petra engages in an in-depth conversation with Gigi Foster, a Professor of Economics at the University of New South Wales and founder of Australians for Science and Freedom. They explore the distinguishing aspects of the current political and cultural moment, societal dissonance, and the impact of algorithm-driven realities. Dr. Foster reflects on her heterodox upbringing and its influence on her balanced perspective that values social welfare. The discussion navigates through her professional background, the importance of assessing policies like lockdowns through cost-benefit analysis, and the unintended consequences of such policies on the economy and society. They touch on the long-term psychological and economic effects of COVID-19 policies, and the rising inflation in post-pandemic times. Dr. Foster underscores the importance of open dialogue and institutional reform to rebuild society and prepare for future challenges. The episode also includes mentions of upcoming events and conferences aimed at fostering these essential conversations.
00:00 Introduction to the Veriditas Podcast
00:57 Guest Introduction and Background
02:02 Heterodox Thinking and Influences
04:43 Economics and Social Welfare
08:30 Political Perspectives and Leadership
12:43 Personal Background and Resilience
16:48 Life in Pittsburgh and Move to Australia
23:30 COVID-19 Policies and Economic Impact
33:01 Introduction to Co-Author and Research Background
33:17 Historical Perspective on Quarantine and Public Health
34:45 Assumptions and Evidence in Lockdown Policies
36:15 Mental Health and Wellbeing Costs of Lockdowns
41:17 Economic Impact and Lost GDP
42:15 Collateral Damage and Long-Term Effects
46:58 Media and Public Perception During COVID
54:38 Accountability and Future Reforms
01:03:12 Introduction to ANCO Capitalism
01:03:28 The Birth of Brownstone Publishing
01:04:08 Collaborations and Blogs
01:04:51 Estimating the Impact of COVID-19
01:05:23 The Science Behind Excess Deaths and Prevented Lives
01:11:07 Economic Consequences of COVID-19 Policies
01:13:40 Inflation and Lockdown Policies
01:21:26 The Importance of Public Discourse
01:22:12 Upcoming Events and Conferences
01:28:49 Concluding Thoughts on Collaboration and Hope
Bio
Gigi Foster is a Professor with the School of Economics at the University of New South Wales, having joined UNSW in 2009 after six years at the University of South Australia. Formally educated at Yale University (BA in Ethics, Politics, and Economics) and the University of Maryland (PhD in Economics), she works in diverse fields including education, social influence, corruption, lab experiments, time use, behavioural economics, and Australian policy. Her research contributions regularly inform public debates and appear in both specialised and cross-disciplinary outlets (e.g., Quantitative Economics, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Population Economics, Journal of Economic Psychology, Human Relations). Her teaching, featuring strategic innovation and integration with research, was awarded a 2017 Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. Named 2019 Young Economist of the Year by the Economic Society of Australia, Professor Foster has filled numerous roles of service to the profession and engages heavily on economic matters with the Australian community. As one of Australia’s leading economics communicators, her regular media appearances include co-hosting The Economists, a national economics talk-radio program and podcast series premiered in 2018, with Peter Martin AM on ABC Radio National.
References
Gigi Foster Sanjeev Sabhlok (2022) Do Lockdowns and Border Closures Serve the "greater Good"? A Cost-benefit Analysis of Australia's Reaction to COVID-19. Connor Court Publishing.
Paul Frijters, Gigi Foster, and Michael Baker (2021) The Great Covid Panic: What Happened, Why, and What To Do Next. Brownstone Institute.
Gigi’s blog on Brownstone: https://brownstone.org/author/gigifoster/
Australians for Science and Freedom (ASF): https://www.scienceandfreedom.org/
ASF Covid Collateral film screening: https://www.scienceandfreedom.org/event/bring-a-friend-movie-night-documenary-film-screening-covid-collateral-renowned-specialist-panel-qa/
Gigi’s recently censored TEDx talk, ‘The Manipulators’ Playbook’ now hosted on Rumble: https://rumble.com/v6tart1-the-manipulators-playbook-gigi-foster.html
You can also read a transcript of the talk here: https://brownstone.org/articles/the-manipulators-playbook/
Two articles on the censorship by TEDx of Gigi’s talk
Maryanne Demasi, ‘When Ideas Become Too Dangerous to Platform’, Brownstone Institute, June 6, 2025.
Lance D Johnson, ‘TED talks suppressed a presentation about MANIPULATION because it exposes global power structures, their narratives, and tactics’, Natural News, June 9, 2025.
Inflation:
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-world-catastrophe-wrought-by-covid-lockdowns/
Miscarriage:
James Thorp - obstetrician talking about miscarriages: https://www.jpands.org/vol28no1/thorp.pdf
Michael Nevradakis, ‘Another Study Shows Higher Miscarriage Rate Among Women Who Received COVID Vaccines’, Children’s Health Defence, May 5, 2025. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/spanish-study-high-miscarriage-rate-covid-vaccine-women/
Mental health declining in Australia since the Covid-19 public health policies
https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring/risk-factors/covid-19
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/youth-mental-health-enters-dangerous-phase
Mainstream recognition regarding the ‘collateral damage’ of Covid-19 pandemic policies:
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