In this episode of Reframe, Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, general coordinator of Progressive International, asks political economist Jason Hickel if today’s conflicts are a continuation of centuries of colonialism and economic policies that favour the richest and most powerful nations.

Hickel is an economic anthropologist and professor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He is the author of Less is More and The Divide, which explore systemic economic change and the concept of “degrowth” — the planned reduction of resource and energy use in wealthier economies to curb environmental harm and improve wellbeing.

Published On 28 Apr 2026