Swiftynomics: Who’s Afraid of Women’s Economic Power? (with Misty Heggeness)

Swiftynomics: Who’s Afraid of Women’s Economic Power? (with Misty Heggeness)

From Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer by Civic Ventures

March 17, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

Misty Heggeness discusses how Taylor Swift's impact on the economy reveals the overlooked economic power of women and culture.

What Is Swiftynomics—and Why Does It Matter? Taylor Swift didn’t just break records—she broke the way economists think about the economy. Because if one artist can reshape entire cities overnight, what else are we missing? This week, economist Misty Heggeness uses the “Swift effect” to expose a bigger problem: the models we rely on weren’t built to see women’s power, unpaid care, or culture as real economic forces. What would change about our economy if we actually counted women’s work—and treated culture as real economic power? Misty Heggeness is an economist and the author of Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy, which uses Taylor Swift and broader pop culture as a lens for examining women’s economic power, labor markets, and the persistent blind spots in mainstream economic thinking. Social Media: mlheggeness @m_heggeness Further reading: Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Facebook: Pitchfork Economics Podcast Bluesky: @pitchforkeconomics.bsky.social Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Threads: pitchforkeconomics TikTok: @pitchfork_econ YouTube: @pitchforkeconomics LinkedIn: Pitchfork Economics…

People in this episode

Host: Nick Hanauer

Guest: Misty Heggeness

Topics covered

  • women's economic power
  • Swiftynomics
  • economics
  • labor markets
  • cultural economics

Keywords

  • Swiftynomics
  • Taylor Swift
  • women's work
  • economic models
  • cultural impact

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Civic Ventures

Books & works: Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy

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