What Could Go Right?

The Progress Network with Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas•theprogressnetwork.org

It's easy to be pessimistic, especially with headlines dominated by global challenges like a changing geopolitical landscape, the rise in authoritarianism, and a seemingly unstable global economy. But what if, despite all that, humanity is actually making progress?Join Progress Network Founder Zachary Karabell every Wednesday as he chats with leading experts like Ian Bremmer and Anne Marie Slaughter to challenge the negativity and find out whether we should be so pessimistic about everything from sustainability and polarization to the future of work. Plus, start your week right with Progress Network Executive Director Emma Varvaloucas, who delivers a weekly dose of essential good news every Monday. If environmental success stories and medical breakthroughs are your thing, you won’t want to miss it.Tune in to discover the evidence for progress and find your reason for cautious optimism.

Last refreshed: May 13th, 2026 at 6:28 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

GDP Ain't Measuring Up with Diane Coyle

When you hear the word "economics," do you hit the snooze button? Yet, how we structure our economies, whom they serve, and even what we decide to measure has an enormous impact. A few changes could mean the difference between a world we've sucked dry and one where we all flourish. We talk through the unknown outcomes of a post-COVID economy and why we need to move beyond GDP with Diane Coyle, co-director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, who conducts int...

Sep 22, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Politics Doesn't Have To Be Our Everything with Jonathan Haidt and Alison Goldsworthy

If politics is the new religion, we're in desperate need of reform. Alison Goldsworthy, CEO of The Depolarization Project, and Jonathan Haidt, Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School, examine how we've landed in the middle of a polarization hurricane and how we can get out if it. In the long run, they tell us, things are likely to settle. But short-term, Gen Z in particular might be in for a rocky ride. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The ...

Sep 15, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Building a Better Internet with Danielle Keats Citron and Eli Pariser

Not too long ago, the Internet was seen as humanity's great hope. Today it feels more like our undoing. We see social media amplifying negative voices and harassment and producing political partisanship and interpersonal dysfunction, and it seems like no one knows to fix it—except maybe these two. Today we're joined by Danielle Keats Citron, a leading expert on information privacy, free speech, and civil rights, and Eli Pariser, co-founder of Upworthy and the author of "The Filter Bubble," who n...

Sep 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 3

The Future of Work with Zeynep Ton and Joan C. Williams

The way we work is in constant evolution. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, do we have a chance to redesign the workplace and workforce for the better? Or will we go back to the way things were before the world locked down? Zeynep Ton, president of the nonprofit Good Jobs Institute, and Joan C. Williams, director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law, join us to examine how we might improve the future of work. What Could Go Right? is produc...

Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 2

The Raging 2020s with Alec Ross

The bad news? The social contract is broken. The good? It can be mended. An entrepreneur working at the intersection of geopolitics, markets, and technology, Alec Ross has traversed the private and public sectors in his varied career, including a stint as Senior Advisor for Innovation in the Obama administration. In his new book, "The Raging 2020s," he looks at how we might restore the balance of power among government, citizens, and business. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Net...

Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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