All over the world, young men are identifying more with the political right, even as women drift more to the left. What is behind the gulf, and how to close it ? The seeming drop in crime in Naples is not because the notorious mafia activity has disappeared— it has evolved (10:11). And exploring the history and the present of the flat white (17:08). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information ab...
Apr 17, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast The case for assisted dying is essentially one of individual freedom—and plenty of Britons support a change in the law to permit it. Japan’s Noto peninsula is still reeling from a New Year’s Day earthquake. It could well have been worse, but geography and demography may ultimately limit improvements to earthquake preparedness (10:46). And the pros and cons of corporate uniforms (18:49). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— subscribe to Economi...
Apr 16, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast For the first time Iran launched a huge attack on Israel from its own territory, though the effort largely failed. Israel’s response could easily lead to regional war; what is it likely to be ? The first of the four criminal trials that Donald Trump faces will get under way today. It is by some margin the tawdriest (11:46). And celebrating the 150th anniversary of Impressionism (20:02). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— su...
Apr 15, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast We have combined polling data to make a detailed portrait of the American electorate. Have a tinker with our interactive model: plug in their age, sex, religion, and more, and let us estimate how your hypothetical voter will vote in the presidential election. Allegations of extortion at the Rafah crossing out of Gaza (09:57). And, a tribute to an heiress-turned-IRA bombmaker (20:17). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist ...
Apr 12, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since the invasion began, Ukraine's second city has suffered a third of all aerial attacks. The latest one has been especially gruelling. A census of Mexico’s missing people is likely underestimating the scale of the problem. Is the president deliberately trying to minimise its scale (11:08)? And, why those with the least to spend on lottery tickets are most likely to try their luck (19:20). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe...
Apr 11, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast The leaders of both countries will meet for dinner at the White House tonight. In light of Asia’s changing geopolitics , defence will certainly be high up on the agenda. Somali pirates are wreaking havoc in the Indian Ocean again. What explains their resurgence (8:34)? And, have a listen to what AI can do with music (13:29). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Eco...
Apr 10, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Economist ’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes was recently in Beijing for the China Development Forum, an annual gathering where senior Chinese officials meet foreign business bosses. She joins our Beijing bureau chief David Rennie to assess Xi Jinping’s new plan to escape economic stagnation. Plus, what is the outlook for China’s relationship with America? Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more ...
Apr 09, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast In Russia inflation is under control, wages are on the up and supposedly tough sanctions have been successfully skirted. Why is the pariah economy proving so resilient? Despite the nasty rhetoric of many of its politicians, Britain has turned out to be quite good at assimilating immigrants (09:29). And how lorries can be electrified faster (19:11). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about...
Apr 09, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast The 1994 slaughter of hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsis completely reshaped the country. It also produced Africa’s most polarising leader, whose outsized power and regional influence is proving ever more divisive. How a shadow economy of gangs and clans is running Gaza (11:45). And a total solar eclipse is coming to America (20:01). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to a...
Apr 08, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Twenty-two years ago, Palestinian politician-turned-revolutionary Marwan Barghouti was convicted of acts of terrorism and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in an Israeli prison. Now, there’s a chance he could be released. Barghouti is at the top of Hamas’s list of prisoners they want exchanged for the hostages they took on October 7th. And Palestinians overwhelmingly want him to lead them. The Economist's Nicolas Pelham asks who is Marwan Barghouti and could he be the man who will lead Pal...
Apr 06, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast While America’s focus has been on the presidential election, the race for Congress is even more volatile. With razor-thin majorities in the House and the Senate, both chambers might flip in November. What does that mean for governing? And how will the outcomes of these elections shape the next presidency? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist ’s Aryn Braun and Jessica Taylor from The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter . Listen to what ma...
Apr 05, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast After more than 100 days in office, President Javier Milei has managed some much-needed economic reforms . But the hit to voters’ pockets may limit his popularity, and progress. Sprucing up a peripheral Paris neighbourhood for the Olympics is just part of a plan to transform the city’s geography (9:42). And the astonishing life of the longest-ever user of an iron lung (17:20). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— subscribe to Economist Podcast...
Apr 05, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast The game theory was simpler during a cold war between two states armed to the teeth; the nuclear world order has since become far more complex and dangerous. Nvidia is on a tear making the artificial-intelligence community’s favoured chips. What plans, and perils, lie ahead for the firm (10:55)? And why there are ever fewer accountants on the books in America (18:25). Additional audio "As an accountant" courtesy of Rocky Paterra. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to ...
Apr 04, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast India is not the first country to leapfrog from poverty-induced undernourishment to also having an obesity crisis—but a number of factors make that a far chunkier problem than it is elsewhere. A shock local-election result in Turkey suggests the country’s strongman leader may not be so strong (9:48). And China’s solar-panel bonanza upsets the lucrative market for ultra-pure sand (17:43). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— subscribe to Econom...
Apr 03, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast As yet more aid workers die in Gaza and an airstrike levels an Iranian consulate, pressure on Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu mounts. But all that chaos is paradoxically protective . We take an economist’s view on the “superfakes” that are chipping away at the luxury-handbag industry (10:18). And French winemakers face the twin challenges of brewers and abstemious youth (18:37). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— subscribe to Econ...
Apr 02, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are fears about TikTok, but it’s not the only social media platform that the Chinese state might be using to monitor the rest of the world. That’s especially worrying for those in its diaspora who thought they were free. How monopolies are transforming America’s skiing industry (08:59). And just how much stuff are museums sitting on (15:37)? Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about ...
Apr 01, 2024•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alexei Navalny was sent to one to die and American journalist Evan Gershkovich is being held in another. Our correspondent reports on the notorious brutality of Russia’s prisons . Without the right policies, undoing years of dependency on oil will take much longer than hoped (11:03). And a tribute to the Israeli luthier who restored violins from the Holocaust (18:53). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ ...
Mar 29, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast It has been called one of the biggest financial frauds in American history . After the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, its founder is facing a maximum jail sentence of 110 years. Why the race to build new cities is difficult, but potentially worthwhile (10:01). And how M&S knickers can help solve murders (16:15). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Po...
Mar 28, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast It is becoming harder to get supplies into the enclave, which is facing a growing risk of famine . As fewer trucks are making it in, more aid is being dropped by plane. Our producer takes us on a flight. Why high risk does not always lead to high reward (09:40). And the ripple effect of rising cocoa prices for chocoholics (14:43). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Eco...
Mar 27, 2024•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast On March 13th America’s House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban TikTok nationwide unless its Chinese owner, Bytedance, agrees to sell its stake. Alice Su, The Economist ’s senior China correspondent, and David Rennie, our Beijing bureau chief, look at China’s side of the story. Joined by Don Weinland, our China business and finance editor, they ask: does Chinese ownership of TikTok really pose a threat to America? Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business...
Mar 26, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bassirou Diomaye Faye was little-known before this election. Despite the incumbent president’s attempts to thwart the process, the anti-establishment politician has soared to victory. Why preparing Turkey for future earthquakes has dominated mayoral campaigns in Istanbul (08:37). And the gene mutation making dogs more prone to obesity (16:25)? Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how ...
Mar 26, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Warnings from the Americans went unheeded, police took too long to respond, and now the Kremlin has found a way to link it to Ukraine. Could this tragedy be used to Vladamir Putin’s advantage ? A hotline for Japanese men to discuss their anxieties is an unfortunate indicator of a wider social problem (09:48). And why America’s love for big trucks is hitting a dead end (17:15). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going ...
Mar 25, 2024•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast By the end of this podcast Economist correspondent Tamara Gilkes Borr might own a gun. Recently, Tamara fired a gun for the first time and was shocked by how it made her feel. That moment started her on a personal odyssey to meet other Black gun owners and find out why, in contemporary America, she might want - or need - a gun. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access ...
Mar 23, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast The case against the tech giant has been brewing since 2019 and while the smartphone maker is usually well-equipped to bat away regulators, this fight could bruise. Why Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, Haiti’s most prominent warlord, could play a key role in the country’s future (09:48). And, the Dutch-American primatologist who showed animals to have kinder instincts (16:40). Please take a moment to respond to our listener survey . Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to sc...
Mar 22, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Amazon started with a plan to disrupt bookselling. It sold cheap books online, delivering them straight to customers’ homes. Three decades later it employs a million people in America and owns one hundred warehouses, each stocked with millions of products. More than a third of the US e-commerce market flows through it. Now, another company has spied an opportunity to disrupt Amazon: Temu. The Chinese e-commerce giant wants to undercut its US rival, delivering impossibly cheap stuff to Americans ...
Mar 21, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast America’s central bank left rates untouched, to widespread market delight. Why is this economic cycle confounding expectations so much, and how to bring it to a gentle end ? We look at the modern fortunes of Vodafone, a once-mighty telecoms firm that is slimming down to get healthier (11:21). And why Britain’s system for protecting its historic buildings from change… needs to change (16:10). Please take a moment to respond to our listener survey . Listen to what matters most, from global politic...
Mar 21, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast It took more than 20 years for Hong Kong’s legislature to pass Article 23, a sweeping and troublingly ambiguous national-security law . Huge protests stymied such legislation in the past; not so anymore. National Guard troops are out in force on New York City’s subways—because they are cheaper than cops (10:11). And a personal story exploring the torment of tinnitus (15:31). Please take a moment to respond to our listener survey . Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to...
Mar 20, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Bank of Japan has ended its grand experiment in unconventional monetary policy—how did it work, and what happens now that it has concluded? Ahead of Florida’s presidential primary our correspondent pays a visit, examining the state’s hard swing to the right (10:17). And the next in our Economist Reads series: why God seems to care so much about sex (19:09). Please take a moment to respond to our listener survey . Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and t...
Mar 19, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast America is producing more high-school graduates—but on average, they know less. We ask how a push for equity can in reality seed a systemic failing . London’s Canary Wharf was built as a high-rise jungle for white-collar workers; how is it surviving in a work-from-home world (7:57)? And amid a general decline in cinemagoing, the high end of the market is thriving (14:02). Please take a moment to respond to our listener survey . Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to sc...
Mar 18, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s not long since America was widely thought to be on the brink of recession. Instead the economy expanded by 3% in 2023, and continues to defy expectations . But why aren’t voters happier with Joe Biden’s economy? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist ’s Simon Rabinovitch and Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University. Thank you to the William J. Clinton Library and the UVA Miller Center for some of the audi...
Mar 15, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
