Economist Radio

By The Economist

News & Politics

What's Economist Radio about?

The Economist was founded in 1843 "to throw white light on the subjects within its range". For more from The Economist visit http://shop.economist.com/collections/audio

4.5

1,728 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

Checks and Balance: Disrupt...

01.24.2020

How far has President Donald Trump delivered on his promise to remake American power in the world? With so much attention focused on the impeachment drama originating in Ukraine, John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, identifies the places more likely ...

Economist Radio episodes:

01.27.2020 The World Ahead: Deep green sea New environmental rules have been introduced to control pollution at sea, but might they do more harm than good—and how can shipping be made greener in the long term? Also, a look at the future of nursing, as 2020 has ...
01.27.2020 Spread bet: China’s coronavirus quarantine In Hubei province and increasingly across China, new-year celebrations are muted. Authorities are trying to contain the outbreak with an unprecedented lockdown. Homelessness is rising in the rich world, with Finland as a notable exception; we examine the merits of ...
01.24.2020 Checks and Balance: Disruptor-in-chief How far has President Donald Trump delivered on his promise to remake American power in the world? With so much attention focused on the impeachment drama originating in Ukraine, John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, identifies the places more likely ...
01.24.2020 Ill-judged: Poland’s rule-of-law crisis Poland's government has been trying to nobble the courts for years. Now the European Union is intervening, and the outcome could undermine the union itself. Our obituaries editor looks back on the life of Nell Gifford, whose small, tight-knit circus ...
01.23.2020 Editor’s Picks: January 23rd 2020 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP are sowing division in India. (10:06) Investors at home and abroad are piling into American government debt. ...
01.23.2020 The Economist Asks: Does the world need Davos? At the World Economic Forum, which celebrates its 50th anniversary, The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes, Anne McElvoy and Patrick Foulis debate the future of the annual alpine gathering. How did a young academic’s pet project come to be seen ...
01.23.2020 On the right track: a trend in diplomacy When conflict-resolution efforts falter in official channels, there are unofficial ones. We ask why “Track 2”—allowing well-meaning third parties to mediate—is on the rise. The prime minister of Lesotho has pledged to resign and his wife is on the run; ...
01.22.2020 Babbage: The Wuhan plan The new coronavirus, which was discovered in December in the city of Wuhan China, is now causing a global scare. What are the symptoms of the Wuhan virus and how can it be contained? Also, a new biotech company is ...
01.22.2020 Justin time, again: Trudeau’s second term Canada’s prime minister now leads a minority government, and has lost support in the country’s west. We ask what he must do, and how, with his weakened mandate. Our correspondent travels across Ireland to discover how it swiftly switched from ...
01.21.2020 Money Talks: Goldilocks economy America’s biggest banks posted record profits last week, despite falling interest rates. This week the attention turns to smaller lenders. Why might they not do so well? Also, why precious metals rhodium and palladium make gold look cheap. And, ganbei! ...
01.21.2020 Can I get a witness? Impeachment The rules are set, battle lines drawn and the outcome is all but assured. We ask why the Senate trial of President Donald Trump seems so sewn up. A decade after a devastating earthquake, Haiti is still a mess—and now ...
01.20.2020 Tripoli crown: the battle for Libya This weekend’s peace talks in Berlin were a good start, but the situation is still ripe for a longer, messier proxy war. More than a million people die each year on the world’s roads; solutions to the crisis are plain ...
01.17.2020 The Economist asks: How to be a dictator The 20th century has become known as the “age of dictatorship”, for the horrors perpetrated by Hitler, Stalin, Mao and other despots from Chile to Cambodia. Anne McElvoy asks Frank Dikötter, a historian and professor at the university of Hong ...
01.17.2020 Address the problem: the global housing blunder Badly run housing markets are linked to broader ills, from financial crises to the rise of populism. The first problem? The conviction that home ownership is an unambiguously good thing. While China clamps down on most religions, it encourages others; ...
01.17.2020 Checks and Balance: Trailer US editor John Prideaux and his colleagues from across the US and around the world go beyond the headlines and the horserace to delve deeper into the race for the White House—and why it matters so much. For information regarding ...
01.16.2020 Editor’s Picks: January 16th 2020 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, the consequences of the West's obsession with homeownership. (8:58) Vladimir Putin’s power grab. (14:08) And, Harry, Meghan and Marx—why Brand Sussex represents the ...
01.16.2020 Set for life? Putin’s power-grab After Russia’s president proposed vast constitutional change, the whole government resigned. It seems to be another convoluted power-grab by Vladimir Putin—and it seems likely to work. Our correspondent finds that the tired stereotypes European Union countries have about their neighbours ...
01.15.2020 Babbage: Starlight, star bright A giant star called Betelgeuse is behaving strangely. Could the dimming star be about to become a supernova? Also, a group of internet veterans are contesting the billion dollar sale of the “.org” domain registry. What’s their alternative? And, accidental ...
01.15.2020 Going through a phase: US-China trade deal Negotiators will sign a “phase one” pact today—but the trickiest issues remain unresolved, and plenty of tariffs will stay in place. Will the deal repair trading relations? As more young people head online, “cyberbullying” is on the rise, too. But ...
01.14.2020 Money Talks: Experiencing turbulence Boeing has a new chief executive. What does he need to do to restore faith in the world’s biggest aerospace company? Also, why some countries are trying to ditch the dollar and challenge America’s dominance of the global financial cycle. ...
01.14.2020 A Biden by their decision? Democrats debate The race for the Democratic nomination looks much like it did a year ago—but previous contests prove that once voting starts, momentum can reshuffle the pack. Iran has been roiling with protests following the accidental downing of an airliner; what ...
01.13.2020 Tsai of the times: Taiwan’s defiant election China has been getting more aggressive in its claims over the island, but voters have made it clear just how much they favour democracy. The relentless slipping of interest rates around the world isn’t recent: new research suggests it’s been ...
01.10.2020 The Economist Asks: The Suleimani killing—masterstroke or madness? As America announces new sanctions and Iran threatens further revenge attacks, Anne McElvoy interviews Ambassador Ryan Crocker about what the killing of Qassem Suleimani means. The former US chief diplomat to Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon explains why his reaction ...
01.10.2020 Scorched-earth policies: Australia and climate change Evacuations are expanding as fast as the flames, and worse may yet be to come. We visit the fiery extremes that climate change is making more likely. At a museum dedicated to disgust, our correspondent tries some repugnant stuff, learning ...
01.09.2020 Editor’s Picks: January 9th 2020 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, the fallout from the killing of Qassem Suleimani. (09:30) Can a new boss salvage the reputation of Boeing? (17:47) And, a right-royal shake-up ...
01.09.2020 Will you still feed me when I’m 62? Macron’s pension fight He won a landslide victory campaigning on it, but like French presidents before him Emmanuel Macron is struggling to push through his grand pension reform; we ask why. The belief in guardian spirits in Myanmar is being cracked down on ...
01.08.2020 Babbage: Fire fighting Australia is battling catastrophic wildfires. Climate models predict extreme fire events are going to become more commonplace. What can countries do to prepare? And, a glimpse into the chip factory around which the modern world turns. Also, what is “open ...
01.08.2020 Return fire: Iran’s missile attacks Attacks on bases that house American troops seem a dramatic retaliation to the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Suleimani—yet both sides seem to be tuning their tactics toward de-escalation. After nearly a year without one, Spain has a government. But ...
01.07.2020 Money Talks: Full battle rattle Oil and gold prices spiked after the killing of Qassem Suleimani, an Iranian general, by the United States. How might heightened tension in the Middle East affect these important commodity markets in the weeks ahead? And, at the American Economic ...
01.07.2020 Two heads aren’t better than one: Venezuela After chaotic scenes in the National Assembly, it seems the country’s legislature has two leaders. Has Juan Guaidó’s chance at regime change run out of steam? Allegations against Harvey Weinstein sparked the #MeToo movement; as he stands trial in New ...
01.06.2020 The general and specific threats: Iran Killing Iran’s top military commander does not seem likely to further America’s aims for the region. What should America and its allies expect now? Biologists have long struggled to explain why homosexual behaviour is so widespread in nature, but a ...
01.03.2020 The Economist Asks: Bagehot on Bagehot What can Britain today learn from Walter Bagehot? He was The Economist’s greatest editor who mixed with the cream of British society in the 19th century. The Economist’s current Bagehot columnist, Adrian Wooldridge, talks to James Grant, financial journalist and ...
01.03.2020 Negative feedback: reversing carbon emissions It is increasingly clear that putting less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will not be enough to combat climate change; we take a look at the effort to actively remove the stuff from the air. Our correspondent takes a ride ...
01.02.2020 Editor’s Picks: January 2nd 2020 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, don’t be fooled by the phase one trade deal between China and America. (10:20) Finding new physics requires a new particle collider. (30:52) ...
01.02.2020 Made (entirely) in China: a tech behemoth rises No longer content just to assemble devices, Chinese firms want to design them and the infrastructure around them—and in some sectors they look set to succeed. Our correspondent visits indigenous communities along the icy sliver of water between Russia and ...
01.01.2020 Babbage: What’s the frequency Kenneth? Kenneth Cukier celebrates the invention of a musical instrument that turns 100 in 2020—the Theremin. A staple of sci-fi sound-effects, the instrument is enjoying a revival in the digital age. We talk to players, historians, a former student and relative ...
12.31.2019 Money Talks: Work in progress The office is evolving beyond recognition. How did a functional grid of desks become more like a home, complete with in-house childcare and spare exercise clothes? James Fransham, a data journalist at The Economist, takes a tour of some of ...
12.30.2019 The World Ahead: Tax me if you can 2020 will be a key year for determining how big multinational and technology companies are taxed, but can a global deal be reached? Also, to what degree will the Olympics boost Japan’s international standing next year and will a new ...
12.27.2019 The Economist Asks: The Best of 2019 In 2019 Anne McElvoy challenged the people making the news. From presidential candidates and CEOs to fashion icons and even a relationship therapist. Among her guests were Democratic hopeful Pete Buttigieg, editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour and author Anand Giridharadas. ...
12.26.2019 Editor’s Picks: 26th December 2019 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the holiday issue of The Economist. This week, visiting the most diverse district in Africa, (17:30) meeting the Cockneys of Thetford, (34:22) and the tangled history of California’s eucalyptus trees. Please ...
12.24.2019 A very merry Money Talks Christmas special From pickled radishes to red knickers, we take a break from the news of the moment to look back over the peaks and troughs of the past year in business, finance and economics. Our merry panel of Helen Joyce, The ...
12.24.2019 Lifesaver: meet a death-row detective Death sentences are occasionally overturned in America; we meet a private detective responsible for saving many of those lives. We scour our foreign department taking nominations for The Economist’s country of the year. And our correspondent joins a shipment of ...
12.23.2019 Lying in states: fibbing politicians Lies and politics have always come as a pair, but the untruths keep getting bigger and more frequent; our correspondent digs into why. We speak with an adventurer who fought off the murderous boredom of a whole Antarctic winter with ...
12.20.2019 The Economist Asks: Greta Gerwig Every generation has its own “Little Women”. Anne McElvoy asks Greta Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated writer and director of “Lady Bird”, about how she reinvented the classic story of Jo, Amy, Meg and Beth March for a new audience. They talk ...
12.20.2019 Old China hands: ageing in the Middle Kingdom Next year, China’s median age will surpass America’s, but with just a quarter the median income; the government is nervous that China will get old before it gets rich. This weekend’s elections in Uzbekistan are another sign of astonishing change ...
12.19.2019 Editor’s Picks: December 19th 2019 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the holiday issue of The Economist. This week, the phenomenon of technological pessimism (08:23), how to cut homelessness in the world’s priciest cities (12:51), and how China made the piano it’s ...
12.19.2019 Exclusionary rule: India’s citizenship law The Hindu nationalist government’s latest move pointedly excludes Muslims from immigration reform. Protesters reckon that is an attack on the country’s cherished secularism. Tuberculosis is still among the world’s biggest killers; we look at emerging new tools to fight an ...
12.18.2019 Babbage: How the planets got their spots The workings of the solar system were once likened to the machinations of a precise clock, but the orbits of the planets haven’t always been so perfectly balanced. How did the planets end up where they are today? Also, the ...
12.18.2019 Marching orders: impeachment around the world America’s impeachment battle falls along unhelpfully partisan lines—but the process has other shortcomings. We take some lessons from how the rest of the world does it. Cuba has long run an official two-currency economy; now, the once-banned American dollar is ...
12.17.2019 Money talks: Maxed out Boeing has announced it will temporarily cease production of 737 Max airliners. How high are the stakes for the company? And Heather Boushey, executive director at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, says data on inequality should be making economists ...

Older episodes

Economist Radio

What's Economist Radio about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Economist Radio episodes:

The World Ahead: Deep green sea

Spread bet: China’s coronavirus quarantine

Checks and Balance: Disruptor-in-chief

Ill-judged: Poland’s rule-of-law crisis

Editor’s Picks: January 23rd 2020

The Economist Asks: Does the world need Davos?

On the right track: a trend in diplomacy

Babbage: The Wuhan plan

Justin time, again: Trudeau’s second term

Money Talks: Goldilocks economy

Can I get a witness? Impeachment

Tripoli crown: the battle for Libya

The Economist asks: How to be a dictator

Address the problem: the global housing blunder

Checks and Balance: Trailer

Editor’s Picks: January 16th 2020

Set for life? Putin’s power-grab

Babbage: Starlight, star bright

Going through a phase: US-China trade deal

Money Talks: Experiencing turbulence

A Biden by their decision? Democrats debate

Tsai of the times: Taiwan’s defiant election

The Economist Asks: The Suleimani killing—masterstroke or madness?

Scorched-earth policies: Australia and climate change

Editor’s Picks: January 9th 2020

Will you still feed me when I’m 62? Macron’s pension fight

Babbage: Fire fighting

Return fire: Iran’s missile attacks

Money Talks: Full battle rattle

Two heads aren’t better than one: Venezuela

The general and specific threats: Iran

The Economist Asks: Bagehot on Bagehot

Negative feedback: reversing carbon emissions

Editor’s Picks: January 2nd 2020

Made (entirely) in China: a tech behemoth rises

Babbage: What’s the frequency Kenneth?

Money Talks: Work in progress

The World Ahead: Tax me if you can

The Economist Asks: The Best of 2019

Editor’s Picks: 26th December 2019

A very merry Money Talks Christmas special

Lifesaver: meet a death-row detective

Lying in states: fibbing politicians

The Economist Asks: Greta Gerwig

Old China hands: ageing in the Middle Kingdom

Editor’s Picks: December 19th 2019

Exclusionary rule: India’s citizenship law

Babbage: How the planets got their spots

Marching orders: impeachment around the world

Money talks: Maxed out

Other shows like Economist Radio: