Economist Radio

By The Economist

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Checks and Balance: CEOutrage

04.16.2021

American companies used to keep quiet about politics, relying on behind the scenes donations and lobbying. But they are increasingly speaking out on a range of issues— most recently on Georgia’s restrictive new voting laws. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, of the Yale ...

Economist Radio episodes:

04.16.2021 Checks and Balance: CEOutrage American companies used to keep quiet about politics, relying on behind the scenes donations and lobbying. But they are increasingly speaking out on a range of issues— most recently on Georgia’s restrictive new voting laws. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, of the Yale ...
04.16.2021 The path of increased resistance: Myanmar Protests against February’s military coup are only growing, even as the army becomes more murderous. The economy is paralysed. What can be done to put the country back together? In Cuba, the end of the Castro-family era is nigh; a ...
04.15.2021 The Economist Asks: Francis Suarez How do you reinvent a city? The mayor of Miami is on a mission to turn his city into the world’s foremost tech and financial hub. Anne McElvoy explores whether he can tempt entrepreneurs and investors away from Silicon Valley ...
04.15.2021 Boots off the ground: America’s Afghanistan drawdown Few believe President Joe Biden’s withdrawal plan is wise; it is already prompting allied forces to go. We ask about the risks of that untimely vacuum. Much climate-change angst focuses on carbon dioxide, but addressing sources of methane would be ...
04.14.2021 Babbage: Where it began Almost a year and a half since the discovery of the virus that causes covid-19, The Economist’s health policy editor, Natasha Loder, investigates one of the pandemic’s most compelling mysteries: where did SARS-CoV-2 come from? Peter Daszak, who was part ...
04.14.2021 Arms’ reach: Russia flexes at Ukraine border The troops and hardware piling up at the border are probably just posturing. But look closely: Russia’s military is swiftly getting better-equipped and better-trained. Outsized inflation numbers in America are partly a statistical quirk—but also a sign of the tricky ...
04.13.2021 Money Talks: Politics in the boardroom From voting rights to climate change, companies are under pressure to speak out—is it wise to mix business and politics? Also, China’s state control over tech giants like Ant Group is growing. Trillions of dollars in market value are at ...
04.13.2021 Fission expedition: nuclear-site attack in Iran An apparent act of sabotage at an Iranian nuclear site, blamed on Israel, has complicated the prospect of America returning to the 2015 nuclear deal; we ask what happens next. Many of Europe’s public-service broadcasters are being squeezed by populist ...
04.12.2021 The Jab: How to persuade the sceptics? All adults in America are now eligible for a covid-19 vaccine. Around 30% of those polled in the country, however, are hesitant to take the jab. A shortage of vaccines will soon become a shortage of arms. What is the ...
04.12.2021 Plagued by uncertainty: German politics As the country wrestles with another covid-19 wave, the battle to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel is building. We look at the political and epidemiological races. Prince Philip was a loyal consort to Britain’s queen for seven decades; our correspondent recalls ...
04.11.2021 Editor’s Picks: April 12th 2021 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, riding high in a workers’ world, the Amazon effect on live sport (9:45) and even transience is mutating (17:35). Please subscribe to The ...
04.09.2021 Checks and Balance: Space race American house prices have risen more steeply during the pandemic than at any time in the last 15 years. Buyers are swapping big cities for suburbs and smaller, sunnier cities in the South and Mountain West. How might this reshuffle ...
04.09.2021 Like a tonne of bricks: violence in Northern Ireland The ostensible reason for continuing clashes relates to a well-attended funeral. But the terms of Brexit have raised tempers, inflaming centuries-old tensions; we ask what might calm them. Alexei Navalny’s condition is worsening in prison: does it really serve the ...
04.08.2021 The Economist Asks: Paul Theroux What can a travel writer learn from staying at home? Anne McElvoy asks the prolific travel author Paul Theroux about the virtues of being homebound during the pandemic. The author of "Under the Wave at Waimea" reveals that his friend ...
04.08.2021 Clotting factors: the AstraZeneca vaccine British and European regulators have addressed a possible link with blood clots. Expect more rare side-effects to emerge; what seems clear for now is that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh any risks. A new analysis shows that a racist American film ...
04.07.2021 Babbage: Finger on the pulse of bias Hospitals routinely measure patients' blood-oxygen levels to determine the severity of covid-19. Why do these and other medical devices and treatments work less well for non-white people and women? Also, if you can have microwave ovens—why not microwave boilers for ...
04.07.2021 Deaths spiral: America’s spike in murders Estimates suggest that last year’s rise in murder rates was the greatest in perhaps half a century, reversing a long decline; we ask what is behind it. Amid Europe’s woefully slow vaccine rollouts, Serbia stands out as an unlikely success ...
04.06.2021 Money Talks: The future of work The pandemic has fuelled an explosion of unemployment and a transformation in how many people work, especially in richer countries. We consider the many reasons for optimism about the labour market and the prospects for working from home. And, we ...
04.06.2021 Crown and thorn: Jordan’s royal ruckus Pressure on the king’s half-brother may represent a mere family feud, but Prince Hamzah’s complaints resonate with the country’s people. We ask what will happen next. Study the fast-growing list of India’s billionaires: who has joined it and who has ...
04.05.2021 The Jab: Can distribution be fair? More than a billion doses of covid-19 vaccine have been made. Now comes the hard part: ensuring every country in the world has access to them. Can distribution be made more equitable? Alok Jha and Natasha Loder are joined by ...
04.05.2021 He said, Xi said: America-China ructions The Biden administration’s early moves suggest no “reset” in relations; we recall a time when the game of ping-pong brought the countries back to the table. Although economics has transformed in the past quarter-century, the way it is taught has ...
04.04.2021 Editor’s Picks: April 5th 2021 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, how Europe has mishandled the pandemic, supply chains make the world safer (10:07), and flying taxis take off, at last (17:09). Please subscribe ...
04.02.2021 Checks and Balance: Chain reaction A container ship stuck in the Suez canal, tensions with China, and the vaccine race have combined to make America’s supply chains look vulnerable. President Biden has ordered a security review and his infrastructure plan includes measures to protect them. ...
04.02.2021 Battle acts: France beefs up its forces After years of peacekeeping and counter-insurgency campaigns, the country is getting tooled up and trained up for serious military conflict. The “baby bust” brought on by the pandemic has changed global population predictions; we look into the down sides of ...
04.01.2021 The Economist Asks: Aaron Sorkin How important is truth in historical TV drama? Anne McElvoy asks the Oscar-winning screenwriter about the difference between journalistic accuracy and artistic truth, how he uses that tension in his latest film "The Trial of the Chicago 7" and why ...
04.01.2021 Cresting: India’s second covid-19 wave Case numbers are on the rise—at a more worrying rate even than the first wave. We ask why, and what is being done to slow the spread. As revenues at wildlife-tourism spots have dried up, so has security—and now poaching ...
03.31.2021 Babbage: Early warning How can technology be used to forecast future pandemics? We speak to the researchers creating an observatory to spot incipient health crises before they take off. Is data the ultimate weapon in the fight against covid-19 and future viruses? And, ...
03.31.2021 Takeaway lessons: Deliveroo’s listing disappoints The tepid debut of Britain’s dominant food-delivery app signals doubts not only about the gig economy but also about London’s ability to lure tech-firm listings. Chinese officials love to deploy “cloud seeding” to water the country’s parched lands, but even ...
03.30.2021 Money Talks: The next generation The EU’s €750bn recovery fund aims to rejuvenate the old continent, but ten months in it faces legal challenges and is yet to pay out a cent. Sustainable investing has been accused of “greenwashing”: we crunch the numbers to find ...
03.30.2021 High threat-count: boycotts in China Western fashion brands are in Chinese consumers’ crosshairs, the victims of political wranglings over sanctions and human-rights issues—a spat that may soon consume other industries. A striking number of people in the criminal-justice system have had traumatic brain injuries; our ...
03.29.2021 The Jab: How will science benefit? The concerted and rapid efforts to counter covid-19 have turbo-charged scientific progress. How can this new knowledge be applied to treat future threats to human health? Gregg Glenn, head of research and development at Novavax on why that vaccine is ...
03.29.2021 The World Ahead: Live and direct How have live events, including sports, music and conferences, changed in response to the pandemic—and which changes will endure, both for in-person and remote attendees? And what do empty stadiums reveal about referees’ bias? Tom Standage hosts. Subscribe to The ...
03.29.2021 The smell of gas: insurgency in Mozambique In a province that is home to a massive natural-gas project, a long-simmering insurgency has burst into horrific violence; we ask why the government seems to have lost control. Our correspondent visits Minneapolis, where the police officer accused of murdering ...
03.28.2021 Editor’s Picks: March 29th 2021 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: science after the pandemic, Rwanda: paragon or prison? (9:10) And Herbie goes electric (33:55) Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to ...
03.26.2021 Checks and Balance: Size matters President Biden wants a big infrastructure bill to follow the stimulus cash he has handed out. It would add up to a $5 trillion overhaul of America. A splurge on this scale has long been taboo in mainstream politics. Is ...
03.26.2021 Growth and stagnation: Bangladesh’s first 50 years The country has empowered its women, established itself as a garment-industry powerhouse and vastly improved public health—but its politics remains troubled. The pandemic has not reduced average global happiness, but rather reshaped it: the old are more content and the ...
03.25.2021 The Economist Asks: Ursula Burns Is it time for diversity quotas? Ursula Burns, the first black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, tells The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes why she thinks businesses will not diversify without quotas. The former CEO of Xerox also ...
03.25.2021 Export-control panel: the EU meets on vaccines European leaders will address the thorny question of vaccine-export controls today. We look at the row with Britain and what it means for the broader relationship with the EU. Our correspondent visits Congo-Brazzaville as the president of nearly 37 years ...
03.24.2021 Babbage: Shooting out the messenger The pandemic has fueled the rapid advancement of emerging biotechnologies. The Economist’s science editor explores the potential of RNA beyond covid-19. Also, theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli explains the implications of quantum physics on our interactions with objects. And, creating self-healing ...
03.24.2021 Can’t take a hike: more economic turmoil in Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan just does not like interest-rate rises. So he has again sacked a central-bank governor given to imposing them—again, to his own peril. America’s love of free markets extends also to the business of sperm donation; our ...
03.23.2021 Money Talks: Over the great wall Against the backdrop of sanctions and retaliations, China's capital markets are increasingly interwoven with global finance—what will this mean for foreign investors? Plus, will President Joe Biden’s fiscal stimulus trigger a dreaded return to high inflation—with global consequences? And, a ...
03.23.2021 Always be their Bibi? Israel votes, again It’s the fourth poll in two years, but a stable government is still far from guaranteed. We examine the firm grip Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu still has on Israeli politics. In the Philippines, children have been cooped up at home ...
03.22.2021 The Jab: Will America do better than Europe? The EU was slow to roll out covid-19 vaccines, then destroyed confidence in the Astrazeneca vaccine and is now embroiled in a row over supplies. Will America avoid Europe's pitfalls? Dr Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, explains ...
03.22.2021 Not-purchasing power: boycotts in Myanmar As demonstrations against February’s coup continue, many are trying a subtler form of resistance: starving army-owned businesses of revenue. We ask whether the ploy will work. Snippets of Neanderthal DNA survive in most humans—and they are a mixed blessing as ...
03.22.2021 Editor’s Picks: March 22nd 2021 A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, how to deal with China, Biden’s border bind (12:01) and how the pandemic has changed the shape of global happiness (27:34). Zanny Minton ...
03.19.2021 Checks and Balance: No vacancy “Don’t come over” is Joe Biden’s message to migrants. Rumours that it’s easier to enter the United States since he became president are fuelling a humanitarian crisis at the southern border. The president needs a firmer grip on the issue, ...
03.19.2021 Another race question: murder in Atlanta A shooting in the city left eight dead, six of them women of East Asian descent. We examine the past and present of anti-Asian sentiment in America. Frontex, Europe’s border-enforcement agency, is rising in clout and requisitioning more kit; we ...
03.18.2021 The Economist Asks: Joanna Coles & Melora Hardin Record numbers of women are considering leaving the workforce due to the pressures of the pandemic. How can successful women help their successors through the glass ceiling? Host Anne McElvoy talks to Joanna Coles, CEO of Northern Star Investments and ...
03.18.2021 Forces to be reckoned with: Afghan peace talks Negotiations in Moscow may at last forge agreement between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents; that, in turn, would inform America’s long-promised drawdown. The International Criminal Court can investigate crimes against humans, but there is a push to make injury ...
03.17.2021 Babbage: Baidu it As the Chinese tech giant Baidu prepares for a secondary listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange, how will Baidu’s rise influence technological innovation in China and beyond? Also, the humidity inside facemasks is helpful in fighting covid-19, not just ...

Older episodes

Economist Radio

What's Economist Radio about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Economist Radio episodes:

Checks and Balance: CEOutrage

The path of increased resistance: Myanmar

The Economist Asks: Francis Suarez

Boots off the ground: America’s Afghanistan drawdown

Babbage: Where it began

Arms’ reach: Russia flexes at Ukraine border

Money Talks: Politics in the boardroom

Fission expedition: nuclear-site attack in Iran

The Jab: How to persuade the sceptics?

Plagued by uncertainty: German politics

Editor’s Picks: April 12th 2021

Checks and Balance: Space race

Like a tonne of bricks: violence in Northern Ireland

The Economist Asks: Paul Theroux

Clotting factors: the AstraZeneca vaccine

Babbage: Finger on the pulse of bias

Deaths spiral: America’s spike in murders

Money Talks: The future of work

Crown and thorn: Jordan’s royal ruckus

The Jab: Can distribution be fair?

He said, Xi said: America-China ructions

Editor’s Picks: April 5th 2021

Checks and Balance: Chain reaction

Battle acts: France beefs up its forces

The Economist Asks: Aaron Sorkin

Cresting: India’s second covid-19 wave

Babbage: Early warning

Takeaway lessons: Deliveroo’s listing disappoints

Money Talks: The next generation

High threat-count: boycotts in China

The Jab: How will science benefit?

The World Ahead: Live and direct

The smell of gas: insurgency in Mozambique

Editor’s Picks: March 29th 2021

Checks and Balance: Size matters

Growth and stagnation: Bangladesh’s first 50 years

The Economist Asks: Ursula Burns

Export-control panel: the EU meets on vaccines

Babbage: Shooting out the messenger

Can’t take a hike: more economic turmoil in Turkey

Money Talks: Over the great wall

Always be their Bibi? Israel votes, again

The Jab: Will America do better than Europe?

Not-purchasing power: boycotts in Myanmar

Editor’s Picks: March 22nd 2021

Checks and Balance: No vacancy

Another race question: murder in Atlanta

The Economist Asks: Joanna Coles & Melora Hardin

Forces to be reckoned with: Afghan peace talks

Babbage: Baidu it

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