It’s easy to forget that everything in our lives that’s not strictly natural has been manufactured. That manufacturing incorporates elements from around the world, elements that had been designed, harvested, synthesized, shipped, assembled, shipped again to meet you. This system is remarkably efficient and ridiculously cheap, but that’s come at a cost. Our highly convenient world stands on toothpick-thin struts. How can we design it better?

In this episode of Policy Prompt, Paul and Vass are joined by Tim Minshall, inaugural Dr John C Taylor Professor of Innovation at the University of Cambridge, Head of the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), Head of the IfM’s Centre for Technology Management and a Fellow of Churchill Co. Together, they explore the reality of today’s manufacturing, the fragility of the supply chains we take for granted, and how a better world can be manufactured.

Mentioned:

Further Reading:

Credits:

Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 

Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 

Be sure to follow us on social media. 

Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

Today’s world is more convenient than it has ever been in history. It can take fewer than five discrete actions to have most anything delivered right to your door, and you don’t even have to get up from your chair. But in our world becoming so comfortable, so convenient, we must ask the question: What are we losing?

In this special episode, Vass is joined by Tim Wu, a preeminent legal scholar and former Special Assistant to the President for Technology and Competition Policy at the United States, in a live conversation recorded at Hot Docs in Toronto, in November 2025. The discussion was anchored on Tim’s latest book, The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity (Knopf, 2025), which illuminates how we can reclaim control and create a balanced economy that works for everyone in a modern world where tech platforms have been permitted to run rampant in their own self-interest under the guise of free innovation. We regulated electricity when it became clear it would change the world; why not today’s disruptive tech?

Mentioned:

Further Reading:

Credits:

Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 

Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 

Be sure to follow us on social media. 

Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

Ever since the ancient Athenians first attempted a democratic approach to governance, nations worldwide have been attempting to perfect it. Some things we’ve gotten right; for instance, many nations have decided that the Athenians’ exclusion of many groups of people was not conducive to democracy, and instead have elected to include all people, not just men who owned land. But we’ve oftentimes gotten things wrong, too. How can we reinvent democracy, given what we know now?

In this episode of Policy Prompt, Paul and Vass welcome James Bacchus, a former member of the US Congress, a founding judge, twice chairman and chief judge of the Appellate Body at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, director of the Center for Global Economic and Environmental Opportunity at the University of Central Florida, CIGI senior fellow, and much more, to discuss how a true global democracy could be formed, one that accurately represents all nations and that dutifully involves all humankind. Many of us are quite removed from the “democratic” proceedings of our nations. What if we had the right to participate?

Mentioned:

• Chinese coal plants: apnews.com/article/china-coal-solar-climate-carbon-emissions-242abe76eb69f5a362e977de74ff3254
• 8 The Economist Democracy Index: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index
• Gerrymandering:
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering#:~:text=Gerrymandering%2C%20
• Participatory Democracy: www.govocal.com/blog/what-is-participatory-democracy
• Sortition, the “jury duty” system: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition
• The Pnyx, an important site in the creation of democracy: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pnyx
• Athenian Democracy: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy
• “Living Democracy,” a philosophy of John Dewey: share.google/qXy5uA1tEdqhZowtl
• Food shortages in Central Florida due to government shutdown mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2025/10/15/central-florida-food-banks-step-up-as-government-shutdown-impacts-families

Further Reading:

• James Bacchus bio: cigionline.org/people/james-bacchus/
• James Bacchus books: google.ca/search?sca_esv=4ee06a5b294f010f&hl=en&q=inauthor:%22James+Bacchus%22&udm=36

Credits:

Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 

Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 

Be sure to follow us on social media. 

• X: @_policyprompt
• IG: @cigionline

Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

The playing field for modern scams is bigger than ever. Entire guarded compounds are dedicated to online and phone fraud, and the network of influence and intimidation these organizations hold grows daily, facilitated by emerging technology such as artificial intelligence and mass automation. An epicentre has emerged in East and Southeast Asia; Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, China and more are both sources and victims of organized scams. Local governments have been cracking down to an extent, but this hydra has heads at all levels of public influence — a stronger, more coordinated approach is needed to conquer this beast.

This episode features experts Mark Bo and Ivan Franceschini in conversation with Paul on the scam industry and its victims, how organized scam syndicates can start to take over local economies through corruption and human trafficking, and what most people misunderstand about how these organizations operate. Based in East and Southeast Asia for two decades, Mark is a researcher who utilizes his background in corporate and financial mapping to investigate Asia’s online gambling, fraud, and money laundering industries. Ivan, a lecturer in Chinese Studies at the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, Asia Institute, focuses his research on globalization, labour, and the evolving dynamics of crime in the digital age, particularly on the cyber-fraud industry.

Mentioned:

• Sihanoukville, Cambodia: https://www.britannica.com/place/Sihanoukville
• Pig butchering scam - a common crypto investment scheme: https://dfpi.ca.gov/news/insights/pig-butchering-how-to-spot-and-report-the-scam/#:~:text=Pig%20butchering%20is%20an%20investment,exchange%20to%20purchase%20crypto%20assets.
• Scam centres in Cambodia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scam/_centers/_in/_Cambodia#
• Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation: https://www.bluedragon.org/
• Chen Zhi, the young tycoon accused of masterminding a multibillion-dollar international fraud network: https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/24/asia/cambodia-scams-chen-zhi-prince-group-intl-hnk
• Federal Trade Commission data shows US consumers lost over $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/03/new-ftc-data-show-big-jump-reported-losses-fraud-125-billion-2024#:~:text=Newly%20released%20Federal%20Trade%20Commission,all%20other%20payment%20methods%20combined.
• UNODC 2025 Technical Policy Report: Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, * Underground Banking and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia: https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2025/Inflection_Point_2025.pdf
• UNODC 2023 Policy Report: Casinos, cyber fraud, and trafficking in persons for forced criminality in Southeast Asia: https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2023/TiP_for_FC_Policy_Report.pdf
• South Korea sanctions 15 individuals, 132 entities over online scams in Southeast Asia: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/s-korea-sanctions-15-individuals-132-entities-over-online-scams-in-southeast-asia/ar-AA1RfgLi?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1
• More than 1,000 arrested in Cambodian cyber-scam raids: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/16/more-than-1000-arrested-in-cambodian-cyber-scam-raids

Further Reading:

• Mark Bo’s bio: https://www.versobooks.com/en-ca/blogs/authors/bo-mark?srsltid=AfmBOopSu7unvmVdZYFG2%5C_BC4teQZsQYrGpPia8vYTx-YfTjZ91h3Ib4
• Ivan Franceschini’s bio: https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/1108680-ivan-franceschini
• Mark Bo, Ivan Franceschini and Ling Li, Scam: Inside Southeast Asia’s Cybercrime Compounds (Verso, 2025)

Credits:

Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 

Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 

Be sure to follow us on social media. 

• X: @_policyprompt
• IG: @cigionline 

Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

Neurotechnology is a dual-use technology transforming lives — from implantable devices that use deep brain stimulation to ease tremors from Parkinson’s disease to commercial wearables that promise more effective meditation. But without the necessary legal, ethical, and regulatory safeguards, the misuse and abuse of neurotechnology and the data it collects becomes inevitable.

In this episode, hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson speak with Jared Genser about neurotechnology, its implications for humanity, and the emerging dilemmas around neuro-rights, freedom of thought, and mental privacy. Jared is an international human rights lawyer and managing director of the law firm Perseus Strategies. He is a co-founder and general counsel to the Neurorights Foundation, and a special adviser on the Responsibility to Protect to the Organization of American States.

Mentioned:

• Neuralink: neuralink.com/
• Chile: Pioneering the protection of neurorights: courier.unesco.org/en/articles/chile-pioneering-protection-neurorights
• Brain-computer interface: cumming.ucalgary.ca/research/pediatric-bci/bci-program/what-bci
• Brain implant and AI gives a woman with paralysis her voice back (research led by Dr. Edward Chang): youtu.be/iTZ2N-HJbwA?si=u6d05795MdJ_3uO2
• EMOTIV and Rodrigo Hubner Mendes drive an F1 car using electroencephalography (EEG): youtu.be/NhmXaeaHkDc?si=GX5hrjnyCfS2yR3h
• Robotic exoskeleton helps paralyzed person kick first ball of 2014 World Cup: youtu.be/ClRqZbRxcNI?si=7Gdqjq6MRpJiM3Pi
• President Obama’s Brain Initiative: obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/node/300741
• Meta acquires CTRL-labs for wristband technology that allows people to control devices using their brains: cnbc.com/2019/09/23/facebook-announces-acquisition-of-brain-computing-start-up-ctrl-labs.html
• EEG scanners in Apple AirPods: https://tinyurl.com/ypk72f8h
• Australian device decodes thought-to-text with 40% accuracy: uts.edu.au/news/2023/12/portable-non-invasive-mind-reading-ai-turns-thoughts-text?
• DreamConnect guides dreams with AI (decoding dreams into images): eurekalert.org/news-releases/1096544
• Boston University brain scientist shows that electrostimulation can restore a 70-year-old’s working memory to that of a 20-year-old: bu.edu/articles/2019/electrostimulation-can-improve-working-memory/
• Kernel, a wearable device that delivers information on brain function: kernel.com/
• Werner Herzog’s documentary Theater of Thought: neurorightsfoundation.org/media/herzog-film
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: pascalhealthinstitute.com/why-crps-is-called-the-suicide-disease/

Further Reading:

• Jared Genser’s bio: perseus-strategies.com/team/jared-genser-english/
• Neurorights Foundation: neurorightsfoundation.org/
• Freedom of Thought: Reviving and Protecting a Forgotten Human Right, special report by Susie Alegre and Aaron Shull cigionline.org/publications/freedom-of-thought-reviving-and-protecting-a-forgotten-human-right/

Credits:

Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 

Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 

Be sure to follow us on social media. 

• X: @_policyprompt
• IG: @cigionline 

Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has had a profound impact on science, from data analysis to scenario simulation and predicting protein structure — its full potential is still unknown. Today, many scientists are dedicated to better understanding AI and how to integrate it into research to accelerate the pace of scientific discoveries without compromising rigour and principle. Is there a future where AI will make new scientific discoveries on its own?   

Join hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson as they speak with Rebecca Willett about the role machine learning and AI play in scientific research now and how she sees it impacting scientists in the future. Rebecca is a professor of statistics and computer science at the University of Chicago and faculty director of artificial intelligence at the University’s Data Science Institute. Her research focuses on machine learning and making sense of complex, large-scale datasets, as well as data science. Rebecca completed her PhD in electrical and computer engineering at Rice University and is a member of the Computer Science Study Group at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). 

In-Show Clips:

00:15:03: NOVA scienceNOW, "What Will the Future Be Like?": FoldIt: A Protein Puzzle Game (PBS LearningMedia, 2013)

00:15:17: Nature Video: Foldit: Biology for gamers (YouTube, August 4, 2010)

Mentioned:

• Google DeepMind AlphaFold: deepmind.google/science/alphafold/
• Protein folding computer game Foldit: fold.it/
• The COVID-19 Citizen Science Study: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8407439/
• People-powered research platform Zooniverse: zooniverse.org/

Further Reading:

• Rebecca Willet, professor of statistics and computer science at the University of Chicago and faculty director of artificial intelligence at the University’s Data Science Institute. Find her bio and works here: willett.psd.uchicago.edu/

Credits:

Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 

Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 

Be sure to follow us on social media. 

• X: @_policyprompt
• IG: @cigionline 

Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

Often compared to ocean shipping lanes, Earth’s orbital layers act as channels to almost 14,000 satellites moving at around 7 km/second. These orbital pathways are becoming increasingly congested as a rapidly growing number of commercial actors enter what was once a predominantly state-run domain. Can the 1967 Outer Space Treaty hold up against this space revolution? Can international structures quickly modernize and work together to ensure all players in the space race are committed to a safe and sustainable future?

Join hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson as they speak with guests Esther Brimmer and Jessica West about a comprehensive and collaborative approach to space governance. Esther is a senior fellow at the US Council on Foreign Relations, a former US assistant secretary of state and an expert in international institutions. Jessica is a CIGI senior fellow and a senior researcher at Project Ploughshares, a Canadian peace and security research institute, where she focuses on technology, security and governance in outer space.

In-Show Clips:

• 00:29:04: Universal Studios: “New Moon. Reds Launch First Space Satellite” (Internet Archive, October 7, 1957)

Mentioned:

• UN Outer Space Treaty: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html
• International Maritime Organization Polar Code:  
  imo.org/en/ourwork/safety/pages/polar-code.aspx 
• Geostationary orbit: 
  wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_orbit 
• United Arab Emirates future space planning: 
  space.gov.ae/en/media-center/blogs/2/3/2020/uae-shaping-future-of-earth-observation-satellites-and-space-exploration 
• UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space: 
  https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/copuos/current.html
• Philippine National Statements during the 68th Session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space: 
  philsa.gov.ph/news/philippine-national-statements-during-the-68th-session-of-the-united-nations-committee-on-the-peaceful-uses-of-outer-space-un-copuos/ 
• Canada’s statement to the First Committee of the 79th Session of the United Nations, Thematic Debate: Outer Space: 
  international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/peace_security-paix_securite/weapon-armes-control-documents/thematic-debat6.aspx?lang=eng 

Further Reading:

• Jessica West, CIGI senior fellow and senior researcher at Project Ploughshares. Find her CIGI bio and works here: cigionline.org/people/jessica-west/ 
• Esther Brimmer, James H. Binger senior fellow in global governance and former assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs. Find her Council on Foreign Relations bio and works here: cfr.org/expert/esther-brimmer

Credits:

Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Lynn Schellenberg, social media engagement by Isabel Neufeld, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 

Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 

Be sure to follow us on social media. 

• X: @_policyprompt
• IG: @cigionline 

Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

For centuries, the power to create money was isolated to traditional issuers, who built trust over the ages. But now stablecoins are starting to pull at that monopoly, rising up in relevance as a massive innovation on infrastructure. Some jurisdictions are turning things upside down with digital asset adoption, while others are holding back, with important geopolitical implications. 

On season two’s opener, hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson welcome Ali Abou Daya and Morva Rohani to discuss the emergence and transformative nature of crypto and stablecoins. Ali is the chief executive officer of Transactix Financial, a stablecoin company, and Morva is the executive director of the Canadian Web3 Council, an industry organization that advocates for responsible public policy. Together the four consider the digitalization of traditional finance, and the challenges surrounding establishing trust and who controls what.

Mentioned:

• Blockchain: see CIGI’s explainer video “What Is Blockchain?” (YouTube, January 4, 2018)
• “In God We Trust” printed on US currency: see www.congress.gov/committee-report/112th-congress/house-report/47/1 and David Mislin, “The complex history of ‘In God We Trust’” (The Conversation, February 2, 2018)
• “Satoshi” refers to Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious pseudonymous author of a 2008 white paper entitled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”; see also Joshua Davis, “The Crypto-Currency” (The New Yorker, October 3, 2011)
• “Bitcoin maxis”: Tonya M. Evan defines this term and others in the digital asset lexicon: “The Bitcoin, Not Crypto, Debate: Why Words Matter” (Forbes, August 21, 2024)
• For more on El Salvador’s experience with bitcoin, see “Bitcoin: El Salvador makes cryptocurrency legal tender” (BBC, June 9, 2021), “World’s first Bitcoin nation scales back crypto dream” (BBC, December 18, 2024) and Robyn Wilson’s “The Salvadoran beach town that became a Bitcoin testbed” (BBC, July 1, 2025)
• Nigeria’s central bank digital currency, the eNaira: www.firstbanknigeria.com/personal/ways-to-bank/e-naira/
• Tether setting up physical HQ in El Salvador: Federico Maccioni, “Crypto firm Tether and its founders finalizing move to El Salvador” (Reuters, January 13, 2025)
• For comparison of transaction costs by analyst Eric Yeung, see his April 20, 2025 X post: “The Final Showdown Between China and the U.S.: The Battlefield Shifts from Military Hegemony to Global Currency Warfare.” Yeung is a Hong Kong–based precious metals and investment expert who posts daily analysis on X.
• The GENIUS Act (in full: Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act) became public law in July 2025 to provide for the regulation of payment stablecoins in the United States: www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1582/text
• “MiCA and the European Union”: see Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation
• Daniel Day-Lewis played Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, a 2007 film based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil!
• “The milkshake example”: a reference to Harvard Business School professor “Clay Christensen’s milkshake marketing,” which considers why we “hire” a product

Further Reading: 

• Ali Abou Daya’s bio: www.linkedin.com/in/aliaboudaya/
• About Transactix Financial: www.transactix.ca/about
• Morva Rohani’s bio: www.linkedin.com/in/morvarohani/
• About the Canadian Web3 Council: https://web3canada.ca/about/
• For more analysis on the evolving role of digital assets, including central bank digital currencies, cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized assets, within the broader context of the global financial system, see CIGI’s project Digital Assets in a Deglobalized World

Credits:

Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Lynn Schellenberg, social media engagement by Isabel Neufeld, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 

Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 

Be sure to follow us on social media. 

• X: @_policyprompt
• IG: @cigionline

Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]. 

In episode 16, hosts Vass and Paul talk to Marc Levinson — economist, historian and author of The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, published in 2016, and the follow-up, Outside the Box: How Globalization Changed from Moving Stuff to Spreading Ideas (both Princeton University Press). 

Marc brings to life a topic freighted with importance but often out of mind: how an innovation involving the shipping container, 200 years in the making, transformed economic geography and the transport of cargo around the globe. The three discuss, as well, the current challenges in figuring out the value of international trade that is unpackaged and, so far, not well accounted for — exchange in services, ideas and intangibles, of increasing significance in the global economy.

Mentioned:

• The giant container ship Ever Given: “In pictures: Container ship blocking the Suez Canal finally on the move” (BBC, March 29, 2021)
• “Gambler” Malcolm McLean, featured in the PBS series They Made America: www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/mclean_hi.html
• The BBC’s “The Box” project: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/business/2008/the_box/default.stm

Further Reading: 

• Marc Levinson’s bio: www.marclevinson.net/?page_id=10
• Marc Levinson’s website: www.marclevinson.net/
• Marc Levinson, The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, 2nd edition (Princeton University Press, 2016)
• Marc Levinson, Outside the Box: How Globalization Changed from Moving Stuff to Spreading Ideas (Princeton University Press, 2020)

Credits:
Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our technical producers are Tim Lewis and Melanie DeBonte. Fact-checking and background research provided by Reanne Cayenne. Marketing by Kahlan Thomson. Brand design by Abhilasha Dewan and creative direction by Som Tsoi.

Original music by Joshua Snethlage.

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault.

Special thanks to creative consultant Ken Ogasawara.

Be sure to follow us on social media.

• X: @_policyprompt
• IG: @_policyprompt
   

Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt biweekly on major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected].

How do you discover music? College radio, word of mouth, serendipity — or your very own AI DJ? In 2006, Spotify’s founders discovered music as “a traffic source” for an advertising model, and have since transformed the music industry. But what are their goals or values when it comes to music and culture beyond the pursuit of profit, and what does it mean for musicians and music lovers? And why aren’t policy makers more concerned about this mega platform?

In this episode of Policy Prompt, hosts Vass and Paul welcome Liz Pelly, music and media critic, and the author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist (Atria, 2025). Together they chat about how we’ve consumed our music over the years, and how it’s been fed to us, from the “stimulus progression” of Muzak’s elevator tunes to the “mood-driven logic” of Spotify’s algorithmic curation.

In-Show Clips:

• 00:12:57: AFP News Agency, “Sweden’s Pirate Party aims for kingmaker spot” (YouTube, March 26, 2010)
• 00:18:34: CNBC Television: “Spotify is the platform for artists who want to break globally, says Evercore ISI’s Mark Mahaney” (YouTube, November 12, 2024)

Mentioned:

• Muzak’s archives and the concept of “stimulus progression”: see https://muzakarchives.com/ and https://muzakarchives.com/stimulus-progression/
• Big Shiny Tariffs (public playlist): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/56kKurRKQmJnhJgvq9pSV5
• Big Shiny Tunes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Shiny_Tunes
• Canada’s Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11): www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/modernization-broadcasting-act.html
• Songza: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songza
• Rhapsody/Napster: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napster_(streaming_service)
• “Pirate Bay”/Piratbyrån: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piratbyr%C3%A5n
• Living Wage for Musicians Act of 2024: www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7763
• Federal Music Project: www.wnyc.org/series/works-progress-administration/about
• The Musicians’ Union: a trade union representing more than 36,000 musicians across the United Kingdom working in all sectors of the music business and supporter of the Musicians’ Census
• Public Knowledge’s Streaming in the Dark project: see their video explainer and the 2024 paper by Meredith Filak Rose, “Streaming in the Dark: Competitive Dysfunction Within the Music Streaming Ecosystem” (Berkeley Journal of Entertainment and Sports Law 13 (1): 23–66)
• “Edmonton Public Library’s first digital public space, created to celebrate Edmonton’s local music scene and its history”: see https://capitalcityrecords.ca/ and https://capitalcityrecords.ca/albums

Further Reading: 

• Liz Pelly’s bio: https://lizpelly.info/
• Liz Pelly, Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist (Atria, 2025)

Credits:
Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our technical producers are Tim Lewis and Melanie DeBonte. Fact-checking and background research provided by Reanne Cayenne. Marketing by Kahlan Thomson. Brand design by Abhilasha Dewan and creative direction by Som Tsoi.

Original music by Joshua Snethlage.

Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault.

Special thanks to creative consultant Ken Ogasawara.

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Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt biweekly on major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected].