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 biographer of Bagehot, about Bagehot’s prose, politics and lasting influence
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The Economist Asks: Bagehot on Bagehot

Every weekday our global network of correspondents makes sense of the stories beneath the headlines. We bring you surprising trends and tales from around the world, current affairs, business and finance &mdash; as well as science and technology. &nbsp; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News & Politics

News

Ever since there have been smartphones and social media, there have been concerns about how they might be affecting children. Over the past decade, doctors have seen a decline in mental health in the young in much of the rich world. But whether that rise can be attributed to technology is still a matter of fierce debate. Nevertheless, demands are growing to proactively restrict teenagers’ access to phones and social media, just in case. How concerned should parents and teachers be? Or is this just another moral panic? 
Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Tom Wainwright, The Economist's technology and media editor; Clare Fernyhough, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood; Carol Vidal of Johns Hopkins University; Pete Etchells, a psychologist at Bath Spa University and the author of “Unlocked: The Real Science of Screen Time”.
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Babbage: Teens and their screens

A dramatic overnight raid in New York City was just one sign that protests at American universities are set to continue—a clear historical echo in an already-fraught election year. We ask why a niche newspaper run by Japan’s communist party has so much influence (13:05). And a study of new books on loneliness reveals both the benefits and drawbacks of solitude (20:39).
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 Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Intelligence: Going back to raid school

The dengue-fever case counts now break regional records every year—and the structural reasons behind the spike suggest this sometimes-deadly virus will soon threaten more of the world. Breaches and security holes keep revealing how much of the internet’s innards are maintained by volunteers; we ask why (09:45). And the case for moving over, not up, at work (17:10). 
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 Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Intelligence: Dengue’s grip on Latin America

The ruling military junta that seized power in a coup in 2021 is losing ground, slowly—and the rebels are now thinking about what happens if they win. We examine the structural reasons behind Britain’s dearth of industrial robots (10:22). And climate change boosts Canada’s yields of maple syrup, but also threatens to make them unpredictable (15:44).
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 Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Intelligence: A civil society in waiting

During covid-19 an evangelical, end-of-times preacher led thousands of his followers into the Kenyan forest. Then he persuaded them to starve themselves to death. A year after hundreds of bodies were first discovered, journalist Carey Baraka tells the Weekend Intelligence what happened. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Economist Asks: Bagehot on Bagehot

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