The Economist Asks

Anne McElvoy, our Senior Editor, asks if Michael Wolff‘s book "Fire and Fury" captures President Trump — and how does the First Family really tick?

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Anne McElvoy asks the Prime Minister of Serbia whether a new generation of Eastern European leaders can reshape a troubled region.  Ana Brnabic, the country’s first female and openly gay Prime Minister, discusses Serbia’s bloody history, Putin’s record on homosexual rights and the influence of Britpop.

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A festive roundup of this year's interviews. Salman Rushdie gives us his thoughts on separatism, Hillary Clinton explains exactly what happened in America’s election last year and Richard Dawkins on whether science really can offer an objective truth. Anne McElvoy hosts.

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From the Medici family’s blending of politics and finance to Donald Trump’s use of social media, networks have played a vital role in the search for control. In an interconnected world, will power shift into the hands of the masses? Or will they further strengthen the hierarchies that benefit the few? Anne McElvoy discusses this with historian Niall Ferguson

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Anne McElvoy and Lane Greene continue their look at the role of creativity in today’s society. They visit a London railway station to hear how commuters get their creative juices going by playing pianos in public spaces. Lane looks at how the concept of creativity is being widened to enhance the skills involved in coding or crisis management, and considers the 10,000 hour rule that sustains the belief of the universal creativity lobby. Neuroscientist Miriam Mosing tells Lane that studies of creative twins have shown that a genetic pre-disposition to creativity can’t be wholly eliminated, and Anne talks to AI researcher David Cope who has provided a frightening vision for the future of creativity. His computer generated composer “Emily Howell” can absorb existing styles, and use them to generate her own

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Anne McElvoy and Lane Greene look at the current debate around creativity, and its value to our society. In this first episode, Anne tackles a Bach prelude with the help of pianist James Rhodes who believes that keyboard mastery is “just a physics problem”. Lane assesses how the brain behaves during periods of extreme creativity, and with the help of neuroscientist Aaron Berkowitz, considers how great creatives can de-activate parts of the brain to enhance performance. Concert pianist Di Wu considers the differing experiences of music teaching in China and the United States, and describes how she moved from conquering concertos to tackling business problems whilst studying for an MBA at Columbia University​

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Nadya Tolokonnikova, a founding member of the Russian protest punk group Pussy Riot, told Daniel Franklin, Editor of 'The World in 2018', how she aims to inspire people to enact change. She talks about her latest immersive theatre production in London and a world without borders

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Final episode of a three-part series. Anne McElvoy explores the potential impact of the female vote in America's next presidential election. Democratic pollster Celinda Lake discusses how recent sexual-harassment allegations could shape future political contests. Mary Jordan, contributor to a biography about the role of women in Donald Trump's ascendancy, explains why Ivanka was so key to his success. And author Rebecca Traister on why women voting for Trump wasn't really surprising at all

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In this special episode, Anne McElvoy travels to Chicago and New York to get a sense of how each city’s power players are responding to the presidency. She talks to Rahm Emanuel, Chicago's mayor, about dealing with the city’s problems while at odds with the president. And former deputy mayor of New York, Kenneth Lipper, takes Anne to a secret tunnel to show why Mr Trump's infrastructure plans for cities won't work. And would Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner be welcomed back to the Big Apple?

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In this special episode, Anne McElvoy returns to America's capital one year-on from the election to find out how party politics has been transformed by Donald Trump's presidency. She checks in with his biographer Marc Fisher, who says he was thrown into a system "he didn't bother to study". And she attends a keynote delivered by a reflective Bill Clinton. Also on the show, is Russia the worm in the bud for Mr Trump? And the Democrats make their first comeback in local elections. 

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