In The Land Trap: A New History of the World’s Oldest Asset, Mike Bird shows why land remains the ultimate currency of power.

Bird is the Wall Street editor at The Economist, where he leads coverage across the American financial industry and cohosts the magazine’s flagship podcast Money Talks. In his new book, he presents a bold new framework explaining how land exerts influence over the modern world, shaping housing, banking, and geopolitics.

In his conversation with Nikolaus Lang, global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, Bird discusses the history of land usage and ownership, how land is related to modern economic crises, and different governance models for land.

Key topics discussed: 

01:01 | What makes land unique, and why is it a trap?

04:58 | The history of land ownership

11:38 | The relation between land and economic crises

16:00 | The role of “superstar cities”

19:08 | How land could be governed

23:36 | Business implications of land