Economist Podcasts

A real work of peace? An Israel-Hamas deal

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America’s upbeat assessment of a ceasefire deal masks deep divides that may not, in fact, be bridgeable. There are nevertheless reasons for optimism...

America's next top-job model: our election forecast

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We have dusted off and tuned up our forecast model for America’s presidential race. So far it gives Donald Trump a marginally higher chance of a sec...

Doing their not-own thing: “generation rent”

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Across the rich world millions spend more than a third of their disposable income on rent. We ask why policymakers have such terrible ideas on easing ...

French anti-foreign legion: an EU-election shock

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hard-right parties did well in Europe's parliamentary elections—so well in France that President Emmanuel Macron called a risky snap election. Elsew...

The Modi Raj 1: The chaiwallah's son

08 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi has been chosen to lead India for the third time in a row. But after 10 years in power, he was humbled at the national election. What ki...

One dam thing after another? Ukraine and reconstruction

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Russia attacked the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine a year ago, lives were lost, families stranded and towns submerged. But from that devastation emerged...

Labour's pains: Britain’s growth problem

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Britain’s general-election campaign heats up, party leaders are vague on their economic plans. With growth so slow, how could the victor energise...

Modi’s mess: a shock election result spells uncertainty for India

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi, the strongman of India, will have to compromise now his party has lost its majority. What does the surprise result mean for the country...

Trailer: The Modi Raj

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi is one of the most popular politicians on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democra...

The big gag: Hong Kong’s crackdown on freedom

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There has been a slow strangling of freedom in the territory where pro-democracy activists have been convicted; an annual vigil for the victims of the...

I, Claudia: Mexico’s new leader

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Sheinbaum has been elected Mexico’s first female president. Now the real fight begins: crime is rocketing, corruption is rampant and the cou...

Trailer: The Modi Raj

01 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi is one of the most popular politicians on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democra...

Choose this podcast: abortion and the election

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2022 the Supreme Court gave control of abortion back to “the people and their elected representatives.” This November will be the greatest test...

Out on a ledger: Trump convicted

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The former president was found guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records. But his convictions leave lots of room for appeals, and for su...

Trailer: The Modi Raj

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi is one of the most popular politicians on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democra...

The Intelligence: Rishi Sunak’s report card

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of a general election in July, we reflect on 14 years of Conservative rule. It’s not a great record, but will the prime minister be able to sp...

Trailer: The Modi Raj

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi is one of the most popular politicians on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democra...

The Intelligence: Strikes on Rafah

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Horrific images of charred bodies being pulled from the rubble in Gaza drew outcry, and more countries are recognising the Palestinian state. Israel i...

The Intelligence: An interview with the director of the IAEA

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The IAEA is charged with promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy. But with uncertainty in Iran and a delicate situation in Ukraine, can the organi...

Stores of value: regulators lean on app vendors

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apple and Alphabet operate what is in effect a smartphone-app duopoly. Governments want to curb their power, but it is not clear whether more competit...

The Weekend Intelligence: Georgia... the day after tomorrow

25 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The introduction laws cracking down on supposed foreign agents has become a common tactic for autocratic leaders. Activists in Georgia, who oppose the...

Trailer: The Modi Raj

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi is one of the most popular politicians on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democra...

Bibi blues: Israel’s fraying consensus

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our editor-in-chief and Jerusalem correspondent pay a visit to Israel’s halls of power, finding that long-whispered dissent is spilling into the ope...

Chip shots: breaking Nvidia’s AI grip

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to the chips used in artificial intelligence, one firm has the market locked up. We look at the rivals minded to steal Nvidia’s crown....

AI and health part one: DrGPT will see you now

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence is already making its mark in health care—but new, bigger, models promise to improve how patients access services, help doct...

See how the Lai lands: Taiwan’s new president

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Domestic divisions are already complicating the daunting task William Lai Ching-te has set himself: strengthening Taiwan while maintaining its ambiguo...

Crimes seen: The ICC chases Israel and Hamas

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has caused outrage by requesting arrest warrants for both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ...

Succession unplanned: Iran’s president killed

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The death of Ebrahim Raisi will spark succession battles both for the presidency and for supreme leader-in-waiting. What kind of Iran will result? Acc...

The Weekend Intelligence: Bombay, open city?

18 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mumbai is famously an open city, known for welcoming all comers, regardless of colour, caste, or creed. But as the city goes about building its f...

Swat off the press: Meta v Canada’s news ploy

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bid to squeeze money from social-media platforms that link to news content has backfired: what was intended to help publishers is instead harming th...

Boiling over: an attempt on the Slovakian PM’s life

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An attempt on Robert Fico’s life comes at a time of deep-running polarisation in his country—much of which is his own doing. A vote today among au...

Expenses claims: Trump’s hush-money trial

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Cohen has been testifying in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial. Did the former president’s fixer provide what the prosecution had hoped for?...

Run part one: Why are Chinese people running to Japan?

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the height of China’s zero-covid restrictions, a Chinese character that sounds like the English word “run” became a coded way of talking abou...

The morale of the story: Ukraine’s front lines

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At a hidden command centre our correspondent finds deflated but defiant soldiers. Fight against Russia now, they say, or fight for Russia against Euro...

Fear on draft: Ukraine’s fraught mobilisation

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A chat with the deputy boss of Ukraine’s military intelligence reveals concerns about a dearth of weapons—but the struggle to get new recruits is ...

The Weekend Intelligence: Baseball at the border

11 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Birke and Aryn Braun report frequently on tensions at the border between America and Mexico—even more so during a year in which both countries...

The Intelligence: The next stage of the tech wars

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The battles for supremacy in chipmaking and green technology industries are raging on. Re-electing Donald Trump will likely make America’s approach ...

The Intelligence: Singapore’s “4G” era

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lawrence Wong will only be the city-state’s fourth leader since its independence. Our foreign editor asks him how he hopes to balance diplomatic rel...

The Intelligence: Supercharging India’s economy

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi’s reputation for prosperity is likely to propel him to a third term. But for India’s economic successes to last, the country needs a...

The Intelligence: Truce talk

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The ceasefire deal, which Hamas has agreed to, prompted celebrations in Gaza. But Binyamin Netanyahu isn’t satisfied and the fighting continues. Vid...

The Intelligence: Mandela’s vision, tested

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thirty years of democracy have not led to uniform prosperity, and nearly everyone disagrees about the equality of opportunity. How will the disenchant...

The Intelligence: Our meeting with Macron

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

France’s president is known for pronouncements of grand scope with one eye toward history. But when our journalists visited him at his residence his...

The Intelligence: The kids are alright, turns out

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you look around the world, and at a wider set of measures, Generation Z are far better off than the popular narrative would have you believe. We ...

Babbage: Teens and their screens

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since there have been smartphones and social media, there have been concerns about how they might be affecting children. Over the past decade, do...

The Intelligence: Going back to raid school

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

The Intelligence: Dengue’s grip on Latin America

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The dengue-fever case counts now break regional records every year—and the structural reasons behind the spike suggest this sometimes-deadly virus w...

The Intelligence: A civil society in waiting

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 wi...

Checks and Balance: Aid, and a bet

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For months, a big foreign-aid deal looked like it was going nowhere in the House of Representatives. Now $95bn of support is heading out the door. How...

The Intelligence: Britain’s latest bad idea

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Parliament has now agreed to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, many members of the ruling Conservative party want to quit the court that tried to bloc...

The Intelligence: The world’s biggest humanitarian crisis

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ravaged by a civil war, Sudan could see a nationwide famine by August. With humanitarian aid being blocked on both sides, it is increasingly difficult...

The Intelligence: America’s college crackdowns

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Police clashes with protesters at Columbia University have spilled over into other institutions, raising the question of how to protect free speech on...

The Intelligence: AI rest my case

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The companies behind this wonder of tech are facing allegations of using copyrighted material to build their large language models (LLMs). But will th...

The Intelligence: Ready, Aid, Fire

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At a time when Russia has been making significant gains, an allocated $61bn of aid for Ukraine will be felt on the battlefield almost instantly. Will ...

The Intelligence: Iran and Israel’s new era?

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A missile has reportedly struck a site in the Islamic Republic. If this is retaliation for Iran’s most recent attacks, then it is a muted response. ...

Money Talks: Why weight-loss drugs will reshape the world

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

More than 1bn people around the world are obese. That means there should be extraordinary demand for drugs to cure or mitigate the condition. Novo Nor...

The Intelligence: Your country needs you!

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Governments particularly in the rich world are struggling to get young people in uniform. Will some form of conscription become necessary? In America,...

The Intelligence: He said, she fled

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

All over the world, young men are identifying more with the political right, even as women drift more to the left. What is behind the gulf, and how to...

The Intelligence: The most personal choice

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The case for assisted dying is essentially one of individual freedom—and plenty of Britons support a change in the law to permit it. Japan’s Noto ...

The Intelligence: A region holds its breath

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time Iran launched a huge attack on Israel from its own territory, though the effort largely failed. Israel’s response could easily le...

The Intelligence: America’s deeply divided electorate

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We have combined polling data to make a detailed portrait of the American electorate. Have a tinker with our interactive model: plug in their age, sex...

The Intelligence: The race to save Kharkiv

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since the invasion began, Ukraine's second city has suffered a third of all aerial attacks. The latest one has been especially gruelling. A census of ...

The Intelligence: Can Japan and America Trump-proof their alliance?

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The leaders of both countries will meet for dinner at the White House tonight. In light of Asia’s changing geopolitics, defence will certainly be hi...

Drum Tower: Xi’s doomed economic plan

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes was recently in Beijing for the China Development Forum, an annual gathering where senior Chine...

The Intelligence: Bear up

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Russia inflation is under control, wages are on the up and supposedly tough sanctions have been successfully skirted. Why is the pariah economy pro...

The Intelligence: Rwanda’s genocide 30 years on

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 1994 slaughter of hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsis completely reshaped the country. It also produced Africa’s most polarising leader, wh...

The Weekend Intelligence: The man who would lead Palestine

06 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty-two years ago, Palestinian politician-turned-revolutionary Marwan Barghouti was convicted of acts of terrorism and sentenced to spend the rest ...

Checks and Balance: Capitol gains

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While America’s focus has been on the presidential election, the race for Congress is even more volatile. With razor-thin majorities in the House an...

The Intelligence: Argentina turner?

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After more than 100 days in office, President Javier Milei has managed some much-needed economic reforms. But the hit to voters’ pockets may limit h...

The Intelligence: Bombs squad

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The game theory was simpler during a cold war between two states armed to the teeth; the nuclear world order has since become far more complex and dan...

The Intelligence: Naan inflationary growth

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

India is not the first country to leapfrog from poverty-induced undernourishment to also having an obesity crisis—but a number of factors make that ...

The Intelligence: Bibi bumps

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As yet more aid workers die in Gaza and an airstrike levels an Iranian consulate, pressure on Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu mounts. But...

The Intelligence: Surveilling China’s diaspora

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are fears about TikTok, but it’s not the only social media platform that the Chinese state might be using to monitor the rest of the world. Th...

The Intelligence: Life inside a Russian prison

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alexei Navalny was sent to one to die and American journalist Evan Gershkovich is being held in another. Our correspondent reports on the notorious br...

The Intelligence: The fallen crypto king learns his fate

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It has been called one of the biggest financial frauds in American history. After the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, its founder is facing a...

The Intelligence: An aid drop over Gaza

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It is becoming harder to get supplies into the enclave, which is facing a growing risk of famine. As fewer trucks are making it in, more aid is being ...

Drum Tower: Tick tock for TikTok

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On March 13th America’s House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban TikTok nationwide unless its Chinese owner, Bytedance, agrees to sell ...

The Intelligence: when Sall tempted Faye

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bassirou Diomaye Faye was little-known before this election. Despite the incumbent president’s attempts to thwart the process, the anti-establishmen...

The Intelligence: Moscow massacre

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Warnings from the Americans went unheeded, police took too long to respond, and now the Kremlin has found a way to link it to Ukraine. Could this trag...

The Weekend Intelligence: Should I own a gun?

23 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

By the end of this podcast Economist correspondent Tamara Gilkes Borr might own a gun. Recently, Tamara fired a gun for the first time and was shocked...

The Intelligence: Bad Apple?

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The case against the tech giant has been brewing since 2019 and while the smartphone maker is usually well-equipped to bat away regulators, this fight...

Money Talks: Why Amazon should be afraid of Temu

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon started with a plan to disrupt bookselling. It sold cheap books online, delivering them straight to customers’ homes. Three decades later it ...

The Intelligence: Fed reckoning

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America’s central bank left rates untouched, to widespread market delight. Why is this economic cycle confounding expectations so much, and how to b...

The Intelligence: Leave your umbrella at home

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It took more than 20 years for Hong Kong’s legislature to pass Article 23, a sweeping and troublingly ambiguous national-security law. Huge protests...

The Intelligence: The power of positive tinkering

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Bank of Japan has ended its grand experiment in unconventional monetary policy—how did it work, and what happens now that it has concluded? Ahea...

The Intelligence: F is for falling standards

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America is producing more high-school graduates—but on average, they know less. We ask how a push for equity can in reality seed a systemic failing....

Checks and Balance: Growth states

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not long since America was widely thought to be on the brink of recession. Instead the economy expanded by 3% in 2023, and continues to defy ex...

The Intelligence: Russia’s sham election

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Voting begins today in an election that has already been won – all the opposition politicians are dead, in prison or in exile. Vladimir Putin wants ...

The Intelligence: Is time up for TikTok?

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The US Congress is refusing to scroll past the app’s links to China. If the bill they passed becomes law, the video-sharing network will be forced t...

The Intelligence: Russia pushes back on Kharkiv

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The northeastern province has been subject to more and more shelling, and Western officials are worried about Ukraine’s capacity to respond. Could t...

The Intelligence: Europe is not so hot on its green parties

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Melting ski slopes, floods and droughts are enraging the continent’s citizens, but not quite enough for them to consider voting differently. Our cor...

The Intelligence: Kim Jong Un’s fighting talk

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the hermit kingdom is getting ever cosier with Russia, it is becoming bolder in its provocations of conflict with the south. Growing risks of escal...

The Intelligence: Haiti’s latest nightmare

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Despite growing pressure from powerful local gangs, Ariel Henry, the prime minister, is refusing to step down. The state has descended into such a qua...

The Intelligence: Labour’s union

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A steady 20-point lead in the polls suggests that the Labour Party could comfortably win Britain’s next election. How have they managed to gain such...

Babbage: The science that built the AI revolution—part one

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is intelligence? In the middle of the 20th century, the inner workings of the human brain inspired computer scientists to build the first “thin...

The Intelligence: A Super predictable Tuesday

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a result that will surprise few, America is on track to hold a rematch of the 2020 presidential election, with Joe Biden and Donald Trump winning m...

The Intelligence: Modi’s battle for the south

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The richer, more urban region does not just differ economically, but politically too. Can Mr Modi tone down the BJP’s Hindu nationalism and gain tra...

The Intelligence: Pressures for peace

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The international push for a ceasefire in Gaza continues, but the tragedies keep coming; in many ways a resolution still seems as distant as it was ea...

The Weekend Intelligence: Life and fate

02 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A year on from our series Next Year in Moscow, Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, is dead. Hope for the “beautiful Russia ...

The Intelligence: Drug gateway

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A visit to a port of entry at America’s Mexican border reveals the difficulties in stopping the flood of fentanyl—a cheap, potent and ever more de...

Money Talks: Is the West losing its sanctions war?

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's been two years since Russia brought war to Ukraine. America, Britain and the European Union may not have intervened by putting boots on the groun...