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The Intelligence from The Economist
The Economist
Join Jason Palmer and Rosie Blau for noise-cancelling news and analysis from The Economist's global network of correspondents. Every weekday this award-winning podcast picks three stories shaping your world—the big shifts in politics, business and culture, plus things you never knew you needed to know. On Saturdays, download The Weekend Intelligence to dive deep into a single story, vividly told. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription.For more information about Economist Podcasts+, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page at https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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What funds we’ll have: green venture capital
Nov 24, 202022 min<p>The boom-and-bust of environmental-technology investing has settled out, and money is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/29/climate-conscious-venture-capitalists-are-back?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flooding in</a>—both individual and institutional. We examine the green fields that lie ahead. Many Arab countries have long been suffering an <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/21/much-of-the-arab-world-is-short-of-doctors?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">exodus</a> of medical professionals—a problem only magnified by the pandemic. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2020/11/21/jonathan-sacks-died-on-november-7th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a reflection</a> on the life of Jonathan Sacks, a tirelessly unifying British rabbi. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Playing his Trump cards: Biden’s China policy
Nov 23, 202022 min<p>The tone of America’s president-elect on China changed markedly through the campaign; his policies, at least at the outset, <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/11/19/joe-bidens-china-policy-will-be-a-mix-of-trumps-and-obamas?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may differ little</a> from those of his predecessor. We examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/11/21/a-lack-of-data-on-race-hampers-efforts-to-tackle-inequalities?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stark racial disparities</a> in covid-19 outcomes around the world. And the clever use of a waste product to make <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/14/better-disposable-coffee-cups?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a better takeaway coffee cup</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Undercut a deal: the threat to Afghan peace
Nov 20, 202020 min<p>Peace talks continue in Doha but on the ground the Taliban are consolidating control. America’s rush to withdraw its forces could <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/11/21/donald-trump-risks-handing-afghanistan-to-the-taliban?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">undo</a> the good work of getting them to the negotiating table. As DoorDash heads to a public listing, we look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/21/doordash-is-a-dish-served-piping-hot-will-it-cool?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rapidly shifting fortunes</a> of the food-delivery business. And why golf has <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/11/21/how-new-swing-techniques-are-revolutionising-golf?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a long-shot problem</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Quit it cold, Turkey: policy tightens at last
Nov 19, 202021 min<p>Now that the economic reins have been taken back from the president’s son-in-law, the country is making <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2020/11/14/will-turkeys-new-economic-officials-win-over-investors?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the right policy noises</a>—and just in time. China’s anti-poverty drive is not disinterested charity; it is about <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/09/19/chinas-anti-poverty-drive-is-not-disinterested-charity?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">transforming citizens’ thoughts</a>. And chronicling Pepe the Frog’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2020/10/26/the-transmogrification-of-pepe-the-frog?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">descent</a> into alt-right memedom.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Concession stand: Trump’s intransigence
Nov 18, 202021 min<p>America’s outgoing president is sticking with <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/14/the-republican-party-and-donald-trumps-alternative-election-fantasy?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an insidious fiction</a>, lashing out at those who deny it. That frustrates a stable handover of power—and will cost lives. Egypt has a long-standing problem with sexual harassment and abuse. A reckoning <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/14/egyptian-women-speak-up-about-sex-crimes?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">has begun</a> this year, revealing some deeply conservative views among both men and women. And why streaming-era television programmes have got <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/11/11/never-ending-story-why-do-todays-tv-shows-go-on-and-on?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so long</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Out on a LegCo: Hong Kong under pressure
Nov 17, 202022 min<p>Following a purge based on a harsh new security law, the territory’s Legislative Council lacks a single opposition voice. That will make the work of pro-Beijing lawmakers easier. As promising vaccines start to emerge, we examine the role of so-called T-cells in granting <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/07/the-t-cell-immune-response-to-covid-lasts-at-least-six-months?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">long-lasting immunity</a> to the coronavirus. And why employers are relying more and more on <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/05/questionable-behaviour?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">psychometric tests</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Disrupter, disrupted: Britain’s government
Nov 16, 202021 min<p>The chief aide to the prime minister had been a driving force in policy but a dividing force in government. What will happen now that he has <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/11/13/dominic-cummings-boris-johnsons-chief-aide-stands-down?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stood down</a>? We examine how Canada’s response to the pandemic has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/11/05/jobs-are-coming-back-in-canada-thanks-to-subsidies?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shielded its economy</a>—so far. And lockdowns bring <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/14/stockpiling-pasta-boosts-italys-foodmakers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the market for pasta</a> to a rolling boil.&nbsp;</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Going to cede: Armenia and Azerbaijan
Nov 13, 202022 min<p>The longest-running conflict in the Caucasus could well be over. We examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/10/armenia-and-azerbaijan-end-a-30-year-conflict-with-a-tense-peace-deal?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a peace deal</a> that benefits outside powers and chips away at regional identities. The hipster aesthetic long ago permeated rich countries; our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/11/07/even-as-traditional-globalisation-has-slowed-a-new-kind-has-sped-up?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">finds it creeping</a> even into impoverished and war-torn corners of the world. And reflecting on the life of James Randi, a <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2020/11/14/james-randi-died-on-october-20th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tireless debunker</a> of charlatans.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Sahel of a mess: France’s impossible peacekeeping mission
Nov 12, 202023 minJihadism is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/15/malis-civilian-government-has-rather-a-lot-of-soldiers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">growing</a> in a continent-wide strip of Africa, and the riskiest operations to contain it fall to French troops. Our correspondent witnesses a fraught and seemingly endless mission. Peru has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/11/10/perus-congress-topples-martin-vizcarra-on-its-second-attempt?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ousted</a> yet another president, at a woeful time: the pandemic is raging, the economy cratering and politics fracturing. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/07/a-proposal-to-water-down-swedens-state-monopoly-on-booze?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">movement</a> to water down Sweden’s state monopoly on booze. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
We’ll again have Paris: Biden’s ambitious climate plans
Nov 11, 202022 minPresident-elect Joe Biden’s campaign had the environment front and centre. We analyse <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/09/19/global-warming-and-the-presidential-election?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his pledges</a>—and his prospects for implementing them. As the video-gaming industry releases its <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/07/playstation-5-v-xbox-series-x?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">next round of consoles</a>, it is eyeing a far larger prize: high-end gaming with no console at all. And the red poppy of Remembrance Day turns into something of <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/11/05/competitive-remembrance-day-celebrations?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an armistice race</a> in Britain. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Nine out of ten, doctors say: a promising coronavirus vaccine
Nov 10, 202020 minA vaccine claimed to be 90% effective represents <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/09/pfizers-and-biontechs-vaccine-is-the-start-of-the-end-of-the-pandemic?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an enormous achievement</a>. We discuss what questions remain and the regulatory and distribution challenges ahead. A string of <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/05/democracy-is-faltering-in-tanzania-and-ivory-coast?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recent African elections</a> reveals strongmen bending democracy to stay in office; will upcoming polls break it altogether? And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/22/indian-stoners-face-a-moral-crusade?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">moral crusade</a> in India doesn’t fit the country’s chill relationship with weed. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Brought to heal: Biden’s chance to unite America
Nov 9, 202023 min<p>President Donald Trump will go, but Trumpism will remain. Our editor-in-chief considers how President-elect Biden can <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/08/joe-biden-and-the-new-art-of-world-leadership?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">repair</a> the divided country he will inherit. Denmark aims to cull 17m mink that could represent a reservoir of a mutated coronavirus—why didn’t it do so when <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/09/05/covid-19-ends-dutch-mink-farming?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">other countries did</a>? And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/11/05/whats-bigger-than-k-pop?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">old-timey Korean music</a> that might just challenge K-pop.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Abiy damned: Ethiopia’s looming civil war
Nov 6, 202022 min<p>Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has taken <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/04/ethiopia-lurches-towards-civil-war?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drastic steps</a> to quieten a state stacked with trained militias. The conflict could draw in more states—or the whole of the Horn of Africa. China’s increasing push for self-reliance in a globalised economy has its complications—made clear by a vast influx of precision-bred <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/29/high-tech-chickens-are-a-case-study-of-why-self-reliance-is-so-hard?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">super-chickens</a>. And the macabre tale of books <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/55b815e096cacb06e3e556d22e8d106c?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bound with human skin</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
The lawyers of diminishing returns: America’s election
Nov 5, 202020 minAs President Donald Trump’s re-election path <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/04/joe-bidens-recovery-in-the-midwest-brings-him-closer-to-victory?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slims</a>, his pledges to fight the results in court are multiplying. We look at the cases that may eventually decide the election. Global crises tend to affect birth rates, and covid-19 is no different—but <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/28/the-pandemic-may-be-leading-to-fewer-babies-in-rich-countries?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the effects</a> are not evenly spread. And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/29/how-hotels-are-trying-to-attract-remote-workers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suite alternative</a> for business types tired of working from home. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Tally forth: America’s elections
Nov 4, 202022 minThe outcome remains unclear as vote-counting continues. We look at some of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/04/donald-trump-does-better-than-predicted-but-joe-biden-has-a-slight-edge?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">surprise results</a>, ask what happens next and examine how <em>The Economist</em>’s <a href="https://projects.economist.com/us-2020-forecast/president?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">election forecast</a> has held up. And we tag along with our American correspondents for the thrill of election-night reporting.The latest results are here <a href="http://www.economist.com/us2020results" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/us2020results</a>; for full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Poles’ position: an abortion-law backlash
Nov 3, 202022 minPoland already had some of the strictest laws on terminations, but the ruling party’s bid to tighten them further has sparked <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/31/polands-abortion-rules-are-now-among-the-strictest-in-any-rich-country?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">national outrage</a>. We lay out what to expect on election night in America—the denouement will not be simple, and is <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/02/biden-or-trump-americans-may-have-to-wait-days-to-know-who-won?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unlikely to be quick</a>. And a historical look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/10/20/movie-night-at-the-white-house-a-century-of-screenings-decoded?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">films</a> screened in the White House’s private cinema. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Lock step: England to shut down, again
Nov 2, 202021 min<p>Prime Minister Boris Johnson all but ruled out a second lockdown, but his hand has been forced by England’s caseload. What are the political costs of his U-turn? Myanmar’s coming election will almost certainly be marred by <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/22/in-myanmar-facebook-struggles-with-a-deluge-of-disinformation?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">disinformation on Facebook</a>—principally because so many Burmese people get their only news there. And examining the current <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/10/15/political-biographies-are-dislodging-celebrity-books?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">glut of political biographies</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Net losses: plunder of the oceans
Oct 30, 202021 minThe staggering extent of illegal fishing, and its human and environmental costs, are only just becoming clear. We ask how to put a shadowy industry <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/22/illicit-fishing-devastates-the-seas-and-abuses-crews?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on a more even keel</a>. The old guard likes to mock millennial investors, but they’re <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/24/in-defence-of-millennial-investors?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changing finance</a>, possibly for the better. And as Berlin’s shiny new airport opens we ask: why is it <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/17/berlins-long-delayed-airport-is-finally-opening?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nine years late</a>? For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
What Xi said: China’s five-year plan
Oct 29, 202022 min<p>The party’s Fifth Plenum sets out a five-year vision; we mine the plan for clues about how China views itself in the world—and how long Xi Jinping <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/31/chinas-most-senior-officials-endorse-economic-plans-for-years-ahead?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">intends to lead</a>. The pandemic has the rich world <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/10/covid-19-is-helping-wealthy-countries-talk-about-death?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thinking and talking about death</a> in a way not seen since the second world war. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/31/singapores-government-helps-old-food-hawkers-but-not-young-ones?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an uncertain future</a> for Singapore’s famed street-food hawkers.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Stumbling bloc: Europe’s second wave
Oct 28, 202019 min<p>Across the continent, covid-19 cases are rising steeply and containment measures are <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/22/a-second-wave-of-covid-19-sends-much-of-europe-back-into-lockdown?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">still divergent</a>. We look at the challenges of finding policies that are efficacious and sustainable. Tanzania’s election today is all but zipped up; President John Magufuli has been <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/22/president-magufuli-is-likely-to-win-an-unfair-vote-in-tanzania?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trampling</a> the country’s hard-won democratic traditions. And what the florid language of wine experts <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/10/17/does-naming-a-thing-help-you-understand-it?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">says</a> about human perception.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Chagrin, and Barrett: America’s Supreme Court
Oct 27, 202022 minAmy Coney Barrett’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/10/26/amy-coney-barrett-is-set-to-transform-americas-supreme-court?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">confirmation</a> marks the first time since the 1930s the court has leaned so conservative, and has stoked another partisan battle that may further reshape the court. Following the announcement of <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/26/there-is-now-cast-iron-evidence-for-water-on-the-moon?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">water on the Moon</a>, we look at a looming, broader battle: who will own the water rights? And why Australia’s aboriginal flag is <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/17/a-copyright-dispute-ensnares-the-aboriginal-flag?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flying less and less</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Coming write-up: Chile votes to overhaul its constitution
Oct 26, 202022 min<p>The country has roundly rejected its dictatorship-era charter and mapped out how to fashion a new one. What do Chileans <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/10/22/chiles-momentous-referendum-on-its-constitution?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stand to gain</a>—and to lose? Rising populations of the elderly in the world’s prisons are creating <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/09/07/the-pandemic-is-boosting-efforts-to-get-the-old-out-of-prison?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deepening problems</a>, both for jailers and the jailed. And we explore <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2020/10/24/can-too-many-brainy-people-be-a-dangerous-thing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a theory</a> that blames political chaos on too many would-be elites.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Civil proceedings: America's presidential debate
Oct 23, 202021 minAmerica’s final presidential debate had <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/10/23/donald-trump-and-joe-biden-press-their-mute-buttons?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">less noise and more substance</a>. But polls seem immovable and nearly 50m Americans have already voted; will the race change? South Korea’s population-boosting efforts have failed, so it is <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/17/south-korea-wants-mothers-to-work-to-bolster-the-labour-force?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">encouraging more women</a> into the workforce—and that will redress some long-standing inequalities. And crunching 70 years’ worth of Formula 1 data to find <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/10/17/engineers-not-racers-are-the-true-drivers-of-success-in-motor-sport?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the sport’s true greatest</a>.&nbsp;For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Pandemic power-grabs: autocrats’ covid opportunism
Oct 22, 202021 minAs it has with so many other trends, the pandemic has <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/17/the-pandemic-has-eroded-democracy-and-respect-for-human-rights?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hastened the decline</a> of democracy and human rights; covid-19 provides autocrats with perfect cover. The plummeting price for the cobalt that powers electronics has <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/17/in-congo-the-little-guys-are-jailed-for-stealing-minerals?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">upended lives</a> and driven crime in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/17/does-sound-like-light-have-a-maximum-speed?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how physicists found</a> an upper bound for the speed of sound. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Secular-stand nation: terror in France
Oct 21, 202022 min<p>The brutal murder of a schoolteacher comes amid warnings of mounting Islamism in the country. The attack <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/18/the-beheading-of-a-teacher-will-harden-frances-belief-in-secularism?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">will only harden</a> resolve for a secular society. Alexei Navalny, Russia’s opposition leader, <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/17/an-interview-with-alexei-navalny-assassination-survivor?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">speaks with our correspondent</a> about the attempt on his life; it signals, he says, a regime in decline. And data <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/10/10/faith-in-government-declines-when-mobile-internet-arrives?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveal</a> how the arrival of mobile internet erodes faith in governments.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
The persecution of a people: China’s repression of the Uyghurs
Oct 20, 202022 min<p>Reporting by <em>The Economist</em> reveals deepening efforts by Chinese authorities not just to imprison the Muslim-minority people but also <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/17/the-persecution-of-the-uyghurs-is-a-crime-against-humanity?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to reduce their number</a>, to wipe out their culture and <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/10/15/if-i-speak-out-they-will-torture-my-family-voices-of-uyghurs-in-exile?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to hound them</a> wherever in the world they may go. Yet a visit to Yunnan province reveals that the party’s hostility to ethnic minorities <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/10/pictographs-survive-in-a-chinese-tourist-town?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">is not absolute</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Loved Labour’s won: landslide in New Zealand
Oct 19, 202021 minAfter a term spent steering the country through crises, Jacinda Ardern has led her Labour party to <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/17/jacinda-arderns-quiet-competence-triumphs-in-new-zealand?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a thumping victory</a>; what will they do with their historic majority? Far from taking on water as the pandemic progresses, the shipping industry is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/10/how-covid-19-put-wind-in-shipping-companies-sails?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">steaming ahead</a>. And as museums sell off parts of their collections, we consider art’s value beyond the dollar signs. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Más MAS? Bolivia’s election
Oct 16, 202022 min<p>After last year’s vote was marred by fraud allegations, <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/10/15/fresh-elections-and-perhaps-a-fresh-start-for-bolivia?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the electorate is split</a> ahead of Sunday’s poll: will the country return the socialist MAS party of exiled leader Evo Morales to power? A private tutor to the rich and anxious <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/10/09/first-class-flights-chauffeurs-and-bribery-the-secret-life-of-a-private-tutor?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveals the costs</a>—to students and tutors—of heightened academic pressure. And a new book yields a <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/10/10/for-he-will-consider-jeoffry-the-poets-cat?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cat’s-eye view</a> of 18th-century London.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
A close-it call: Nigeria’s uprising
Oct 15, 202022 min<p>Angry protests following an alleged police killing continue, even after a hated police unit was shuttered. That exposes far-deeper discontent. Banks’ earnings this week show that belt-tightening earlier in the year has held them in good stead. What to do with the growing cash-pile? And misguided infrastructure plans have many Egyptians in a roads rage.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Scared strait: Taiwan
Oct 14, 202023 min<p>Rhetoric and sabre-rattling from mainland China are rapidly ramping up; we examine the risk of an invasion that would have <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/10/defending-taiwan-is-growing-costlier-and-deadlier?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">global consequences</a>. A decision by World Rugby to ban trans women from the women’s game <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/09/a-ban-by-world-rugby-could-prove-influential-for-transgender-sports?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stokes</a> a notoriously ill-tempered debate. And listening to <a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2020/10/01/making-music-from-the-sounds-of-endangered-british-birds?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an album</a> built entirely from the songs of endangered British birds.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
