Shows / The Intelligence from The Economist
The Intelligence from 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…
Episodes
The Intelligence from The EconomistDegrees of separation: universities and covid-19
Many universities were on thin ice financially before the pandemic. Now, with foreign travel slumping and distancing measures the norm, a global reckoning is…
The Intelligence from The EconomistLives v livelihoods: Africa’s covid-19 tradeoffs
As Nigeria tentatively lifts its lockdown today, we examine the decisions African leaders face: pandemic policies may do more harm than the pandemic itself…
The Intelligence from The EconomistNature, or nurtured? A politicised virus-origin hunt
Scientists may soon understand how the new coronavirus got its start; that could help head off future outbreaks. In the meantime, politicians are clouding the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSubmerging markets: developing economies and covid-19
The pandemic is hitting emerging markets particularly hard, and the crisis is likely to widen the gap between the strongest and the weakest among them…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThose who can, teach! The case for reopening schools
The world’s students are falling behind and lockdown is only exacerbating prior disparities in their progress; we examine a compelling back-to-school argument…
The Intelligence from The EconomistFirst, pass the post: Ohio’s vote-by-mail experiment
The state’s all-postal primaries vote could be seen as a trial run for November’s presidential election. Might voting by mail be the least-bad option? The…
The Intelligence from The EconomistEnd transmission: covid-19 in New Zealand
The country is aiming for complete elimination of the coronavirus; so far, so good. But renewed freedom within its borders requires that virtually no one cross…
The Intelligence from The EconomistUnsteady states: America’s piecemeal reopening
Some governors are co-ordinating mutual lockdown plans, others are already reopening their states. That haphazardness bodes ill in the absence of widespread…
The Intelligence from The EconomistRakhine and ruin: insurgency in Myanmar
The Rohingya genocide was just one of many sectarian flashpoints in Rakhine state; now a slick separatist insurgency is getting the better of Myanmar’s army…
The Intelligence from The EconomistHeld in cheque: corporate payouts and covid-19
Even before the pandemic, companies were accused of returning too much money to shareholders. As a recession looms, dividends and share buy-backs should be…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSymbols’ status: arrests in Hong Kong
Authorities have re-ignited tensions by arresting some of the democracy movement’s most prominent figures—and Beijing seems to be piling more pressure on…
The Intelligence from The EconomistRestarting Europe’s engine: Germany’s lockdown lightens
Non-essential businesses are opening; schools soon will be, too. The country’s fortunes are down to a mix of science-minded leadership, functional federalism…
The Intelligence from The EconomistGross domestic plummet: China’s historic contraction
The covid-19 pandemic has caused the country’s first GDP dip in more than four decades. What struggles still lie ahead for the world’s second-largest economy?…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThis sequestered isle: Britain’s covid-19 response
The prime minister is still convalescing; Parliament is still finding ways to meet virtually. Meanwhile questions are growing about how the government has…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe gloves are on: South Koreans vote
Today’s legislative elections in South Korea are the world’s first to take place amid the covid-19 crisis. How have masked campaigners managed, and how are…
The Intelligence from The EconomistDis-Kurti-ous: intrigues in Kosovo
We speak to Albin Kurti, a reformist prime minister, after his ouster—and ask how American officials may have played a role in his downfall. Gloomy forecasts…
The Intelligence from The EconomistOpening arguments: Europe’s cautious restart
This week, some European countries are beginning to switch their economies back on, but leaders face a grim trade-off between economic health and public…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe fascists and the furious: remembering the 43 Group
Many have forgotten that, even after the second world war, a fascist movement held sway in Britain. Our culture editor recounts the tale of the group that…
The Intelligence from The EconomistWhat Viktor’s spoiled: ten years of Orban
Under Hungary’s shape-shifting prime minister the country has essentially become a dictatorship—and it seems there is little the European Union can do about…
The Intelligence from The EconomistMovement at the epicentre: Wuhan’s lockdown lifts
People are spilling from the Chinese metropolis where the global outbreak took hold. But controls actually remain tight, and authorities’ attempts to spin…
The Intelligence from The EconomistStates’ evidence: Brazil’s messy covid-19 response
President Jair Bolsonaro still dismisses the disease as “just the sniffles”, so state and local authorities—and the country’s vast slums—have taken matters…
The Intelligence from The EconomistAn app for that: covid surveillance
To keep track of the spread of covid-19, some governments are turning to digital surveillance, using mobile-phone apps and data networks. We ask whether this…
The Intelligence from The EconomistTrough to peak: how high will American unemployment go?
The coronavirus pandemic has sent America’s mighty jobs machine into screeching reverse. How bad might the labour market get? Covid-19 is just one reason why…
The Intelligence from The EconomistNo port of call: coronavirus may sink the cruise industry
Cruise ships had been enjoying a golden era—until covid-19 came along. The pandemic has been a catastrophe for the industry. Stranded passengers have taken ill…
The Intelligence from The EconomistWishful thinking: America’s offer to Venezuela
The Trump administration makes Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro an offer he seems sure to refuse: an end to sanctions in return for power-sharing and elections. The…
The Intelligence from The EconomistIn need of Comfort: New York's covid-19 crisis
New York is at the centre of America’s—and the world’s—coronavirus crisis. The metropolis has also been caught in a damaging three-way political division…
The Intelligence from The EconomistContainment or complacency? Covid-19 in Japan
Japan has reported a relatively low number of coronavirus cases. But concern is growing. The Olympics have at last been postponed and infections are on the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistLife sentences? Prisons and covid-19
Outbreaks among inmates are all but inevitable. Efforts at prison reform that were already under way will get a boost, because now they will save lives. We…
The Intelligence from The EconomistGoing to townships: covid-19 threatens Africa
Governments across the continent have had a head start, but that will not address some worrying systemic problems many of them share. Ventilators are now a…
The Intelligence from The EconomistFiscal firepower: governments’ covid-19 aid
As American lawmakers reach a deal on the country’s largest-ever rescue package, we examine how planners are balancing the health of their citizens and that of…
The Intelligence from The EconomistTrial, trial again: the race for covid-19 treatments
The world’s scientists are swiftly identifying drugs that may help with the pandemic, and setting out on the long road toward a vaccine. Ethiopia’s prime…
The Intelligence from The EconomistContinental shift: covid-19 grips Europe
The novel coronavirus is spreading around the world, but its grip on Europe is curiously tight; we ask why, and what to expect next. We pay a visit to…
The Intelligence from The EconomistLessons unplanned: school shutdowns spread
Schools are closing down as covid-19 measures take hold; we look into the social, economic and educational costs for a world thrust into distance learning and…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPandemic, meet politics: the US-China spat
Prior tensions have blunted the chances for a co-ordinated response to covid-19—and both countries are fighting a grand ideological battle alongside an…
The Intelligence from The EconomistDrawbridges up: lockdowns and covid-19
Borders are closing; suggestions to stay home are becoming mandates. We examine how the national responses to covid-19 have varied, and how they may be…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSame old song, and Gantz: fresh coalition talks in Israel
He has four weeks to form a government, but Binyamin Netanyahu’s rival Benny Gantz is likely to find that the battle lines from three inconclusive elections…
The Intelligence from The EconomistFlight risk: airlines and covid-19
Travel restrictions that are proliferating worldwide may represent an existential threat to many airlines. How long the pandemic lasts will determine how much…
The Intelligence from The EconomistComing two terms with it: Putin’s power grab
A resetting of the clock on the Russian leader’s tenure will almost certainly pass into law. That sets up a standoff with a public swiftly losing faith in him…
The Intelligence from The EconomistStimulating discussion: policy responses to covid-19
Britain’s central bank made an emergency cut and released a budget with a whopping £30bn ($38bn) stimulus; we discuss what countries are doing, or should be…
The Intelligence from The EconomistHollywood moment: Harvey Weinstein’s sentencing
The disgraced producer’s conviction may seem a clear-cut win for the #MeToo movement, but it’s as yet uncertain just how much will change outside the media…
The Intelligence from The EconomistWhen in Rome...stay put: Italy on lockdown
The unexpected expansion of quarantine measures are a look into the near future of many countries, each facing different social and epidemiological tradeoffs…
The Intelligence from The EconomistA day without women: a vast strike in Mexico
Millions of women will stay home today, protesting against rising levels of violence against them. In the Netherlands, a criminal trial begins in the case of…
The Intelligence from The EconomistNevertheless, she persisted: the futility of restricting abortion
America’s Supreme Court is again tussling with the age-old question of abortion rights. Internationally the picture is very different; abortions are becoming…
The Intelligence from The EconomistTesting times: the world responds to covid-19
Our journalists explore the variance in both policy and preparedness among different countries and regions that are dealing with coronavirus outbreaks—or that…
The Intelligence from The EconomistJoe through a rough patch:Biden’s super Tuesday
The former vice-president stormed a raft of primaries yesterday, setting up a two-horse race to the Democratic nomination. What happens next, though, doesn’t…
The Intelligence from The EconomistCaught in the middle: Idlib’s humanitarian disaster
Turkey sees the fall of Idlib as an existential threat; Russian-backed Syrian forces see the province as the last redoubt of troublesome rebels. Millions are…
The Intelligence from The EconomistEU’ve heard this one before: Brexit trade talks
Once again, Britain’s negotiators are talking tough, threatening a no-deal scenario as a long series of trade talks begins in Brussels. They’ve got a hard job…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPlaying with fire: Democrats may get Bern
Bernie Sanders's rise in the Democratic primaries has echoes of Donald Trump’s road to the Republican nomination. He has already changed the tone of the race…
The Intelligence from The EconomistDelhi melee: India’s citizenship protests
Violence in the country’s capital is the worst in decades. The unrest pits the ruling party’s Hindu-nationalist agenda against citizens proud of India’s…
The Intelligence from The EconomistClash pipe: Canada’s widening protests
Successive governments have overlooked the concerns of indigenous peoples, and that has elevated a small gas-pipeline protest into a national conflagration. We…
The Intelligence from The EconomistMitigating circumstances: coronavirus spreads
Global markets tanked yesterday as governments reported startling rises in covid-19 cases. Our correspondents around the world assess countries' differing…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPeace-meal: ceasefire in Afghanistan
For now, a “reduction in violence” is holding, and a long-awaited agreement hangs in the balance. But can the Taliban and the country’s government engineer a…
The Intelligence from The EconomistClerical era: Iran’s elections
In a bid to unite a fractious populace, hardliners barred half of the parliamentary candidates; by silencing moderates, the plan will suppress turnout and…
The Intelligence from The EconomistUncut emerald: Ireland’s unification prospects
Spurred on by demographic shifts, Brexit and the success of the Sinn Fein party in this month’s election, the once-unthinkable idea of Irish reunification is…
The Intelligence from The EconomistMany hands light of work: China’s 170m migrant workers
Strict controls meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus are affecting many of the country’s villages. Our correspondent visits migrant workers who are…
The Intelligence from The EconomistA friend of mines: America’s explosive policy turn
The Trump administration’s stance on anti-personnel landmines worries many—but also speaks to a future in which the rules of war are uncertain. Britain’s…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe snails of justice: the International Criminal Court
Sudan’s transitional government has pledged to hand over the country’s brutal former leader to the ICC—could justice for the court’s most-wanted man at last…
The Intelligence from The EconomistAnother man’s Treasury: Britain’s cabinet upheaval
The dramatic departure of the head of the Treasury reveals Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s desire—and that of his wily chief aide—to take firm hold of the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistDefence on the defensive: NATO under scrutiny
It’s not just President Donald Trump piling pressure on the alliance. As defence ministers meet in Brussels, we examine one of the longest-lasting defence…
The Intelligence from The EconomistBern turn: New Hampshire’s primary
Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg led the pack in New Hampshire. Two candidates have exited the race, and a potential spoiler is yet to compete. Argentina’s…