Working through it: the AI jobs boom dawns
The labour data are in from America and a trend is becoming clearer: on balance AI is starting to create more jobs than it hoovers up. Despite advancements…
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Economist Podcasts
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The Economist
Every weekday our global network of correspondents makes sense of the stories beneath the headlines. We bring you surprising trends and tales from around the world, current affairs, business and finance — as well as science and technology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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50 Episodes
Latest Episodes
TRAILER: Shire folk
Shire Folk is the story of how some of the most powerful people in America came to see Britain—and Islam—through the eyes of a fringe football hooligan. Hosted…
Chainsaw sputtering: Milei’s experiment falters
President Javier Milei has tamed inflation and improved the lot of many Argentines. But an election season approaches, and the promised economic and wage growth are not materialising.…
School of shock: teenagers get dimmer
International tests in maths and reading show that 15-year-olds today score what 14-year-olds would have done a decade ago. Our correspondent explains the long-term decline. Is Miami’s thriving…
All right on the night: AfD’s victory
Alternative for Germany won an even larger share of the vote than expected in yesterday’s state election. What does the far-right nationalist party’s success mean for Germany and…
Bargaining chips: Nvidia is the bank of AI
Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, has shifted strategy to boost demand for its chips. Our correspondent assesses the opportunities and risks. Knife crime in Britain moves to…
Ire and ICE: the toll of America’s deportations
Donald Trump’s stance on immigration helped him win the presidency. Our correspondent asks if a backlash against the campaign could damage Republican midterm prospects. Reddit is struggling in…
Right in front: AfD could win German state
On Sunday, Alternative for Germany could become the first far-right nationalist party to win a state election since the end of the second world war. Is Britain right…
After the flood: Nepal’s ongoing rescue
After the devastating flash flood last week, our correspondent explains why the country is so ill-equipped to deal with the crisis. Does AI stop children from learning? And…
Stars in their AIs: tech is changing Hollywood
Behind the scenes, Artificial Intelligence is playing a growing role in every aspect of film-making, from script-writing and production-planning to shot-generation and editing. As the number of people…
Bots on the ground: China leads humanoid race
Our correspondent goes inside a Chinese robot facility to see thousands of droids being taught to complete useful tasks. Is it worth the time and money? How Meta’s…
Big shot: does a cancer vaccine work?
Personalised vaccines could offer a breakthrough in the fight against cancer. Our correspondent analyses the latest trial. Canada’s oil market is flourishing, despite the trade war. And, why…
Slip the surly bonds? Scott Bessent goes on a yield trip
Amid record-tickling yields, the bond markets are now trying to make sense of what Scott Bessent, America’s Treasury secretary, has announced—a move that might put him on a…
Even-more-maximum pressure: sanctions on Iran
After much hullabaloo America announced its “Operation Economic Outcast”, a new tranche of sanctions. It is thin gruel, and might in fact invite military reprisals from Iran. Call…
Elbows up, again: a US-Canada trade flare-up
Promising trade talks imploded after a literal 11th-hour change from the American side. We examine the new trade barriers being erected, and the complex calculation for Prime Minister…
I, robot? AI and consciousness
The rise of generative AI has put new urgency into ancient questions. What is consciousness, and can machines ever have it? We dive into the data that reveal…
An interview with Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari is a big-ideas guy. Known for penning tomes that tackle broad sweeps of history, the historian-cum-philosopher has now turned his attention to AI. He joins…
Bombs and bombshells: Zelensky under pressure
From anti-corruption probes to a disgruntled ex-minister calling for elections to disrupted grain shipments, headaches are mounting for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. China has until now coped with…
Wake-up haul: an Ozempic moment for the brain
Orexins are peptides involved in the body’s sleep-wake system—and are big pharma’s next big thing. Like multi-purpose GLPs, they may have far more uses than just regulating shuteye.…
Settler bet: a West Bank flashpoint
Israeli settlers have been clashing more and more with Palestinians in the West Bank, often with government backing. We examine the forces at play in what could soon…
It’s not easy being Green: Zack Polanski
To critics, the Green Party leader is dangerous, even a con man. To fans, he is a national saviour-in-waiting. Our correspondent meets him to see what is behind…
Afghanistan, five years on: our correspondent visits
Five years after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban show little sign of moderation. Our correspondent reports from the country on what life is like for ordinary…
Caracas under pressure: democracy in Venezuela
After American troops snatched Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a dawn raid in January, democracy did not seem like a priority. Yet this week, talks between the regime…
Pump and circumstance: is China the new OPEC?
The Iran war triggered the largest supply shock in the history of petroleum, yet prices never rose as high as feared. Our correspondent explains how action taken by…
Spring, then fall: a weakened Muslim Brotherhood
The Muslim Brotherhood won power and influence in the Arab Spring of 2011. Now autocrats are resurgent and its leaders are in jail or exile. Elon Musk says…
Under strAIn: breaking the British state
Britons are turning to artificial intelligence to file objections to state institutions, and claim their dues. The resulting deluge of complaints and demands may overwhelm bureaucracies. Should Catholic…
Outsider chance: ending Sudan’s proxy war
We look at the peace that has settled over Khartoum, the ruined capital. War rages on elsewhere, and a slim chance at a settlement rests largely with the…
Socialist mobility: a telling Michigan vote
We examine one of America’s primary races, in which a sharply lefty candidate beat the establishment figure. What does that reveal about changes in the Democratic Party? For…
Taking the shine off: albedo and global temperatures
Fewer clouds, shrinking ice caps, changing pollutants: all result in less of the sun’s energy being reflected back into space. Which is more bad news for a changing…
In arms’ way: Gaza-deal sticking points
President Donald Trump’s claim that Hamas had agreed to disarm in Gaza was, at best, premature. We examine the sticking points of a lasting deal. New-business applications are…
Taken littorally: Spain’s sudden crisis in Ceuta
The deadly rush of migrants into the Spanish exclave has deep roots in a wider North African conflict—and implications for a far wider European fight about immigration. Our…
Omission accomplished: why the Iran-war cycle spins on
From impasse in Iran to still-unresolved conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, a trend is clear: President Donald Trump’s scant, early plans for peace do not actually forge a…
Working memory: the surprising decline of dementia
A dive into the data reveals that, despite dire past predictions, the prevalence of dementia is actually waning. We take a look at Pix, a beloved Brazilian digital-payments…
Brave New whirl: Turkey’s opposition overhaul
An ousted former opposition leader started a new party—called the New Party. We assess its chances at the ballot box, and under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s thumb. A…
Burning questions: a more fire-prone world
Wildfires in France and Spain are only growing worse by the day. We examine what can be done as a future of more fires, and worse ones, becomes…
Cockroaches 1, Modi 0: India’s remarkable protests
The resignation of India’s education minister was a stunning capitulation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The Cockroach Janta Party, a fast-growing youth movement, has the upper hand…
The Elon game: Musk’s vision of the future
After Elon Musk’s first extended interview since SpaceX’s blockbuster IPO, The Economist editor-in-chief reflects on what he told her: that AIs will be in charge in ten years,…
An interview with Elon Musk
Elon Musk may be the most powerful man in the world. For his first extended interview since SpaceX’s blockbuster IPO, he sits down with Zanny Minton Beddoes, The…
For bucks’ sake: the rise of self-made billionaires
Many people, including politicians, love to hate the super-rich, and assume they have gamed the system. Yet our correspondent reports that a growing share of today’s wealthiest earned…
Kyiv brawl: Ukraine’s top general fired
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has fired the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Oleksandr Syrsky. That follows days of protests at his sacking of the defence minister. Our correspondent…
Hard cedar: Lebanon seeks Trump’s help
Today, Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun visits the White House to ask for Donald Trump’s help rebuilding the country. Our correspondent reports from his recent trip to Lebanon on…
A firm Andy: what are new British PM’s plans?
Andy Burnham faces tough challenges as Britain’s new prime minister, both within his party and the country at large. Our correspondent analyses his prospects. After years of strife,…
You’ve come a long way, Bibi: Israel’s crucial election
Binyamin Netanyahu’s government will, unusually, serve out its full term. What comes after October’s election will decide what kind of Israel will emerge. Our correspondent asks whether the…
In it to bin it: Nigel Farage v Count Binface
We take a peek into a quirk of British politics as the country’s populist-right polling leader goes up against a man who wears a bin on his head.…
Strait and narrowing: the Iran deal crumbles
The sketch of a deal to end the war is all but dead; oil is up as strikes rain down. We look at the options available to America—all…
The case of the missing totem: Aung San Suu Kyi
Myanmar’s jailed leader has not been seen since 2022. We ask if she is in fact alive, and what might happen if the military junta acceded to demands…
A hawk who flew on political winds: Lindsey Graham
The longtime South Carolina senator died suddenly at the weekend. His political arc mirrored that of his Republican party in the Trump era. We ask what his death…
Putin’s options: an oligarch speaks out
This week Andrey Melnichenko, Russia’s biggest industrialist, warns in The Economist that disaster is looming for his country as the war in Ukraine continues. What does it mean…
Peace fire: further US-Iran strikes
As America hit 90 targets in a second day of attacks on Iran, the fragile truce is in jeopardy. Our correspondent explains how power shifts within Iran may…
Marine warfare: Le Pen runs for president
Last night, the populist-right leader announced that she will run in the French presidential election next year. Our correspondent analyses the Le Pen dynasty and explains how this…