This episode of The Bottleneck Podcast discusses the toxic nature of modern politics. Economist Nicholas Gruen joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to explain why debating now feels like a never-ending battle, where the centre ground gets drowned out by the most extreme voices and most people are trying to win arguments rather than solve problems.

They also explore why everyday communities often handle difference better than the internet does, and why GDP is a weak guide to how well a country is really doing. Education and housing, they argue, have increasingly become status bottlenecks rather than engines of shared progress, leaving us spending more without necessarily living better.

Follow Rory:

Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips

Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips

X: @rorysutherland

Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/

Follow Elfried:

Instagram: elfriedsamba

Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/

https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/

Follow Nick:

LinkedIn: in/nicholas-gruen-783354a

X: @NGruen1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NicholasGruen

A @Sassy+ original podcast series

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