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
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Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 2, 2021 • 23min
Repetitive strains: SARS-CoV-2 variants
The coronavirus’s Delta variant accounts for ever more infections; we ask about mutational surprises yet to emerge, and what can be done about them. The ousting of Ethiopia’s army from the Tigray region might precipitate far wider conflict—within the country and far beyond its borders. And ahead of the Fourth of July, we find no good films about the holiday. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Jul 1, 2021 • 23min
Party piece: China’s Communists at 100
Pomp and rhetoric marked the centenary of what are arguably the world’s most successful authoritarians. We sit in on the celebrations, tinged with paranoia; we look back to 1921 and how the party came to be and came to power; and we listen to the party-approved hip-hop that represents a new propaganda push. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Jun 30, 2021 • 20min
No day in court: Jacob Zuma’s jail sentence
South Africa’s embattled former leader will be imprisoned for failing to show up to trial—a sign that, for all the rot in South Africa, its Constitutional Court still has teeth. Our environment editor discusses the scope of heatwaves sweeping the northern hemisphere and cheap ways to lower their death tolls. And how a centuries-old rice dish has become politicised in India.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Jun 29, 2021 • 22min
Bear necessities: learning to handle Russia
As both summitry and military near-misses proliferate, some want measured dialogue while others want markedly tougher talk. Our defence and Russia editors discuss world leaders’ diverging views on handling today’s Russia. South Korea’s new opposition leader is giving voice to many young men who rail against the country’s feminist values. And what lies behind professional footballers’ frequent, flashy haircuts.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceofferRuntime: 21min
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Jun 28, 2021 • 21min
Third time’s the harm: Africa’s crippling covid-19 wave
Hopes that the continent had escaped the worst of the pandemic have proved too hasty; our correspondent describes a slow-rolling tragedy with little hope of respite. Reading scores in America are shockingly low; many blame how the skill is taught. We examine one state’s experiment with a method known to work better. And how smartphones are changing the film industry. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Jun 25, 2021 • 22min
Iraq to its foundations: a chance to remake the state
With elections looming, there is an opportunity to remake a state ravaged by war and riven by power struggles. We ask how to take Iraq out of a hard place. Fires are raging again in the American West; a “megadrought” in the region may shape its future development. And the 175th anniversary of a foundational free-trade battle.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Jun 24, 2021 • 22min
Bench marks: weighing recent SCOTUS rulings
The court’s term is not quite over, with contentious rulings still pending. We examine the latest decisions to gauge how its new conservative justices have affected its ideological bent. As a former Mauritanian president heads to jail we examine the country’s efforts to tackle corruption and bridge deep societal divides. And the long philosophical reach of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s only book.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Jun 23, 2021 • 19min
Hunger strikes: North Korea’s food shortages
An admission that the country’s food situation is “tense” is a rare glimpse into the compounding effects of pandemic policies and crop failures. Adherents of wild conspiracy theories in America tend to be white, and often evangelical. But Hispanic Americans are getting conspiracy-curious too. And the moonshine that’s made from an Indian flower with a deep history.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Jun 22, 2021 • 22min
Drop it when it’s hot: the Fed’s consequential hint
The merest mention of future interest-rate rises from America’s central bank sent markets into a tizzy. We consider the merits and the effects of signalling early and often. Europe’s drug use dipped when the pandemic began, but soon rebounded; we examine the rising potency of the continent’s drugs and drug syndicates. And data reveal what makes work-from-home productivity so low.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Jun 21, 2021 • 21min
A vote with no confidence: Ethiopia’s untimely election
The northern region of Tigray, consumed by war and facing famine, will not vote today. It is all a far cry from what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed once promised. Italy has piles of cash and a new ministry to guide it through a green revolution; we examine its plans and its challenges. And a rare conservation success off Australia’s coast.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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