The Intelligence from The Economist
The Economist
Get a daily burst of illumination from The Economist’s worldwide network of correspondents. Our reporters dig past the headlines to get to the stories beneath—and to stories that aren’t making headlines, but should be. A unique perspective on the issues and events shaping your world.Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ at http://www.economist.com/podcastsplus-intelligence.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
Mar 2, 2023 • 23min
Losing the threads: Bangladesh
Shifts in the garment industry, which powered development in the country, represent one risk; meagre currency reserves are another. Yet nothing so imperils Bangladesh’s economic miracle as graft and patronage at the highest levels. How does North Korea afford its flashy weapons programme? Crypto scams of eye-watering scope. And the newsmaking history of BBC Monitoring’s radio translators.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Mar 1, 2023 • 25min
The belt buckles up: China’s grand plan slims
The Belt and Road initiative to encircle much of the world with Chinese-funded, Chinese-built infrastructure is growing leaner and more penny-wise. But its ambitions are undimmed. Energy-market turmoil has given a boost to the green transition—a boost that has come with hard truths about the shift’s costs. And a television show about Jesus Christ becomes an unlikely hit.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Feb 28, 2023 • 24min
Let’s remake a deal: Brexit and Northern Ireland (again)
Since Brexit’s earliest days, the trade status of Northern Ireland and its border with the Republic of Ireland have been a perilous sticking point. We examine a deal that might—and should—resolve matters at last. Our correspondent looks at all the plush office space being converted into family homes. And an obituary for the ruined city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Feb 27, 2023 • 28min
Has Obi won, can Obi? Nigeria’s elections
Excitement still surrounds the spoiler candidate Peter Obi, whose down-to-earth ways appeal to a large constituency of fed-up youths. We look at the early returns. A year ago Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, announced a tremendous shift in defence policy and funding; we ask how far the warship has turned since then. And remembering Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite composer.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Feb 24, 2023 • 28min
A year of war: a Ukraine special
After a year of a conflict that was predicted to last just days, we examine the battle lines—seeing an opportunity for Ukraine that may not come around again. We look at the strains on Russian civil society by speaking with self-exiled citizens. And one Ukrainian woman who returned to Kharkiv tells us how the war has changed her.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Feb 23, 2023 • 25min
The prices fight: conflicting views on inflation
Markets seem to think the worst is over; central bankers are not so sure. We ask why determining the trajectory of inflation is so difficult. Millions of refugees have poured out of Ukraine since the war began; their uncertain futures make setting up home tricky—for them and their host countries’ governments. And how technology is transforming the sport of ice fishing.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Feb 22, 2023 • 26min
Fire and grim tone: Putin’s and Biden’s speeches
President Joe Biden’s riposte to the bellicose speech of his counterpart Vladimir Putin was a study in contrast. We examine their views on Ukraine and ask how a lasting peace could be secured. We speak with an exiled Chinese blogger trying to get the truth about that conflict into his homeland. And why the young are leaving Japan to seek greater fortunes abroad.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Feb 21, 2023 • 28min
The air of their ways: South Asia’s crippling pollution
Particulate matter is shortening lives and hobbling economies in the region. We ask how policy changes and international collaboration could mitigate the suffering as the pollution spreads. Our correspondent meets with two Russian men who, fearing being drafted, made a hair-raising journey by dinghy from their homeland’s far east. And why Seventh Day Adventists seem to live longer lives. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Feb 20, 2023 • 24min
What it is in aid of: Syria’s earthquake response
The country’s war-torn north-west has been getting far less aid than it needs in the earthquakes’ aftermath. We investigate the dilemma of lifting long-running international sanctions. Housing prices are slipping across the rich world, but South Korea’s unusual property market makes that slide far more perilous. And what three decades’-worth of data reveal about crafting a pop hit.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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Feb 17, 2023 • 26min
Give fast, spry young: the new philanthropists
Charitable giving is being disrupted by the same youthful tech folk who got rich disrupting other sectors: these days it is fast, data-driven and bureaucracy-light. We meet a new class of investors who trade shares from behind bars. And reflecting on the life of Maya Widmaier-Picasso, who spent her childhood painting alongside her father, becoming an expert on his work.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
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