Trumponomics

Covid-19 has upended economies across the globe. In the fourth season of Stephanomics, we’ll be taking a closer look at the fragile path to recovery and which nations are doing better than others.This first podcast of the new season is brought to you by the letter K, or more precisely the K-shaped recovery which sees parts of the U.S. economy bouncing back while others still suffer. We start in Cleveland, where Bloomberg senior reporter Shawn Donnan tells us about two houses that illustrate how the pandemic is both reinforcing and widening America’s inequalities. Host Stephanie Flanders also talks with Director of the London School of Economics Minouche Shafik about the unequal economic impact of the pandemic, and what policymakers should be doing to help. Flanders also speaks with Bloomberg economy editor James Mayger in China, where after months of staying home, almost half a billion people are displaying confidence in the country’s rebound and finally taking a vacation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andy Browne, editorial director for the Bloomberg New Economy, talks to Jonathan Hillman, author of the book The Emperor’s New Road: China and the Project of the Century.That project, of course, is the Belt and Road Initiative: the grand strategy of president Xi Jinping who has made it his foreign policy signature. But what is it exactly? An imperial effort, certainly. But according to Jonathan not a very organized one. And one that could repeat the mistakes of past empires.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the first global consumer companies to feel the impact of Covid-19 was the beer giant AB InBev, whose brands include Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois. AB InBev operates a brewery in Whuan China where the pandemic began and which was the worlds first city to go into lockdown.But as life returns to normal in Wuhan and cities all over the world, beer is flowing again in record quantities. In this interview, Andy Browne talks to AB InBevs CEO Carlos Brito about this turnaround in fortunes and how Brito ultimately sees us bounce back from this temporary isolation in celebration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before the pandemic, relations between the U.S. and China were already at rock bottom. Since then, they've gotten even worse, with both sides trading blame for the Covid-19 outbreak, spinning conspiracy theories and abandoning cooperation on all fronts. To discuss what this all means for the Covid economy,Andy Browne caught up with two Wall Street Journal reporters, Lingling Wei and Bob Davis, to talk about their new book, Superpower Showdown: How the Battle Between Trump and Xi Threatens a New Cold War.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this bonus episode, Andy Browne, the editorial Director of the Bloomberg New Economy, talks to Brian Chesky, chief executive of Airbnb.A few months ago, the company laid off a quarter of its staff. But since then, the business has since staged a remarkable comeback — and now Airbnb is said to be planning an IPO. Andy and Brian discuss the future of travel, and what a new nomadic workforce might mean for the home rental business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The novel coronavirus has reshaped the global economy, shifting the attitudes of governments, central bankers and consumers alike. It has changed how we work—if we work—and altered monetary and fiscal policy around the globe.As this tumultuous season of Stephanomics draws to a close, host Stephanie Flanders speaks with two leading economists about what they’ve learned from the crisis so far. Stephen King, senior economic adviser at HSBC, and Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, share their thoughts on how their profession has reacted to the pandemic, what uncertainty means for businesses and markets, and the generational implications of closing down economies to protect the most vulnerable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The killers of Berta Caceres had every reason to believe they’d get away with murder. More than 100 other environmental activists in Honduras had been killed in the previous five years, yet almost no one had been punished for the crimes. Bloomberg’s Blood River follows a four-year quest to find her killers – a twisting trail that leads into the country’s circles of power.Blood River premieres on July 27.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Great things can rise from the ashes of failed companies, so governments shouldn’t rescue firms that would otherwise go bust. That’s the thinking behind so-called creative destruction, but amid the unprecedented shock of the pandemic, does this economic theory apply, or is it too risky? On this week’s episode, Stephanie Flanders talks to Bloomberg Federal Reserve reporter Rich Miller and Eurozone economist Maeva Cousin about the contrasting economic policy approaches taken by the U.S. and Europe. The pandemic has also thrown up new challenges for gender equality, with women more likely to suffer financially, especially in hard-hit sectors like tourism and hospitality. Bloomberg economy reporter Yuko Takeo reports how the crisis is another obstacle for Japanese women fighting for greater representation in the workplace, and more power in the world’s third largest economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wuhan will forever be known as the place where Covid-19 and lockdowns began. But the Chinese city also might be the best place to learn how to restart the global economy. On this week’s episode, Stephanie Flanders talks to Sharon Chen, Bloomberg’s Beijing bureau chief, about the lessons we can learn from Wuhan’s efforts to get life—and business—back on track, and why it pays to be in the instant noodle business right now.Flanders also speaks with Bloomberg Economics’ Tom Orlik about his new book, “China: The Bubble that Never Pops.” From the financial system to real estate and banking, Western commentators always seem to be waiting for the world’s second-largest economy to blow up. So why hasn’t that happened yet? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19’s fracturing of supply chains has left businesses and governments questioning the prudence of networks that crisscross the planet. Pandemic recovery plans talk of developing “strategic autonomy” in key sectors, and suggest that executives should bring production closer to home. But on the ground, companies say it’s not so easy. Host Stephanie Flanders hears from Frankfurt-based Bloomberg reporter Piotr Skolimowski and a German pharmaceutical executive about why it’s so hard for Europe to extract itself from Chinese supply chains. She also speaks with World Trade Organization Chief Economist Robert Koopman and Renaissance Capital’s Global Chief Economist Charles Robertson on the future of global trade and investment. They discuss what trade might look like in a post-coronavirus world, whether so-called reshoring is actually a good idea, and why emerging market economies might ultimately benefit from Covid-19.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.