The Economy, Stupid

With tax income from lucrative trade routes and finance from countries such as China or Pakistan, how insulated are the Taliban from the western threat of sanctions and the freeze of international funds? Plus, opportunities for Australia's critical materials sector.Guests:David Mansfield, independent consultant, author of A State Built on Sand: How opium undermined Afghanistan @mansfieldintincJeffrey Wilson, Research Director, Perth USAsia Centre

Cuckoo smurfing — what it is, how to spot it, how to make sure it doesn't happen to you. An Australian philanthropic foundation marks 135 years of helping people in need. What has changed in that time? Plus, Australian researchers find that business leaders are more optimistic about their company's profit outlook when the sun is shiningGuests:Marcus Erikson, Director of Intelligence, AUSTRACStacey Thomas CEO, The Wyatt TrustAmanuel Elias, Alfred Deakin Institute, Deakin University

A blast from the past offers a possible answer to growing wealth inequality. Three economists put the case for the resurrection of inheritance taxes. Plus, how social change happens.GuestsSaul Eslake, Independent economistIan Raspin, Managing Director, BNR PartnersDanielle Wood, Chief Executive, Grattan InstituteDamon Centola, author of Change: How to make big things happen

The pandemic and subsequent economic crisis have shown how government is crucial for getting things done – like rolling out a vaccine or throwing the economy a lifeline. But what if the state aspired to do a lot more? Economist Mariana Mazzucato thinks that states need to rediscover grand ambition and in-house expertise to solve climate change and inequality. Plus, a look at the ups and downs of China's economy in 2021.Guests: Professor Mariana Mazzucato, Director, Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, University College London. Author of Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism (First broadcast 18/03/2021)Professor Jane Golley, Director, Australian Centre on China in the World, ANU

Ransomware attacks across Australia have become a major problem for business, causing massive disruptions and costing millions to remediate. Recent attacks against Victoria's public health system, the local facilities of meat supplier JBS foods, and Nine Entertainment are part of an underreported problem. Australia is considered a soft target for attacks – what can be done and what should we look out for?Guest: Abigail Bradshaw, Head Australian Cyber Security Centre Australian Signals Directorate

New research has proven that the performance of Indigenous students in literacy tests can be significantly lifted by changing the context of questions so that students can see their own lives and culture in test questions. Year 6 and year 8 students in the Dubbo region took part in the study run by the University of New South Wales Economics of Education Knowledge Hub – as part an initiative to reduce inequality in Australian education.Guests:Professor Richard Holden, Director, Economics of Education Knowledge Hub, UNSW Business SchoolLily Spackman, Project Officer, NSW Aboriginal Consultative group

A quicker-than-expected economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession has added billions to the government’s bottom line, but that’s unlikely to be felt by workers anytime soon, with the cost of living slated to outstrip wage growth in the coming months. On the up side, official ABS data shows the unemployment rate dived from 5.2 in October to 4.6 per cent in November, after lockdowns had ended in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT.Guest: Danielle Wood, CEO, Grattan Institute

Leading research on how adapting exam questions to make them culturally relevant to regional and Aboriginal students could close the Indigenous reading gap by 50 per cent and reduce the urban-rural gap by a third. better education outcomes. Ransomware attacks on the rise and Christmas scams to watch out for. Plus, analysis of the mid-year budget update and latest job figures.

Geoff Harcourt was one of Australia's best-known academic economists. He inspired and mentored many students and made significant contributions to public policy and economic thought. Roy Green reflects on the life of his friend and mentor, Geoff Harcourt.Guest: Emeritus Professor Roy Green, former Dean of UTS Business School

Booming housing wealth and unspent superannuation are increasing the size of Australians' inheritances, according to the first in depth study of wealth transfers by the Productivity Commission. Despite helping the wealthy get richer, inheritances and gifts are nevertheless shrinking relative inequality by giving a bigger boost to poorer households. The value of inheritances is expected to grow - what are the implications?Guests: Lisa Gropp, Commissioner, Productivity CommissionRobert Breunig, Director, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, ANU