Economist Podcasts
3,560 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★ - 2.8K ratingsEvery weekday our global network of correspondents makes sense of the stories beneath the headlines. We bring you surprising trends and tales from around the world, current affairs, business and finance — as well as science and technology.
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Episodes
Jeddah mind trick: Joe Biden in Saudi Arabia
July 15, 2022 09:56 - 22 minutes - 50.5 MBJoe Biden lands in Saudi Arabia this morning, having spent two unremarkable days in Israel and the West Bank. As president, he has been unusually disengaged from the Middle East, and will probably return home with little to show for his peregrinations. We survey the state of sex education in Latin American schools, and explain why dinosaurs outcompeted other species. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer H...
The Economist Asks: How has Ukraine changed warfare?
July 14, 2022 15:30 - 28 minutes - 39.2 MBAs the Ukraine conflict grinds into its fifth month, host Anne McElvoy and Shashank Joshi, The Economist’s defence editor, ask Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of the defence staff, how Ukraine can win as Russia wages a long war of attrition. The head of the UK’s armed forces assesses the strengths of the Russian army and how western militaries are meeting that challenge. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podc...
A bird out of hand: Elon Musk and Twitter
July 14, 2022 09:33 - 21 minutes - 49.1 MBElon Musk wants out of his deal to buy Twitter for $44bn. Twitter wants the Delaware chancery court to hold him to the deal. But the company faces an uncertain future, whoever owns it. Why the pandemic has been great for sellers of traditional herbal medicine. And looking back on a video game that let users create art, music and animation, with the help of a little barking puppy. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligen...
Money Talks: Britain's growth crisis
July 13, 2022 17:15 - 39 minutes - 91.1 MBBritain’s Conservative party may be changing leadership, but it will take a lot more than that to change the country's gloomy economic situation. Prices are rising at their fastest pace in 40 years–at one of the highest rates in the West. The cost of servicing the country’s ballooning debt has increased. And a recession is looming. On this week’s episode, hosts Soumaya Keynes, Alice Fulwood and Mike Bird investigate just what’s behind Britain’s growth crisis. First, they ask our Britain ed...
Bravery behind bars: Alexei Navalny imprisoned
July 13, 2022 09:03 - 20 minutes - 46.5 MBAlexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition figure, has been transferred to a brutal prison. Other Kremlin opponents have been imprisoned or exiled, as Russia has grown more repressive since invading Ukraine. The world’s population will hit 8bn this year; we discuss which regions are growing and which are not. And why clear wine bottles are a bad idea. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on...
Babbage: How did humans evolve?
July 12, 2022 18:48 - 40 minutes - 92.2 MBThe evolutionary journey that created modern humans was once thought to be relatively linear. But new technology is revealing a far more complex picture. The Economist’s Dylan Barry travels to South Africa to trace the story of our evolution, and explains how interbreeding with other species provided the genes possessed by many people today. To uncover our origins, scientists are nowadays not only hunting for clues in the bones of our ancestors—but in the genomes of living people, too. We sp...
Field work: The race to succeed Boris Johnson
July 12, 2022 10:36 - 23 minutes - 54 MBThe race to succeed Boris Johnson begins today. Numerous Conservative MPs have thrown their proverbial hats into the ring; they are fighting on ground largely staked out by Mr Johnson. American anti-abortion activists believe that fetuses should have all the rights that people do. And why Egypt’s government has turned against its historic houseboats. To sign up for today’s webinar about Britain’s future after Boris Johnson’s resignation, sign up at www.economist.com/borisresigns For full a...
Editor’s Picks: July 11th 2022
July 11, 2022 15:30 - 28 minutes - 39 MBA selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, why Britain is in a dangerous state, why the world’s most exciting app is also its most mistrusted (10:49), and Trumpism’s new Washington army (18:38). Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Gota goes: Sri Lanka’s president resigns
July 11, 2022 10:27 - 22 minutes - 50.7 MBGotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s president, announced he will step down on Wednesday after protestors occupied Colombo, the country’s capital, over the weekend. Whoever succeeds him will inherit a host of thorny economic problems. Why Europe’s big tech firms are well placed to weather a downturn. And remembering Peter Brook, an extraordinary theatre director who died at the age of 93. To sign up for tomorrow’s webinar about Britain’s future after Boris Johnson’s resignation, sign up at www.eco...
Checks and Balance: Price control
July 08, 2022 16:30 - 42 minutes - 98.1 MBDespite a remarkably strong labour market, predictions of an imminent downturn are everywhere. The disagreement now is not over whether the Federal Reserve should fight inflation, but how painful the consequences of doing so will be. In trying to fix one problem, will the Federal Reserve create another? How much should Americans blame President Biden for the increasingly gloomy outlook? And what can the administration do to protect both the economy and its own electoral future? We ask Dr Ce...
Tragedy in Japan: the killing of Abe Shinzo
July 08, 2022 10:40 - 24 minutes - 55.9 MBJapan’s prime minister from 2006-07 and 2012-20 died after being shot at a campaign event. Our Tokyo bureau chief analyses the implications for the country and its politics. The resurgence of a particularly well-armed militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo threatens to reignite deadly regional tensions. And we introduce you to the robots that may soon pick your vegetables. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligen...
The Economist Asks: Boris Johnson resigns – what next?
July 07, 2022 20:22 - 34 minutes - 47.1 MBAfter days of mounting pressure–sparked by a scandal involving his deputy chief whip–Britain’s prime minister quit as Conservative Party leader. The scandal is one of many that plagued his leadership, but the problems facing the Tories run far deeper. Host Anne McElvoy asks The Economist’s Andrew Palmer and Soumaya Keynes what brought the curtain down on Mr Johnson and what problems await his successor. Plus, Charles Powell, Margaret Thatcher’s closest adviser, assesses the similarities betw...
Send out the clown: Boris agrees to go
July 07, 2022 11:34 - 20 minutes - 46.5 MBBoris Johnson is standing down as Britain’s prime minister. We consider his legacy and impact on British politics. Public attitudes on LGBT rights in South-East Asia are changing fast—and its laws are at last changing, too. And at this week’s Montreal’s Jazz Festival, the pioneering pianist and local hero Oscar Peterson remains the patron saint. Additional music courtesy of Urban Science Brass Band For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.eco...
Money Talks: TikTok’s ticking time bomb
July 06, 2022 17:26 - 37 minutes - 85.7 MBIt’s the fastest growing app in the world, filled with dance trends, cats misbehaving, and questionable financial advice. Teenagers love it; Western politicians are less convinced. Could TikTok’s popularity be its downfall? This week, hosts Mike Bird, Alice Fulwood and Soumaya Keynes investigate just who is afraid of TikTok’s growing influence. First, our media editor Tom Wainwright unpacks the relationship between TikTok, its parent company ByteDance, and its Chinese twin, Douyin. Then, A...
Rishi, you were here: Boris Johnson’s woes
July 06, 2022 10:32 - 21 minutes - 49.9 MBRishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, Britain’s finance and health ministers respectively, resigned yesterday; other officials soon followed suit. Once again, questions about Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s political survival are swirling. A ride on London’s sparkling but quiet new railway line hints at the complexities of post-pandemic public transport. And how off-the-shelf drones are making a difference in Ukraine’s war. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscri...
Babbage: How to unlock the secrets of the universe—beyond the Standard Model
July 05, 2022 17:21 - 36 minutes - 82.4 MBThis week, the Large Hadron Collider returned to life after a three-year upgrade. By recreating conditions as close as possible to the Big Bang, it might provide answers to some of physics’s greatest mysteries. Recent findings have shown chinks in the armour of the Standard Model of particle physics, currently scientists’ best understanding of the universe at its smallest scales. Through the lens of an intriguing anomalous result, host Alok Jha investigates the new theories that might supers...
Pressure gauged: the road to recessions
July 05, 2022 09:56 - 22 minutes - 51.5 MBHints are turning to hard data: economic slowdowns are coming. We ask about the threat of recessions in different regions and about the effects they may have. The reckless behaviour of China’s fighter pilots is just one reflection of the country’s distrust of the West. And a haircut gone wrong leads to a lesson that challenges textbook economics. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See ac...
Editor’s Picks: July 4th 2022
July 04, 2022 15:39 - 22 minutes - 31.1 MBA selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, how to win the long war in Ukraine, why the Supreme Court’s judicial activism will deepen cracks in America (10:20), and beach reads for business people (17:55). Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Southern strategy: the coming bid to retake Kherson
July 04, 2022 10:21 - 22 minutes - 52 MBThe city remains Ukraine’s only provincial capital to be taken by Russian forces—can Ukraine overcome its shortages of manpower and firepower to retake the province? Mexico’s official missing-persons list has topped 100,000; our correspondent describes the skyrocketing total and piecemeal efforts to slow its rise. And research suggests that people choose their friends at least in part by smell. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist...
Checks and Balance: Supreme authority
July 01, 2022 17:30 - 45 minutes - 105 MBAs gridlock plagues the Capitol, across First Street the Supreme Court is transforming America. In this term alone, it has overturned the right to an abortion, loosened gun laws, eroded the separation of church and state and limited the federal government’s ability to combat climate change. Public confidence in the institution is at a record low. How is the Supreme Court changing America and, as it does so, is it undermining itself? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and our Supreme...
Power strip: SCOTUS’s environmental ruling
July 01, 2022 10:32 - 27 minutes - 62.2 MBAmerica’s Supreme Court has essentially shorn the Environmental Protection Agency of its agency in making national policy. We ask what that means for the climate-change fight. Hong Kong is marking 25 years since its handover from Britain to China; the promised “one country, two systems” approach is all but gone already. And why moustaches are back in Iraq. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Ac...
The Economist Asks: What’s the future for Hong Kong?
June 30, 2022 18:06 - 41 minutes - 94.8 MBTwenty-five years ago, Britain returned Hong Kong to China. The handover was based on a promise the city would retain its high degree of autonomy. That pledge now lies in tatters. Host Anne McElvoy asks Chris Patten, the last colonial governor, why Hong Kong’s nascent democracy was thwarted. Sue-Lin Wong, The Economist’s China correspondent, tells Anne how China tightened its grip on Hong Kong. And, exiled activist Nathan Law ponders the future of the pro-democracy movement. Please subscr...
Son rise: the Philippines’ next President Marcos
June 30, 2022 10:33 - 22 minutes - 51.2 MBIt is a remarkable turnaround for a notorious family: the late dictator’s son just took the reins. But how will he govern? Scotland’s separatist party is again pushing for an independence referendum. That will probably fail—and empower the very prime minister that many Scots love to hate. And, why pilots in Ukraine are using an outdated, inaccurate missile-delivery technique. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceof...
Money Talks: Crypto winter is here
June 29, 2022 18:13 - 38 minutes - 87.5 MBIn much of the northern hemisphere, it is summer. But in the world of crypto, winter has arrived. The price of bitcoin, which has been hovering around $20,000, is 70% below its peak of last year. In fact, the entire market capitalisation of the cryptoverse has shrunk by more than two-thirds since November 2021. Is this, as the crypto bulls say, a much needed correction? Or is this the beginning of a domino effect that could see the entire decentralised finance system unravel? This week, hos...
Uprising tide: the coming inflation-driven unrest
June 29, 2022 09:49 - 21 minutes - 50.3 MBIn a global period of belt-tightening, popular anger will spill over. Our correspondent visits places where powderkegs seem closest to being lit; our predictive model suggests where might be next. China’s spies have a deserved reputation for hacking and harassing—but fall surprisingly short on other spooky skills. And why America is suffering a shortfall of lifeguards. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer ...
Babbage: How to go green amid an energy crisis
June 28, 2022 19:07 - 37 minutes - 85.9 MBThe energy shock threatens to derail action on climate change. Which technologies will enable the green transition, while ensuring energy security, too? Vijay Vaitheeswaran, The Economist's global energy & climate innovation editor, describes the pathway to a decarbonised future. How can electrical grids be made smarter and more resilient as they are fed by cleaner, more renewable sources of energy? And how soon will the technology that’s needed for the energy transition be ready for widespr...
A force awakens: NATO’s new game plan
June 28, 2022 09:55 - 24 minutes - 56.9 MBWar in Ukraine has stiffened the alliance’s spine; leaders meeting this week will refashion troop-deployment plans reflecting a vastly changed security situation. The property sector makes a staggering contribution to carbon emissions, but our correspondent says it is not cleaning up nearly as fast as other industries are. And reflecting on the life of Roman Ratushny, a steely Ukrainian activist. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.econo...
The World Ahead: The future of green travel
June 27, 2022 15:30 - 29 minutes - 67.3 MBCan flying be made sustainable? Host Tom Standage travels to the year 2042 to find airlines making growing use of “synthetic” aviation fuel, made using carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere, which allows for carbon-neutral flights. Back in the present, Nat Keohane, former White House policy adviser, and Catherine Brahic, The Economist’s environment editor, discuss how sustainable fuels and broader carbon markets could help reduce the environmental impact of flying. For full access to...
Comings to term: America’s abortion-rights rollback
June 27, 2022 11:16 - 24 minutes - 56.6 MBThe Supreme Court ruling has convulsed the country; passing the question of abortion rights to the states will divide America yet further. We ask what it means for the court to go so plainly against public opinion, examine the woeful effects the changing scenario will have on women and speak to one woman whose life was saved by a now-threatened procedure. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast...
Editor’s Picks: June 27th 2022
June 26, 2022 23:00 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBA selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, how to fix the world’s energy emergency without wrecking the environment, the Biden-Harris problem (10:15), and China’s worsening mental-health crisis (16:45). Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Checks and Balance: Insurrection retrospection
June 24, 2022 21:27 - 46 minutes - 107 MBAfter conducting more than 1,000 interviews and reviewing over 140,000 documents, the House of Representatives’ January 6th committee is now presenting its findings. Yet much of what it is investigating happened publicly: the violence in the Capitol was live-streamed and the conspiracy to overturn the election happened in the open. Even so, most Americans have either moved on or misinterpreted the riot. What is the purpose of the committee? What new information has it revealed—and can it mak...
Shooting from the hip: The Supreme Court expands gun rights
June 24, 2022 10:26 - 25 minutes - 59.5 MBYesterday, America’s Supreme Court issued its most important Second Amendment ruling in more than a decade, striking down a New York law that tightly regulated concealed carrying of guns. The ruling means cities will probably see a lot more armed people. Our correspondent caught up with Ukraine’s First Lady. And new research into the origins of the Black Death. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on...
The Economist Asks: How can governments fight inflation?
June 23, 2022 16:18 - 28 minutes - 39 MBConsumer prices across the rich world are rising by more than 9% year on year, the highest rate since the 1980s. Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize-winning economist, talks to host Anne McElvoy and Henry Curr, The Economist’s economics editor, about how governments and central banks should respond. We also ask if a recession can be avoided, and whether the era of big government spending is over. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economis...
Pride and prejudice: China’s LGBT crackdown
June 23, 2022 10:30 - 22 minutes - 50.8 MBIn much of the world, things are improving for sexual minorities. The opposite is true in China, where authorities are cracking down on the LGBT community. Bangladesh is suffering its worst flooding in living memory, but with a surprisingly low death toll (so far). And which city topped the EIU’s annual Liveability Index. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...
Money Talks: House arrest
June 22, 2022 15:30 - 38 minutes - 88.6 MBHouse prices across the rich world have dramatically increased since 2020. But that rapid rise could soon be coming to a sputtering halt, as central banks raise interest rates in an effort to rein in prices. Is another housing crash on the way? This week, hosts Alice Fulwood, Mike Bird and Soumaya Keynes investigate the potential fallout of rapidly rising mortgage rates. First, they speak with Dallas Federal Reserve senior research economist Enrique Martinez-Garcia, who argues that America ...
Eastern encroaches: Ukraine’s losses in Donbas
June 22, 2022 10:05 - 26 minutes - 60.9 MBRussia is making steady, piecemeal gains in the region; Ukrainian forces are simply outgunned. That disparity defines the war’s progression—for now. More than 20 countries have radio stations run by and for prisoners, giving those inside a voice. And why a cannabis derivative is proving popular among Japan’s elderly. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...
Babbage: The short-sightedness epidemic
June 21, 2022 18:08 - 39 minutes - 89.6 MBShort-sightedness, known as myopia, was once a rare condition. But in East Asia, it is becoming ubiquitous, with rates increasing in the rest of the world, too. For decades, researchers thought the condition was mostly genetic. But the scientific consensus has changed. Host Alok Jha and Tim Cross, The Economist’s technology editor, wade through the latest evidence and explore how to prevent or slow the onset of myopia. And, how can the condition’s public-health burden be reduced? For full a...
Estranged bedfellows: Israel’s government collapses
June 21, 2022 10:40 - 23 minutes - 52.9 MBA motley collection of parliamentarians, now without its whisper-thin majority, has crumbled. That will force the country back to the ballot box—and back to familiar political turmoil. Increasing numbers of American cities are enticing people with cash incentives, but do such policies work? And why drumming helps people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hoste...
The World Ahead: The future of education
June 20, 2022 15:30 - 22 minutes - 52.5 MBWill personalised learning replace teachers? Host Tom Standage travels to the year 2042 to find children being taught by personalised learning assistants powered by artificial intelligence, and funded by corporate advertising. What does this mean for schools? Back in the present, Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, and Mark Johnson, The Economist’s education correspondent, debate how technology will change education, and the merits of the “flipped classroom”. For full access to The Economist...
Stuck in the middle with few: Macron’s parliamentary pasting
June 20, 2022 10:11 - 23 minutes - 53.6 MBresident Emmanuel Macron has lost his majority in France’s National Assembly as voters flooded both to the far right and far left. A second term filled with confrontation and compromise awaits him. The shadowy world of corporate spying is broadening to far more than just cola or fried-chicken recipes. And when scare-tactic road-death statistics lead to more deaths, not fewer. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceo...
Editor’s Picks: June 20th 2022
June 19, 2022 23:00 - 30 minutes - 41.9 MBA selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, the remaking of globalisation, Latin America’s vicious circle (9:55), and does the tank have a future? (17:55). Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Checks and Balance: Breaking nukes
June 17, 2022 16:00 - 48 minutes - 112 MBSince America dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, a fragile balance of deterrence, treaties, fear and taboo has stopped the world’s nuclear powers from deploying their arsenals in anger. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ushered in a new nuclear era. How should we think about the nuclear threat? And what role should America play in policing it? Dr Nina Tannenwald, author of “The Nuclear Taboo”, explains how the norms that guaranteed the long nuclear peace have been unra...
Menace to democracy: The January 6th hearings
June 17, 2022 10:34 - 24 minutes - 55.7 MBIn its third public hearing yesterday, the committee investigating the January 6th Capitol insurrection detailed the pressure put on Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election—as well as the continuing threat to American democracy posed by Donald Trump. Can artificial intelligence become sentient, and if it did, how would we know? And why internet shutdowns are a costly and ineffective way to stop students from cheating. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, sub...
The Economist Asks: Will America finally pass gun-control legislation?
June 16, 2022 16:28 - 20 minutes - 47.9 MBThe US Senate has reached a bipartisan gun-reform agreement that, if passed into law, could be the most significant in 30 years. Guest host Jon Fasman speaks to Chris Murphy, the Connecticut senator who led the negotiations for the Democrats, about the significance of the deal and why a compromise has been so elusive in the past. The senator, who has spent ten years trying to enact a change in gun laws, explains why he thinks even modest reforms will make America safer. Please subscribe to...
The Economist Asks: Will America finally pass gun-control legislation?
June 16, 2022 16:28 - 20 minutes - 28.8 MBThe US Senate has reached a bipartisan gun-reform agreement that, if passed into law, could be the most significant in 30 years. Guest host Jon Fasman speaks to Chris Murphy, the Connecticut senator who led the negotiations for the Democrats, about the significance of the deal and why a compromise has been so elusive in the past. The senator, who has spent ten years trying to enact a change in gun laws, explains why he thinks even modest reforms will make America safer. Please subscribe to...
Powell to the people: The Fed raises rates
June 16, 2022 10:05 - 24 minutes - 56.1 MBAmerica’s central bank raised rates by .75% yesterday—the biggest increase in almost 30 years. Whether that will help tame rising prices without triggering a recession is unclear. The poor performance of Russian tanks in Ukraine has led some to wonder whether the tank itself is obsolete. And the rousing, darkly humorous defiance of Ukrainian war anthems. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast....
Money Talks: Supply chain reactions
June 15, 2022 15:33 - 37 minutes - 86.1 MBMore than two years after the pandemic, supply chains are still snarled. Shipping times remain at record highs. Baby food, tampons, and semiconductors are all scarce. Companies are still struggling to answer a basic question: just when will all of this end? But one thing seems clear: after years of anxious speculation, the structure of the world’s supply chains have fundamentally changed. On this week’s Money Talks, hosts Soumaya Keynes, Mike Bird and Alice Fulwood go on a journey to find o...
Money Talks: Supply chain reactions
June 15, 2022 15:33 - 37 minutes - 86.1 MBMore than two years after the pandemic, supply chains are still snarled. Shipping times remain at record highs. Baby food, tampons, and semiconductors are all scarce. Companies are still struggling to answer a basic question: just when will all of this end? But one thing seems clear: after years of anxious speculation, the structure of the world’s supply chains have fundamentally changed. On this week’s Money Talks, hosts Soumaya Keynes, Mike Bird and Alice Fulwood go on a journey to find o...
Planes have changed: Britain’s controversial asylum policy
June 15, 2022 10:46 - 23 minutes - 52.9 MBThe European Court of Human rights foiled Britain’s plans to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda yesterday by holding that British courts must first find the policy legal. The Taliban have proven surprisingly adept tax collectors, though they will spend much of the funds on defence rather than improving the lives of struggling Afghans. And the world is buying too few electric vehicles to meaningfully reduce carbon emissions. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, s...
Babbage: Is ketamine the next antidepressant?
June 14, 2022 18:00 - 41 minutes - 95.8 MBIn America and Europe, a growing number of clinics are offering ketamine to treat depression. The anaesthetic—also used illegally as a party drug—can provide rapid relief from the condition where traditional treatments, such as antidepressant drugs, have failed. We investigate how the therapy works, and ask what role it will play in the future of mental-health care. And, as ketamine treatments spread, is enough known about the drug’s long-term safety? Alok Jha hosts with Natasha Loder, The E...