The Economist Asks Podcast
1) The Economist Asks: Can we learn to disagree better? An episode from our archive
In a polarised world, the opportunities to disagree are plentiful – and frequently destructive. In one of our favourite episodes of 2022, host Anne McElvoy asks Adam Grant, an organisational psycholog...Show More
The Economist Asks: Can we learn to disagree better? An episode from our archive
34:15 | Dec 29th, 2022
2) The Economist Asks: What's the secret of happiness?
The pursuit of happiness continues to puzzle everyone from philosophers to politicians. But how can science help the search? Host Anne McElvoy asks Tal Ben-Shahar, an expert in positive psychology and...Show More
3) The Economist Asks: Why is history a family affair?
Host Anne McElvoy asks the historian and writer Simon Sebag Montefiore why he believes the story of human history has been shaped by the family unit. The author of "The World: A Family History" consid...Show More
4) The Economist Asks: Will Germany succeed in transforming its foreign policy?
Days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, announced a radical shift in the country’s foreign and security policy. Host Anne McElvoy asks Christoph Heusgen, a former ...Show More
The Economist Asks: Will Germany succeed in transforming its foreign policy?
22:37 | Dec 1st, 2022
5) The Economist Asks: How could Ukraine win the war?
Ben Hodges, a former commanding general of US Army Europe, believes that Ukraine has achieved “an irreversible momentum” since the liberation of Kherson. He predicts the country could declare victory ...Show More
6) The Economist Asks: Will the clean-energy transition be fast enough?
As the end of COP27 nears, US energy secretary Jennifer Granholm talks to Anne McElvoy from the climate summit in Egypt. They discuss the impact the global energy crisis is having on Joe Biden’s green...Show More
7) The Economist Asks: How can mental health-care crises be solved?
During the 13 years Thomas Insel led America’s National Institute of Mental Health, medicines and treatments for those with serious mental health disorders improved, but outcomes did not. Host Anne Mc...Show More
8) The Economist Asks: Can Russian history explain the Ukraine crisis?
Six months into Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, host Jon Fasman asks historian Orlando Figes how Russian history can help make sense of the conflict. The bestselling author explains how past myths an...Show More
9) The Economist Asks: What can America expect from the Supreme Court’s next term?
The Supreme Court is changing America. In its last term, it eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, loosened gun laws and eroded the separation of church and state. Host Jon Fasman asks Eric ...Show More
The Economist Asks: What can America expect from the Supreme Court’s next term?
30:56 | Aug 18th, 2022
10) The Economist Asks: How has Ukraine changed warfare?
As 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 Ukrai...Show More