Bait the hook! Fishing in the global talent pool
Skilled immigrants bring more than just their expertise to job markets. But governments miss opportunities to attract them—or make them feel entirely unwelcome. In America it seems like the standard tip fraction just keeps going up and up (11:36). Where will it end? And as part of our “schools briefs” primer on AI, we answer your questions, starting with facial recognition (18:28).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
14 Aug 202425min
AIOU: what if the AI boom busts?
Corporate investment in artificial-intelligence infrastructure reaches $1.4trn by some estimates. We ask what might threaten the expected windfalls that justify the spending. A Japanese mine’s bid to be listed by UNESCO was made harder because it ignores South Korean wartime forced labour (10:49). And why a nicotine pouch has so many fans on America’s right (18:03).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
13 Aug 202424min
The boot is on the other foot: Ukraine’s surprise incursion
Part of Russia is under foreign control for the first time since the second world war. We ask about the strategy behind the surprise raid—which may not be the last. The Paris Olympics were, all told, a tremendous success, with some lessons for future games (11:47). And the 3-D holographic displays coming to a car dashboard near you (20:35).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 Aug 202425min
Expelling mistake: the costs of hardline immigration policy
The rich world is experiencing record migrant flows—and the attendant social upheaval. Finding immigration policies that are not economically ruinous is damnably hard. Our three-part series starts to unpack why people are so fed up with the big dating apps (11:10). And the head-spinning history of how break(danc)ing became an Olympic sport (18:44).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
9 Aug 202425min
Arrivals haul: anti-tourism’s folly
Tourists are getting decidedly less-warm welcomes in popular spots, but blunt anti-tourism policies are self-defeating. We look at how to maintain benefits for both the visitors and the visited. As Russia tries to avoid another military draft, a slick recruitment drive seems to be bringing in new troops (09:22). And fatigue with smartphones is leading to a fashion for dumb ones (15:22).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 Aug 202421min
Walz onto the stage: Kamala Harris’s VP pick
Tim Walz, a folksy Midwesterner who came late to politics, is on the Democratic ticket. We ask how he got there and whether he was the best tactical pick. A visit to Lebanon reveals a sense of foreboding, as a sharper war between Israel and Hizbullah seems inevitable (11:04). And the executives who just don’t know when to quit (19:53).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
7 Aug 202426min
More than Sheikh could stick at: Bangladesh’s PM resigns
Sheikh Hasina, who led the country for 20 of the past 28 years with an increasingly authoritarian grip, was ultimately undone by student protests that would not be quelled. China may be world-leading in autonomous taxis—but our ride in one is not without complications (9:00). And remembering Thomas Neff, who rid the world of a third of its nukes (16:38).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
6 Aug 202424min
Enter staged right: misinformation feeds Britain’s riots
Unrest across the country has been driven in part by the provably false claims of right-wing provocateurs. We examine the real concerns underlying the violence, and how to end it swiftly. Japanese politics had until recently been anachronistically tame; not so now that the social-media populists have arrived (10:18). And the notable parallels between “House of the Dragon” and modern politics (18:00).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
5 Aug 202422min
