logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2021
17m 28s

The supply chain's weak link

Bbc World Service
About this episode

How disruption in a single port, factory or freight centre can cause global chaos. Ed Butler speaks with Stavros Karamperidis, an expert in maritime economics at the University of Plymouth, and Kent Jones, professor of economics at Babson College in the US. Meanwhile, chief economist at Enodo Economics, Diana Choyleva, explains how China's energy crisis will impact exports and the price we pay for goods, and Professor Marc Busch from Georgetown University explains why he thinks governments should leave big businesses to solve supply issues themselves.

(Photo: a container ship is unloaded at a dock in the US. Credit: Reuters)

Up next
Mar 13
Starting a jet company against the odds
We meet the founder of one of India’s largest private aviation companies who overcame several life challenges before starting the business. After doctors initially told her she had months to live, Indian entrepreneur Kanika Tekriwal went on to build JetSetGo, one of the country’s ... Show More
17m 29s
Mar 12
How is the world feeling the impact of rising oil prices?
Ever since the US and Israel began their war against Iran, economies around the world have been coping with the impacts of energy prices and food security.South Korea has introduced an energy price cap, universities have closed in Bangladesh and India has been granted access to s ... Show More
18m 48s
Mar 11
Kidnapping for ransom
We look at the rising threat of kidnap for ransom. In West Africa, it's a growing criminal industry.But how should any of us respond if or when the worst happens to us and a loved one is taken?If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co. ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2022
The sterling slumps as the dollar stays strong
The British pound plunges against the dollar to its lowest level in almost four decades. Investors seek protection in the US currency as recession fears grow in other markets. We talk to Kenneth Rogoff, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund. The second largest ... Show More
49m 42s
Oct 2021
What's causing the global supply crunch?
Many products are in short supply around the world, even turkeys for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners. So, what's causing the supply crunch? And are we about to pay more? Join host Imran Khan. Guests: Jas Kalra, Assistant Professor in Supply Chain Management at Newcastle Univer ... Show More
21m 8s
Nov 2016
Shipping Container
The boom in global trade was caused by a simple steel box. Shipping goods around the world was – for many centuries – expensive, risky and time-consuming. But, as Tim Harford explains, 60 years ago the trucking entrepreneur Malcolm McLean changed all that by selling the idea of c ... Show More
8m 58s
Jan 2019
Why Capitalism Needs Journalism
<p>Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steven Pearlstein drops by to talk with Kate &amp; Luigi about the incredible shrinking newspaper -- especially the business section -- and why that's bad for the economy. His new book &quot;Can American Capitalism Survive?&quot; argues that t ... Show More
34 m
Sep 2022
Are the Central Banks Getting it Wrong? — with Danny Blanchflower
Danny Blanchflower, a professor of economics at Dartmouth College and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, joins Scott to discuss the state of the economy, the imminent recession in the US, and why he thinks the Fed is relying on “guessonomics.” Follo ... Show More
50m 27s
Mar 2022
Russia and the global economy
What will the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine be for the world's economy - and for us? From the effects on the energy markets to the tough sanctions regime, we can already see ripple effects across Europe and the rest of the globe, at a time when the world's economy is st ... Show More
28m 57s
Apr 2023
Debt ceiling fight resumes with House back in session
Today House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will give a speech at the New York Stock Exchange outlining his case for cutting spending in return for raising the debt limit. Plus, negotiations in Europe over Poland’s ban on imports of grain and other agriculture products. It’s yet another e ... Show More
8m 22s
Aug 2022
US and Taiwan to hold trade talks
Washington announces negotiations to ease trade barriers with the self-ruled island amid tensions with China. The talks will focus on areas such as e-commerce and agriculture. We hear more from Scott Kennedy, senior advisor in Chinese business & economics at CSIS. The Trump Organ ... Show More
26m 33s
Feb 2023
Jan Toporowski Explains Why Capitalists Dislike Full Employment
In the wake of the Great Financial Crisis, the work of John Maynard Keynes experienced a revival, as people sought answers to the problem of sluggish growth. In this cycle, sluggish growth isn't the problem. If anything, you hear business leaders and central bankers talking about ... Show More
37m 39s
Jan 2023
The Economy: 15. Energy Market
The rising cost of living really brought home how those big, global economic shocks can mean some pretty bad bumps for our individual finances. Probably the most obvious, immediate and, painful way that global economic events hit our household budgets is through the price of ener ... Show More
15m 23s