logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
21m 26s

The Intelligence: The kids are alright, ...

The Economist
About this episode

When you look around the world, and at a wider set of measures, Generation Z are far better off than the popular narrative would have you believe. We examine what India’s push to soup up its nukes means for the global arms race (09:30). And even as global fertility rates fall, sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a relative baby boom (17:11).


Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe 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.

Up next
Yesterday
Outsider chance: ending Sudan’s proxy war
We look at the peace that has settled over Khartoum, the ruined capital. War rages on elsewhere, and a slim chance at a settlement rests largely with the belligerents’ foreign patrons. We ask why President Donald Trump has picked a fight over a new bridge between Canada and Ameri ... Show More
28 m
Aug 6
Socialist mobility: a telling Michigan vote
We examine one of America’s primary races, in which a sharply lefty candidate beat the establishment figure. What does that reveal about changes in the Democratic Party? For decades China’s Yangtze River was a polluted, overfished mess. We look at the wins from cleaning it up—and ... Show More
21m 50s
Aug 5
Taking the shine off: albedo and global temperatures
Fewer clouds, shrinking ice caps, changing pollutants: all result in less of the sun’s energy being reflected back into space. Which is more bad news for a changing climate. Our correspondent explains why so much more of the world’s cocaine is passing through west Africa. And the ... Show More
23 m
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
The Intelligence: The kids are alright, turns out
When you look around the world, and at a wider set of measures, Generation Z are far better off than the popular narrative would have you believe. We examine what India’s push to soup up its nukes means for the global arms race (09:30). And even as global fertility rates fall, su ... Show More
21m 26s
Jan 2024
The Intelligence: Growing, no pains
America seems to be in a best-of-worlds scenario: growth is outpacing expectations even as inflation keeps falling—how will the party end? This week’s loss of the Peregrine One Moon lander was disappointing, but our correspondent sees the good news from the launch (9:19). And how ... Show More
25m 13s
Jul 2025
Pause for little effect: a trickle of aid in Gaza
Localised “tactical pauses” in Gaza relieve international pressure on Israel more than they relieve the pressure of starvation on Gazans. We ask how the aid effort looks on the ground. Japan’s law on couples sharing surnames is coming under fire; repealing it might actually help ... Show More
22m 46s
Aug 2022
Poorer, hungrier, safer? Afghanistan one year on
<p>Rights for women and girls have regressed by decades; the economy is cratering. Yet, for many rural Afghans, things are actually <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/08/11/afghanistan-is-poorer-and-hungrier-than-a-year-ago?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np& ... Show More
23m 20s
Jun 2025
Military deployment cost, Greta Thunberg deported, global ‘fertility crisis’ & more
Pentagon officials have been grilled on the cost of deploying the military during the LA protests. We’ll tell you why a global economics report predicts slow growth this year. We explain Trump's plan to give newborns an investment account. Greta Thunberg has spoken after she was ... Show More
6m 49s
Apr 2025
Wall Street optimism, convicted Cardinal’s ask, US fertility rates & more
Investors are seeing some positive signs from the Trump administration on trade. The prominent role Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s wife holds at the Pentagon is drawing scrutiny. A convicted Cardinal argues he should be part of the upcoming papal conclave. We’ll tell you how ma ... Show More
6m 45s