logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
16m 11s

Brazil Should Be a Superpower, but It Is...

Economics Explained
About this episode
2016 was supposed to mark Brazil's rise as an economic superpower. The country saw rapid growth in industries, surpassing India and Italy, and nearing France and the UK in economic output. Improvements in healthcare, education, and political stability painted a promising picture. But by 2016, the dream was shattered. The Rio Olympics, intended to showcase Br ... Show More
Up next
Nov 17
The $400 Trillion Problem No One Wants to Talk About
The world’s pension promise is unraveling. In the 1950s, sixteen workers supported each retiree; today, that number has shrunk to just 2.7. This dramatic shift is straining pay-as-you-go pension systems to the breaking point. By 2050, one in six people will be over 65, yet politi ... Show More
17m 5s
Nov 12
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics: Explained
Discover what drives lasting prosperity. This year, the Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Mokyr, Aghion, and Howitt for demonstrating how technological innovation drove the surge in wealth during the Industrial Revolution. From steam engines to AI, learn why a lack of under ... Show More
18m 50s
Oct 11
Why Everyone is leaving New Zealand
Unveil the stunning secret of New Zealand—a paradise losing its young talent! 🌄 With just 5.3 million people, this remote gem boasts top-notch living, education, and healthcare, yet faces a brain drain to Australia (over 10% of Kiwis live there!). Why are skilled workers fleeing ... Show More
14m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 18
The world's first "nature superpower" | Ilona Szabó de Carvalho
<p>Over the last 40 years, Brazil has lost an area larger than California to deforestation — and 90 percent of the clear-cutting has been illegal, all part of a multi-billion-dollar global environmental crime economy. Civic entrepreneur Ilona Szabó de Carvalho sees this crisis as ... Show More
10m 32s
Nov 2024
Melissa Teixeira, "A Third Path: Corporatism in Brazil and Portugal" (Princeton UP, 2024)
Following the Great Depression, as the world searched for new economic models, Brazil and Portugal experimented with corporatism as a “third path” between laissez-faire capitalism and communism. In a corporatist society, the government vertically integrates economic and social gr ... Show More
1h 6m
Aug 18
The world's first "nature superpower" | Ilona Szabó de Carvalho
<p>Over the last 40 years, Brazil has lost an area larger than California to deforestation — and 90 percent of the clear-cutting has been illegal, all part of a multi-billion-dollar global environmental crime economy. Civic entrepreneur Ilona Szabó de Carvalho sees this crisis as ... Show More
10m 32s
Nov 2024
Marta: Brazil’s global icon
Marta is a Brazilian phenomenon. A six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, record goal scorer who’s even the hero of her opponents, but where did her love of football begin and what challenges has she faced in her incredible 20 year career? This is the story of Brazil’s global ic ... Show More
54m 34s
Jun 2025
Samba, Stadiums, and Soccer History: Brazil Gets the Women's World Cup!
Get ready to feel the energy! Brazil has won the bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, making history as the first South American nation to do so. In this episode, we dive into why Brazil's bid was a game-changer, leveraging stadiums from the 2014 Men's World Cup for a sus ... Show More
5 m
Aug 2024
The world after the West: Matias Spektor on Brazil
<p>Brazil is a middle-power powerhouse. The largest and most populous country in Latin America, this founding member of BRICS+ wields strong cultural, economic, and diplomatic influence among other middle powers and beyond. No assessment of non-Western powers would be complete wi ... Show More
36 m
Apr 2025
Argentina's 'agri-tech' innovators
<p>Argentina, a country often associated with economic turbulence, is emerging as a frontrunner in agricultural biotechnology and home to a third of Latin America's start-ups. </p><p>From shrimp shells to super crops, we explore how a blend of scientific talent, venture capital a ... Show More
18m 23s
Sep 26
Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China? (Update)
<p>In this episode we first published in 2021, the political scientist Yuen Yuen Ang argues that different forms of government create different styles of corruption — and that the U.S. and China have more in common than we’d like to admit.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</str ... Show More
57m 34s