logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2020
23m 23s

Viral hit: the costs of China’s lockdown

The Economist
About this episode
Our correspondent travels to the border of the locked-down Hubei province, finding among the people a mixture of resignation, fear and distrust. Was the draconian response appropriate? Big oil firms have just the kind of expertise needed to make a vast transition to renewables; in order to survive, they should put it to use. And why Mongolia’s winters are growing deadlier. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Working memory: the surprising decline of dementia
A dive into the data reveals that, despite dire past predictions, the prevalence of dementia is actually waning. We take a look at Pix, a beloved Brazilian digital-payments system, and why it so bothers President Donald Trump. And we attend one of the concerts that reveals how th ... Show More
25m 8s
Jul 29
Brave New whirl: Turkey’s opposition overhaul
An ousted former opposition leader started a new party—called the New Party. We assess its chances at the ballot box, and under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s thumb. A surrogacy scandal in Germany has prompted a government reshuffle, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz left holding ... Show More
20m 27s
Jul 28
Burning questions: a more fire-prone world
Wildfires in France and Spain are only growing worse by the day. We examine what can be done as a future of more fires, and worse ones, becomes more assured. A dig into data on women at work shows several indicators starting to move in the wrong direction. And the American cities ... Show More
24m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2022
Unsustainable envelopment goals: China’s zero-covid fight
<p>The Omicron variant is destined to test the limits of a policy that has already proved costly: consumption, growth and confidence are all <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/01/22/the-rising-cost-of-chinas-property-and-pandemic-curbs?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=au ... Show More
20m 4s
Oct 2021
For watt it’s worth: energy markets’ squeeze
<p>A fossil-fuel scramble reveals energy markets in <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/10/16/dont-expect-big-oil-to-fix-the-energy-crunch?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" t ... Show More
22m 52s
Apr 2022
Zero's intolerance: Shanghai’s messy lockdown
China’s zero-covid policy is being <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/what-shanghai-lockdowns-mean-for-china-inc/21808450?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term= ... Show More
22m 34s
Oct 2021
China’s coal crisis: how to balance supply, demand and a changing climate
Mass power outages, factories with restricted hours and the prospect of major disruptions in the production of Christmas retail goods. This is the reality of China's three-pronged power crisis, comprising supply, price and regulation of coal-powered electricity. SCMP China desk r ... Show More
17m 55s
Dec 2022
Suspension of this belief? Iran’s morality police
The enforcers of the hardliners’ mores may have been disbanded; it is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/12/04/irans-rattled-government-may-be-backing-down?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.c ... Show More
24m 36s
Aug 2023
Home groan: China’s housing-sector crisis
<p>Once again, fears are ripping through the industry—this time starting from a firm once thought too big to fail. In an economy so dependent on housebuilding, that will have <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/08/16/how-bad-could-chinas-property-crisis- ... Show More
26m 59s