logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2020
22m 59s

Angus Deaton: The cost of the 'deaths of...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

How do we judge the health of our economic systems? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the Nobel Prize winning economist Sir Angus Deaton who believes it’s about much more than the headline numbers on jobs and growth. He has focused on what he calls the deaths of despair – those attributed to suicide, drug and alcohol abuse – and concludes American capitalism is sick. Now, of course, coronavirus is having its own impact on mortality data. Does capitalism itself need emergency surgery?

Photo: 2015 Nobel Prize winner in Economics Angus Deaton Credit: AFP

Up next
Yesterday
Brad Smith, Microsoft President: Washing machines are better-regulated than AI
Right now, your washing machine is subject to more safety rules than AI. Every carton of milk that you see in the grocery store is subject to safety rules and inspection. Or think about the aeroplanes we get on - you can get on a plane in London, you can fly to Athens or New York ... Show More
24m 15s
Oct 28
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor: There’s a vacuum in Israeli media
Rebecca Kesby speaks to Israeli film-makers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Abraham and Szor gained international attention last year with their self-distributed film, No Other Land, made in collaboration with two Palestinian film-makers. The film, which won the 2025 Academy Award ... Show More
23 m
Oct 26
Navanetham ‘Navi' Pillay, 2026 Nobel Peace Prize winner
“When we suffered under apartheid, those were immoral laws, they institutionalised racism. Where could we go for relief? And I yearned for a better system of law based on values.” Waihiga Mwaura talks to Navanetham or 'Navi' Pillay who has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. ... Show More
22m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
Angus Deaton: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality
<p>Economics Nobel laureate Sir Angus Deaton discusses his latest book, Economics in America, which takes an autobiographical approach to how the field of economics addresses the most pressing issues of our time—from poverty, retirement, and the minimum wage to the ravages of the ... Show More
1h 7m
Jul 2024
What’s wrong with economics? With Angus Deaton
<p>Sir Angus Deaton won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2015. So when he says he is rethinking many of his assumptions about the field, it matters. Today on the show, Soumaya discusses what we are getting wrong about everything from inequality to immigration to the role of global ... Show More
33m 43s
Dec 2018
Talking Politics Guide to ... Economic Well-being
David talks to Diane Coyle about how we measure whether the state of the economy is actually doing us any good. Why is it so hard to capture well-being in economic statistics and what impact has the digital revolution had on our quality of life?Talking Points: What does it mean w ... Show More
25m 32s
Aug 2023
Taken too soon: why so many Americans die young
<p>An <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/07/31/horrifying-numbers-of-americans-will-not-make-it-to-old-age?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.li ... Show More
23m 5s
May 2020
Economic Recovery in the USA
With the highest Covid19 death toll in the world, and 26 million Americans claiming unemployment insurance, the US economy has taken a massive hit. But how quickly can it bounce back?Will America’s economy will be strong enough to pull its weight in the global economy? Economist ... Show More
27m 28s
Aug 2023
Taken too soon: why so many Americans die young
<p>An <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/07/31/horrifying-numbers-of-americans-will-not-make-it-to-old-age?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.li ... Show More
23m 5s
Aug 2024
The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes: What’s wrong with economics?
<p>This week, we’re bringing you something from our fellow FT podcast, The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Sir Angus Deaton won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2015. So when he says he is rethinking many of his assumptions about the field, it matters. Today on ... Show More
34m 42s