Tocqueville saw America’s faith in its own democracy as a vital force. But these days the majority of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Can a group of maximum security prisoners in Sing Sing offer a vision of how to get back on track?

Guests and Hosts

• John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor
• Sean Pica, executive director of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison
• Jean Frantz, prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional Facility

Topics

• Alexis de Tocqueville’s views on voluntary associations
• Sing Sing prison education programme
• Prisoners’ views on the American dream

To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. 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.

John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor, embarks on a roadtrip to see how America’s democracy is faring in the era of Trump.

His companion is a long-dead French aristocrat called Alexis De Tocqueville, author of arguably the best book ever written about America.

When Tocqueville arrived in New York in 1831, it was a small, low-slung city where pigs roamed the streets. But he was able to see past that—to a vision of the future.

Arriving in Manhattan today, John finds cause for concern, even among the island’s wealthiest residents.

Guests and Hosts

• John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor
• Babara Tober, Philanthropist and former Editor of Brides magazine
• John Catsimatidis, CEO of Red Apple Group

Topics

• Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America
• ‘Equality of conditions’ at 250
• The election of Zohran Mamdami
• Declining faith in American democracy

To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. 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.

Millions of people will tune in when the World Cup starts today. But demonstrators in Mexico, which hosts the first match, are using the international spectacle to draw attention to their causes. Commercial enterprises are on the cusp of making money in space: who will tax the heavens? And Narendra Modi is unsettling India’s middle class.

Guests and host:

• Hal Hodson, Americas editor
• Shera Avi-Yonah, business correspondent
• Leo Mirani, Ashoka columnist
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”

Topics covered:

• World Cup, Mexico, protests
• Space, taxation, global commons
• India, Modi

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.

When Alexis de Tocqueville visited America from France in 1831 he saw a new kind of society. Not just a country, but an idea that would change the world. His book “Democracy in America” was a big influence on later generations of political analysts, including The Economist’s US Editor John Prideaux. Now, 250 years after its birth, the vitality of that democracy is under question. In this series, John retraces the route Tocqueville took to find out how much of what inspired Tocqueville about America remains—and how worried we should be about what’s changed.

Launching in June

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

The British government tightened immigration in response to public demand. Yet that policy damaged both the country and the Labour party. Our correspondent embeds on a US nuclear submarine to find out how China and Russia are vying for dominance in the Pacific. And what anti-ageing products actually work?

Guests and host:

• Joel Budd, Britain social affairs editor
• Anton La Guardia, diplomatic editor
• Ainslie Johnstone, science correspondent
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Immigration, Britain, asylum
• Submarines, Pacific, geopolitics
• Ageing, wrinkles, retinoids, peptides

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.

Xi Jinping’s first visit to North Korea in seven years has been marked by pomp and shows of friendship. But what does the Chinese leader really want from the trip? Our correspondent visits Goma in Congo to see what life is like under Rwanda-backed rebel group M23. And why curry may soon be off the menu in Japan.

Guests and host:

• Jeremy Page, chief China correspondent
• John McDermott, chief Africa correspondent
• Moeka Iida, Japan correspondent
• Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, Russia, nuclear proliferation
• Congo, Goma, M23, Rwanda
• Japan, India, immigration, curry

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.

The fragile ceasefire between America and Iran is threatened by an exchange of ballistic missiles overnight between Iran and Israel. Our correspondent examines the consequences. China’s BYD cars are losing ground to other electric vehicles. And why hit TV shows inspire “companion podcasts”.

Guests and host:

• Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent
• Don Weinland, China business editor
• Elizabeth Peet, researcher
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran, Israel, Lebanon, ceasefire, Trump
• BYD, EVs, Tesla, Xpeng, Li Auto
• Podcasts, Beef, The Pitt, HBO

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.

After decades of overpopulation worries, the country now has the opposite concern. We examine India’s unusual demographic turn, and why it is a wider warning to the world. Vegan substitutes have broadly improved in recent years—so why is there no good vegan cheese? And remembering Sonny Rollins, an absolute colossus of the saxophone.

Watch extended clips from Insider here.

Guests and host:

• Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief
• Sam Colbert, senior series producer, Economist Podcasts
• Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• India, fertility rates, global population
• vegan cheese
• Sonny Rollins, jazz

Get a world of insights by subscribing 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.