The Economist asks

The Economist Asks: Can we learn to disagree better? An episode from our archive

In a polarised world, the opportunities to disagree are plentiful – and frequently destructive. In one of our favourite episodes of 2022, host Anne McElvoy asks

The Economist Asks: What's the secret of happiness?

The pursuit of happiness continues to puzzle everyone from philosophers to politicians. But how can science help the search? Host Anne McElvoy asks Tal Ben-Shahar, an expert in positive psychology and the author of “Happier: No Matter What”, how e…

The Economist Asks: Why is history a family affair?

Host Anne McElvoy asks the historian and writer Simon Sebag Montefiore

The Economist Asks: How is Ukraine coping with the trauma of war?

After her brother died fighting in Luhansk in 2017, the historian and author Olesya Khromeychuk channelled her grief by writing “The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister”. Host Anne McElvoy asks her how war and resistance has shaped the …

The Economist Asks: Will Germany succeed in transforming its foreign policy?

Days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, announced

The Economist Asks: How could Ukraine win the war?

Ben Hodges, a former commanding general of US Army Europe, believes that Ukraine has achieved “an irreversible momentum”

The Economist Asks: Will the clean-energy transition be fast enough?

AS THE end of COP27 nears, US energy secretary Jennifer Granholm talks to Anne McElvoy from the climate summit in Egypt. They discuss the impact

The Economist Asks: What does Binyamin Netanyahu’s comeback mean for Israel and the world?

Binyamin Netanyahu is

The Economist Asks: Can New York solve its housing crisis?

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, grew up on the verge of homelessness. Now he’s in charge of fixing the city’s housing crisis. Host Anne McElvoy asks him how he plans to do it. They discuss how

The Economist Asks: How will Rishi Sunak lead Britain?

On Tuesday,