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The Economics Show
Why Russia’s wartime economy is starting to crack, with Elina Ribakova
When the EU and US hit Russia with fresh sanctions in 2022, many analysts expected the country’s economy to crack. Instead, Russia has shown strong GDP growth, powered in large part by a massive boost to war-related industries. Now, the effects of that boost appear to be fading. Have western sanctions finally started to bite? What would happen to Russia’s economy if the Ukraine war were to end? And how difficult might it be for the country’s economy to return to normal? To find out, the FT’s economics editor Sam Fleming speaks to Elina Ribakova. Elina is a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a non-resident fellow at Brussels think-tank Bruegel and vice-president for foreign policy at the Kyiv School of Economics.
Sam Fleming is the FT’s economics editor. You can find his articles here: https://www.ft.com/sam-fleming
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Russia moves to contain concern over banks’ bad loan exposure
Vladimir Putin’s war economy is cooling, but Russians still feel richer
Russia’s central bank speeds up rate cuts as war economy cools
There's no money to be made in Russia
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Presented by Sam Fleming. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Flo Phillips is the executive producer. Manuela Saragosa is the FT’s acting co-head of audio. Original music from Breen Turner, and sound design by Breen Turner & Sam Giovinco.
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Economic warfare: lessons from history, with Mark Harrison
26:05|Warring countries have attacked each other’s economies for hundreds of years. But do the tools of economic warfare – sanctions, tariffs, blockades and embargoes – actually work? Soumaya speaks to Mark Harrison, emeritus professor of economics at Warwick university, and co-editor (with Stephen Broadberry) of Economic Warfare and Sanctions since 1688, about what centuries of economic conflict can teach us about Iran (and Russia) today.Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Further reading: Which chokepoint wins in a game of geoeconomic Top Trumps?Presented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music by Breen Turner and sound design by Sean McGarrity. The FT head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
The global economy is Iran’s hostage. Can it be released? With Edward Fishman
28:07|Iran’s de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz has already rocked global oil markets and stock market indices, spooking everyone from politicians to central bankers. But if Iran wants to make matters worse, it can. Soumaya speaks to Edward Fishman, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of ‘Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare,’ to find out what this conflict means for the future of economic coercion. Soumaya and Edward also discuss how geographical chokepoints differ from economic ones (like rare earths, or the dollar system), and the unintended consequences of the war.Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Further reading:Which chokepoint wins in a game of geoeconomic Top Trumps?How to survive an energy crunchPresented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music by Breen Turner. Sound design by Sean McGarrity The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Lessons from China’s industrial dominance, with Kyle Chan
33:14|There’s a trope going around these days: western commentators travel to China, tour its factories and when they return home they say that when it comes to innovation, China has won the global race. But how true is that? Host Soumaya Keynes discusses the successes and shortcomings of China's evolving industrial policy with Kyle Chan, author of the High Capacity newsletter and a fellow in the John L Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution.Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Further reading: How China pulled off a great tech reversalWhich chokepoint wins in a game of geoeconomic Top Trumps?China’s growth target is a global problem Presented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval and Michela Tindera. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music by Breen Turner and sound design by Sam Giovinco. The FT head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Introducing Untold: Opus Dei
01:09|Introducing Opus Dei, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation in America. Opus Dei exists to help people get closer to God, but some members say they found other agendas – and unexpected harm – entangled in that spiritual mission. The first episode of Untold: Opus Dei launches March 25. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Is AI (finally) making us more productive? With John Burn-Murdoch and Sarah O’Connor
26:55|Banks, consultancies and LinkedIn posts alike are trumpeting the transformative effects of AI, promising an imminent uptick in productivity. Some of these claims are no doubt exaggerated. But there are unmistakable signs that AI is boosting productivity. How is that showing up in economic data? And what does that information tell us about the future of the economy? Soumaya is joined by John Burn-Murdoch and Sarah O’Connor, authors of the FT’s ‘AI Shift’ newsletter, to discuss.You can sign up to the AI shift newsletter here.Related LinksWhere is AI showing up in the productivity data?The AI productivity take-off is finally visiblePresented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Sean McGarrity. Original music by Breen Turner. The FT head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Are investors getting the Iran conflict wrong? With Robin Brooks
26:31|Markets haven’t exactly been calm since the conflict in Iran started. But are they mispricing the risks of a bigger economic blow-up? And how does this conflict compare with what happened after Russia invaded Ukraine? Host Soumaya Keynes discusses these questions with Robin Brooks, author of the Shadow Price Macro substack and senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution. Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Could common debt make the EU stronger? With Carlos Cuerpo
30:30|Some believe a deeper pool of common debt would allow the European Union to tackle some of its biggest problems, attracting more investment, reducing the cost of financing, and helping the EU achieve greater strategic autonomy. One such believer: Carlos Cuerpo, Spain’s economy, trade and business minister. In this episode, Soumaya asks him how a common EU safe asset would work, whether money (not politics) is the EU’s issue, and what the bloc could learn from Spain’s economic bounceback.Related linksEurope’s best bet for financial sovereignty is a true safe assetEurope is not thinking straight on competitivenessSubscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Trump’s tariffs are not dead yet, with Michael Froman
21:25|Shortly after the US Supreme Court ruled Donald Trump’s tariffs were illegal, he hit back. The president vowed to impose a 10% levy on US imports through different means. He raised those duties to 15% the following day. These tariffs – imposed under the Trade Act of 1974, rather than the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) – are only temporary. But Trump has a range of tariff tools at his disposal. How will he use them? Which of his trading partners will be worse off from these new policy changes? And will US companies that have already paid tariffs get their money back? To discuss all this and more, Soumaya is joined by former US trade representative, and president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Michael Froman.Subscribe to The Economics Show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen. Presented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Original music from Breen Turner, and sound design by Sean McGarrityRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com
What did ‘Nudge’ get wrong? With Nick Chater
29:59|When Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein released their book ‘Nudge’ in 2008, it caught the public imagination. ‘Nudge theory’ – the idea that people could be encouraged to make better choices through small, subtle interventions – was innovative, and exciting. A decade and a half later, a whole lot of nudging seems to have come to a whole lot of nothing. Why wasn’t ‘nudge theory’ more help in tackling climate change, or helping people enroll in pensions? And, even if it hasn’t saved the world, does behavioural science still have a role in policymaking? Former member of the UK’s Behavioural Insights Team and professor of behavioural science, Nick Chater, reflects on the legacy of nudges.Related LinksCan we ‘nudge’ our way to higher growth?The uses — and the limits — of ‘nudge’ economicsWhat nudge theory got wrongSubscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com