Foreign Policy economics columnist Adam Tooze, a history professor and a popular author, is encyclopedic about basically everything: from the COVID shutdown, to climate change, to pasta sauce. On our new podcast, Tooze and FP deputy editor Cameron Abadi will look at two data points each week that explain the world: one drawn from the week’s headlines and the other from just about anywhere else Tooze takes us. Check out Adam Tooze’s column at https://foreignpolicy.com/author/adam-tooze/.
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September 4, 202651 min
Back to School
Nearly 1.5 billion children will attend primary or secondary school around the world this year—about 1 in 6 people on the planet. Adam and Cameron discuss the economics around sending children to school. Also on the show: The economics of Lichtenstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 28, 202658 min
What's Up With the U.S. Bond Market?
The yield on 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds has been spiking lately, at one point reaching its highest level in some two decades. That means that the government is paying more to borrow—as government debt officially passed the $40 trillion mark this week. Adam and Cameron discuss. Also on the show: Adam returns from the Venice Biennale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 21, 202629 min
Germany's Rhine Is Drying Up
Germany's longest river is drying up, with water levels reaching as low as 8 inches in some spots—the lowest reading since Germany started keeping records almost 150 years ago. Adam and Cameron discuss the economic impact, including shipping disruptions and supply chain problems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 14, 202635 min
Unemployment Crisis in India
India is facing an unemployment crisis among young college graduates—some 40 percent of whom are struggling to find work. Adam and Cameron discuss the implications for India and the potential impact of the Cockroach Janta Party movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 7, 202634 min
Super Yachts
On this episode, Adam and Cameron discuss the economics of super yachts—a global industry worth up to $22 billion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 31, 202639 min
The Odyssey
The poem written some 2,700 years ago and the contemporary film directed by Christopher Nolan are the topic of this week’s show. Adam and Cameron discuss the economic and philosophical underpinnings of the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 24, 202635 min
The Economics of Andy Burnham
Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, calls his economic philosophy “Manchesterism,” after the city he led as mayor. But the term has meant different things since it was coined in the 19th century. Adam and Cameron dig in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 17, 202642 min
Spain vs. Argentina
This year's FIFA Men's World Cup final pits Spain against Argentina, two countries with a former colonial relationship and complicated social and economic ties. Adam and Cameron trace the relationship's history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 10, 202645 min
The AI Arms Race
Private investment in artificial intelligence in 2025 reached nearly $300 billion and is likely to grow this year. The companies making those investments include Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta. Who’s winning the AI arms race, and what does it mean for the economy—and for humanity? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 2, 202646 min
When in the Course of Human Events
The Declaration of Independence, which founded the United States as an independent nation, was written in 1776—the same year that Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations, the most prominent early treatise on international capitalism. Whether that represents a coincidence remains an ongoing debate. What’s clear, however, is that over the past two and a half centuries, the United States emerged as a slave economy, a free labor economy, a debtor nation, a creditor nation, and ultimately a powerful empire. Adam and Cameron discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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