**Winner of the Peabody Award 2026** A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’s about to get bigger and much more powerful. The Economist’s Sue-Lin Wong follows a trail that starts with the collapse of a bank in rural Kansas to uncover a global, underground scam economy built around human trafficking, corruption and money laundering. Can it be stopped?To listen to the full series subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ (https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus).Winner of the Overseas Press Club Lowell Thomas Award 2026; (https://opcofamerica.org/87th-annual-overseas-press-club-awards/) Two Gold Signal Awards (https://www.signalaward.com/2025/10/15/2025-winners/) for Money & Finance and News & Politics; Lowy Institute Media Award Winner 2025; Bloomberg News Jealousy List 2025 (https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-jealousy-list/), New York Times Best True Crime 2025 (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/arts/true-crime-best-of-2025.html);
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Host Ken Bensinger explores how a fringe football hooligan influences powerful Americans' views on Britain and Islam in this interview.
17 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT
Trailer: Tocqueville Road Trip
The Economist's US Editor John Prideaux retraces Alexis de Tocqueville's 1831 journey to assess the enduring vitality of American democracy today.
22 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT
Trailer: Boss Class Season 3
AI is changing how we work. It's turning us all into managers. Be a good one.The Economist’s management columnist, Andrew Palmer, takes on the bots in the third season of Boss Class. From cloning to coding, agents to entry-level jobs, he tackles the threat head on and figures out how to turn anxiety into opportunity. Along the way he meets bulls and bears and the people who can help you to master management in the age of AI.Full Season 3 out 29th January 2026.To listen, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ (https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus).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 (https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts) page or watch our video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY) explaining how to link your account.
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28 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
Trailer: Boss Class Season 2
Economist management columnist Andrew Palmer previews the second season of Boss Class, which explores management skills with leaders from top companies, offering insights into effective leadership.
6 Feb 2025
3. The bottom line
How do you run a scam operation? Perks, recruitment, outsourcing and a monthly landscaping budget—this is Scam Inc. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ (https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus).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 (https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts) page or watch our video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY) explaining how to link your account.
6 Feb 2025
2. Opportunity of a lifetime
Who are the scammers? They're not who you think. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ (https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus).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 (https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts) page or watch our video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY) explaining how to link your account.
6 Feb 2025
1. Pigs in a barrel
You wouldn’t fall for a scam—would you? A small town in Kansas is left reeling after one of its best and brightest gets sucked in.To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ (https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus).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 (https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts) page or watch our video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY) explaining how to link your account.
23 Jan 2025
Trailer: Scam Inc
A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’s about to get bigger and much more powerful. The Economist’s Sue-Lin Wong follows a trail that starts with the collapse of a bank in rural Kansas to uncover a global, underground scam economy built around human trafficking, corruption and money laundering. Can it be stopped?To listen to the full series subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ (https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus).
Inside a recent episode
TRAILER: Shire folk
Published 10 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] The man he was talking to, Tommy Robinson. A former football hooligan with a string of criminal convictions. Today, Elon, I think the British public are telling the world that they're ready to fight back. Good. Yes. Come on. Come on, Raybrian. has conjured a vision of Britain, a failing country whose culture is being destroyed by radical Islam. All that time, he's been blacklisted by the British media, largely kept off screens, confined to distant corners of the internet. Everything you know about Tommy Robinson is wrong. For the last six months, I've been investigating how, for some of the most powerful people in America, Robinson has become a prophet. […]
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