Category: Series

Tim Harford looks at some of the numbers in the news and in life. In this episode:

Why is the data on the ethnicity of grooming gangs of such poor quality?

Iran has apparently enriched uranium to 60%, but what does that number mean?

Adam Curtis’s latest series, Shifty, includes claims about Margaret Thatcher’s rise to power. We ask Sir John Curtice, polling king of election night, if they’re accurate.

And we ask an economist to explain why being pillaged by a Viking might be more lucrative than you’d imagine.

If you’ve seen a number in the news you think needs a stern look, email the team: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

More or Less is produced in partnership with the Open University.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Josephine Casserly Producers: Nicholas Barrett, Lizzy McNeill and David Verry Series producer: Tom Colls Production coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Gareth Jones Editor: Richard Vadon

What's the price to save a human life? We examine the monumental legacy of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with journalist Jon Cohen, who traveled to Eswatini and Lesotho to learn how cuts under the Trump Administration are hitting people at the clinic door.

Related episodes:
The gutting of USAID
How USAID cuts hurts farmers

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Unfortunately, the only real long-term solution to this is genuine fiscal austerity and debt repudiation.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/japans-price-inflation-rises-its-central-bank-has-fewer-options

Mainstream economics is deterministic, holding that economic actors continue to move in one directions, not responding to changes in economic circumstances or incentives. The Austrians understand economics is about people engaged in purposeful action.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/purpose-production-and-economy-criticism-pronatalist-economics

Even though a significant number of libertarians supported Trump for president, he clearly has shown no respect for libertarian thinking, especially with his anti-growth trade policies and support for bloated federal spending.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/trump-suffers-libertarian-derangement-syndrome

Elon Musk has thrown in the towel on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in all but name. Mises correctly anticipated failures like these.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-doge-failed

Economic sanctions, as a general principle, have a history of failure in the 20th and 21st centuries, which penalize everyday citizens in the sanctioned country.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/economic-sanctions-adrenaline

With the Iran bombing, the US Government is once again embarking on yet another act of war in support of the US empire. The eternal quest to expand the empire will not end well for Americans. Opposing the government‘s wars is a worthy endeavor.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/opposing-americas-imperialistic-wars-fight-worth-joining

The world has held a close eye on the Strait of Hormuz lately with Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran. Nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil passes through the narrow waterway, and many are worried Iran could shut the strait down. Today on the show, we explore what it would mean for Iran to close off the strait, and what insurance could tell us about tensions in the Middle East.

Related episodes:
Oil prices and the Israel-Hamas war (Apple / Spotify)
How the 'shadow fleet' helps Russia skirt sanctions (Apple / Spotify)

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