Ones and Tooze

Adam and Cameron discuss the newly released memoir of Francis Fukuyama, the American political scientist whose influential paper in 1989—which was later expanded into a book—posited that liberal democracy had won the world’s ideological battle. The thesis was heralded as prescient when the Berlin wall fell a short time later but has been subjected to much criticism over the years. In the memoir, In the Realm of the Last Man, Fukuyama sets out to account for events that have transpired since 1989.
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The head of Anthropic last week called on the U.S. government to regulate AI companies to avoid catastrophic outcomes. But, as Adam and Cameron point out, the conversation itself raises broader questions about the structure of the AI marketplace, the efficacy of existing liability laws, and the very nature of capitalism.
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The far-right Alternative for Germany’s recent landslide victory in a small state in eastern Germany is part of a broader political story unfolding across Europe. It is also—and perhaps primarily—an economic story.

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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.
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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.

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