Episodes
| Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autarky In Action | 20221121 | 20221123 (R4) | To orthodox economists, who value free trade above all else, autarky is a form of heresy. And there's certainly no shortage of historical examples where the pursuit of self-sufficiency by governments and national leaders has led to misery and impoverishment of their populations, from North Korea's 'Juche' ideology, to Sri Lanka's recent overnight ban on fertiliser imports. Yet less absolute forms of trade protection have also, at times, been proven tools for jumpstarting national economic development, including for the likes of America and Germany. And in times of conflict, a focus on national production, when imports are impossible, has often been vital in sustaining war efforts. So can autarky ever actually work in practice? For this second episode, Ben Chu, economics editor of BBC Newsnight, speaks to leading economists, historians and policy experts to find out. And with the war in Ukraine causing a rise in global food prices, Ben travels to an organic farm in Devon to see if it's possible for a nation like Britain to be entirely self-sufficient in food. With contributions from: Professor Tim Lang, Emeritus Professor of Food Policy, City, University of London Guy Singh-Watson, Founder of Riverside Organic Professor Jeevika Weerahewa, Professor at University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka Kazuhito Yamashita, Research Director, Canon Institute for Global Studies Dr Robert Feldman, Chief Economist Japan at Morgan Stanley Ha-Joon Chang, Economist and Author of 'Edible Economics- A Hungry Economist Explains the World Brad DeLong, Economist and Author of 'Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century David Edgerton, British Historian Amane Kimura, CEO at Algal Bio Presenter: Ben Chu Producer: Max Bower Editor: Craig Templeton Smith A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 Are we entering a new era of national economic self-reliance? Ben Chu investigates. To orthodox economists, who value free trade above all else, autarky is a form of heresy. And there's certainly no shortage of historical examples where the pursuit of self-sufficiency by governments and national leaders has led to misery and impoverishment of their populations, from North Korea's 'Juche' ideology, to Sri Lanka's recent overnight ban on fertiliser imports. Yet less absolute forms of trade protection have also, at times, been proven tools for jumpstarting national economic development, including for the likes of America and Germany. And in times of conflict, a focus on national production, when imports are impossible, has often been vital in sustaining war efforts. So can autarky ever actually work in practice? For this second episode, Ben Chu, economics editor of BBC Newsnight, speaks to leading economists, historians and policy experts to find out. And with the war in Ukraine causing a rise in global food prices, Ben travels to an organic farm in Devon to see if it's possible for a nation like Britain to be entirely self-sufficient in food. With contributions from: Professor Tim Lang, Emeritus Professor of Food Policy, City, University of London Guy Singh-Watson, Founder of Riverside Organic Professor Jeevika Weerahewa, Professor at University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka Kazuhito Yamashita, Research Director, Canon Institute for Global Studies Dr Robert Feldman, Chief Economist Japan at Morgan Stanley Ha-Joon Chang, Economist and Author of 'Edible Economics- A Hungry Economist Explains the World Brad DeLong, Economist and Author of 'Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century David Edgerton, British Historian Amane Kimura, CEO at Algal Bio Presenter: Ben Chu Producer: Max Bower Editor: Craig Templeton Smith A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 Are we entering a new era of national economic self-reliance? Ben Chu investigates. |
| The Future Of Autarky | 20221128 | 20221130 (R4) | Whatever its economic merits, we seem to be living through an `autarkic turn` in national policymaking as the dream of globalisation sours. The shocks and anxieties spawned by the coronavirus pandemic, the Ukraine war, and the intensifying geopolitical struggle between China and the US, means many governments - from the US, to India, to China, to the UK, to the European Union - are seeking to boost national production of things like silicon microchips, food and medicines. And the climate crisis is creating an urgent new drive for energy independence, in the form of renewable power. So what will this new age of autarky - if that's what it is - feel like? In this final episode, Ben Chu, economics editor of BBC Newsnight, speaks to experts around the world, and visits a solar farm near Warminster, Wiltshire, to investigate the viability of energy autarky for the UK. With contributions from: Josh Stratton, managing partner of JM Stratton & Co farm Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy Siddharth Mayur, CEO of H2E Power Huiyao Wang, president of Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in China Brad DeLong, economist and author of Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century Journalist Cindy Yu Presenter: Ben Chu Producer: Anouk Millet Editor: Craig Templeton Smith A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 Are we entering a new era of national economic self-reliance? Ben Chu investigates. Whatever its economic merits, we seem to be living through an `autarkic turn` in national policymaking as the dream of globalisation sours. The shocks and anxieties spawned by the coronavirus pandemic, the Ukraine war, and the intensifying geopolitical struggle between China and the US, means many governments - from the US, to India, to China, to the UK, to the European Union - are seeking to boost national production of things like silicon microchips, food and medicines. And the climate crisis is creating an urgent new drive for energy independence, in the form of renewable power. So what will this new age of autarky - if that's what it is - feel like? In this final episode, Ben Chu, economics editor of BBC Newsnight, speaks to experts around the world, and visits a solar farm near Warminster, Wiltshire, to investigate the viability of energy autarky for the UK. With contributions from: Josh Stratton, managing partner of JM Stratton & Co farm Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy Siddharth Mayur, CEO of H2E Power Huiyao Wang, president of Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in China Brad DeLong, economist and author of Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century Journalist Cindy Yu Presenter: Ben Chu Producer: Anouk Millet Editor: Craig Templeton Smith A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 Are we entering a new era of national economic self-reliance? Ben Chu investigates. |
| The Roots Of Autarky | 20221114 | 20221116 (R4) | The UK is seeking energy independence. The US wants its microchips to be 'made in America'. China is targeting self-sufficiency in food. India wants technological 'self-reliance'. Is this a new age of autarky? The concept of autarky originated in ancient Greece, where it was both a philosophical ideal and a practical goal of statecraft in a hostile and treacherous world. And the autarkic lure has persisted down the centuries since. In modern times autarky has been adopted as an aspiration by both left wing and right wing movements, by communist and fascist regimes, by empires and anti-imperialists. For this first of three episodes, Ben Chu, economics editor of BBC Newsnight, charts the rise of modern autarky while also asking: is there something in our human make-up that keeps drawing us back to autarky's promise of security, control and self-sufficiency? With contributions from: Scott Malcomson, former US government official and research fellow Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge Helen McCabe, Associate Professor in Political Theory at the University of Nottingham Brian Doherty, author or Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement Lawrence Samuels, former chair of Rampart Institute Carla Gericke, president emeritus of the Free State Project Presenter: Ben Chu Producer: Anouk Millet Editor: Craig Templeton Smith A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 Are we entering a new era of national economic self-reliance? Ben Chu investigates. The UK is seeking energy independence. The US wants its microchips to be 'made in America'. China is targeting self-sufficiency in food. India wants technological 'self-reliance'. Is this a new age of autarky? The concept of autarky originated in ancient Greece, where it was both a philosophical ideal and a practical goal of statecraft in a hostile and treacherous world. And the autarkic lure has persisted down the centuries since. In modern times autarky has been adopted as an aspiration by both left wing and right wing movements, by communist and fascist regimes, by empires and anti-imperialists. For this first of three episodes, Ben Chu, economics editor of BBC Newsnight, charts the rise of modern autarky while also asking: is there something in our human make-up that keeps drawing us back to autarky's promise of security, control and self-sufficiency? With contributions from: Scott Malcomson, former US government official and research fellow Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge Helen McCabe, Associate Professor in Political Theory at the University of Nottingham Brian Doherty, author or Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement Lawrence Samuels, former chair of Rampart Institute Carla Gericke, president emeritus of the Free State Project Presenter: Ben Chu Producer: Anouk Millet Editor: Craig Templeton Smith A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 Are we entering a new era of national economic self-reliance? Ben Chu investigates. |