What Could Go Right?
What if instead of being on the brink of disaster, we’re on the cusp of a better world? No one can deny the challenges the world faces, from pandemics to climate change to authoritarianism. But pessimism and despair are too easy a response. Each week, Progress Network Founder Zachary Karabell and Executive Director Emma Varvaloucas convene a diverse panel of experts to discuss the central issues of our era, including sustainability, polarization, work, and the economy, and make the case for a brighter future. They emerge from their conversations with a counterintuitive but informed take: progress is on its way.
Show episodes
Is everything you know about government spending upside down? Zachary and Emma welcome trailblazing economist and author Stephanie Kelton, champion of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), to challenge the way we think about deficits, inflation, and what really matters for America’s financial future. Stephanie warns about the
Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas shine a light on a powerful form of providing education. This week, they’re joined by Laura Hosman of Arizona State University, creator of SolarSPELL, an offline, solar-powered digital library making education possible where internet access doesn't exist. Discover how SolarSPELL is
This week on The Progress Report, Zachary and Emma bring your antidote to the daily doom and gloom, from surprising political wins and innovative scientific breakthroughs to heartwarming stories that often go overlooked. The FDA's latest help for dog lovers, Australia’s bold climate visa for Tuvaluans, and an unexpecte
What can Americans look forward to despite today's lack of trust in the government? Zachary and Emma welcome Garrett Graff, journalist, historian, and author of several books, including Pulitzer finalist Watergate: A New History. He also hosts the Long Shadow podcast, which covers topics from 9/11 to American far right
On this week’s episode of The Progress Report, Zachary and Emma dig up the good news buried beneath the usual headlines, celebrating Costa Rica’s leap into high-income status and the upward mobility of Cape Verde and Samoa, marveling at Paris’s historic $1.4 billion effort to make the Seine swimmable again for local re
What made history’s golden ages thrive? Zachary and Emma speak with Johan Norberg, historian, documentary filmmaker, and author of Peak Human: What We Can Learn from the Rise and Fall of Golden Ages. Johan discusses what special societal qualities produced golden ages across history, as well as why these civilizations
