What are the political and economic factors to watch in 2020? Will the trade wars continue, will Brexit get done and who will be the next US president? Ed Butler is joined by economists Professor Meredith Crowley, Reader in International Economics, University of Cambridge; Guntram Wolff, Director of Bruegel, an economic think tank and Professor Raghuram Rajan of Chicago Booth School of Business to discuss how the events of 2019 will influence the coming year and give us their forecasts for trends to look out for in 2020. (Image: 2020 US election badges; image credit: Getty Images)

What is best practice for employers dealing with mental health problems at work? The World Health Organisation estimates that depression and anxiety cost the global economy about one trillion dollars a year in lost productivity. About half of all workers suffer from poor mental health but few of us talk to our employers about it. So how can an employer support someone going through a crisis, and does the workplace have a role in breaking down the stigma around mental health? Manuela Saragosa tries to answer some of these questions with guests, Professor Sally Maitlis of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford; Mary Daniels entrepreneur, author and coach; and Nicky Young, managing director at MullenLowe salt. (Image: Graphic image of man with head on desk; Image credit: Getty Images)

Are mandatory quotas desirable or necessary to ensure more diversity in our company boardrooms? The Netherlands has just passed a law obliging listed companies to have 30% of their non-executive boards made up of women and California has till the end of the year to ensure at least one woman is on the board of its public companies. But that law is being challenged, and quotas elsewhere have had mixed success. So why bother? Manuela Saragosa and guests Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe, founder and president of WISER Policy, attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation Anastasia Boden, Tamara Box, managing partner at Reed Smith and founding member of the 30% Club and former EU digital commissioner Neelie Kroes discuss the pros and cons of mandatory quotas for female equality in the corporate world. (Image: three business women: Image credit: Getty Images)

Can we trust the political adverts in our news feeds? Who is sending them, why are we being targeted and are they even true? This week we're looking at the thorny issue of political advertising on social media. Is regulation needed to ensure fair and trustworthy election campaigns or would restrictions endanger free speech and limit voter choice? Ed Butler is joined by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC technology correspondent, data rights lawyer Ravi Naik, Lisa-Maria Neudert, doctoral researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute and Michael Duncan partner and digital media lead at Cavalry, an issue management firm in Washington DC. (Image: Man looking at phone on a bus. Image credit: Getty Images)

Divestment has become a rallying call by environmental campaigners in the fight against climate change. It's when environmentally aware investors put pressure on their fund managers, employers and governments to move money away from polluting industries. An estimated $11 trillion have been divested from fossil fuel stocks since the 2015 Paris climate summit, but has that divestment made a difference? With emissions continuing to soar, wouldn't it be better just to tax energy companies more? Others argue that investors should put money into innvovative technologies that help solve climate change. Justin Rowlatt discusses these issues and more with guests Mark Lewis, Global Head of Sustainability, BNP Paribas Asset Management, Ahmed Mokgopo, Campaigner, 350.org and Gayle Peterson, Associate Fellow, Said Business School, Oxford. (Image: Climate change protest bannners. Image credit: Getty Images)

At a time when we’re living longer, healthier lives should we do away with the notion of retirement and just keep on working? Are the skills of older people adequate, and are they even wanted in a youth-obsessed society? Ed Butler will be discussing the financial drivers behind working longer, the social benefits of being actively employed and the choices that governments, employers and individuals need to make to prepare for older age. Our guests this week are Samuel Engblom, Policy director at The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees from Stockholm, Margaret Heffernan, executive coach and author in London and Steve Vernon, author and Research Scholar at the Stanford Center on Longevity, California. Plus, we take a visit to The Common Room, a new concept in intergenerational thinking. (Image: Older woman selling flower bouquet. Image credit: Getty)

The EU has a new parliament, new leadership, but the same old problems; Brexit, political populism and an economic slowdown. How will it stand up to the test? In the Balance comes from the 'Kilkenomics' festival of economics and comedy in Ireland, in front of a live audience of festival-goers. Rory Cellan-Jones is joined by a panel of top Irish, European and American economists in Cleere's pub in Kilkenny, along with comedian Colm O’Regan who is reflecting on how small countries cope as part of a big bloc like the EU. Guests: Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Brussels correspondent for the New York Times, David McWilliams academic and economist and co-founder of Kilkenomics, Bill Black, lawyer, author and associate professor of economics and law at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. And In the Balance regular contributor, comedian Colm O'Regan. Producer: Audrey Tinline Studio Manager: Robert Symington (Image: John Cleere pub exterior, Kilkenny. Image credit: BBC)

Some of the world’s top thinkers on artificial intelligence discuss the threats intelligent machines might pose to humans. With Turkey claiming it may be able to launch autonomous killer drones in the near future, is it time we all thought a bit harder about how we want this cutting edge technology to be deployed? Ed Butler and guests discuss artificial intelligence, from military hardware, to online advertising and insurance. Ed is joined by Dame Wendy Hall, Professor of Computer Science at Southampton University and Co-chair of the UK Government's review on Artificial Intelligence; Helen Toner, Director of Strategy at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University. And Jaan Tallinn, one of the founders of the technology firm Skype and now co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge University. (Picture: Robotic Androids Taking Charge Of Running A Futuristic City. Credit: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

What's the best strategy for starting a business from nothing? What if you have to start over - either in a new country or because of a business failure or setback in life? We hear from a Syrian refugee who started her cheese making business from the ground up and from South Africa we are joined by the managing director of an organisation advising small scale entrepreneurs who are doing business in tough conditions. Also in the programme, Ed Butler is joined by a venture capital funder who invests in tech start-ups and we'll hear from the leader of Britain's top foundation for boosting entrepreneurship, who says it takes a special type of person to start up a business from scratch. Contributors: Razan Alsous, founder of Yorkshire Dama Cheese Neeta Patel, CEO at the Centre for Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneur-Mentor at London Business School Wybrand Ganzevoort, managing director at Collective Value Creation George Davies, partner at Hambro Perks (Picture; A rocket taking off. Credit: Getty Creative)

Thanks to technology, these days it’s possible to work almost anywhere. You can log on from your kitchen table, in a trendy café or even on the beach. So what’s the point of the noisy, crowded office? Perhaps it’s time we ditched the daily commute and found better places, and better ways, to get the job done. Manuela Saragosa has been discussing, with her three guests, just what kind of spaces we’ll be working in in future, and whether the office has some redeeming features after all. Contributors: Kay Sargent, director of workplace at architectural firm HOK Iwo Szapar, remote work advocate & CEO at Remote-how Stephen Wood, a specialist in workplace psychology and professor of management at the University of Leicester (Picture:Office worker. Getty Images.)

Online gaming and e-sports are huge industries, but there are concerns about over-use and addiction and the way gaming takes up the time of young people. China is forcing some of its biggest games companies to put restrictions on the number of hours a day under 18s can play. But do such curbs make any difference, both to the young gamers and to the gaming business itself? Rory Cellan-Jones hears from a gaming expert and former professional e-sports player, a former online gaming addict and an expert in China's gaming industry. (Photo:Visitors uses console at the Cyber Games Arena (CGA) eSports venue in the Mongkok district of Kowloon in Hong Kong. January 2019.. Credit: Getty Images)

The UK parliament has rejected the Brexit deal struck between the government and the European Union. As the clock ticks to the deadline for the UK to leave the EU at the end of March, In the Balance hears how businesses are planning in times of deep uncertainty. Ed Butler asks business people in the EU and in the UK how they will manage to continue to export and import goods between the UK and the European Union if there is no deal after March 29? And Ed hears from a former senior UK civil servant on the risks ahead for trade - and what would be the best way out of the Brexit impasse?

Ask yourself honestly, how closely have you examined your emotional relationship with money? Or is it all a bit too awkward? Financial psychology - a relatively new discipline borne out of the USA - says we should all be doing exactly that. It joins the dots between psychology and financial planning, via behavioural economics and says it can help people understand their true relationship with money. Always in debt, but have a good salary? Ever wondered why your wealthy relative is so mean? Financial psychology might have the answer. Manuela Saragosa unravels some of these riddles with two experts: Brad Klontz, founder of the Financial Psychology Institute and Meghaan Lurtz, incoming president of the Financial Therapy Association. (Picture: Heads made of dollar bills, Credit: Getty Images)

In 2013, India passed an Act to protect women from sexual harassment in the workplace. Five years on, has it had any meaningful impact and where does that leave men and those from the LGBTQ community? In a special edition from Delhi, Divya Arya asks how workplaces in India are tackling the problem and whether the #MeToo movement has made sexual harassment less taboo. She is joined by Anita Cheria, president of labour rights organisation CIVIDEP, diversity consultant Arti Chaudhry and Harish Iyer an equality champion at NeoNiche Integrated Solutions. (Picture: Indian activists shout slogans outside a police station in Mumbai. Credit: Getty Images)

It's been another week of turmoil in British Brexit politics, but what is the view from the rest of Europe? Is the EU any better organised than the British government and what do they think is actually going to happen? Jonty Bloom takes a Europe-wide view of Brexit and the preparations already underway. He is joined by: Vicky Pryce, chief economic adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research; Melle Garshagen, UK and Ireland correspondent for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad; and Ilja Nothnagel of the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry. (Picture: Englishman standing on the beach, overlooking the sea; Credit: Getty Images)

How do you juggle the demands of a job and a family? Is there a stress-free and guilt-free way of giving adequate attention to your children and your career? We discuss the daily challenges facing millions of parents all over the world, including the often frantic morning rush, the career opportunities that pass you by, and the difficulty of maintaining a social life. And in this, the last episode of the series, we have three presenters instead of one - Susannah Streeter and Nkem Ifejika join fellow working parent Manuela Saragosa to share some tips. They're joined by Clare Streets, from Birmingham in the UK, who has recently rejoined the world of work after seven years spent raising a family. (Picture: A woman multi-tasking. Credit: Getty Images)

Drug firms are coming under fire from the US, Europe and China over the cost of some of their products. But is it simply the price we have to pay if we want Big Pharma to keep producing life-saving medicines? President Trump has vowed to drive down drug prices "substantially" - we hear why a lack of haggling means the latest patented pills typically cost more in the US than almost anywhere else in the world. We hear from Big Pharma itself - an industry figure tells us high prices reflect the years of research and development that go into new drugs and that, in time, competition does make them cheaper. Plus, does size matter when brokering better deals with the pharmaceutical firms, and in lower income countries what are the other factors pushing up prices? Contributors: Patricia Danzon, professor of health care management at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Thomas Cueni, director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations; and Kalipso Chalkidou, director of global health policy at the Center for Global Development. (Picture: Pills on a US dollar bill. Credit: Getty Images)

In this special edition we hear personal stories from the Great Recession and ask who has paid the highest price. From mortgage defaults and job losses to stagnant wages, we find out how hard the last 10 years have been for many individuals and families, and ask what legacy the financial crisis has left. Plus, where might the next crash come from, and are we any better prepared to withstand it? Manuela Saragosa leads the discussion with a panel of experts: Adam Tooze, professor of history at Columbia University and author of Crashed: How a Decade of Global Financial crises Changed the World; Pablo Bustinduy, a member of parliament in the Spanish anti-austerity political party Podemos; and Scott Winship, a poverty and inequality researcher, formerly of the Brookings Institution and now directing the Social Capital Project within the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress. Image: Boarded-up windows on a foreclosed home (Credit: Getty Images)

Why are most of us so bad at planning for the future? Whether saving for our retirement, managing workloads and deadlines, or budgeting for a major infrastructure project, we humans often fail miserably. Is it because we're incompetent, even irresponsible? Or is there something psychological getting in the way? We explore some of the most common planning pitfalls, from Olympic Games that go way over budget to short-term corporate incentives, and ask how individuals and businesses can avoid them. Contributors: Peter Ayton, professor of psychology at City, University of London; Bent Flyvbjerg, Chair of Major Programme Management at the University of Oxford; and Sarah Williamson, CEO of FCLT Global. (Picture: A woman looking out over the Grand Canyon. Credit: Getty Images)

Would you sign a divorce contract before you got married? Should you? They’re often seen as unnecessary, unromantic, and irreligious, but we hear how prenuptial agreements are on the rise, and not just among the super-rich. We speak to a newly-wed who signed a prenup with her now husband to protect her business interests. One of the UK’s top divorce lawyers tells us they are often better than the default divorce provisions laid out by governments. And a lawyer in Nigeria explains how she’s trying to use them to protect women’s rights. But prenups are not without pitfalls – we also hear how they can be coercive, unfair, and even destroy a marriage before it’s begun. Contributors: Ayesha Vardag, founder and president of London law firm Vardags; Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial, a book and website about personal finance; Laurie Israel from Israel, Van Kooy & Days law in Brookline, Massachusetts, and author of The Generous Prenup; Lesley Agams, founder and partner at Demeters Solicitors & Advocates in Abuja, Nigeria, and blogger on women's issues. (Picture: Models of a bride and groom on a wedding cake. Credit: Getty Images)

Why are governments and, increasingly, private companies spending billions of dollars on missions to Mars? Is there any money to be made from the red planet, and do these missions benefit anyone back on Earth? We explore the return on investment for taxpayer dollars spent on NASA or European Space Agency missions, and ask if Elon Musk is aiming to colonise the red planet for the good of humankind, or to boost profits for his firm SpaceX. Plus, can a separate plan to turn a Mars mission into reality TV ever get off the ground, and should we ethically even be considering sending people to Mars? Contributors: Dr David Parker, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency; Bas Lansdorp, founder and CEO of Mars One; and Dr Ian Stoner, from the department of philosophy at St Paul College, Minnesota. (Picture: ExoMars lifts off on a Proton-M rocket at Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, in March 2016. Credit: Stephane Corvaja, European Space Agency, via Getty Images)

Do you worry about plastic packaging, perfumes tested on animals, or whether child labour was responsible for your jeans? How often do those values actually affect your spending? Surveys suggest a majority of global consumers are concerned about the environment, animal welfare and workers' rights, but what we spend on ethical products is tiny in comparison. So how do we explain this so-called ethical consumption gap and how difficult is it to bridge? Plus, who is at fault for the lack of spending on ethical goods - consumers, or the brands themselves? What response have companies made to growing ethical concerns, and can they be encouraged to do more? Contributors: Marylyn Carrigan, professor of sustainable and ethical marketing at Keele University; William Sankey, founder and director of The Ethical Company Organisation; and Alden Wicker, founder and editor of the website EcoCult. (Picture: A stressed young woman standing in front of a clothes rail. Credit: Getty Images)

Bribery costs individuals, businesses and economies billions of dollars each year, and there are many international laws and conventions against it. But what happens when your firm operates in a part of the world where it's still the norm? In this episode we speak to three business people with first-hand experience of backhanders and ask how they can be avoided. One of them tells us he pays bribes as a matter of course, but if you're not willing to, does that mean you simply can't do business? Contributors: Gary Busch, managing director of political risk analysts Chunguza Associates and also Transport Logistics; Ron Cruse, founder and CEO of freight firm Logenix International and author of 'Lies, Bribes & Peril: Lessons for the Real Challenges of International Business'; and Alexandra Wrage, founder and CEO of anti-bribery consultancy TRACE International. Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Simon Tulett (Picture: Men passing banknotes under a table. Credit: Getty Images)

Nancy Kacungira presents a special programme on climate change, profiling the people whose trailblazing ideas and innovations are hoping to mitigate against global warming. Deep in the Ecuadorian jungle, one isolated community of Achuar have come up with an ingenious solution to protect their territory from the ever encroaching threat of deforestation. From BBC Mundo, Laura Plitt takes to the waterways aboard the Amazon jungle's first solar powered canoe. The loss of the Aral Sea in Central Asia is an ecological disaster. Toxic chemicals in the exposed sea bed have caused widespread health problems. From BBC Uzbek, Rustam Qobilov investigates whether an ambitious project to plant millions of trees can save the Karakalpak people of Uzbekistan. With the fastest growing population on the planet, India’s energy needs are staggering. From Delhi, women's affairs correspondent Divya Arya travels to the sunny state of Rajasthan to meet one social entrepreneur who’s attempting to provide solar technology to those living without power. And finally in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam, Ly Truong meets the scientist hoping to feed the world in a more sustainable way. This BBC Production was supported by funding from the Skoll Foundation. (Picture: Dr. Pham Thi Thu Huong, from the Field Crops Research Institute in Vietnam. Credit: BBC) Presented by Nancy Kacungira Produced by Claire Press

Who gets to control your personal data on the internet? Ed Butler and guests discuss the future of data privacy. With the scandals over use of our personal data by big groups like Facebook, Ed asks the experts whether our whole relationship with internet-based services could be breaking down? Could the old grand bargain - the giving of our personal data for free to online firms, in return for free services - be about to end? Ed hears from three people steeped in years of data expertise, to explore the future of online privacy. (Picture:One hundred cardboard cut-outs of Mark Zuckerberg outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, April 10th 2018. Credit: AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) Contributors: Orla Lynskey, Assistant Professor in the Law Department at the London School of Economics. Specialist in data protection and privacy. Justin Antonipillai, Founder and CEO at WireWheel. Former Acting Under Secretary at the US Department of Commerce. StJohn Deakins, Founder and chief executive of CitizenMe. Producer: Audrey Tinline

Many people meet their future love partner at work. But with the current high profile cases of sexual harassment, employers are becoming much more concerned about managing relationships between their employees. Ed Butler asks whether office dating between co-workers is a potential hazard, not just for staff, but for the company as a whole. And should more employers bring in so-called "love contracts" to be signed by workers who are in a romantic relationship in the office? (Picture: Businessman with secretary, USA, 1950s. Credit: George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images) Contributors: Ali Hall, Associate Fellow of Saïd Business School, Oxford University Catriona Watt, Partner at Fox & Partners Bradley Wright, Chief Technology Officer at Verve Moira Weigel, PhD Yale, Harvard Society of Fellows, founder of Logic magazine. Author: Labor of Love Jason Habinsky, Partner, Haynes and Boone Producer: Audrey Tinline

US President Donald Trump is bringing back sanctions on Iran and is threatening to extend the sanctions to European companies that do business there. The Iran announcement came in the same week that the USA announced more sanctions on Venezuela, ahead of controversial elections later this month. Since coming into power, President Trump has used economic sanctions as a weapon of choice. But do sanctions actually work? And how do they affect businesses trading with the countries concerned? Ed Butler is joined by a panel of experts to discuss what to expect as the US grip tightens over the economies of countries it is in conflict with. (Picture: An Iranian woman walks past a mural on the wall of the former US embassy in Tehran on May 8, 2018. Photo credit:ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images) Contributors: Elizabeth Rosenberg from the Center for a New American Security. Former Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of the Treasury where she helped to develop and implement financial and energy sanctions. Nigel Kushner, specialist sanctions lawyer, CEO of W Legal. Professor Ricardo Hausmann, Director of Harvard's Center for International Development. Former Minister of Planning of Venezuela. Producer: Audrey Tinline

How can the world move faster to ramp up renewable power? In the Balance examines the efforts of businesses and governments to manage the shift from fossil fuels - coal, gas and oil - to renewable sources like wind, solar and hydro. It's sometimes a bewilderingly complex world of goals, targets and treaties. But the key thing, according to the International Energy Agency, is that currently the world is not shifting fast enough away from fossil fuels. Ed Butler hears from energy industry insiders and experts on ways to boost renewable technologies and what's holding them back. Contributors: Claudia Kemfert, energy expert DIW, Germany Stephen Bull, Senior Vice President, Statoil, wind and carbon capture and storage Wilfrid Petrie, CEO, Engie UK Producer: Audrey Tinline (Picture: Lightning flashes over windmills near Sieversdorf, eastern Germany, 2017. Credit: AFP PHOTO / Patrick Pleul / Germany)

In the Balance asks whether the 53 countries of the Commonwealth could become a new force in global trade. With rising trade protectionism around the world, and the UK splitting off from the European Union, how important could this grouping of diverse nations be to the future of international trade? Ed Butler talks to business leaders and politicians at the Commonwealth Business forum, organised by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council. The programme comes from the historic royal palace of Marlborough House in London, headquarters of the Commonwealth movement. Contributors: Amy Jadesimi, CEO of LADOL, Nigeria Christian Cardona, Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business, Malta Rahul Mirchandani, founder of the Commonwealth-Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs Sir Kenneth Olisa, OBE, Founder and Chairman of Restoration Partners Producer: Audrey Tinline (Picture: Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Patricia Scotland and Theresa May at Buckingham Palace in London during The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), April 19, 2018. Credit: VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

In the Balance examines the recent sharp falls in the global markets. Ed Butler asks why volatility is back in the financial markets - after years of relative calm. Ed is joined by one of the world's leading experts in algorithmic computerised trading as well as a fund manager with more than 30 years experience of watching the market highs and lows. But is this time different - is computer driven trading at least partly to blame for an increase in volatility? Should we be in fear of the machines? Contributors: Gervais Williams, from Miton Group, who has worked in finance in the City of London for more than 30 years Economics Professor Jeffrey Frankel from Harvard University Andrei Kirilenko, the Director of the Centre for Global Finance and Technology at London's Imperial College Business School (Picture: Traders React to market volatility on floor of the Cboe Global Markets exchange on February 6, 2018 in Chicago. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Italy's upcoming general election is being seen as the latest test of a populist upsurge in Europe. Manuela Saragosa is in Rome to hear what young people want from the election and the economy. Italy has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Europe and many young people leave the country to find work. So do politicians have any answers for young people searching for their first jobs? Manuela hears from students, an employer, and a grass-roots politician about what's at stake for the economy. Contributors: Andrea Prencipe, Deputy Rector of LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome Stefano Callegari, CEO at Trapizzino Maurizio Coppola, Power to the People Students at Sapienza University, Rome (Picture: A man walks past a board bearing the parties' logos registered at the Italian Interior Ministry on January 20, 2018 for the general elections to be held on March 4, 2018. (Credit:FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

Fatalists might argue work has no future, that soon pretty much everything will be automated and that the robots will take over. Others say the rise of artificial intelligence and robotics just means the kinds of jobs we'll all be doing is changing. So what sorts of skills will prepare us - and our children - for the future of work, and for jobs which we might not even have dreamt of yet? Join Manuela Saragosa and guests to discuss what we should be studying now. Contributors: Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, co-founder of Stemettes Susan Lund, partner with the McKinsey Global Institute Scott Hartley, venture capitalist, author of The Fuzzy and The Techie Lord Karan Bilimoria Chairman and Founder of Cobra Beer and Independent Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords Picture: iPal robots sing for attendees at the AvatarMind booth during CES 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Credit: Getty Images)

The world's top business people, politicians and economists have been meeting in the Swiss resort of Davos. In the Balance asks: Can capitalism deliver prosperity for all of us? The International Monetary Fund confirmed a strong picture for global growth this year - but is it the right kind of growth? The IMF report reveals that one fifth of emerging market economies saw per capita incomes fall last year. So, with global growth rising, why isn't everyone getting richer? Join Manuela Saragosa and her guests in Davos, Washington and London, to discuss whether global growth can reach even the world's poorest. Contributors: Minouche Shafik, Director of the London School of Economics Kishore Mahbubani, Senior Advisor and Professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore Eve Poole, author of Capitalism's Toxic Assumptions, Associate at Ashridge Business School Desmond Lachman, Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Picture: US President Donald Trump looks on as the Landwehr Fribourg band leaves the stage during the World Economic Forum meeting on January 26, 2018 in Davos (Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

As President Trump completes his first year in office, a Nobel prize-winning economist and two mayors mark the President's economic report card. Has President Trump delivered on his big economic promises to bring back jobs and cut taxes? Ed Butler is joined by the eminent economist Professor Robert Shiller; the Mayor of Gillette, Wyoming, Louise Carter King and Pete Saenz, Mayor of the border town of Laredo, Texas. Ed also hears from Michael Stumo, CEO of the Coalition for a Prosperous America. Image: US President Donald Trump looks on before boarding Airforce One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on January 8, 2018, before departing for Nashville. (Credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Political manipulation and fake news have shaken trust in social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has vowed to make 2018 the year of big changes on the social media giant. And politicians around the world are threatening to bring in new regulations too. In Germany a new law is now forcing platforms to remove hate speech or face big fines. Join Ed Butler and guests for a discussion on who is to blame for the ills of social media - and how to fix them. Contributors:Samantha Bradshaw from the Computational Propaganda Project at Oxford University. Douglas Rushkoff , Professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics at City University of New York and author of Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus. Andreas Kluth, Editor-in-Chief of Handelsblatt Global, the online English-language edition of the German newspaper. Roger McNamee is an American businessman, investor and venture capitalist who was an early mentor to Mark Zuckerberg. Image: Mark Zuckerberg speaks on stage during the annual Facebook F8 developers conference in San Jose, California, U.S., April 18, 2017 (Credit: Reuters)

What are the biggest risks to the global economy in 2018? Ed Butler is joined by some of the world's leading economists and political scientists to ask the key questions that will affect us all in the year ahead. Ed hears from Ian Bremmer, American political scientist and the President and founder of Eurasia Group, a political risk research firm; Megan Greene, Chief Economist at Manulife and John Hancock Asset Management in the USA and Guntram Wolf, Director of Bruegel, a leading European think tank, focussing on economics and politics. Comedian Colm O'Regan chips in from Dublin with his take on how the world is changing as 2018 gets underway. (Picture: US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping attend a business leaders event inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Giving It Away Global philanthropy is on the rise, but can the huge sums donated by wealthy business people risk undermining governments and democracy? Manuela Saragosa is joined by economist Neva Rockefeller Goodwin, a member of the Rockefeller family that owns one of the world's largest fortunes. Neva is also one of 400 wealthy people in the USA who signed a letter organised by the Responsible Wealth project against tax cuts for the rich. And we hear from British businessman John Caudwell who sold his high street mobile phone company for more than 2 billion dollars. He now spends more time on his philanthropic work, including his charity for children with disabilities, Caudwell Children. Manuela is also joined by Barbara Ridpath, Director of the St Paul's Institute in London and Antonia Mitchell, Director of Aurelia Philanthropy. Also in the programme: David Callahan, author of The Givers, which questions the power acquired by philanthropists. (Picture:the 85th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, New York November 29 2017. Credit: Getty Images)

Could starting up a business be the best way into work for more women across South Asia? Shivaani Kohok asks why only one in four women in India have paid jobs and what's holding them back from entering the workplace. She's joined by three women working with entrepreneurs across South Asia. (Picture: A mother and baby treated by the Sehat Kahani healthtech business)

Are there clever solutions to real life challenges across South Asia? In partnership with the BBC Innovators series, Shivaani Kohok hears from some of the people in India who are coming up with new ideas to improve health, education and business in areas where life is tough. Shivaani and guests discuss how "jugaad" can help. It is a Hindi term that translates as "frugal innovation" - how to make the most of limited resources. But does jugaad have the potential to change lives? (Photo: A crowd of Indian residents gather outside the Fair Price Shop in the northern district of Jahangirpuri, New Delhi. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

In the Balance reports this week from Catalonia, Spain's strongest economic region. The Catalan leader has declared that the region has won the right to independence, following a referendum declared illegal by the Spanish state. But what about the economy? Catalonia accounts for nearly 20% of Spain's GDP, but who would stand to lose most if the region breaks away? Manuela Saragosa travels to the Catalan capital Barcelona to hear from business people, economists and workers on whether Catalonia can afford to go it alone. (Picture: Protesters wave Spanish and Catalan flags in Barcelona on October 12, 2017. Credit: JORGE GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images)

China's economy is still growing at a respectable rate - but how long can that last? Ed Butler reports from China on the problems caused by increasing amounts of debt. Ed hears from students taking on debt they don't understand and finds out about the extent of Shanghai's property bubble. He is joined back in the studio by a panel of experts on China to ask whether high levels of debt could sink the country's booming economy. Contributors: Linda Yueh, Adjunct Professor of Economics at London Business School and Fellow in Economics at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University; Steve Tsang, Director of SOAS China Institute; Geoffrey Yu, Head of UK Investment Office at UBS Wealth Management. (Picture: People visit a shopping mall complex in Shenyang, Liaoning province, as the authorities seek to revive the recession-hit industrial region. Credit: AFP/Getty images)

Very soon, for the first time in modern history, five generations will be working side by side. Baby boomers, traditionalists, and Generations X, Y and Z. Is it a manager's dream - or a nightmare? Manuela Saragosa and guests ask why millennials are so hard to manage - and how do you keep older workers motivated throughout a career that could last for 50 years? Contributors: Professor Andrew Scott, Deputy Dean at London Business School and co-author of The 100-Year Life Ali Hall, leadership development coach and Associate Fellow of Saïd Business School, Oxford Chip Conley, Modern Elder and former head of global hospitality and strategy at Airbnb

The development of Artificial Intelligence is being seen as one of the biggest threats to jobs this century. Yet it's a technology that can also help humanity hugely and is forecast to increase global economic growth. So should we be afraid of AI - or should we embrace a future where machines could become as intelligent as humans? In the Balance brings together some of the top thinkers in the debate to ask whether AI is our friend or our enemy. Contributors: Nick Bostrom, founding Director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University Luis Perez Breva, an expert in the process of technology innovation and entrepreneur, based at MIT Kathleen Richardson, professor of Ethics and Culture of Robots and AI at De Montfort University Kevin Warwick, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh, Executive Director of Cambridge University's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (Picture: A Google Earth map of Paris, France as the company unveils the revamped version of the application April, 2017 at a event at New York's Whitney Museum of Art. Credit: Getty Images)

What lessons should we learn from the damage hurricane Irma has inflicted on Florida and the Caribbean, the flooding hurricane Harvey wreaked on Texas and the floods that have devastated parts of South Asia? And how can politicians and aid agencies be persuaded to spend more money preparing for natural disasters, rather than clearing up after the event? Manuela Saragosa talks to one environmental planning expert in Houston, Texas, who says some parts of the city will become uninhabitable. And she hears from experts around the world on the best way to contain the economic damage of future natural disasters. Contributors: Jim Blackburn, Rice University, Houston MB Akhter, Bangladesh Country Director for Oxfam Tom Bamforth from Shelter Cluster Ilan Noy, Professor at Victoria University in Wellington, holder of the inaugural Chair in the Economics of Disasters Christina Bennett from the Overseas Development Institute (Picture: People shop in a supermarket after Hurricane Irma swept through the area on September 13, 2017 in Naples, Florida. Credit: Getty Images)

Does passing down large amounts of money within families drive the gap between rich and poor even wider? It seems that some of the world's richest people, like Bill Gates, recognised this and have pledged to give away most, if not all, of their wealth to good causes rather than their children. Is inherited wealth a curse, both on a personal and macro-economic level? Should we tax it much more heavily, or even ban inheritance altogether? Manuela Saragosa is joined by a global panel of guests to unpick the issues on intergenerational fairness. Contributors: Barbara Blouin, founder of The Inheritance Project, Karen Rowlingson Professor of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, Edward Wolff, Professor of Economics at New York University and Jørgen Næsje, State Secretary in Norway's Finance Ministry. (Picture: College Republicans Rally For Repeal Of Estate Tax. Washington DC June 2006. Credit: Getty Imgages)

How much pocket money, if any, should you give your children? What does it teach them about the world of finance? Some parents give their children an unconditional allowance, with no strings attached, but could this be considered a form of child abuse? Does it make them financially irresponsible adults with a sense of entitlement? And if you only give your children money in return for them washing the dishes or cleaning their room, do they ever understand the real meaning or usefulness of the work they are doing? We assess the value of pocket money as a tool for introducing young minds to the world of money, and ask whether parents should be more open with children on money matters and even give them more power to make their own choices with the help of new technology. Contributors Professor Lewis Mandell, a financial economist specialising in financial literacy Dean Brauer, c-founder of goHenry, a digital pocket money app Professor Agnes Nairn, a researcher on consumerism and marketing to children Bianca Isaincu, from Child and Youth Finance International, a non-profit which aims to educate children about money and get them access to bank accounts (Picture: Piggy bank. Credit: iStock, Getty Images)

Can Hong Kong still call itself the gateway to China, or is it in danger of being dwarfed economically by its mainland neighbour? On the twentieth anniversary of the British handover of power to Beijing, we hear about the mainland Chinese money buying up Hong Kong businesses, properties and land, and discuss the impact it's having on the territory’s economy and society. As property prices rocket and people are left struggling to afford smaller and smaller flats, what future is there for Hong Kong’s young people? Have decades of financial might made Hong Kong complacent, and where will future economic growth come from? Contributors Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group Elaine Tsung, co-founder of The Garage Society and Eaton House Andrew Shuen, from The Lion Rock Institute John Greenwood, chief economist at Invesco (Picture: A traditional junk boat sailing across Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. Credit: Getty Images)

Has the shock decision to scrap almost all of India's cash been a success or a failure? Last November's withdrawal of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes caused chaos for millions of people and businesses, but now the dust has settled, is there any evidence it was effective in tackling corruption and curbing the black economy? Have those hardest hit by the demonetisation now managed to recover? What impact, if any, has the move had on India's economy? And in a society where cash is king, are there any signs people have been pushed towards using bank cards or mobile payments? Contributors Jayati Ghosh, professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, in New Delhi Economist Lord Meghnad Desai Gaurav Daga, owner of Oswal Cable Products in New Delhi Piritta Sorsa, head of economics research on India at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (Picture: A man holds old Indian notes at a protest against demonetisation in Bangalore. Credit: Kiran Manjunath, Getty Images)

Sharp falls in commodity prices have dealt serious blows to the prospects of workers, communities, and businesses in large parts of Africa over the last few years. The World Bank said economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa slumped to its lowest level for more than two decades last year and earlier this month South Africa, the continent’s third largest economy, re-entered recession. The picture is not uniformly bleak – the outlook is much more positive in East Africa – but the continent’s largest economies are suffering. Can they turn things around and end their reliance on oil and mining? What hope is there for those seeking relief from poverty, and what jobs might they do in the future? Ed Butler is joined by a panel of guests: Kola Karim, CEO of Shoreline Group, a Nigerian energy and infrastructure company; professor Mthuli Ncube, head of Quantum Global Research Lab and former chief economist of the African Development Bank; and Lorenzo Fioramonti, professor of political economy at the University of Pretoria, in South Africa. (Picture: Women fill wheelbarrows with coal in South Africa. Credit: Marco Longari, Getty Images)

Is the world of football about to see a powershift? China wants to be a global leader in football and President Xi has a masterplan to have fifty million Chinese citizens playing football by 2020. It's the big money transfer of players that catch the eye and this summer will see more star names tempted to make the move to China. Ed Butler is joined by Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sports Enterprise at Salford Business School, Mark Dreyer, editor of China Sports Insider and Alexander Jarvis, chairman of Blackbridge Cross Borders, who specialise in the football business. Ed looks to find out why China is doing this and whether they can really succeed. (Picture: A view of the main stadium at the Evergrande International Football School in Guangdong Province, China. Credit: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Florida was split down the middle in the US presidential election. Exactly four months into his first term, Donald Trump is now mired in controversy, over the sacking of FBI director James Comey and the investigation into Russian hacking. Politics has eclipsed the president's economic agenda in many areas. Ed Butler travels to the sunshine state of Florida to ask Trump supporters and opponents whether they think he can deliver on his promise to boost economic growth and improve living standards. Ed also asks Harvard economics professor Ken Rogoff for his assessment of whether the president can start to make good on his economic pledges. (picture: A construction worker in Miami, Florida. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

On In the Balance we ask how President Trump's policies are affecting jobs and workers. Ed Butler hears from mayors and economic specialists from across the USA, to get a snapshot of how the economy is faring under the new administration - from the coal industry to car manufacturing. The Mayor of Santa Fe in New Mexico - which is home to a large number of Latino immigrants - explains how tighter policies are spreading fear across the immigrant community. And Colm O' Regan reflects on how President Trump's election has complicated his own job - as a stand-up comedian. (Picture: US President Donald Trump shakes hands with coal miners in the White House. Credit: Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images)

As the Netherlands heads to the polls for what has been one of the most contentious elections for years, In the Balance is in the tech city of Eindhoven, home to a high concentration of international workers. Ten percent of the city's workforce comes from abroad, so will any of that change after the election with anti-immigration, anti-EU politicians like Geert Wilders predicted to do well? Manuela Saragosa visits one of the Netherlands' biggest tech companies, ASML, and hears from international workers and the local Dutch population about how Eindhoven absorbs so many foreign workers every year. (Picture: ASML campus, VELDHOVEN, the Netherlands. Credit: ASML)

Is personal ownership on its way out? Today we own more stuff than ever before, but will the future be one where we hire everything we need? Our goods could be supplied to us by big companies as a service - and taken away again or replaced almost before we know they need to be fixed. That's just one part of the idea of the circular economy - a new way for businesses to think about how they make use of the world's finite resources. To discuss the concept, presenter Manuela Saragosa is joined by Dame Ellen MacArthur, a former round-the-world sailor who now heads her own foundation promoting the circular economy. Manuela also hears from a leading Indian environmentalist, Dr Ashok Khosla, and from Kirstie McIntyre, who is the director of global sustainability operations at the technology giant HP. Plus, regular contributor and comedian Colm O' Regan celebrates The Fixers - those who mend products rather than throw them away. (Picture: Dame Ellen MacArthur. Credit: The Ellen MacArthur Foundation)

What can governments and employers do to ensure disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else in the workplace? And how can disabled people give themselves the best chance of getting into work? Join Manuela Saragosa and guests: Dr Alice Maynard, an associate of Business Disability International; Randy Lewis, a former executive at the US pharmacy giant Walgreens; and Tunusha Naidu, founder of ABLE Consulting in South Africa, a disability-focussed recruitment firm that also helps companies make their workplaces more accessible. (Picture: Man in a wheelchair working at container terminal. Credit: Thinkstock)

Have economists become the latest casualties of the so-called "populist wave"? Some of them got their forecasts badly wrong over Brexit, and widespread fears over a US economy under President Donald Trump have given way to record highs in financial markets. Plus, of course, most economists completely failed to foresee the global financial crisis. It's led some to suggest that economics has become too detached from reality, that its experts have become too politicised and that the profession has lost much of its credibility. After all, Brexit and Trump voters ignored economists' dire warnings in their tens of millions. And, at a time of such huge political and technological change, is economics still a useful way to make sense of and predict events? Ed Butler is joined by three guests with their own visions for how economics should change: Wendy Carlin, professor of economics at University College London and leader of the CORE project to reform the undergraduate economics curriculum; Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at recruitment website Glassdoor, in San Francisco; and Paola Subacchi, director of international economics research at the UK think-tank Chatham House. (Picture: A man on a dollar boat in bad weather. Credit: Thinkstock)

Technology has shaken up working culture. Large multinationals are rethinking the ways they let their staff work. While for many people outside the structure of big companies, work is increasingly freelance and insecure. We'll hear from those who say the traditional eight-hour working day is on its way out. But what is replacing it? Join Manuela Saragosa and guests as they debate how to make work pay fairly for everyone. Manuela hears from Guy Standing, author of "The Precariat" ; Edward Conard, from the American Enterprise Institute and author of "The Upside of Inequality", and Douglas Rushkoff, author of "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus". Picture: People walk outside the New York Stock Exchange. Credit:Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Will 2017 be the year that breaks Europe? With geo-political risk at the top of everyone's radar, we focus on one region that's going to be increasingly in the spotlight in the coming months - Europe. It's not just the high-stakes elections due shortly in France, the Netherlands and Germany, there's also the migrant crisis, the potential death of the open border Schengen agreement, and the wide-ranging challenges presented by America's new administration. Could the challenging politics undermine the economics of the European project? In the Balance weighs up the issues with a panel of guests. Ed Butler talks to Maria Demertzis, Deputy Director at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels and a visiting professor at the University of Amsterdam; Professor Ngaire Woods, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government and Professor of Global Economic Governance at the University of Oxford, and Ruth Lea, Arbuthnot Banking Group's Economic Adviser. (Picture: The US and European Union flags fly in Berlin, November 2016. Credit: TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Make America great again! It was President Trump's rallying cry on the campaign trail. And, his win and Brexit's victory at the polls tell us that nationalism is on the rise. But how does that sit with a global economy that is increasingly inter-connected? Every day a soaring amount of information and data crosses national boundaries. So where does that leave the nation state? We hear from both sides of the Atlantic. Manuela Saragosa is joined by guests Joshua Cooper Ramo, co-CEO of Kissinger Associates; Victoria Nash, deputy director of the Oxford Internet Institute; Lawrence Wintermeyer, CEO of Innovate Finance and Ryan Bourne, chair in public understanding of economics at the Cato Institute in Washington. (Photo: US President Donald Trump signs an executive order to start the Mexico border wall project, January 2017. Credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

We take a look at the growing international phenomenon of the activist investor. They hunt down companies they think are under-performing, buy a stake and then lobby for change. It can be aggressive, it can get ugly, and it is on the rise. The number of activist campaigns in the US has grown from 104 in 2000 to 487 in 2015, according to a Credit Suisse report. The targets of these investors are becoming increasingly diverse, and activism has now spread into Europe and Asia. Companies from Yahoo to Apple to Rolls Royce have all been affected. Critics say activists are bad for companies and shareholders in the long-term, and detrimental to society as a whole. But activists say they provide a valuable service, holding poorly performing boards to account, and increasing shareholder profit. The BBC's Ed Butler asks our panel of experts: Who really benefits in the long-term from activist activity? He's joined from Singapore by Dr Lawrence Loh, Director of the Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations at the National University of Singapore Business School, and by two guests in Washington DC - Nell Minow, Vice-chair of ValueEdge Advisors and David Langstaff, former founder of Veridian and former CEO of TASC. (Photo: Man in business suit with boxing gloves on. Credit: Thinkstock)

It is an idea that has been around for hundreds of years - to give everyone in society a regular chunk of money that is enough to guarantee them a minimum survivable standard of living. Often called Universal or Unconditional Basic Income, the idea has supporters on both right and left. It was cast back into the spotlight this year when the Swiss held a referendum on whether to introduce it. Pilot schemes to test the idea are cropping up everywhere from Finland to the Netherlands to the US and Kenya. One reason it is gathering such momentum is concern over new technologies eliminating many low-end jobs. Last week the founder of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk said the impact of automation on the job market meant that some form of Universal Basic Income would become inevitable. But not everyone agrees a Basic Income is inevitable, or even desirable, and for those who do support the idea, there is disagreement over almost every aspect of how it should be implemented. To what extent could it replace the Welfare State? Would it incentivise people to work? Can people be trusted to spend the money wisely? And how could it be funded? The BBC's Ed Butler is joined by a panel of four - professor Louise Haagh, reader of Politics at the University of York and the co-chair of the Basic Income Earth Network; Michael Tanner, senior fellow of the CATO Institute in Washington DC; Michael Faye, co-founder of Give Directly, which is piloting its own Universal Income project in Kenya; and professor Ian Gough of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics. (Photo: Giant campaign poster in Plainpalais Place, Geneva, 2016 saying: What would you do if your income was taken care of? Credit: AFP/ Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images)

Can Donald Trump deliver on his promises of more jobs and growth, especially to parts of the Midwest that have been starved of employment and hope for decades? Around seven million factory jobs have been lost in the region since the 1970s. President-elect Trump has promised to invest in infrastructure, boost production, revive manufacturing, and cut taxes. He also talked about abandoning the country's trade deals and building a wall with Mexico. How much of this is feasible, and can he do it whilst keeping some kind of reasonable limit on the country's already substantial national debt? The BBC's Ed Butler discuss these issues with Pippa Malmgren, a former member of George W Bush's economic team; Jared Bernstein from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and formerly, Barack Obama's economic team. They are also joined by Lou Mavrakis, Mayor of Monessen, Pennsylvania, a rust-belt town which has been hard hit by the recent decades of decline. (Photo: A former steel factory in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in November 2016. Credit: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AFP/Getty Images)

The idea of a small, dynamic company with big ambitions and a mission that all employees believe in, seems to be something that everyone wants a slice of these days. Industrial heavyweights such as car-makers, BMW and Ford have been launching their own spin-off initiatives to try to capture that startup magic themselves. But what exactly is startup culture and how can a company hang on to it as it grows? Is it even possible for corporate giants to emulate it? At the London offices of Transferwise, presenter Ed Butler gets to grips with startup culture, through a game of Ping-Pong with CEO Taavet Hinrikus. It is all good fun, but how much do employees really benefit from working in environments like this one? And when does a culture, become a cult? To explore all that and more, Ed returns to the studio where he is joined by Alicia Navarro, CEO and co-founder of the London-based tech startup, Skimlinks, and from Boston in the US by Dan Lyons, author of a recent best-selling book, Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Startup Bubble, and Bill Aulet, managing director of the Martin Trust Centre for MIT Entrepreneurship and a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. (Photo: A man enter the doors of the WeWork co-operative co-working space in Washington, DC. Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Could Brexit be about to undermine the dominance of London's banking industry? The British Banker's Association has warned that large banks are getting ready to relocate out of the UK early next year, and smaller banks could move operations overseas before then. It comes amid a fierce debate in Britain and Europe over what Brexit should look like. Some banks in London are pushing to retain access to the single market - especially so-called passporting rights. But the British government is unwilling to give ground to the EU on its key demand - control over immigration. Frankfurt, Berlin and Paris are certainly on the charm offensive, with lobbyists hard at work encouraging relocation. So can London retain its status as a global finance hub – and who benefits if it doesn't? How much do other cities really stand to gain from Britain's imminent exit from the EU, and possibly the single market? And if there is an exodus of banks from the City of London, what will it mean for Europe, and even the global economy? The BBC's Ed Butler is joined by an expert panel - Mark Boleat, policy chairman of The City of London Corporation; Marta Krupinska, a Polish-born businesswoman and founder of Azimo, a platform for sending money internationally; Dr Gerard Lyons, of the Policy Exchange think-tank and NetWealth Investments; Nicolas Véron, of the Bruegel Institute and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. (Photo: City of London skyline. Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

There has been plenty of fierce fighting during the US election campaign, but much of it has been about the behaviour of the candidates rather than their policies. This week, we focus on economic policy. The BBC's Ed Butler gets the inside track from Diana Furchtgott-Roth, an economic adviser to the Trump campaign and professor Austan Goolsbee, former chairman of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers and adviser to the Clinton campaign. (Photo: Dolls of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton for sale in a gift shop at Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania. Credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Should central bankers, once seen as the new rock stars of the finance world, be more aptly described as failed heroes? As the world's finance ministries battle to revive their ailing, post-crisis economies, they have increasingly turned to the central bankers to do whatever it takes according to Mario Draghi, to keep those economic wheels turning. As a result, interest rates have been slashed in the rich world and some banks have launched massive programmes of quantitative easing. But have these technical remedies for economic stagnation run their course? As the debt piles rise and the rates approach zero or even negative in some countries - are the bankers' big bazookas as they were once memorably called, running out of ammunition? The BBC's Ed Butler is joined by three guests - DeAnne Julius, a founding member of the Monetary Policy Committee which sets the Bank of England's interest rates, Jeff Deist, president of the Mises Institute, a long-time critic of the tactics deployed by the leading central banks, and Usha Thorat, a former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India in Mumbai. (Photo: Computer graphic of a man opening his shirt revealing a t-shirt with percent symbol. Credit: Wavebreakmedia Ltd)

The impact of globalisation has been very much in the spotlight with the wave of populist rhetoric of late. We heard it in Britain with the Brexit referendum to leave the EU, and now with the arguments of US presidential candidate, Donald Trump, who thinks recent trade deals with China, Latin America and beyond have short-changed American workers. Until the global financial crisis of 2009, free trade seemed like an ambition everyone believed in. Today - not so much. Currency manipulation, tariffs and state support - they all mean that one person's free trade is another person's rip off. Is globalisation now in retreat? Should it and can it, be abandoned? And what is globalisation anyway? The BBC's Ed Butler is joined by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, US economist and UN adviser based at Columbia University, Michael Stumo, Head of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, which opposes many of his country's recent trade deals, and Professor Pankaj Ghemawat, from the New York University Stern School of Business and IESE Business School in Barcelona. (Photo: Demonstrators pull a Trojan horse as they protest against the transatlantic trade deals CETA and TTIP in Vienna, 2016. Credit: Georg Hochmuth/AFP)

The 2016 Olympic Games have almost bankrupted Rio de Janeiro, and other world cities are pulling out as potential future hosts because of spiralling costs. Does it ever make economic sense to stage what is often dubbed the greatest show on earth? Angry protests greeted the Olympic torch as it entered Rio, with many residents furious about the cost of an event that they fear will leave them no lasting economic or social legacy. Boston, Oslo and Hamburg are just some of the cities that have pulled out of hosting future summer or winter Olympics. It has led some to suggest a major downsizing to safeguard the very future of Olympic hosting, at least in western democracies. But are these fears justified? Ed Butler is joined by Brazilian-born journalist Juliana Barbassa, Allan Brimicombe from the University of East London, economist Andrew Zimbalist from Smith College in Massachusetts, and Simone Perillo from Rome 2024. (Photo: A protester calling for a boycott of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Credit: Christophe Simon/Getty Images)

Are central banks running out of options to boost sluggish economic growth? Five of them have introduced negative rates, violating one of the most fundamental norms in business and economics. And other ideas, once thought utterly shocking, are now being openly considered. Martin Wolf, chief economic commentator at the Financial Times newspaper, talks with economists and central bankers, past and present, to examine how such policies might affect the way people spend and save in the future. In an interview conducted in June he discusses “helicopter money” with Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda, and asks former Bank of England governor Mervyn King why many economies are still struggling eight years on from the global financial crisis Plus, how much more tinkering can we expect from these experts and how much further might interest rates fall? (Photo: Coins being dropped into a jar. Credit: Thinkstock)

Are the rights of the world's workers being eroded too far in the pursuit of economic growth? France has been plunged into sometimes violent industrial unrest so far this year as the government attempts to push through changes to restrict collective bargaining and make it easier for bosses to fire workers. It says the new rules are needed to stimulate business - a view shared by powerful economic forces like the IMF. But do labour reforms always bring greater prosperity? Or do they leave workers vulnerable to profit-hungry corporations, and increase inequality? Is there a middle way between workers' rights and good business? Ed Butler is joined by Raymond Torres, director of research at the International Labour Organisation, Zoe Lanara, head of international relations at the Greek General Confederation of Labour, and Dan Mitchell, an economist with the Cato Institute in Washington. (Photo: French CGT union members protesting in Marseilles. Credit: Boris Horvat, Getty Images)

A bitter ideological battle is being fought for control over the virtual currency's future. Can it survive if it doesn't expand to accommodate more users and transactions? Meanwhile, banks and others are using Bitcoin's underlying technology to develop their own products and services. Does the blockchain ultimately have more potential? The Bitcoin impasse has led to some high-profile defections, including that of former core developer Mike Hearn. He tells Rory Cellan-Jones why he thinks the experiment has failed. They are joined by Alex Waters, co-founder of Bitcoin investment firm Coin Apex, and Melanie Swan, a philosopher and economic theorist at the New School for Social Research in New York. (Picture: A shop displaying a Bitcoin sign in Hong Kong. Credit: Philippe Lopez, Getty Images)

We are having fewer children than we used to. That's not true everywhere, but the global trend is a declining birth rate and in some countries populations have actually started shrinking. Some have talked of the trend in fairly apocalyptic terms, forecasting the slow death of entire countries, but is it really that catastrophic? Is it in fact the answer to the economic and environmental pressures of population growth? Falling fertility comes at the same time that many of us are living longer - could we find there aren't enough workers to power the world's economies and support the growing numbers of people in retirement? What's causing these fertility declines and what, if anything, should governments and international agencies do about them? In developing parts of the world, where birth rates are comparatively high, is falling fertility still seen as a sign of progress? Andrew Walker is joined by Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director at the United Nations Population Fund, Ronald Lee, professor of demography at University of California, Berkeley, and Professor Jane Falkingham, of the University of Southampton and director of the Economic and Social Research Council's Centre for Population Change. (Photo: A baby's cheek being stroked. Credit: Fiona Goodall, Getty Images)

As businesses and their employees get to grips with what Brexit might look like for them, Lizzie O Leary presents a special edition of In the Balance in conjunction with American Public Media's Marketplace programme. She hears from economists in the UK and in Ireland, as well as travelling to the North West of England to a part of the country where nearly 60 per cent of people voted to leave the European Union, even though the consequences of Brexit might cost some of their jobs. Lizzie hears from pro-Brexit economist Andrew Lilico, Executive Director and Principal of Europe Economics, Chris Hare, an analyst at Investec, a bank and asset management company in London and Thomas Sampson, an economist at the London School of Economics and she's joined by Tony Foley, from Dublin City University. For a deeper dive into the industries likely to be affected by Brexit, Lizzie talks to: Jeffries Briginshaw CEO, of the British American Business association, Professor David Bailey a car industry expert at Aston University in Birmingham, Gerard Grech the CEO of Tech City UK and in Berlin, Simon Schaefer, CEO and co-founder of Factory. (Photo credit: European Union and USA flags GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images)

What does the UK's decision to leave the European Union mean for the future of the single market? Economists talk of sustained market turbulence, devaluations and an imminent recession, but will it be Britain or the EU suffering the worst effects long-term? And as eurosceptic political parties across the continent are buoyed by the UK's vote and call for their own referendums, what must the EU project itself do to survive? Ed Butler is joined by three guests from across the EU: Damien Lempereur from Debout La France, a political party which wants a French exit from the EU; Jens Zimmerman, a member of Germany's Social Democratic Party and part of Angela Merkel's coalition government; and Swati Dhingra, from the London School of Economics. (Picture: A torn European Union flag. Credit: Christopher Furlong, Getty Images)

The world's biggest banks were once a by-word for power, authority, and enormous wealth. Nowadays for some of us, in the wake of the financial crisis, they are a symbol of corporate greed, brutal working hours, and mismanagement. Many of them are shedding tens of thousands of jobs, and have been forced to water down pay and bonuses as part of an increasing tide of regulation. Some observers say that's resulted in a 'brain drain' from financial services, as a growing number of graduates are lured instead to Silicon Valley and the appeal of flexible hours and often greater financial reward. But is this talent shift exaggerated? Earlier this month Goldman Sachs said it had received more than a quarter of a million applications from students and graduates for jobs this summer, a jump of 40% since 2012. So why do so many still want to join the investment banking ranks? Max Kaupp-Roberts, aged 23, tells Ed Butler why he joined Goldman Sachs' London office but quit after less than two years. They are joined by another two former investment bankers: Alexandra Michel, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, who's been researching banking culture for more than a decade; and Christian Dummett, head of finance programme careers at London Business School. (Picture: Anti-bank protesters in Germany. Credit: Thomas Lohnes, Getty Images)

It has been a familiar story of decline in Europe and North America: former industrial areas unable to keep up with global competition, devastated by enormous losses in manufacturing jobs. In a new book, Antoine Van Agtmael - the man who coined the term ‘emerging markets’ – challenges this received wisdom. He tells Manuela Saragosa how places like places like Akron, Ohio and Albany in the United States and Eindhoven and Dresden in Europe are using deep industry expertise, world-class research institutions and a sense of urgency from having hit rock bottom in decades past, to turn their fortunes around. Could the next 'emerging economy' in fact be the West? They are joined by author, commentator and former CEO of Procter & Gamble India, Gucharan Das and urban economist from Harvard University, Edward Glaeser. Image: Hand with light bulbs, Credit: Thinkstock

This week In the Balance takes a look at the gender pay debate through the public arenas of sport and film. Off the stage and field, what lessons can be learnt in everyday business? Last month, world tennis number one Novak Djokovic ignited controversy by saying male tennis players should get more money than their female counterparts, is he right if the men’s game brings in more money? Over in tinsel town actresses like Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence are shining a light on gender pay discrepancy – but is it vulgar to talk about money when you are already earning millions of dollars? The BBC’s Ed Butler hears from retired US goalkeeper Briana Scurry - one of the first women to participate in a woman’s paid professional league- Terry Lawler, Executive Director of ‘New York Women in Film & Television’ and labour market economist Andrew Chamberlain. Image: Actress Jennifer Lawrence, Credit: Getty Images

In the week that Oculus Rift launched its very first consumer headset, In the Balance returns with a programme exploring the many guises of ‘virtual reality’ and asks is it the next big technology of the future? With rival products from the likes of Samsung, Sony and HTC all out recently or expected this year– which company will come out on top? The BBC’s Ed Butler is joined by Jeremy Bailenson; virtual reality expert at Stanford University’ and author of ‘Infinite Reality: The Hidden Blueprint of Our Virtual Lives’, Nonny De La Peña; an Immersive Journalist known as the ‘godmother of virtual reality’ and the BBC’s technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones. Plus, we get a taste of a real-life application already in use today courtesy of architecture practice 'Ackroyd + Associates'. Image: woman with virtual reality headset, Credt: Thinkstock

How does business stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive global marketplace? While the world's biggest companies - Google and Apple - wrestle for the top spot and some of the world's smallest start-ups set their eyes on the big time, we offer a masterclass with CEOs sharing the secrets of their success. With CEO of Infosys Vishal Sikka, James Citrin of Spencer Stuart, Marieme Jamme of SpotOne Global Solutions and analyst Steve Denning. Presented by Colm O'Regan. (Photo: Surfer Dog Tillman rides a wave in the sixth Annual Surf Dog competition at Huntington Beach, California. Credit: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

A CEO who took a million dollar pay-cut and gave his workers more, tells us why he did it and we ask what's the best wage level for success in a company, a country or in a pocket? With Dan Price of Gravity Payments, former George W Bush adviser Diana Furchtgott-Roth and Fight for $15 campaigner Kendall Fells. (Photo: Fast food workers stage protests for higher wages in the US. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

For as long as there has been taxation, there has been a debate about who should pay and how much? Tax is supposed to make sure that everyone who can, puts something into the pot. But how does any taxation system ensure that everyone who is supposed to pay, actually does? We have an exclusive interview with the head of taxation at the OECD, Pascal Saint-Amans. He is author of a report, out later this month, which aims to outline best world-wide practise for countries and corporations. We also hear about the challenges facing Africa in collecting enough tax to sustain development there, with the former chief economist of the African Development Bank, Mthuli Ncube. And, former US government adviser and now head of the Manhattan Institute Diana Furchtgott-Roth makes the case for keeping taxation of any sort, to an absolute minimum. Presented by Ed Butler. (Photo: A demonstrator holds a sign reading 'Stop tax evasion #Cahuzac case' on 8 February 2016. Credit: Miguel/Medina/AFP/Getty Images)

To what extent have the Millennium Development Goals helped to eradicate global poverty and improved things for the world's poorest? As the MDGs come to the end of their life, the author of the Millennium Development Goals defends his ambition and the strategies employed to meet the goals; with Mark (Lord) Malloch-Brown, Mark Suzman of the Gates Foundation, and Yasmini Aiya of the Centre for Policy Studies in Delhi Photo: Children collect pieces of coal along the roadside in Bujumbura, Burundi (Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Nearly two thousand migrants have died in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, trying to get to the European Union. Many of them are fleeing miserable conditions - wars, persecution and poverty - left behind in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea. But the southern states of the EU such as Greece and Italy where migrants arrive, do not have the resources to cope with the swelling numbers. So what should they do? Send them back? Pass them along? In the Balance looks at the push and pull factors driving this vast movement of people and considers the solutions available to the people and the countries affected. Presenter Ed Butler talks to former Italian Foreign Minister and EU Commissioner Emma Bonino, one-time head of the Africa Development Bank Mthuli Ncube and Alexander Casella, author of Breaking the Rules, a book about his time working with the UN’s refugee agency. PHOTO: Migrants gather in Ventimiglia, Italy, hoping to cross into France (CREDIT: Patrick Aventurier/Getty Images)

This year looks set to be the moment when the UK decides whether or not it will remain as part of the European Union. With a referendum expected, we look at the implications of this historic vote, not just for the UK, but for the EU and for the global economy, too. We hear from business men and women from both sides of the so-called 'Brexit' divide, making the case for Britain in or Britain out, including Global Head of Economics at Societe Generale, Michala Marcussen, CEO of JML John Mills and leading UK economist and adviser to the Mayor of London, Gerard Lyons. Presented by Ed Butler (Photo: A young spectator watches sporting action with a Union Jack painted on his face at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, England. Credit: Ian Walton/Getty Images)

Set up in the 1940s to ensure the world never again faced catastrophic economic recession, the International Monetary Fund has become a controversial presence in the management of the global economy. It is powerful, it is bossy and it is largely controlled by the USA and Europe. One of the IMF's top officials David Lipton, comes on to the show to answer the critics and to outline his vision for the IMF's future. He is joined by former IMF economist Professor Kenneth Rogoff and others who argue it's time for the IMF to reform to meet the needs of the 21st Century. PHOTO: A participant of the left-wing activists and members of the Greek community of Hungary holds a slogan to protest against the political and financial situation of Greece (CREDIT: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

Two years on from the Rana Plaza disaster in Dhaka, Bangladesh where a factory collapsed killing over 1100 workers, what has changed in the global rag trade? Are workers safer? Are wages fairer? Are we as consumers any more willing to pay a higher price for our clothes to ensure that the one in six of us who work in the global clothing sector have a decent life? Or is the throw-away culture, in which a $1 t-shirt is bought, worn and chucked away in no time, here to stay; and with it a business model that locks in a race to the bottom? We speak to a factory owner from Dhaka, a fashion deisgner and the man responsible for drawing up the new rules intended to make life better and safer for the people making our clothes. Image: A relative of one of the victims of the disaster at a protest. Credit: Getty Images

What do we do when the antibiotics we rely on to cure deadly diseases stop working? A growing number of infections like malaria and TB are renewed killers because new strains of the diseases no longer respond to antibiotics. The World Health Organisation this week calls it the single greatest challenge in infectious diseases. We hear from the leading economist Jim O'Neill who is conducting a review of the global strategic challenges resulting from the spread of AMR (anti-microbial resistance). We talk to the WHO about the readiness of countries to face the health crises that may lie ahead. And, we ask the drug companies what they are doing to develop new drugs that might once more fight these lethal diseases. (Photo: A newborn baby is seen in an incubator in the maternity ward of a hospital. Credit: Qais Usyan/AFP/Getty Images)

Business leaders say environmental concern is the big new driver in their forward planning as they strive to be heard ahead of the Paris Climate Summit taking place later this year. Are they problem or part of the solution? And what can they bring to the global debate about tackling carbon emissions? (Photo: A wind power generator. Credit: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)

Expertise in any business would seem to be a good thing. But when it leads to barriers to sharing information - so called 'silos' - it can in fact represent a huge risk. So says Gillian Tett, author of a new book on the subject -The Silo Effect:The Peril of Expertise and the Promise of Breaking Down Barriers. Gillian argues that many of the business crises of the past ten years can be explained via silos in business sectors such as banking. She is joined by Karl Ludvigesen former Vice President of Ford Europe and by Alvin Hall the world renowned financial adviser; he says that no matter what you do, people will always get together into groups or 'tribes' in corporations often refusing to share skills and knowledge because it's human nature to do so. But is he right? And we have an exclusive interview with the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England Sir Paul Tucker, on what part silos had to play in the 2008 global financial crisis, when he was at the bank. Presented by Ed Butler. (Photo: An employee views trading screens. Credit: Carl Court/Getty Images)

On IN THE BALANCE this week, we look at the so-called gig economy - where employees are matched to short-term work via online platforms - something which is changing how we all go about looking for work. In the West, it challenges the idea of what people can expect from employment - a job for life with a salary and benefits is becoming less common, causing worry for some. But in other parts of the world it's a different story. In emerging economies, new technologies enable prospective employees to log into places of work on the other side of the world, carry out jobs ranging from coding to legal services, and so it is opening up western jobs markets as never before. It means a greater talent pool and highly competitive pricing, but does it also mean a race to the bottom for terms of employment and wages? We hear from the CEO of the world's biggest online jobs market space, Stephane Kasriel of Upwork, and from a world expert on the global dynamics of the gig economy, Professor Arun Sundararajan of New York’s Stern Business School. We hear from some young job seekers in Nairobi about what they want from their careers, and from start-up entrepreneur Marieme Jamme, who argues that the gig economy is changing the employment game for us all. Presented by Manuela Saragosa. (Photo: A young woman displays a Blackberry in Jakarta. Credit: Romeo Gacad/ AFP/Getty Images)

Alongside the enormous human tragedy of the Paris terror attacks, what is the economic cost? Just over a month on from the catastrophic events of the 13th of November, we visit Paris again, to hear the stories of the business people there who are still picking up the pieces. (PHOTO: Flowers and messages are left in Trafalgar Square, London. CREDIT: Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images)

As the world gathers in Paris to hammer out measures which all hope will slow the rise in global temperatures, In the Balance is in the city to debate the role of big business and big finance in what happens now? We hear from the CEO of one of the world's biggest electricity producers - Engie - and from the former President of Mexico Felipe Calderón. They are joined by an audience of activists, students and some leading thinkers from the world climate economics, to debate what corporate responsibility might look like, as the world confronts the need to change its ways. That's the Climate Countdown - an In the Balance special debate - from the Climate summit in Paris. PHOTO: Shows an apple marked with the portrait of French President Francois Hollande and another apple marked with the logo of the COP21 (CREDIT: Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP/Getty Images)

Whether or not you work for yourself, a small company or a huge organisation, all of us are facing workplaces that are changing with a speed that can feel hard to keep up with. The skills-sets required of us are changing rapidly, the networks we are expected to be part of are many, complex and at times baffling. The remit of our work - and the results expected of us - may also seem to shift at a pace which can feel hard to follow. So we bring you some fresh thinking on what you may need to do to keep ahead of the pack in an increasingly competitive and demanding globalised workplace? We speak to the author Farai Chideya - her book The Episodic Career comes out later this month. We also have world renowned financial guru and a man who has built his own career on adapting to the jobs market around him Alvin Hall and last but not least Ari Wallach CEO of the strategy and innovation consultancy firm Synthesis Corporation. Presented by Ed Butler. (Photo: A department store employee poses with humanoid. Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images)

Some of the biggest names in global business step up before an invited audience for a special In the Balance debate on the way forward in tackling climate change. Will business always follow the fastest route to a profit when it comes to burning fossil fuels? Are new policies needed, forcing businesses to change the ways in which they operate? Or when it comes to finding solutions to carbon emissions, is big global business now leading the way, daring to propose change that no government will propose, innovating new planet-saving technologies and creating new markets to make innovation possible? Recorded in New York, during Climate Week, featuring guest speakers Sir Richard Branson and Unilever's CEO Paul Polman and presented by Simon Jack. (Photo: Founder of Virgin Group Sir Richard Branson discusses the interaction between business and climate during a New York City Climate Week, 2014 in New York City. Credit: Michael Graae/Getty Images)