It's Monday the 30th of March 2020. I'm Zany Minton-Better's the Economist's Editor-in-Chief.

Welcome to Editors' Picks, where you can hear three highlights from the paper this week.

They are read aloud so you can listen on the go.

For the first time in 176 years, we at the Economist have been producing the entire newspaper

remotely. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our team of journalists remains dedicated to

bringing you the highest quality news and analysis from around the world.

Our cover in Britain and America this week explains how the role of governments

has expanded to deal with the virus. It's the most dramatic extension of the state since

the Second World War. Yet for believers in limited government and open markets,

COVID-19 poses a problem. The state does not always give up all the ground it takes during crises.

Our cover in the rest of the world looks at the damage the disease will do to poor countries,

where health care systems are in no position to cope. It is in rich countries' interests to

think globally. If COVID-19 is left to ravage the emerging world, it will soon spread back to the

rich one. And finally, coronavirus lockdowns have driven professional and social life out of

the physical world and into the virtual realm. Video conferencing will require a whole new etiquette.

The stories you are about to hear are just a sample of what's on offer in the paper.

With a subscription, you can read or listen to all of what we do. So please subscribe.

Go to economist.com-radio-offer to get your first 12 issues for $12 or £12.

First up, big government is needed to fight the pandemic. What matters is how it shrinks back

again afterwards. In just a few weeks, a virus, a 10,000th of a millimeter in diameter,

has transformed Western democracies. States have shut down businesses and sealed people indoors.

They have promised trillions of dollars to keep the economy on life support.

...