Gown and out: are British universities broke?
Economist Podcasts
The Economist
4.3 • 5K Ratings
🗓️ 17 July 2025
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
UK universities are internationally renowned, but their finances are in a mess. Our correspondent offers a lesson in how to fix them. Why an amateur football league is thriving in China. And what Superman tells us about American foreign policy. Listeners of “The Intelligence” get 15% off our business writing and storytelling course. Visit economist.com/writingcourse and use code INTELLIGENCE
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello everyone, it's Jamie Lang here from Great Company podcast, and I want to let you know that my podcast is currently being sponsored by Premier Inn. Now, this episode is sponsored by Premier in, the UK's largest hotel chain with over 800 hotels across the country. So wherever work takes you, there's a Premier Inn nearby. Now, every room has a super comfy bed. I've stayed in there incredible and blackout curtains, |
| 0:21.3 | so you'll wake up refreshed and ready for the day ahead. And don't forget the unlimited breakfast |
| 0:25.6 | to fuel your mornings. So, for your next work trip, get better sleep for your money at Premier Inn. Book now at |
| 0:31.0 | premier in.com. |
| 0:34.9 | This episode is sponsored by Tradeu, the multi-asset platform that lets you trade with an institutional edge. |
| 0:42.9 | Get access to Jeffrey's research, trading view and analyst AI, all free with your trade-do account. |
| 0:50.4 | Tradeu, your trade, your move. |
| 0:54.0 | Explore more at tradu.com. |
| 0:57.3 | Your capital is at risk, terms and conditions apply. |
| 1:02.9 | The Economist. |
| 1:10.2 | Hello and welcome to the intelligence from The Economist. I'm Jason Palmer. |
| 1:15.0 | And I'm Rosie Bloor. Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world. |
| 1:24.4 | China's officials rarely encourage local and regional rivalries, but a wildly popular new amateur football league seems to have the party's blessing, possibly because it's bringing some much-needed economic activity. |
| 1:38.3 | And Superman has been standing up for truth, justice and the American way for almost nine decades. |
| 1:45.7 | With a rebooted film out, our correspondent asks what the Caped Wonder's crime fighting tells us about US foreign policy. |
| 1:57.5 | But first... |
| 2:06.6 | Britain's universities are more broke than a student who's just spent the summer interrailing around Europe. |
| 2:16.8 | Mark Johnson is a senior editor at The Economist. |
| 2:20.7 | The regulator reckons that four in ten universities are running deficits this year, |
| 2:26.0 | and universities are making big cuts to make their budgets work. |
| 2:30.4 | Mark, we're always being told how brilliant British universities are. |
| 2:33.8 | Why are they in such financial trouble? |
... |
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