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The Economist.

Thank you. The Economist. Hello and welcome to the intelligence from The Economist.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

It's time for our annual democracy index, a ranking of which countries best protect

democratic rights and institutions. On the whole, the news isn't great, but we look at one

pattern in the data that counterintuitively suggests a route to democratic health.

And you may have heard that ice cold showers or dunks in freezing water are supposed to be good for you.

Personally, you couldn't pay me enough.

But in the interests of science, our correspondent gives it a go.

Thank you. our correspondent gives it a go. First up, though.

In some ways, Jane Austen's priding prejudice depicts a bygone time,

when the surest route to riches was not by working hard, but by marrying heirs to great fortunes.

...