Venezuela Resources

As Venezuela crumbles, the regime digs in ($)

Venezuela was long one of the most prosperous countries in the region, with sophisticated manufacturing, vibrant agriculture and strong businesses, making it hard for many residents to accept such widespread scarcities. But amid the prosperity, the gap between rich and poor was extreme, a problem that Mr. Chávez and his ministers say they are trying to eliminate.

https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2017/01/28/as-venezuela-crumbles-the-regime-digs-in?fsrc=scn%2Ftw%2Fte%2Fbl%2Fed%2Fasvenezuelacrumblestheregimedigsin

Podcast: Food Shortages At The Heart Of Venezuelan Economic And Political Crisis

Protesters blame the president for the country’s economic collapse and also for his tactics to hold on to power, suspending local elections, refusing to allow a recall referendum to go forward, attempting to rewrite the constitution and crackdowns on protesters. 

https://www.npr.org/2017/05/21/529419484/food-shortages-at-the-heart-of-venezuelan-economic-and-political-crisis

Planet Money Podcast Episode 731: How Venezuela Imploded

Today on the show, we have an economic horror story about a country that made all the wrong decisions with its oil money. It’s a window into the fundamental way that money works and how when you try to control it, you can lose everything.

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/10/21/498867764/episode-731-how-venezuela-imploded

The Inquiry Podcast: How Did Venezuela Go From So Rich To So Poor?

Once the richest country in South America, Venezuela is now in deep economic crisis.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p051zkj8

Planet Money Podcast: Hong Kong

Jimmy was born in mainland China. In 1960, when he was 12 years old, he snuck out of China and into Hong Kong by hiding in the bottom of a fishing boat. The day he got to Hong Kong, he got a job in a factory. By the time he was 21, he was running a factory. Today, he’s one of the richest people in Hong Kong. He’s also one of the most vocal critics of the Chinese government, and a major figure in Hong Kong’s protest movement.

Jimmy Lai’s story is the story of Hong Kong. And Hong Kong’s story is the story of the 200-year-long history of China and with the West — a story of communism, colonialism, and capitalism.

https://www.npr.org/2019/07/19/743480237/episode-928-hong-kong

Planet Money Podcast Episode 755: The Phone At The End Of The World

Tierra del Fuego is home to penguins, grey skies and brutal winds. It’s the last stop for ships before making the final leg to Antarctica.

Today on the show, how a town at the ends of the earth wound up making Blackberry phones, and what happened to when a charismatic president launched a big plan to create jobs and boost manufacturing.

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/02/17/515850029/episode-755-the-phone-at-the-end-of-the-world