Are we in an economic 'doom loop'?

NPR. When you look at the global economy today, it's easy to get the impression that things are bad. After all, when you turn on the news and it seems like all you hear about is countries dealing with financial panics, trade wars, soaring inflation, collapsing industries. Yeah. Is that is that our fault? Well, remember we did our sentiment analysis? We're slightly cheerier than the average financial news source. Okay. So, you know, maybe, like, half guilty as charged. Yeah. Ishwar Prasad is a little different, though. He's an optimist by nature, and, he's also a professor of economics and trade policy at Cornell University. When he sat down to write his most recent book about the global economy, he wanted to focus on the positive. Sure, he thought, the world seems like it's in turmoil right now. But when you zoom out, there's a more optimistic story to tell. One could argue, and I was going to argue, that we're just in a transitional period where there is a lot of volatility, but everything is going to settle down. But the more research he did, the more convinced he was that the future for our global economy actually is quite bleak and actually a lot bleaker than he originally thought. You know, my heart was pulling me in one direction, which was the optimistic thesis, and my head was pulling me in the completely different direction. So Ishwar wrote a very different book than he planned. Out this month, it is called The Doom Loop, Why the World Economic Order is Spiraling Into Disorder. Okay. So maybe our, like, slightly chipper delivery might wanna have some more somber tones. This is Indicator from Planet Money. I'm Darienne Woods. And I'm Adrienne Ma. Today on the show, Ishwar argues how forces meant to make the global economy more stable and prosperous have actually been doing the opposite. And he'll talk about what it will take to get out of a doom loop. This message comes from BetterHelp. February is full of flowers, candy, and lots of relationship talk. It can feel like everyone has it all together in their love lives, but the truth is they're still figuring it out. And whether you're married, dating, or prioritizing being single, just remember, you're right on time. Therapy can take the pressure off and help you feel lighter. Just a little outside perspective from a professional can lead to new understanding and a lot of progress. Visit betterhelp.com/npr for 10% off. This message comes from Serval AI. With Serval, you can cut 80% of your help desk tickets. Serval AI writes automation in seconds. Your IT team describes what they need in plain English, and Serval generates production ready automations instantly. Serval powers some of the fastest growing companies in the world. Get your team out of the help desk and back to the work they enjoy. Book your free pilot at serval.com/indicator. So what is a doom loop? According to …