Tocqueville Road Trip from The Economist

info+69e7c7181e1e812364e52084@mg-eu.acast.com

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

2. Against all obstacles

June 11, 2026

Tocqueville saw America’s faith in its own democracy as a vital force. But these days the majority of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Can a group of maximum security prisoners in Sing Sing offer a vision of how to get back on track?Guests and HostsJohn Prideaux, The Economist’s US EditorSean Pica, executive director of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison Jean Frantz, prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional Facility Topics Alexis de Tocqueville’s ...

1. Game of chance

June 11, 2026

John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor, embarks on a roadtrip to see how America’s democracy is faring in the era of Trump. His companion is a long-dead French aristocrat called Alexis De Tocqueville, author of arguably the best book ever written about America. When Tocqueville arrived in New York in 1831, it was a small, low-slung city where pigs roamed the streets. But he was able to see past that—to a vision of the future.Arriving in Manhattan today, John finds cause for concer...

Trailer: Tocqueville Road Trip

June 11, 2026

Nearly two centuries ago, a French aristocrat called Alexis De Tocqueville went on a trip around America and wrote up his findings in a book called Democracy in America. Many people still think it’s the most insightful thing ever written about the country. John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor, is one of them. Tocqueville found Americans' faith in freedom and self-improvement exhilariting—he was the first foreigner to foresee how this new society would change the world. On America’s 2...