The Inquiry

Ireland has a new permanent government scheme providing regular cash transfers to 2,000 artists.
The people who can access it range from circus performers to opera singers.
It follows a pilot of more than three years which is believed to have brought a return on investment to the economy.
Big tech backs basic income schemes like this to offset the consequences AI is having on the workforce.
Leading economists believe it could create a dystopian world.
Nevertheless, more governments are piloting or planning to introduce schemes like this.
This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Why is basic income being debated?’
Contributors:
Dr Jenny Dagg, assistant lecturer, Maynooth University, Ireland
Dr Catarina Neves, postdoctoral fellow, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Daron Acemoglu, 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner in economics, institute professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
Jurgen De Wispelaere, acting chair of the Basic Income Earth Network
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Daniel Rosney
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Technical producer: Craig Boardman
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Production Management: Liam Morrey & Phoebe Lomas

Ireland has a new permanent government scheme providing regular cash transfers to 2,000 artists.
The people who can access it range from circus performers to opera singers.
It follows a pilot of more than three years which is believed to have brought a return on investment to the economy.
Big tech backs basic income schemes like this to offset the consequences AI is having on the workforce.
Leading economists believe it could create a dystopian world.
Nevertheless, more governments are piloting or planning to introduce schemes like this.
This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Why is basic income being debated?’
Contributors:
Dr Jenny Dagg, assistant lecturer, Maynooth University, Ireland
Dr Catarina Neves, postdoctoral fellow, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Daron Acemoglu, 2024 Nobel Prize winner in economics, institute professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
Jurgen De Wispelaere, acting chair of the Basic Income Earth Network
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Daniel Rosney
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey
(Photo: A customer withdraws euro bills from an ATM in Sofia. Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Cuba is facing one of its most severe humanitarian crises in decades.
For years, Cuba relied heavily on oil from Venezuela. Those supplies have largely stopped, contributing to widespread fuel shortages. Electricity blackouts have become increasingly common, disrupting daily life across the country.
The United States has blocked fuel shipments to Cuba as part of wider pressure linked to its economic and political policies. Meanwhile, the Cuban government has warned it will resist any external interference in its domestic affairs.
With economic strain growing and living conditions worsening, this week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: ‘Is the revolution in Cuba over?’
Contributors:
Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida, US
Ricardo Torres, research fellow at American University, US
Christopher Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, UK
Renata Segura, programme director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Crisis Group, US
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey
(Photo: Havana, the capital of Cuba, during a blackout in March 2026. Credit: Yamil Lage/Getty Images)

Rewilding, or letting nature take care of itself, can restore stability to damaged ecosystem components which support life on earth, like fungi, bacteria, vegetation, insects and animals.
But there's now a wider discussion to discover what it’s capable of on a wider scale.
International agreements for reducing the impact of climate change tend to set global targets.
However, individual governments decide how to work towards meeting those goals at a national level.
Some rewilding initiatives improve biodiversity, but it can have negative impacts too.
This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking ‘How can rewilding help combat climate change?’
Contributors:
Carolina Soto-Navarro, head of Wilder Nature at Rewilding Europe
Brendan Fisher, professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, at University of Vermont, US
David Nogues Bravo, professor in biodiversity, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Steve Carver, professor of rewilding and wilderness science, University of Leeds, UK
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producers: Jill Collins and Daniel Rosney
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey
(Photo: Galapagos giant tortoise. Credit: Anadolu/Getty Images)

In February, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted a social media video celebrating new figures from the International Monetary Fund suggesting that the average person in Poland now has slightly more spending power than the average person in Spain, the European Union’s fourth largest economy.
It’s a symbolic milestone for a country that emerged from communism just over three decades ago and once struggled with hyperinflation and economic upheaval. In 2025, Poland’s economy also passed the trillion-dollar mark, putting it in an elite group of just 20 countries globally.
Investment from across the EU has helped drive growth. But can Poland keep its edge as labour shortages grow and the war in neighbouring Ukraine continues to shape the region?
This week on The Inquiry, Tanya Beckett asks: Why is Poland’s economy booming?
Contributors:
Dr Pawel Bukowski, lecturer in economics at University College London and Polish Academy of Sciences, UK
Iga Magda, associate professor at the Warsaw School of Economics, Poland
Katarzyna Rzentarzewska, chief CEE macro economist at Erste Group Bank AG, Austria
Rafal Benecki, chief economist at ING, Poland
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey
(Photo: A high street in Warsaw. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)