10 things in August 2025
10 things I read, listened to, or watched this month
At the end of every month, I will be sharing a list of 10 things I read, listened to, or watched that month — all things that I enjoyed, of course. This is the first instalment.
The top thing this month is a conversation between Dan Wang and Aaron Bastani on Novara Media’s Downstream show, revolving around Dan Wang’s new book, “Breakneck” (the book is also one of the things):
Expert Reveals The Stunning Secrets Behind China’s Economic Rise, conversation between Dan Wang and Aaron Bastani (Novara Media’s Downstream show).
Here are the remaining nine things, in no particular order:
Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future, by Dan Wang (book published by Penguin).
Stop Crying Over the China "Trap", by Zichen Wang (essay in Pekingnology newsletter).
Rebuilding the Ladder? Contemporary Contests Over Industrial Policy, by Ilias Alami, Jack Taggart and Tom Chodor (journal article in Global Policy).
Black Bag, by Steven Soderbergh (film).
How Mexico Doubled the Minimum Wage, by Luis F. Munguia (essay in Phenomenal World).
Decolonizing Economics, by Devika Dutt, Carolina Alves, Surbhi Kesar, and Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven (book published by Polity Press).
This Is How Chinese Manufacturers Are Countering Trump's Trade War, conversation between Cameron Johnson, Joe Weisenthal, and Tracy Alloway (Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast).
Mahmoud Khalil Tells His Story, conversation between Mahmoud Khalil and Ezra Klein (New York Times’ Ezra Klein Show).
China's Low-Carbon Technology Trade: Facts and Implications, by Kevin P. Gallagher, Renliang Liu, Jiaqi Lu, Ruyu Yin, Miaojie Yu, and Praveena Bandara (journal article in China Economic Review).