Adam Davidson: What we learned from teetering on the fiscal cliff

At the end of 2012, the US political system was headed for the “fiscal cliff” — a budget impasse that could only be solved with bipartisan agreement. Adam Davidson, cohost of “Planet Money,” shares surprising data on how bipartisan we truly are — and hints at the disconnect between representatives and the people they represent.

Adam Davidson is the co-host and co-creator of “Planet Money,” a weekly podcast and radio feature about the economy.

Anil Gupta: India’s hidden hotbeds of invention

Anil Gupta is on the hunt for the developing world’s unsung inventors — indigenous entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, hidden by poverty, could change many people’s lives. He shows how the Honey Bee Network helps them build the connections they need — and gain the recognition they deserve.

Anil Gupta created the Honey Bee Network to support grassroots innovators who are rich in knowledge, but not in resources.

Paul Collier on the “bottom billion”

Around the world right now, one billion people are trapped in poor or failing countries. How can we help them? Economist Paul Collier lays out a bold, compassionate plan for closing the gap between rich and poor.

Paul Collier’s book The Bottom Billion shows what is happening to the poorest people in the world, and offers ideas for opening up opportunities to all.

Joseph Nye on global power shifts

Historian and diplomat Joseph Nye gives us the 30,000-foot view of the shifts in power between China and the US, and the global implications as economic, political and “soft” power shifts and moves around the globe.