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With Covid rampaging and many economies on life-support, some say we need to look beyond capitalism. A blue-sky thinker, the outspoken former Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, gives his thoughts on a radical alternative to standard market economics, including making all employees shareholders in corporations. And Miatta Fahnbulleh, chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, imagines how this might ever be seriously attempted in practice.

A lack of legal protection in many parts of the world leaves many transgender employees vulnerable. Few countries offer legal protection against discrimination of transgender people. This week is transgender awareness week - what role do companies play in the rights of transgender people? Manuela Saragosa speaks to Caroline Paige, joint chief executive of a UK pressure group called Fighting with Pride. In 1999 she became the first transgender officer to transition openly while serving in the UK Armed Forces, some 19 years after she’d first joined the Royal Air Force as a pilot. South African author of The Pink Line, Mark Gevisser describes the fight to get laws to protect transgender people from discrimination as a new culture war along a human rights frontier. He says one of the most significant markers is which countries allow people to legally change their gender on official documents. Manuela also speaks to Lily Zheng who is a diversity consultant to businesses and organisations and is herself transgender

Excitement and hope this week as the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said it believed that its Covid-19 vaccine is 90% effective. On this edition of Business Weekly we’ll look at the logistical challenges of rolling it out. How will it be transported? Who will get access to it - and how much will it cost? Also at a high level climate change conference in London our correspondent chats to chief executives who say capitalism can help the planet - but will they put their money where their mouth is? Plus, what, if anything do parents owe their children? We have the intriguing story of the man who sued his parents because they couldn’t afford him. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Vishala Sri-Pathma.

Is the polling industry the real loser in the American presidential elections? Pollsters have come in for criticism that they misjudged President-elect Biden’s support, and did even worse in the state senate elections. Andrew Gelman, professor of statistics and political science at Columbia University explains why some of the errors were made. Zeynep Tufekci, associate professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, argues that polling can have a distorting effect on democracy itself, changing how people vote or whether they do at all. Meanwhile, Anthony Wells of UK research firm YouGov explains how the polling industry functions outside of the electoral spotlight, and why political forecasts are just a small part of it. (Image credit: Getty Creative.)

Ahead of the 2021 Climate Change Conference, big names in the world of finance are banding together to create ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With new improved carbon offset markets, monitoring and standardisation of emissions goals and an emphasis on channelling capital to projects based on renewable energy, evangelists of so-called 'Green Finance' believe capitalism can reinvent itself to the benefit of the planet. Rhian-Mari Thomas, chief executive of the Green Finance Institute and convenor of the just-finished Green Horizons Summit, outlines the vision. May Boeve of the environmental group 350.org says much of capital is still directed towards climate-damaging industries. And Bill Winters, chief executive of Standard Chartered, explains how an effective carbon offset market would work.Produced by Frey Lindsay.(Picture credit: Getty Images.)

Ukraine is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. The President Volodymyr Zelensky says the judiciary are blocking anti-corruption reform. The top judges won't budge and can't be sacked. So what do we know about the President's reform credentials? In this episode, we hear from the former central bank governor Valeria Gontareva who says she’s been a victim of a campaign of harassment that has left her fearing for her life, ever since she introduced anti-corruption reforms. Former economy minister Tymofiy Mylovanov, who resigned from government this year following a disagreement with President Zelensky, gives his view on what more needs to be done to combat corruption in Ukraine. And we hear from President Zelensky’s official spokesperson Iuliia Mendel. Produced by Joshua Thorpe.(Image: President Zelensky. Credit: Getty Images)

Stock markets have rocketed on hopes of a Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough. The BBC's Business Editor Simon Jack explains who the winners and losers have been on the markets so far, and what this could mean for future stimulus packages and inflation. The drugmakers responsible for the vaccine claim it can prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19. We'll hear from Mikael Dolsten, Global Research Chief for one of the drugmakers Pfizer. And epidemiologist Peter Horby of the University of Oxford expresses guarded optimism for the world opening up again.Produced by Frey Lindsay.(Image credit: Getty Images.)

US President-elect Joe Biden is to make tackling the coronavirus pandemic his top priority following his win over Donald Trump, his team says. Larry Summers, former director of the National Economic Council under President Obama says the country can’t have a healthy economy without a healthy population. But before the President-elect can get to work, he and his team have a slew of legal challenges from President Trump to fend off. Barry Richard, veteran Florida lawyer who represented then candidate George W. Bush in the 2000 election Supreme Court battle, runs down the merits of those challenges, as well as their flaws.Produced by Frey Lindsay and Joshua Thorpe.(Image credit: Getty Images)

After a nail-biting week, the Oval Office is within Joe Biden’s grasp - on this edition of business weekly we’ll ask what this means for US economic policy. We’ll find out why the markets rallied and ask a former climate negotiator what a Biden presidency could mean for the environment. We’ll also hear from the sailors stuck at sea thanks to covid restrictions. There are concerns that that the plight of the 400,000 sailors unable to go ashore and home could become a humanitarian catastrophe. Plus, we take a closer look at the little Ant that grew into a financial giant as Jack Ma’s financial company is prevented from listing on the stock exchange at the last moment. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

When they cast their votes for US president, Californians also approved a change to the law allowing gig economy companies like Uber and Lyft to keep treating their drivers as contractors, not employees. The move could have major consequences for the gig economy. Manuela Saragosa speaks to Geoff Vetter from the Yes to 22 campaign, which fought for the law change, and to Veena Dubal, law professor at the University of California, who argues the vote is a disaster for workers' rights. Dave Lee, Silicon Valley correspondent for the Financial Times, tells us what it means for the future of companies like Uber.(Photo: Uber and Lyft logos, Credit: Getty Images)

Vote counting continues in a handful of key battleground states which will determine the outcome of the US presidential election. Democratic candidate Joe Biden has been projected to win Michigan and Wisconsin. He also holds narrow leads in Nevada and Arizona. If he's able to hang on in all these states as final votes are counted, Mr Biden will be almost certain to win. We take a look at what this means for the US economy. International economics policy analyst Pippa Malmgren joins the show to get us up to speed, and then we’ll hear from Jason Furman, the former chief economic adviser to President Obama, who says Biden’s focus will be on trade policy and manufacturing. Meanwhile, Trump’s own former chief economic adviser Tomas Philipson says the president’s economic achievements have been undervalued. And Mohamed El-Erian of Allianz says the balance between a Democratic executive and a Republican senate will not be the kind of stabilising influence economists usually expect.Producers: Joshua Thorpe and Frey

The world's richest people have become even richer this year, despite an economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Manuela Saragosa speaks to John Matthews, chairman of private jet company AirX, about the surprising resiliance of the private aviation industry despite global travel restrictions. Chuck Collins from the Institute for Policy Studies - a think tank in Washington DC - explains how the richest people in the world have added to their wealth in the pandemic, and what it reveals about inequalities in the US economy.(Photo: Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and the world's richest man, poses with his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, pose outside the Taj Mahal in India in January 2020. CredIT: Getty Images)

Manuela Saragosa finds out what happened when fifty homeless people were gifted thousands of dollars each. The gifts were part of a social project in Canada and the results were unveiled this month. The results were described as ‘beautifully surprising’ by the project’s leaders. (Pic of pregnant homeless woman on the corner of a busy street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd via Getty Images).

The new Japanese prime minister has pledged to make his country carbon neutral by 2050. On this edition of Business Weekly we ask how he’s planning to do it. We also take a closer look at nuclear energy to find out whether mass production of smaller reactors could be the way forward for the industry. And what can be done to get more medical grade oxygen to the countries that desperately need it? Plus, as the coronavirus pandemic forces Hollywood to delay the release of big budget movies, how are cinemas being affected? Business Weekly is produced by Matthew Davies and presented by Lucy Burton.

We speak to those who argue parents should give their children money long into adulthood - and others who say the whole of society should be responsible, not just parents. Raphael Samuel is a 28 year old businessman in India who tried to sue his parents for giving birth to him - without his consent. An Indian court threw out the case on grounds of absurdity, but Raphael isn’t giving up. He’s now filed a case demanding that all parents prove - before they give birth - that they have the ability to give their child the ‘right to life’ - something he thinks should include being able to provide an education, proper food, and healthcare. He believes parents’ financial responsibility for their children doesn’t end when the child hits 18 years of age. In Italy, where almost two thirds of 18-34 year olds live at home, we hear from Tobia della Puppa, who explains why it can be hard to explain to the older generation why this is the case. We also get the perspective of Nina Bandelj, a sociology professor at the Univers

Has one the biggest slums in India escaped the worst of Covid-19? Dharavi is one of the biggest slums in India, if not the whole of Asia. Ed Butler hears from Dharavi residents about life in the slums back in April, and now. Radhika Kapoor, a Delhi economist who's been focussed on the Government response to the crisis, says efforts to protect ordinary workers have been very limited. But the Government rejects that argument. Sanjeev Sanyal, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chief economic advisor, says the Government has done all that it can to stem the tide of the disease.Producer: Frey Lindsay(A BMC health care worker collect swab sample of a resident at Dharavi. Photo by Satish Bate via Getty Images)

Could the future of nuclear power be the mass production of cheap small modular reactors?Justin Rowlatt visits a UK-based consortium led by Rolls Royce that is trying to develop these factory-produced miniature power stations. But how much funding does their chief executive Tom Samson think they need from the UK government to get started, and how long will it take them to deliver their first reactor?Nuclear power has long had its sceptics. Greenpeace chief scientist Doug Parr explains why they continue to oppose nuclear on safety grounds, even as the need to find carbon-free sources of energy has become more urgent. Meanwhile, nuclear physicist M V Ramana of the University of British Columbia questions the business case for small reactors.Plus, clean energy consultant Michael Liebreich gives his view on how big - and competitive - the market for small modular reactors could be.Producer: Laurence Knight(Picture: Small modular reactor; Credit: Rolls Royce)

Delays to Hollywood blockbusters are prompting a crisis in the cinema industry. Movie studios are putting their biggest releases on hold while the pandemic is still affecting audience numbers.Mooky Greidinger, boss of cinema giant Cineworld, tells us why this has forced him to close all his screens in the UK and US. Shawn Robbins, senior analyst at BoxOffice Pro, explains why the global success of Christopher Nolan's Tenet wasn't enough to convince the studios to take the risk. And Penn Ketchum, founder of Penn Cinemas in the US state of Pennsylvania, describes the impact that's having on independent cinema operators.Presented by Ed Butler.(Photo: A reopened cinema in Wuhan, China. Credit: Getty Images)

A former CIA analyst shares her tips on separating what’s true from what’s false. There’s been a lot of nervousness about the role of social media in the run up to next week’s US presidential elections with concerns over voting interference and disinformation campaigns from foreign actors. Cindy Otis was an analyst at the CIA for ten years and her job was to filter through information and weed out fake and misleading news. She has now written a book aimed at young adults called True or False: A CIA Analyst's Guide to Spotting Fake News and tells us how fake news works.

How successful has President Trump's America First policy been? On Business Weekly we assess the legacy of his first term and ask what the world wants from the next resident of the White House. We take a look at how effective Covid-19 tracing apps are in tracking and stopping the spread of the disease. Could technology like this be the silver bullet the world is waiting for? As the Hindu festival of Durga Puja begins, we consider how those businesses that rely on the celebrations for the income will cope this year. And we examine the sharp rise in the price of pets during lockdown. Presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.