Editor’s Picks: December 6th 2021

<p>A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: what the Omicron variant means for <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/12/04/what-the-omicron-variant-means-for-the-world-economy?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=editorspicks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the world economy</a>, what experiments with “free banking” in the 18th and 19th centuries reveal about <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/12/04/the-explosion-in-stablecoins-revives-a-debate-around-free-banking?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=editorspicks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the future of stablecoins</a> (10:53) and how the <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/12/04/how-regions-near-stalins-gulag-benefit-today-from-his-victims?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=editorspicks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">legacy of Stalin’s gulag</a> continues to shape Russian fortunes (18:16)&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Please fill in our listener survey at <a href="http://www.economist.com/epsurvey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/epsurvey</a>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Subscribe to <em>The Economist</em> for full access to print, digital and audio editions:</p><p><a href="http://www.economist.com/podcastoffer?utm_campaign=editors-picks&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/podcastoffer</a></p> &#10;&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color: grey; font - size: 0.75em; '>See <a style='color: grey; ' target='_blank' rel='noopene