The Europeans Podcast Crowdfunds "Who Does It Best" -- A Miniseries Comparing Nations' Policies

 I find the concept of Who Does It Best intriguing on multiple levels. First, because it's the title of a new, crowdfunded miniseries by the highly successful and ear worthy podcast, The Europeans. 

It’s a miniseries investigating which European country has the smartest, most effective, and most imaginative policies when it comes to three issues: childcare, housing, and drugs. From Paris to Breda, Rome to Reykjavík, Who Does It Best? showcases some of Europe’s most successful policies—and offers a few lessons for other countries along the way.

Second, because this question plays into the unfortunate and fractious worldview of the current U.S. administration of America First, which, of course, has been the modus operandi of aggressive empires for centuries.

Third, because there's a sense that America is the epicenter of podcasting and the world is playing catch-up. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.  Eurowaves  was created by podcast multi-hyphenate Andreea Coscai, who explains: "

The great news is there are many wonderful podcasters working to build those bridges and grow the European podcasting community. And I’m joining in!"

Europe has a thriving podcasting community, and, in many ways, is ahead of the U.S. For example, while independent podcasters battle the large networks in the U.S., in the United Kingdom, there has been an award ceremony called the Independent Podcast Awards for the last three years that focuses exclusively on recognizing and supporting indie podcasters. 

In that same vein, The Europeans is a weekly podcast about European politics and culture, created and co-hosted by Paris-based reporter Katy Lee and Amsterdam-based opera singer Dominic Kraemer. Conceived in 2017 in the wake of Brexit, the show seeks to demystify European institutions and their decision-making processes with a lighthearted, humorous tone. The show has received plaudits from the likes of The Guardian, The New York Times, The Observer, and The Financial Times and has been awarded for its reporting on climate change, migration, and LGBT+ issues.

The team launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise €15,000 to finance the reporting of Who Does It Best and listeners helped raise the funds in just two months! It’s such a hopeful case study of supporting independent journalism in Europe, and podcasting overall.

The show has an admirable objective -- A podcast miniseries about policies that actually make our lives better. Episodes one and two are about housing. In the episode, questions such as -- Why is your rent so high? What are the policies that created this housing crisis, and what policies can get us out of it? -- are asked and investigated as listeners go on a journey looking for Europe’s most ambitious housing policies and what we can learn from them (and maybe even copy?!).

Episode three is about childcare policy, of which the U.S. has a policy summarized as, "Parents, you figure it out." The co-hosts point the obvious and search for solutions: "Childcare policy affects all of us at some point in our lives. And depending on where you live, your country’s parental leave and early-education policies can determine everything from what you do for a living to how you divide household labor to how you plan for your future."

Episode four ask these questions: Should weed be legalized? What about heroin? Set aside any previously held opinions and prepare a far-out trip! In the final episode of Who Does It Best? producer Wojciech is taking us across the landscape of Europe’s drug policies. From 90s Portugal to the coffee shops of Amsterdam to a little pit stop in Uruguay(!), they take a deep dive into which policies are the sanest and safest on offer.

In preparation for the miniseries, the cross-border team of reporters has been on a months-long hunt for Europe's best housing, childcare, and drug policies, seeking out the places where public
policies are actually working. 

The miniseries is the podcast’s latest departure from its standard weekly format, following on the heels of its other critically acclaimed miniseries, which include The Oatly Chronicles, the award-winning This Is What a Generation Sounds Like, and Bursting the Bubble. The creators of Who Does It Best? say that the series was conceived from the idea that Europe “is a giant laboratory for testing out different policies.” 

By taking a closer look at the results of those experiments, the show will offer “a constructive, practical way of figuring out how all of our governments can make people’s lives better.” 

What a novel concept! Elected officials who focus on policies that improve the lives of its citizens! In the U.S., politicians currently in power obsess over bathroom policies, who can play sports, what history can be taught, and what opposition group is responsible for their miserable lives. Policies that improve citizens' lives are left to local politicians to try to solve, even as federal funds to support their efforts have disappeared.

Listen to what The Europeans co-creator Katy Lee said in the series announcement. "We envisaged this series as, hopefully, a useful contribution in a time of quite grim politics. We have seen in election after election, in country after country, people saying, ‘Nobody is listening to me.’ And as abstract as it sounds, policies can be such a powerful tool for actually bettering people’s lives on a daily basis."

Fans of The Europeans podcast raised the funds in just two months.
The Europeans is now supported in part by Euranet Plus, a consortium of 15 leading European radio broadcasters, but continues to rely on Patreon donations to cover its weekly production costs.

The new series is being produced and presented by Europeans co-host Dominic Kraemer and producers Katz Laszlo (NPR, Radiolab, BBC, OVT) and Wojciech Oleksiak. Maja Stepančič and Uršula Zaletelj, hosts of the hit Slovenian parenting podcast Šala za starše (A Joke for Parents), report and present the series’ episode on childcare policy, filling in for Europeans host Katy Lee, who is herself away on maternity.

The nuts and bolts of Who Does It Best are solid, with refined sound design, superb co-hosts who report and reflect, and an acute sense of narrative virtuosity. 

The response has been overwhelming so far, and can summarized by that of Eurowaves Creator, Andreea Coscai, who said: "I savored every moment of it!!"

Check out The Europeans and other European podcasts to spice up your listening variety. Find out what’s going on in Europe, and you don't even have to worry about remembering your passport, the weight of your luggage, being stuck in a middle seat on the flight, and trying to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit!