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Is it possible to ‘level up’ the economy and help struggling places halt decline and become more prosperous? Paul Swinney is Director of Policy and Research at the think tank Centre for Cities and his research focuses on city economies and their development over time. He considers what strategies might be implemented to support declining town and city centres and if the government’s Levelling Up agenda is likely to deliver concrete results.The prize-winning poet Paul Batchelor was born in Northumberland and often explores the lost worlds of Britain’s mining communities, and the memories that have survived. The title of his new collection, The Acts of Oblivion, refers to seventeenth-century laws that required not only the pardon of revolutionary deeds, but also made discussing them illegal. His poems rebel against such restrictions, and against forgetting. In the forest landscape of northern Varmland in Sweden lies the village of Osebol. In just five decades, the automation of the lumber industry and the draw of city-living, has seen the adult population dwindling to a mere 40 residents. Marit Kapla grew up there, and in Osebol: Voices from a Swedish Village she has returned and gathered the stories of all the inhabitants – from those whose families have lived there for generations, to the more recent arrivals. They tell of their griefs and joys, resentments and pleasures, and despite the village’s decline, life goes on.Producer: Katy Hickman

Pentecostalism is global sensation: a Christian movement, founded at the turn of the 20th century by the son of freed slaves, that has become the fastest-growing religion in the world. Elle Hardy explains to Andrew Marr how this flourishing, tech-savvy movement is reshaping not only the expression of faith and one’s relationship with God, but whole societies as well. In her exposé, Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over The World, Hardy explores how miracles, money and power have become intertwined, but also how the movement has brought meaning and community to many of the most marginalised and rootless worldwide.In the Middle East there are some of the oldest continuous Christian communities, going back 2,000 years. But in The Vanishing, the award-winning journalist Janine di Giovanni paints a portrait of faith communities in serious decline. With threats of war, religious persecution and economic uncertainty, their futures are in doubt. But amongst the stories of attacks on churches and political harassment, di Giovanni reveals glimmers of hope and resilience in Christian communities across Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Gaza.In her roles as Canon of Westminster and Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons the Reverend Tricia Hillas is situated at the spiritual heart of political power. She reflects on the continuing importance of faith in modern society and the issues facing the Church of England today. With congregation numbers in steep decline, in what ways can the Church spread its appeal, diversify and attract the younger generation?Producer: Katy Hickman

The Nobel prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa’s latest novel revolves around the lies, schemes and vested interests that infected the development of Latin America. In Harsh Times (translated by Adrian Nathan West) a CIA-supported military coup topples the government of Guatemala, but the idea that the country was a Soviet satellite is shown up as manipulated fiction. Llosa tells Tom Sutcliffe about the murky tales of Cold War conspiracies that dominated at the time, and their legacy today. Natalia Sobrevilla Perea is Professor of Latin American History at the University of Kent and looks at the impact of the Cold War proxy battles on countries like Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala and El Salvador. She highlights the power of the drug barons and the current Peruvian government’s war on corruption. Her research focuses on how historical events have set the stage for contemporary debates about how Andean nations should be governed and how to define citizenship.But what of the land before outside interference? Peru: a journey in time is the latest exhibition at the British Museum and showcases the civilisations and societies that rose and fell in the remarkable landscapes of the Andes mountains. On display will be objects from the early culture of Chavin in 1200 BC to the Incas in the 16th century. The co-curator Jago Cooper says the ancient Peruvian societies had their unique approaches to economy, gender, power and beliefs, and they thrived against the odds up until the Inca conquest by the Spanish.(Image: Funerary mask - Peru, Moche, AD 100–800. Museo de Arte de Lima. Donated by James Reid.)Producer: Katy Hickman