by Tim Harford | Jun 30, 2009 | Other Writing
First published in Business Life, February 2009 I was recently invited onto a prestigious radio program to debate a provocative idea: perhaps we should stop giving money to charity and instead spend it on the high street to stimulate the economy. I declined. This is...
by Tim Harford | Jun 27, 2009 | Undercover Economist
Spare a thought for the weather forecasters. Taken for granted when they get it right, they are invariably whipping boys when they get things wrong – despite a far better forecasting record than we economists have. They probably have more to contribute to the economy,...
by Tim Harford | Jun 27, 2009 | Dear Economist
Dear Economist, I wish I frequented the same high street as the statisticians who calculate measures of inflation. Given their calculations include “Various selected popular brands of sweets, chocolates, gum”, will they take note of a Mars Bar shrinking in size from...
by Tim Harford | Jun 20, 2009 | Undercover Economist
“The economy, stupid.” An internal reminder for Bill Clinton’s presidential election team eventually became one of the most famous slogans in politics. The first President Bush was duly kicked out by the voters in the teeth of a recession, and Clinton became the 42nd...
by Tim Harford | Jun 20, 2009 | Dear Economist
Dear Economist, At the time, Kaká’s transfer fee from AC Milan to Real Madrid was reported to be the largest in the world, clocking in at £57.5m (€67.2m). However, in terms of euros, Zinedine Zidane’s transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001 was the largest, at...
