Economics In Ten

The chances are you have heard the phrase ‘creative destruction’ but what do you know about the man that coined it? In this podcast you will find out about Joseph Schumpeter, an economist who was hard to categorise but had plenty to say. In a world where ‘secular stagnation’ has arguably become the norm, his work on entrepreneurship and innovation are as important as ever. As well as being an infl...

Demand and Supply – the cornerstone of economics! But how much do you know about Alfred Marshall, the first man to draw the ‘Marshallian Cross’ that we all use today? Some argue his ‘Principles of Economics’ was the most influential book of the 19th Century and set the template for every economics textbook that followed. This episode is jam-packed with economics and guiding you through as always&n...

Want to know more about Milton Friedman? The marmite of economics! You may have noticed that people either love him or hate him. Mrs Thatcher lauded him as the quintessential ‘intellectual freedom fighter’ but for others he’s the architect of a damaging neoliberalism ideology,  the so-called "shock doctrine" that has damaged many societies around the world.  Arguably both views are too s...

The coronavirus has meant misery for many and lockdown has been unsettling for all but in many respects, it’s created an opportunity to stop and think about what kind of world we want to live in. Covid-19 has led to the world being rebooted and there are many positives that have come from lockdown that we want to share and discuss. From the darkness, we want to shine a light. In a survey commissio...

The coronavirus crisis represents a huge challenge for humanity. We are seeing policy making at the national level that is unprecedented outside of war-time - so what might it mean for the future of economics and society in general? Will the pandemic shift the ‘Overton window’, the spectrum of “acceptable” government policies? Or will we see ‘disaster capitalism’ take advantage of the current econ...

George Bernard Shaw once noted: ‘The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.’  What George forgot though was unreasonable women and when it comes to Economics, Joan Robinson was the unreasonable, brilliant woman and wow…did she make progress! Sadly in the male do...

What does the dismal science have to say about the affairs of the heart? More than you imagine... You will be amazed at how much economics can teach you about love, lust and other four letter words. . In the latest of our Economics In Ten specials you'll discover how the insights of behavioural economics can help you decide whether you are with 'the one', whether capitalism is bad for your love li...

We all like games don’t we? But in order to win games you need the best strategy and there is one economist who is synonymous with games and more specifically ‘game theory’. You might know him from the award winning film ‘A Beautiful Mind’ but there is so much more to know about John Nash Jr. and the Economics in Ten team want to share that with you.  Along the way you will find out the best...

It’s Christmas!!!! But what does Christmas have to teach us about economics? Well…quite a lot in fact as you’ll soon find out as you listen to this festive special by the Economics in Ten team. What’s the best present you can give according to economists? Should you get a real tree or a plastic one from an environmental economics perspective? What can the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ teach us about infl...

Sir Arthur Lewis was a pioneer. The first black man to win the Economics Nobel Prize, the first black man to be a professor of any university and in any field in the UK and the economist largely seen as the first major thinker in the field of development economics.  His  "two sector" model is taught across the world  -  but who was the man behind the model and why does he have...

Traditionally economics has been a man’s world reflected in the fact that out of 84 Nobel Prize winners in Economics, only 2 (until last week only 1!) have been women. This dominance is starting to be challenged and people are increasingly valuing greater diversity of economic thought and economic thinkers. But who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Economics and why did she keep on sa...

Want to know why Cardi B has five super cars but can't drive? Economics has the answer! Or more specifically Thorstein Veblen does.  Who is this man and why is he still so relevant today? From Russian oligarchs to Saudi Princes, to Premiership footballers and even that work colleague who keeps rolling up their sleeve in the hope that you'll comment on their new Rolex... Listen to the first episode...

 “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss  If you want to be a great student of economics or just be well-informed about the world, then reading widely is without question the magic ingredient.  We at EconomicsInTen are great believers in the power of reading.  Therefore in this Summer Reading speci...

Interested in Karl Marx? Want to know what Marxism might be? Ever wondered what the impact of 'The Communist Manifesto' and 'Das Kapital' have been on the world? And have you ever considered that Dolly Parton may have been a closet Marxist? Then listen to this episode and find out more about the man who was far more influential after death than in his own lifetime and still provokes strong feeling...

This week we are once again moving away from our coverage of economic titans and sharing with you another of our topical "specials".  So...   Climate change…it’s a hot topic but what light if any can conventional economics shed on it? In this environmental special, your friendly neighbourhood economists Pete and Gav look at various different theories that try to address how economics can...

Globalisation…it’s a hot topic in economics but why do so many economists emphasise the importance of trade? Many would argue that this began with David Ricardo and his Theory of Comparative Advantage, leading to the interdependence between countries that we see today. Who was Ricardo and how did he develop his ideas?  What would he have made of today's global economy? And what is his very te...

Want to know who Friedrich Hayek was?  Batman had the Joker. Holmes had Moriarty. Emu had Grotbags. And in the world of Economics, Keynes had Hayek. But who was this man? How did he contribute to the world of economics?  And how did he arguably become the most important economist of the 20th Century?  Listen to this episode to find out more and decide which side of the debate you ar...

This week we are departing temporarily from our coverage of great economists for the first of our "Economics in Ten Specials" with a look at the growing field of Happiness Economics.  Are you a student and worried that you won’t be able to buy a house before you retire? Are you unhappy because you are not losing weight fast enough? Want to know what music to put on to make you happier? In thi...

Want to know who John Maynard Keynes was? How he contributed to the world of economics? And more importantly what was he chowing down on at his secret society? Listen to this episode to learn more. Keynes once said ‘in the long run we are all dead’ and after this extended episode you might have sympathy with his thoughts but hopefully Pete and Gav will keep you entertained and informed throughout....

Want to know who Adam Smith was? How he contributed to the world of economics? And, more importantly, what would his walk on music be if he was a professional boxer?  Listen to this episode to learn more about the father of modern economics (or, as the kids might say, the original G) from Pete and Gav, your friendly neighbourhood economists. With technical support from Nic and music from Juke...