The economics of everyday life;
charming presentations.

Highlights

Tim Harford has an extraordinary talent for doing ‘popular economics’—for uncovering the inherent links between economics, company performance,and everyday life. With a light touch and sly wit, this economist and journalist turns "the dismal science" into entertaining value for audiences and readers alike.

Although a serious economist—after a career spanning Shell, the World Bank and tutoring at Oxford University, he is now on the Financial Times editorial board—his unique talent lies in the humorous touch he brings to his subjects.

He is the author of the book, The Logic of Life, which argues that, under the surface of everyday insanity, hidden incentives are at work. Like his bestseller, The Undercover Economist, The Logic of Life is about people rather than data and the surprising ways and places in which economics shapes our lives. His books have been translated into 30 languages and have sold over one million copies worldwide.

Tim is the first Peter Martin Fellow at the Financial Times Magazine and he writes two columns for FT that have earned a cult following:

The Dear Economist column answers readers’ personal problems with the latest economic theory—and a tongue in the cheek.

His new column, The Undercover Economist, like his book by that title, reveals the economics behind our day-to-day experiences. Syndicated in Commerce (Canada) and Slate (USA).

His book, The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich are Rich, the Poor are Poor—and Why You Can Never Buy A Decent Used Car, is an economist’s version of The Way Things Work, part field guide to economics and part exposé of how economic forces shape our lives, often without our knowing it.

A winner of the 2006 Bastiat Prize for economic journalism, Tim has been widely published in major print media and is a regular commentator on TV and radio on both sides of the Atlantic. He fronted the BBC 2 television series Trust Me, I'm an Economist and now presents the BBC Radio 4 Series More or Less, one of the BBC's most downloaded current affairs shows.

The Logic of Life

Life sometimes seems illogical. Individuals do strange things: take drugs, have unprotected sex, mug each other. On a larger scale, it often makes no more sense: racism persists, an idiot boss gets paid a fortune. . .

In The Logic of Life, award-winning journalist Tim Harford offers a host of surprising answers to such questions from his own discipline as an economist. Life is logical after all. Under the surface of everyday insanity, hidden incentives are at work. The Logic of Life maps out the astonishing insights and frustrating blind spots of a new kind of popular economics. Instead of data and equations, he offers stories about people and illuminates life from a new perspective that’s both fun and valuable.

The Undercover Economist

Who really makes money from fair trade coffee? Why is it impossible to buy a decent second hand car? How do the Mafia make money from laundries when street gangs pushing drugs don't? Who really benefits from immigration? Looking at familiar situations in unfamiliar ways, The Undercover Economist is a fresh explanation of the fundamental principles of the modern economy, illuminated by examples from the booming skyscrapers of Shanghai to the sleepy canals of Bruges.

Tying our personal economic activity to the world economy with wonderful clarity and wit, Tim’s book touches on such macroeconomic issues as agricultural subsidies and competition between national economies. But the book’s forte lies in its revelations about the microeconomics of modern life—the uncovering of a secret Starbucks drink or of why the prices on your Amazon wish list keep changing. The book demonstrates Tim’s unparalleled ability to make economics accessible and relevant to coffee drinkers, business leaders and policy makers alike. A BBC series on the book entitled Life, Love and Economics is in production.

Sample speech topics

Trust me, I’m an economist. Drawing on Tim’s expert knowledge of the frontiers of economic research, this is a humorous and self-deprecating look at the wilder side and follies of economics. Introducing an engaging cast of characters, Tim describes the bizarre theories and astonishing research behind economists’ attempts to commit the perfect crime, save the world from Armageddon, find love, match odd socks, lose weight and unlock the secrets of happiness. An ideal after-dinner talk or uplifting keynote.

Crunch time. In the teeth of recession, Tim contrasts the latest research on economic behaviour with the hysterical stories from the tabloids to ask: how do we behave in recessions? Tim shows why there are "good recessions" and "bad recessions" for consumer spending, and reveals that while consumers cut back on spending, they often do so in unexpected ways. Tim argues that the competitive advantage goes to companies who can target their discounts selectively.

Cracks in the crystal ball. A light-hearted yet searching discussion about why economists are notorious for their unreliable forecasts. Using insights from volcanology to psychology, as well as his experience as a futurologist at Shell and forecaster at the World Bank, Tim explains the symptoms of our failure of forecasting and reveals their deeper causes. He also offers solutions to the problem of foretelling the future—as well as consolations for the inevitable failure to forecast perfectly.

The Logic of Life. An astonishing guide to the hidden logic of the world around you, based on the eye-opening ideas in Tim’s book, The Logic of Life. Life often seems to defy logic. When a prostitute agrees to unprotected sex, or a teenage criminal embarks on a burglary, or a smoker lights another cigarette, we seem to be a million miles from what we would call rational behaviour. None of this makes sense—or does it? Tim thinks it does. And by weaving stories from locations as diverse as a Las Vegas casino and a Soho speed-date together with insights from an ingenious new breed of economist, he aims to persuade you that we are all, in fact, surprisingly logical.

How to save the world: Tim’s latest research is on what governments should do when markets fail. He is now studying how economics can be applied to new technologies, rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan, and preventing climate change.

Other topics. Tim is a versatile presenter whose column allows him to break new ground every week. He has recently spoken on such subjects as:

The Price is Wrong: what a tour through Starbucks, Tesco and the psychiatrist’s couch tells you about how to win the game of pricing.

Are Taxes a force for good?: the Chartered Institute of Taxation’s 9^th annual lecture.

Why Your Boss is Overpaid: the economics of business life, organisational change, and why profitable companies so often take their cues from Dilbert.

The credit crunch for dummies: what is the credit crunch, what caused it and what might happen next?

Dear Economist — A Sample Column

I have a drawer full of odd socks. Where do the missing socks go?

Dear Reader

Like most investments in physical capital, your sock supply is depreciating. Depreciation happens. I suggest that you should work out how to minimise the damage, rather than questing after the lost socks.

The problem is simple: each half of a unique pair of socks is a perfect complement to the other half. The marginal value of the first sock is close to zero, unless you favour unconventional dress. The marginal value of the second sock is a matching pair of socks. The result of a lost sock is in fact the loss of two socks.

This problem also plagues machines: when one component fails, the entire machine may need to be scrapped. The solution is to make interchangeable parts, so that the damaged piece can be replaced… You should have no difficulty providing interchangeable parts for your sock drawer. Throw out your pre-industrial inventory, then go out and buy two dozen pairs of identical socks at once.

I personally find this method works extremely well...

Topics

The Logic of Life—Exposing the economic secrets of everyday life
Why you can’t trust economists to forecast the future
Undercover Economics—Bringing Economics to Life
The Big Implications of Small Things, As Seen Through the Eyes of an Economist
The Economics of Love and Dating
The Economics of Predictions
The Curse of the Free Lunch

Credentials

First Peter Martin Fellow, Financial Times
Two columns for the Financial Times
Author, The Undercover Economist and The Market for Aid
Former columnist, Slate
Former economist, World Bank
Former scenario planner, Shell
Speech writer for Stanley Fischer, Former Vice Chairman of Citigroup International

Endorsements

"One of the best economics speeches I have ever seen." – Evan Davis, former BBC Economics
   Editor and presenter of Dragon’s Den and Today.

"Everybody loved your talk" – Sir Richard Branson

"Thanks again for your involvement . . . you did such a wonderful job and we were so proud to
   have you there." – Palgrave MacMillan

"Harford has a knack for explaining economic principles and problems in plain language and,
   even better, for making them fun." – The New York Times

"Smart, charming, penetrating, and wise." – Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of Freakonomics

"I got very, very positive feedback from the members . . . everyone found it thought-provoking and    enjoyable. You pitched it exactly right." – Chartered Institute of Taxation

"Your performance was quite brilliant." – Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator,
   The Financial Times

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