Tim Harford Libri

'Endlessly insightful and full of surprises - exactly what you would expect from Tim Harford'BILL BRYSON'Every Tim Harford book is cause for celebration'MALCOLM GLADWELLIn Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy, the revolutionary, acclaimed book, radio series and podcast, bestselling economist Tim Harford introduced us to a selection of fifty radical inventions that changed the world.Now, in this new book, Harford once again brings us an array of remarkable, memorable, curious and often unexpected 'things' - inventions that teach us lessons by turns intimate and sweeping about the complex world economy we live in today.From the brick, blockchain and the bicycle to fire, the factory and fundraising, and from solar PV and the pencil to the postage stamp, this brilliant and enlightening collection resonates, fascinates and stimulates. It is a wonderful blend of insight and inspiration from one of Britain's finest non-fiction storytellers.

Factfulness meets How to Be Right in this major new work from bestselling economist Tim Harford. Renowned for making statistics engaging, Harford presents a compelling case for the power of numbers in understanding our world. Statistics are essential for storytelling, yet skepticism about their validity is rampant. Contrary to misconceptions, good statistics are not deceptive; they illuminate reality, acting as a telescope, microscope, or X-ray for our understanding. In this insightful exploration, Harford draws on his experiences as an economist and host of the BBC's "More or Less," navigating through disinformation, flawed research, and misguided motivations to uncover valuable data and analysis. He introduces an array of intriguing characters, from a Nazi-conning art forger to a congressman-loving stripper, alongside renowned data figures like John Maynard Keynes and Florence Nightingale. Harford equips readers with ten straightforward rules for interpreting numbers, plus one golden rule, empowering us to approach claims with confidence and curiosity. By carefully considering how numbers are sourced and presented, we can gain a clearer perspective on how the world truly adds up, dispelling clouds of deceit and delusion.

Exploring the themes of truth and perception, this book encourages readers to challenge their understanding of the world. It offers insights that promote smarter living and a fresh perspective on everyday experiences. Through its engaging narrative, readers are invited to uncover deeper truths that can transform their outlook and enhance their lives.

From the tally-stick to Bitcoin, the canal lock to the jumbo jet, each invention in Tim Harford's fascinating new book has its own curious, surprising and memorable story, a vignette against a grand backdrop. Step by step, readers will start to understand where we are, how we got here, and where we might be going next. Hidden connections will be laid bare: how the barcode undermined family corner shops; why the gramophone widened inequality; how barbed wire shaped America. We'll meet the characters who developed some of these inventions, profited from them, or were ruined by them. We'll trace the economic principles that help to explain their transformative effects. And we'll ask what lessons we can learn to make wise use of future inventions, in a world where the pace of innovation will only accelerate

A million readers bought The Undercover Economist to get the lowdown on how economics works on a small scale, in our everyday lives. Since then, economics has become big news. Crises, austerity, riots, bonuses - all are in the headlines all the time. But how does this large-scale economic world really work? What would happen if we cancelled everyone's debt? How do you create a job? Will the BRIC countries take over the world? Asking - among many other things -- what the future holds for the Euro, why the banks are still paying record bonuses and where government borrowing will take us, in The Undercover Economist Strikes Back, Tim Harford returns with his trademark clarity and wit to explain what's really going on - and what it means for us all.

Are there tangible benefits in flossing? Is it wrong to fake orgasms? What does the perfect online dating ad look like? Should we bother doing the ironing? Is it really impossible to buy the perfect Christmas gift? (Other than this book, of course.) Economists might not be the first people you would think of to give you advice on such diverse areas as parenting, the intricacies of etiquette or the dark arts of seduction. But for years bestselling author Tim Harford has been doing just that: answering the most challenging questions in his brilliant column, where he uses the tools of economics to give practical advice about everyday dilemmas, conundrums and concerns. From family rows and the stock market to buying socks or speed dating, you'll find within these pages a witty - and of course rational - explanation for almost everything you ever wanted to know about life.

The urge for tidiness is deeply ingrained in human nature, as many find comfort in organization and categorization. While structured systems are beneficial—like reference systems in libraries or standardized measurements in science—this obsession with order has gone too far. Corporate and governmental pressures demand everything be labeled and numbered, and with technology amplifying this tendency, it seeps into our personal lives. We confine children to sanitized spaces and rely on algorithms for love, imposing order where chaos or messiness could foster creativity and resilience. Excessive tidiness leads to rigidity and sterility. In this exploration, the author highlights the value of embracing messiness in various aspects of life—be it personal, professional, or creative endeavors. A cluttered desk or an unstructured approach can yield responsiveness and innovation. This narrative advocates for a balance, suggesting that allowing some disorder can enhance our experiences and outcomes in business, politics, and everyday life. It’s a call to appreciate the advantages of a little mess, encouraging a shift away from the constraints of excessive tidiness.

How our lives are shaped not only by the choices we make, but by the choices we have. In many parts of life – jobs, housing, medical care, education, even a date on the internet – price is not the only determinant of who gets what. So how do the other processes that influence who gets which goods, jobs, university places and partners really work? In ‘Who Gets What’, Nobel Prize winning economist Alvin Roth uncovers the global rules of how markets allocate, how matchmaking shapes lives, where markets exist that we may not even realise, and how everything about our biggest experiences – from getting accepted at university or living where we want – can be better understood and negotiated when one understands the design of those matching markets. The distribution of rewards is often unfair, but it’s seldom as random as it seems, and Roth reveals just how much of our life takes place in marketplaces, and leads us to a new understanding of who gets what and why. For fans of ‘Freakonomics’ and ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’ this groundbreaking book sheds new light on the politics of free markets, and how many things that we choose in life also must choose us.

Everything we know about solving the world's problems is wrong. Out: Plans, experts and above all, leaders. In: Adapting - improvise rather than plan; fail, learn, and try again In this groundbreaking new book, Tim Harford shows how the world's most complex and important problems - including terrorism, climate change, poverty, innovation, and the financial crisis - can only be solved from the bottom up by rapid experimenting and adapting. From a spaceport in the Mojave Desert to the street battles of Iraq, from a blazing offshore drilling rig to everyday decisions in our business and personal lives, this is a handbook for surviving - and prospering - in our complex and ever-shifting world.

Who makes most money from the demand for cappuccinos early in the morning at Waterloo Station? Why is it impossible to get a foot on the property ladder? How does the Mafia make money from laundries when street gangs pushing drugs don't? Who really benefits from immigration? How can China, in just fifty years, go from the world's worst famine to one of the greatest economic revolutions of all time, lifting a million people out of poverty a month? 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 streets of London to the booming skyscrapers of Shanghai to the sleepy canals of Bruges. Leaving behind textbook jargon and equations, Tim Harford will reveal the games of signals and negotiations, contests of strength and battles of wit that drive not only the economy at large but the everyday choices we make.

From the author of 'The Undercover Economist, ' this book applies the economics of rational choice theory to modern life. Harford explains, for example, why drug addicts and teenage muggers can be rational, why suburban sprawl and inner city decay are rational, and why the endless meetings and injustices of working life are rational

Menschliches Verhalten erscheint oft zutiefst unlogisch. Aber ist das wirklich so? Für den preisgekrönten Wirtschaftsjournalisten und Bestseller-Autor Tim Harford prägen rationale Motive unser Verhalten viel stärker als bisher angenommen. Seine Theorie verdeutlicht er anhand einer Fülle von Fallbeispielen. Warum sind Chefs meistens überbezahlt? Was ist die Ursache des Oralsex-Booms? Warum setzt sich das Wohl der Wenigen auch in einer Demokratie häufig gegen das Wohl der Vielen durch? Durch Harfords Röntgenblick kommt die verborgene Logik des Lebens zum Vorschein.

Tim Harford má daleko do nudného učitele moderní ekonomie, protože mu jde hlavně o praxi. Uvědomuje si totiž, že jeho obor není jen suchopárná věda, ale pojednává také o tom, jaké ekonomické problémy v každodenním životě řešíme a jak by se lidem i jejich financím mohlo vést lépe - což jim většina odborníků bohužel dosud nedokázala názorně vysvětlit. Aby předvedl, že je to proveditelné, poodkrývá čtenářům prostřednictvím desítek příkladů triky prodejců, odhaluje jim nejen mnohá úskalí nakupování, velkoměstské dopravy, ale i systémů zdravotní péče, ochrany životního prostředí či fungování akciových trhů a mezinárodního obchodu. Současně poukazuje na překážky stojící v cestě konkurenčnímu prostředí volných trhů, jež projevují přirozenou schopnost učinit náš svět lepším místem k životu. Pro jednu z nejžádanějších britských knih dneška je charakteristický jízlivý náhled na nejrůznější obchodní praktiky a zádrhely i nechuť vůči zažitým nepravdám a klišé. Autor v ní však neopomíjí ani starost o budoucnost obyvatel třetího světa, kterou nelze v podmínkách sílící globalizace ztrácet ze zřetele. Harfordův pronikavý výklad, připomínající podle recenzentů "náhled na všední den, viděný očima pronikavýma jako rentgen", zároveň vyzáří množství ostrovního humoru, neboť postupuje v duchu nejlepších popularizátorských tradic, jimž nic lidského není cizí.