Tim Harford Boeken

In 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.

Using his trademark narrative skills, Tim Harford takes us deep into the world of statistics and shows how important and powerful they can be

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? From family rows and the stock market to buying socks or speed dating, you'll find within these pages a witty explanation for almost everything you ever wanted to know about life.

The urge for tidiness is deeply ingrained in human nature, with many feeling threatened by chaos or ambiguity. We find comfort in systems, scripts, and categorization, which can be beneficial to a point—think of libraries, global trade, and scientific collaboration. However, the push for order has gone too far, driven by corporate and bureaucratic pressures that demand everything be labeled and neatly organized. This tidy mindset, now aided by technology, is encroaching on our personal lives, from structuring children's play to relying on algorithms for romance. Excessive tidiness can lead to rigidity and sterility, stifling creativity and responsiveness. In this exploration, Tim Harford illustrates how qualities we cherish—like resilience and innovation—thrive in messiness. He advocates for embracing disorder in various aspects of life: at home, in the workplace with cluttered desks, in creative environments, and in our approaches to business and politics. By allowing for some chaos and ambiguity, we can foster a more dynamic and productive existence. It's time to appreciate the advantages of a little mess.

This book shows how our lives are shaped not only by the choices we make, but by the choices we have. From dating, school and university applications to the job market, understand the most important decisions you'll ever make with insights from a Nobel Prize-winner.

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.

"Ever wondered why the gap between rich and poor nations is so great, or why it's so difficult getting a foot on the property ladder, or how to outwit Starbucks? This book offers the hidden story behind these and other questions, as economist Tim Harford reveals how supermarkets, airlines and coffee chains - to name just a few - are vacuuming money from our wallets. Written with a light, humorous touch but backed up by the latest economic research, this eye-opening book delightfully exposes the forces that shape our day-to-day lives, often without our knowing it." - back cover.

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.