Economics In Ten Economics In Ten

A feature of our economic world is how dominated many markets are by a single firm. If you want to search for something, you ‘Google’ it, if you want a cab, you reach for Uber and if you want to shop, Amazon is the place many will go. Standard economics would suggest this is a bad thing as competition is good for the market, so how has this happened? How bad are monopolies? And are there any upsides? In this podcast special, your friendly neighbourhood economists (who were slightly under the weather) Pete and Gav, explore these questions and more! It’s absolutely stuffed with economic terminology, expertly explained, with lots of case studies to apply your new knowledge to. Perfect for students but perfect for everyone! As always there is a quiz and plenty of book recommendations. Technical support as always comes from our own monopoly on production Nic!

Friedrich Engels was probably the most influential sidekick in the history of the world. He bankrolled his "bestie" Marx and without his deep pockets, it is unlikely the world would ever seen the intimidating Marxist tome ‘Das Kapital’. The even more (in)famous ‘The Communist Manifesto’ was the results of genuine collaboration between the two. Engels without question changed the world and yet was seeming happy to do so from the background, playing second fiddle to his beloved Marx. In this episode of their award winning podcast, Pete and Gav, your friendly neighbourhood economists, bring Engels out from the shadows and give him the respect that he deserves, as a thinker, writer and revolutionary. You will discover how influential his book ‘The Conditions of the Working Class in England’ was both now and then, you’ll wonder whether he was was the first ‘effective altruist’ and you’ll also consider how you can be the exploiter of the proletariat, the definitive champagne socialist, whilst at the same time, trying to set the poor free. As always, there is a fun quiz and lots of book recommendations. Technical support comes from ‘Beach Body’ Nic.

What if rational economic man existed? How would they view the current state of the planet? How would they solve ‘the economic problem’? If it was to be solved by extreme methods, how would you respond? In this new play by your friendly neighbourhood economists, Pete and Gav, these issues are tackled in a fun and thought-provoking manner. Will you side with Dr Becker, the doctor who has created ‘Homo Economicus’ or will you side with Adam The Clone? Listen to the play and then have a think about some of the questions that have been put online to discuss. Thanks always goes to Nic for his production wizardry and to Kate for being the narrator.

Imagine looking at the world and seeing economics everywhere. Whether it was in family dynamics, discrimination in the workplace, the criminal mind…absolutely anything!!! When first mooted this was an alien idea to many, including many economists but this was the novel approach of the highly influential and award-winning economist Gary Becker. Becker is many economists' favourite economist, at least those economists keenest on market-based, "rational" approaches. Where once economics stayed in its lane, now, post-Becker, Economics goes wherever it chooses, with tools such as cost-benefit analyses applied in all areas of human activity. Nothing is safe from economics thanks to Gary Becker! Whether he deserves our thanks our opprobrium for this is debatable but in this episode of their award winning podcast, Pete and Gav, your friendly neighbourhood economists, explore his life and ideas. So if you are wondering why students should now do an investment appraisal before going to university or why siblings are nice to each other, even when they are horrible to other people, then this podcast is for you! As always there is a quiz, some music and book recommendations and a cocktail you can make to compliment the episode. Technical support comes from ‘Ace of Bass’ Nic.

Have you ever wanted to walk in the footsteps of the great economists? Do you want to breathe the same air they breathed? Do you want to be inspired by the ghosts of Economics past? Well now's your chance. Ye olde London Town is rich with economic history and in this podcast special, your friendly neighbourhood economists, Pete and Gav, take you on a 3 mile journey around Central London. Starting at the British Library and ending at the LSE, you will find out why certain landmarks are important within the world of economics. It should take you just over an hour to walk and on the journey, you can pay homage to the likes of Marx, Keynes and Fawcett. Technical support as always comes from 'The Stitcher' Nic.

One could argue that the modern discipline that is Economics is, to a large degree, a branch of applied mathematics. This is a far cry from its early roots found in the work of more philosophical thinkers such as Adam Smith. How did we end up here? One major reason is the "Marginal Revolution" of the nineteenth century. In this episode of their award winning podcast, Pete and Gav, your friendly neighbourhood economists, explore the life and ideas of William Stanley Jevons, one of the proponents of this less than bloody revolution. He was the man who turned Political Economy into Economics and said in his most famous book ‘Theory of Political Economy‘ - ‘Economics, if it is to be a science at all, must be a mathematical science’. As always, there is a quiz for you to enjoy linked to the Jevon's Number, a poem that distils his life in rhyme and a discussion about whether the weather has any impact on business cycles whatsoever! Technical support as always comes from Nic.