Tim Harford
Encyclopedia
Tim Harford is an English
economist
and journalist
, residing in London
. He is the author of four economics books, presenter of BBC
television series Trust Me, I'm an Economist, and writer of a humorous weekly column called "Dear Economist" for The Financial Times, in which he uses economic theory to attempt to solve readers' personal problems. His other FT column, "The Undercover Economist
", is syndicated in Slate magazine.
Harford studied at Aylesbury Grammar School
and then at the University of Oxford
, gaining a BA
and then an MPhil in Economics in 1998. He joined the Financial Times in 2003 on a fellowship in commemoration of the business columnist Peter Martin. He continued to write his column after joining the International Finance Corporation
in 2004, and re-joined the Financial Times as economics leader writer in April 2006. He is also a member of the newspaper's editorial board.
In October 2007, Harford replaced Andrew Dilnot
on the BBC
Radio 4 series More or Less
. He is a visiting fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, residing in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He is the author of four economics books, presenter of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Trust Me, I'm an Economist, and writer of a humorous weekly column called "Dear Economist" for The Financial Times, in which he uses economic theory to attempt to solve readers' personal problems. His other FT column, "The Undercover Economist
The Undercover Economist
The Undercover Economist is a book by Tim Harford published in 2005 by Little, Brown.The book provides an introduction to principles of economics, including demand-supply interactions, market failures, externalities, globalisation, international trade and comparative advantage...
", is syndicated in Slate magazine.
Harford studied at Aylesbury Grammar School
Aylesbury Grammar School
Aylesbury Grammar School is a single-sex male grammar school in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, which educates 1,250 pupils.-Admissions:As a selective state school, its entry requirements are dictated by the exam taken at the age of 10-11...
and then at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, gaining a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and then an MPhil in Economics in 1998. He joined the Financial Times in 2003 on a fellowship in commemoration of the business columnist Peter Martin. He continued to write his column after joining the International Finance Corporation
International Finance Corporation
The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
in 2004, and re-joined the Financial Times as economics leader writer in April 2006. He is also a member of the newspaper's editorial board.
In October 2007, Harford replaced Andrew Dilnot
Andrew Dilnot
Andrew Dilnot CBE is British economist and broadcaster. He has been Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford since October 2002. He was for several years the presenter of BBC Radio 4's series on numbers, More or Less and of documentaries for British television. Dilnot was Director of the Institute...
on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Radio 4 series More or Less
More or Less (radio programme)
More or Less is a BBC Radio 4 programme focusing on numbers and statistics.The programme was started by Andrew Dilnot as a one-off series of six programmes...
. He is a visiting fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford.
Awards
- More or LessMore or Less (radio programme)More or Less is a BBC Radio 4 programme focusing on numbers and statistics.The programme was started by Andrew Dilnot as a one-off series of six programmes...
won the Royal Statistical SocietyRoyal Statistical SocietyThe Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK.-History:It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London , though a perhaps unrelated London Statistical Society was in existence at least as early as 1824...
's 2010 award for statistical excellence in broadcast journalism - More or LessMore or Less (radio programme)More or Less is a BBC Radio 4 programme focusing on numbers and statistics.The programme was started by Andrew Dilnot as a one-off series of six programmes...
won MensaMensa InternationalMensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
's award for promoting intelligence in public life - Harford was awarded the Bastiat PrizeBastiat PrizeThe Bastiat Prize is a journalism award given annually by the International Policy Network. The Bastiat Prize recognizes journalists whose published works "explain, promote and defend the principles of the free society." The award comes with US$15,000....
for economic journalism in 2007 (shared with Jamie WhyteJamie WhyteJamie Whyte is a philosopher who writes on philosophy for a general audience. Born in New Zealand, he now lives in the United Kingdom. He was formerly a lecturer in Philosophy at Cambridge University....
) In 2010 he again drew with Whyte, in second place.
Publications
- The Market for Aid (2005) with Michael KleinMichael KleinMichael Klein is the name of:* Michael Klein , Romanian football player, played in Romania and at Bayer Uerdingen* Michael L...
, ISBN 978-0-8213-6229-7 - The Undercover EconomistThe Undercover EconomistThe Undercover Economist is a book by Tim Harford published in 2005 by Little, Brown.The book provides an introduction to principles of economics, including demand-supply interactions, market failures, externalities, globalisation, international trade and comparative advantage...
(2005), ISBN 978-0-345-49401-6 - The Logic of LifeThe Logic of LifeThe Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational World is a book by Tim Harford published in 2008 by Random House. Harford argues that rational behavior is more widespread than expected in the larger population...
(2008), ISBN 978-0-8129-7787-5 - Dear Undercover Economist: Priceless Advice on Money, Work, Sex, Kids, and Life's Other Challenges. New York, Random House. 2009. ISBN 978-0-8129-8010-3
- Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure. New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2011. ISBN 978-0374100964
External links
- Tim Harford's personal webpage with RSS Feed
- Harford's column at the Financial Times with RSS Feed
- He was a founder of PSD Blog - The World Bank Group's Private Sector Development Blog
- All is fair in love and war and poker - details of the first episode of "Trust me, I'm an economist" (BBC)
- More or Less BBC website
- Columns at Slate
- Blog at the FT, which began October 2007
- Video (and audio) of interview of Tim Harford by Will WilkinsonWill WilkinsonWill Wilkinson is a Canadian American libertarian writer. Until August 2010, he was a research fellow at the Cato Institute where he worked on a variety of issues including Social Security reform and, most notably, the policy implications of happiness research. He is currently working on a paper...
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers... - TED TALKS Tim Harford: Trial, error and the God complex
- An interview with Tim Harford about The Logic of Life on The Marketplace of Ideas
- An interview with Tim Harford about Adapt on The Marketplace of Ideas