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Tim Harford

Undercover Economist

Tim Harford writes the Undercover Economist column, and was previously an economics leader writer for the FT. He first joined the newspaper as Peter Martin Fellow in 2003.

Tim is the author of nine books, including the million-selling The Undercover Economist and most recently How To Make The World Add Up. He is also a regular presenter for BBC radio.

He was made an OBE in the 2019 new year honours list “for services to improving economic understanding”.

Email Tim Harford @TimHarford  on Twitter (link opens in a new browser window)
Email Tim Harford @TimHarford  on Twitter (link opens in a new browser window)

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  • Friday, 25 November, 2022
    Undercover EconomistSocial Media
    How to leave Twitter but keep your followers

    Moving to a new social network should be like switching mobile provider or bank, but it’s not

  • Friday, 18 November, 2022
    Undercover EconomistLife & Arts
    Struck by the power of the simple invention

    Dr Dilip Mahalanabis changed the world. So why did we not hear more about it?

  • Friday, 4 November, 2022
    Undercover EconomistBehavioural economics
    Quitting is underrated

    We are far too stubborn, committing to an idea, job or romantic partner even when it becomes clear we’ve made a mistake

  • Friday, 28 October, 2022
    Undercover EconomistLife & Arts
    Farewell to the cakeism of Johnson and Truss, welcome back reality

    You can’t always get what you want, fiscally speaking — a lesson the former prime ministers did not learn

  • Friday, 21 October, 2022
    Undercover EconomistUK business & economy
    Uncertainty delays investment. If only the UK government grasped this

    When everything is in flux, businesses will often choose to watch and wait

  • Friday, 14 October, 2022
    Undercover EconomistTax evasion and avoidance
    How to tax (a guide for governments)

    Lessons on what really works from more than 300 years of history

  • Friday, 7 October, 2022
    Undercover EconomistUK business & economy
    Five ideas that might actually boost UK growth

    Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng don’t seem to know how to go about it. Here are a few starting points

  • Friday, 30 September, 2022
    Undercover EconomistUK economic growth
    Liz Truss’s growth delusion

    It is right for a government to want to increase GDP, but it’s not clear this prime minister knows how to do it

  • Friday, 23 September, 2022
    Undercover EconomistLife & Arts
    How much money will actually make you happy?

    We can all fantasise about what we need to make ourselves satisfied — and it doesn’t have to be a fortune

  • Tuesday, 20 September, 2022
    ReviewNon-Fiction
    What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill — our obligation to the unborn billions

    The Oxford philosopher makes the case for an unseen group whose interests we have neglected

  • Friday, 16 September, 2022
    Undercover EconomistGlobal inflation
    What we keep getting wrong about inflation

    Inflation needs a monetary response, whereas the energy crunch should be met with support for struggling households

  • Friday, 9 September, 2022
    Undercover EconomistLiz Truss
    My former tutorial partner is now Britain’s PM. Here’s my advice to her

    British institutions need buttressing rather than undermining. Facts should matter more than ‘vibes’

  • Friday, 2 September, 2022
    Undercover EconomistLife & Arts
    Megaprojects often end up late and hideously over budget. Why?

    From the Transpennine line to Brexit, government dithering and waste is everywhere

  • Friday, 26 August, 2022
    Undercover EconomistTravel
    It’s the uncertainty, not the delay, that gets you in the end

    Why does time fly when you are travelling but drag when you are waiting? 

  • Friday, 5 August, 2022
    Undercover EconomistSocial affairs
    Economists must get more in touch with our feelings

    Perceptions of how we’re doing in life are an increasingly important source of data

  • Friday, 29 July, 2022
    Undercover EconomistUK labour productivity
    How can the UK improve its productivity? I went to Legoland to find out

    Like theme parks, British businesses could invest more, but uncertainty holds them back

  • Friday, 22 July, 2022
    Undercover EconomistReproductive rights
    Abortion and women in America: what the data tells us

    The Supreme Court’s abortion ruling will have a stark impact. Here’s why

  • Friday, 15 July, 2022
    Undercover EconomistCovid-19 vaccines
    A riskier approach to new vaccines will pay off

    Infection rates in the UK today may well be higher than they have ever been

  • Friday, 8 July, 2022
    Undercover EconomistLife & Arts
    How to really change someone’s mind

    The ideals of debate are a wonderful thing so why does it rarely work in practice?

  • Friday, 1 July, 2022
    Undercover EconomistData protection
    How to save more lives and avoid a privacy apocalypse

    At the moment, we have the worst of both worlds: researchers struggle to access data yet leaks are almost inevitable

  • Friday, 24 June, 2022
    Undercover EconomistMobile devices
    Your phone’s notification settings and the meaning of life

    App developers know we’re hardwired to stick with the default option

  • Friday, 17 June, 2022
    Undercover EconomistMental health
    The high price society pays for social media

    Does social media cause depression and anxiety?

  • Friday, 10 June, 2022
    Undercover EconomistPhilosophy
    Learning how to think well involves hearts as well as minds

    Imagine a person who is hugely knowledgeable and brilliantly rational, yet falls short on virtue

  • Friday, 3 June, 2022
    Undercover EconomistLife & Arts
    Even when you do succeed, sometimes it pays to try again

    Rethinking a satisfactory formula can unlock new ideas

  • Friday, 27 May, 2022
    Undercover EconomistCharity
    Why does it feel good to do good?

    After his father died, Tim Harford asked people to consider donating. He was surprised by the response

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