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Tim Harford is economics leader writer for the Financial Times and writes the “Dear Economist” and “Undercover Economist” columns on Saturdays. He first joined the FT as Peter Martin Fellow in 2003 and after a spell at the World Bank in Washington DC he rejoined the FT’s leader writing team in 2006.
Tim’s book, The Undercover Economist, is a Business Week bestseller and a Sunday Times bestseller, and was number one on Amazon.co.uk. It has been translated into sixteen languages. He is now working on a sequel.
Tim is also the presenter of the BBC2 series, Trust Me, I’m an Economist. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters.
NEW: Read Tim’s ‘Undercover Economist’ blog
Tim Harford’s website - -
Dear Economist: How can I be fair to my grandchildren?
My son has two children and my daughter four. I propose to give £5,000 to each grandchild in my will. Would this be equitable?
Given the choice, how much choice would you like?
Having more options seems to be counterproductive under certain circumstances, but we don’t yet know much about what they are, writes Tim Harford
Dear Economist: Why a ‘pointless’ tax cut really counted
As VAT returns to 17.5%, some retailers say that the increase will have a negative impact. This doesn’t sound logical, but is it true?
How a celebrity chef turned into a social scientist
Jamie Oliver’s ‘school dinners’ campaign has been successful, but Tim Harford wonders why it had to take a TV company to carry out a proper policy experiment
Why feedback can be just so much noise
A comment-free environment is not conducive to learning new skills, but then again, honest appraisal can be confusing or demoralising, writes Tim Harford
Dear Economist: Why don’t all waiters get their just desserts?
Do waiters in mid-priced restaurants work less than those at high-end ones? If not, shouldn’t their tips be the same?
Want to help? Then make life harder for the aid agencies
Only a wild optimist would expect agencies to adopt a market-style focus on value for money, so economists suggest a different approach, writes Tim Harford
Dear Economist: Loving and losing – is the cost too high?
Is it possible for the cost (the grief from the imminent passing of my pet rat) to outweigh the benefit (the joy gained through time spent with him)?
Dear Economist: Fine wine or finer feelings?
I drink too much wine and am unable to convince myself that doing so is unhealthy. How can I keep my habit under control?
A brilliant (and doomed) template for healthcare reform
Not only is it colossally wasteful to outsource medical decisions to bureaucrats, it is also infantilising for us as independent human beings, writes Tim Harford
