http://www.ft.com/arts/columnists/timharfordhttp://www.ft.com/rss/comment/columnists/timharfordFT.com - Tim Harforden© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2012. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.client.support@ft.com (Client Support)Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:07:04 +0000Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:02:03 +0000Newspapers15http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/arts/columnists/timharford(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cfcf70d6-5202-11e1-a30c-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cfcf70d6-5202-11e1-a30c-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssGovernment cuts are shrinking the state, but gauging its size in the first place is hardly straightforward, writes Tim Harford Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:07:04 +0000cfcf70d6-5202-11e1-a30c-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b1370148-532e-11e1-8aa1-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b1370148-532e-11e1-8aa1-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssDavid Cameron's Nudge unit is back in the news ... and could be pushing in the right direction, writes Tim Harford Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:00:10 +0000b1370148-532e-11e1-8aa1-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a655b68a-4c84-11e1-b1b5-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a655b68a-4c84-11e1-b1b5-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssTim Harford hands out tips on the important practical task of getting your email under controlFri, 3 Feb 2012 22:13:45 +0000a655b68a-4c84-11e1-b1b5-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/020c1ba6-4da0-11e1-bb6c-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/020c1ba6-4da0-11e1-bb6c-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssA substandard romantic novel is trivial, whereas a ruined weekend tryst in Paris is a minor tragedy, writes Tim Harford Fri, 3 Feb 2012 21:25:34 +0000020c1ba6-4da0-11e1-bb6c-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3fc2975c-4703-11e1-bc5f-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3fc2975c-4703-11e1-bc5f-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssTwo experts offer a new approach to weighing economic strength, posing many good questions about the practice, writes Tim Harford Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:12:37 +00003fc2975c-4703-11e1-bc5f-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/754e42ae-4780-11e1-b646-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/754e42ae-4780-11e1-b646-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssToday's crisis is arguably graver than the situation in the 1930s. Given another year of this kind of growth it will be inarguably worse, writes Tim Harford Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:35:10 +0000754e42ae-4780-11e1-b646-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7556d39a-4183-11e1-8c33-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7556d39a-4183-11e1-8c33-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss The reluctance for prices to slump may have as much to do with psychology as with conventional economics, writes Tim Harford Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:15:09 +00007556d39a-4183-11e1-8c33-00144feab49ahttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4fa340c2-42a3-11e1-93ea-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4fa340c2-42a3-11e1-93ea-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rssIn the trade-off between providing incentives and exposing workers to risks, shares and share options don't provide a happy medium, writes Tim Harford Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:55:20 +00004fa340c2-42a3-11e1-93ea-00144feab49ahttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/6e61f3d6-3c05-11e1-bb39-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/6e61f3d6-3c05-11e1-bb39-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssIf one cannot produce enough of value to justify being paid a living wage, nothing we do to the minimum wage will help, writes Tim Harford Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:16:32 +00006e61f3d6-3c05-11e1-bb39-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/204f00ce-3d1f-11e1-8129-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/204f00ce-3d1f-11e1-8129-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssA saving of 40 minutes on a journey from London to Birmingham – is HS2 really worth it? Tim Harford examines the implicationsFri, 13 Jan 2012 19:43:38 +0000204f00ce-3d1f-11e1-8129-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/0080b2dc-3686-11e1-a3fa-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/0080b2dc-3686-11e1-a3fa-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssJustin Wolfers' controlled experiment, which tests how Twitter affects productivity, inspires an unexpected insight, writes Tim Harford Fri, 6 Jan 2012 23:11:11 +00000080b2dc-3686-11e1-a3fa-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/52fcf6e0-3714-11e1-b741-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/52fcf6e0-3714-11e1-b741-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssTim Harford explains how most people will pay more tax and take home stingier benefits – and families with children will suffer most of allFri, 6 Jan 2012 22:27:47 +000052fcf6e0-3714-11e1-b741-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e8a2c78-2c90-11e1-8cca-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e8a2c78-2c90-11e1-8cca-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssProfessional pundits are not usually paid to make correct forecasts. They are paid to sound convincing, writes Tim Harford Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:41:28 +00005e8a2c78-2c90-11e1-8cca-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fd209fd8-2714-11e1-b9ec-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fd209fd8-2714-11e1-b9ec-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssYou can't eat gold so there appears to be some logic to promoting canned goods in the worst of economic times, writes Tim Harford Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:47:16 +0000fd209fd8-2714-11e1-b9ec-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d9f5b37a-2603-11e1-856e-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d9f5b37a-2603-11e1-856e-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssPresents for one's children do not seem like an optional extra though many families may struggle during this holiday, writes Tim Harford Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:05:04 +0000d9f5b37a-2603-11e1-856e-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/fbbce00a-2031-11e1-9878-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/fbbce00a-2031-11e1-9878-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssTim Harford takes us behind the scenes with a grand schemerMon, 12 Dec 2011 16:38:01 +0000fbbce00a-2031-11e1-9878-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f13369d0-1fbc-11e1-9916-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f13369d0-1fbc-11e1-9916-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss Bayesian analysis questions how we understand the notion of 'probability' and how we update our beliefs amid new information, writes Tim Harford Fri, 9 Dec 2011 22:17:11 +0000f13369d0-1fbc-11e1-9916-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3cc4eab4-21ab-11e1-a1d8-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3cc4eab4-21ab-11e1-a1d8-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssPayday loans may be controversial but, as Tim Harford points out, they can be less expensive than an unauthorised overdraftFri, 9 Dec 2011 22:10:55 +00003cc4eab4-21ab-11e1-a1d8-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d3f7330e-1b04-11e1-8f1e-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d3f7330e-1b04-11e1-8f1e-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssWould it be better for retailers if extra revenue received during the Christmas spending rush was spread across the year, asks Tim Harford Fri, 2 Dec 2011 22:07:37 +0000d3f7330e-1b04-11e1-8f1e-00144feabdc0http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/94efee48-1c18-11e1-9631-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rsshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/94efee48-1c18-11e1-9631-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rssSteve Jobs isn't representative of the private sector either. Remarkable individuals do remarkable things, muses Tim Harford Fri, 2 Dec 2011 20:43:05 +000094efee48-1c18-11e1-9631-00144feabdc0