Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Narrated by:
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Roger Davis
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By:
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Tim Harford
About this listen
Based on the series produced for the BBC World Service)
A Financial Times and Bloomberg Business Week Book of the Year)
Who thought up paper money? How did the contraceptive pill change the face of the legal profession? Why was the horse collar as important for human progress as the steam engine? How did the humble spreadsheet turn the world of finance upside down?
The world economy defies comprehension. A continuously changing system of immense complexity, it offers over 10 billion distinct products and services, doubles in size every 15 years, and links almost every one of the planet's seven billion people. It delivers astonishing luxury to hundreds of millions. It also leaves hundreds of millions behind, puts tremendous strains on the ecosystem, and has an alarming habit of stalling. Nobody is in charge of it. Indeed, no individual understands more than a fraction of what's going on.
How can we make sense of this bewildering system on which our lives depend? From the tally stick to Bitcoin, the canal lock to the jumbo jet, each invention in Tim Harford's fascinating new book has its own curious, surprising and memorable story, a vignette against a grand backdrop. Step by step, listeners will start to understand where we are, how we got here and where we might be going next.
Hidden connections will be laid bare: how the barcode undermined family corner shops; why the gramophone widened inequality; how barbed wire shaped America. We'll meet the characters who developed some of these inventions, profited from them or were ruined by them. We'll trace the economic principles that help to explain their transformative effects. And we'll ask what lessons we can learn to make wise use of future inventions in a world where the pace of innovation will only accelerate.
©2017 Tim Harford (P)2017 Little BrownListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 05-07-20
Brilliant
An illuminating history of the modern economy told through 50 inventions. Well researched and well narrated. Very enjoyable listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- RAUL
- 05-01-18
Good pick
The short chapters of 50 things is a good way to learn to look at things and enjoy our world. It also is diverse enough to teach something new to most people.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Caroline
- 14-11-18
Mainly fascinating
The greatest disappointment of this audio book was that it wasn't read by the lovely Tim Harford himself.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- la291
- 26-02-18
interesting. learnt a bit. not truly captivating
A decent concept done well and narrated by a good reader. I feel it could have been better if it was more interwoven and less of a list.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Wendy
- 09-03-20
Fascinating and thought provoking
A really interesting collection of stories about a wide variety of things, some obvious some completely new to me.. Harford is amusing, informative and intelligent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- MC
- 31-03-20
really informative
will listen to this again as so much information to absorb. wish it had been read by the author as I prefer his voice.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Harry Hodder
- 05-02-20
Thoughtful insight to the world around us
Enjoyed this book by Tim Harford, gives one a different outlook on the day to day things around us.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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- Rhys White
- 16-04-20
Fifty Reasons why this book is essential
How did the invention of the plough affect the roles of men and women in today's society? It wasn't a subject I had considered or wanted answered but it is an insight thrown into this often humorous book. Harford is well researched and opens a window on objects such as plough and more than a simple the x did this it traces the influences down through the ages.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amir
- 25-09-18
Great book, terrible accents
I love Tim Harford - I loved this book - but Roger Davis does terrible accents, especially the American ones. Listening to his accents is distracting, sounds like the voices we did in the playground when we were 7!
The book itself though is fun and informative, though not intended to be in anyway a logical list of Inventions in any chronological or importance.
I may have to get the book and read it myself to do it justice though
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- J.
- 19-03-20
patronising / condescending
terrible narration - our garden bench could have done it better
writing - sounds like he's writing for people with learning difficulties
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