The Undercover Economist Strikes Back

The perfect book for that business flight

The best teaching comes from telling stories - stories about human feats, challenges which were overcome, where the art of the possible conquers all. Tim Harford in his lectures and his writing does this all the time - putting a human face on problem solving.

This audiobook is for you if:

You consider yourself to be a serious person, concerned about the way of the world, unhappy about lives being wasted through deprivation, poverty and idleness;
You enjoy listening to the output of BBC Radio 4 (and particularly to the BBC Today programme, "More or Less"and new programmes like "The Philosopher's Arms");

I wondered when I bought it why it needed two narrators when novels etc can make do with just one. But the interchange of question and answer, explaining matters by the use of Socratic debate, really demands two voices and Cameron Stewart and Gavin Osborne do it justice as narrators. Tim never uses jargon unnecessarily and it is always explained in simple terms.

This is the idea audiobook to listen to after you turn left at the top of the stairs and settle into your aircraft seat. Get the steward to fix you a long drink, let everyone else watch the highly edited action movies and chill out to a tour de force. It will teach you that the modern macroeconomist needs to be a renaissance man - and that is a really good takeaway.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

The Only Thing Missing is Tim's Delivery

This is a truly wonderful book.
It is funny, yet clear. It breaks up complicated ideas, and makes them understandable- with the clever use of ridiculous analogies and preposterous scenarios.

My only gripe is this- why didn't Tim Harford read it himself? I love his delivery in 'More or Less'- his radio show on Radio 4. He has great comic timing, and is a wizard at the straight faced presentation of the absurd. Cameron Stewart was not bad, but Tim H would have excelled, and I couldn't help subconsciously translating the lines spoken by the CS into TH's voice.

But if that's my only complaint, then you haven't got much to worry about. Do yourself a favour- get this, and be entertained and educated at the same time.
Highly recommended!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Where's Tim???

Good introduction to Macro Economics - just what you'd expect of Tim Hartford. However, why not have him actually read the book? You have an author who is brilliant on the radio and then have someone else on the audiobook?? Why? The narration is not bad - annoying that the 'instructor' voice is more posh than the 'student' but would have been better with Hartford.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good content, dodgy narration

If you are familiar with Tim Harford from Radio 4's "More or Less" then you will almost certainly find the content of this book to be of his usual high standard. Unfortunately, you'll then almost certainly be really disturbed by the bizarre choice of narrator to play his part in the audio book. The content is great - a sweeping overview of macro economics for those of us who are interested in the big picture but weren't totally sure about the difference between fiscal and monetary policy or why money printing might sometimes be a good thing. But the narration jarred so much it detracted significantly from my enjoyment. Why the publisher decided someone sounding like a poor pastiche of Geoffrey Palmer at his poshest and most patronising was the ideal voice replacement for Tim was a good idea is totally beyond me. The stilted, contrived conversation between the overbearing narrator and the middle-class and modern "you" is beyond irritating and spoiled my listening quite dramatically. I finished the book (because the content is excellent) but I doubt I'll be able to listen to it again.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Mindblowingly Complex Subject Distilled

Would you consider the audio edition of The Undercover Economist Strikes Back to be better than the print version?

This works as audio book with the back and forth between two narrators. It is difficult to see how this could have the same impact in printed format.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Undercover Economist Strikes Back?

Digging for chocolate, how does this relate to a modern economy. In fact what really is money, how much is it worth, and what is the impact on your life - so what has chocolate got to do with it all - Tim Harford spills the coins.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The story of a small island that used stones for currency, and a stone of about 2ft wide was about the price of a pig. So what happens when it is too big to move the stone, you trade notes as to where you left your stones. Sounds absurd right? But that's what we do now....!

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Left confused, bewildered, mind blown by the complex web of interactions and implications.

Any additional comments?

I generally choose books by what I can learn to apply in life somewhere, the insights. Whilst it may be about macro economics, you can definitely learn to cut through the chaff and rhetoric that is in the media each and every day and used by those who manage our governments.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Er, just an overview of macroeconomic basics then

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If it matched up to it's billing. Yes, there are some interesting examples to support his explaining of basic concepts but how, in any way, is this "striking back"?

What could Tim Harford have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Perhaps got rid of the idiotic "listener" who accompanies you on this audio trip to forget, he pipes up with gut churningly unfunny responses to the laboured content.

Would you be willing to try another one of Cameron Stewart and Gavin Osborne ’s performances?

Performance was fine, content was the problem.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

Did you lose much money during the crisis Tim? This seems like one you've rolled out with little effort to milk the 'Undercover Economist' name and pay the bills.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fantastic!

Speaking from the point of view of a mathematician, it’s remarkable to see an economist explaining abstract mathematical ideas with greater clarity than any mathematician I’ve seen.

If you are interested in reading this book, I would recommend you read/listen to “The Undercover Economist”, which discusses microeconomics, first. Although not necessarily a prerequisite, I think it make this book a fair bit easier to follow and understand.

Bill Phillips bio alone was worth the cost

like the original it's not a bad start and the detail is useful, but I don't want run an economy...I would like to understand something about inequality in a free market and some ideas about how we do a better job, but not to be.

Much like the undercover economist the end is rushed. There is work to do, but perhaps the author is bored?

re' performance, the double act doesn't work, but it's just an observation.

Macroeconomics for a general audience taught entertainingly by an ideology free economist

Loved this book as much as the Microeconomics book "The undercover economist" by the same author.

Informative and accessible

Would you consider the audio edition of The Undercover Economist Strikes Back to be better than the print version?

No, I think the print version would be better as it would be easier to go back and re read sections that are of interest or that aren't 100% clear.

What other book might you compare The Undercover Economist Strikes Back to, and why?

Freakonomics. It deals with the way money works, although Freakonomics is more about cause and effect and causation versus correlation.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The chapter about the Washington baby sitting club as it highlighted basic principals of spend versus save.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

This is a really boring film. Don't watch it.

Any additional comments?

I had hoped that the author would have read the book; I enjoy his programmes on Radio 4. The narrator was good, but not as good as Mr Harford.