Episodes

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01Hotpants v the knockout mouse20130116

A brand new Radio 4 series in which Tim Harford tells an audience short stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics.

The presenter of Radio 4's "More or Less" weaves together economic ideas with remarkable personal histories in some unusual locations.

In a shop window on London's Regent Street Tim turns his attention to heated pants - oh yes! - and the business of innovation. We hear the moving story of Mario Capecchi, whose struggle to get funding for his experiments tells us much about where new ideas come from - and how to foster them.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

On Regent Street, Tim Harford looks at heated pants and the business of innovation.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

01Hotpants v the knockout mouse2013011620130120 (R4)

A brand new Radio 4 series in which Tim Harford tells an audience short stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics.

The presenter of Radio 4's "More or Less" weaves together economic ideas with remarkable personal histories in some unusual locations.

In a shop window on London's Regent Street Tim turns his attention to heated pants - oh yes! - and the business of innovation. We hear the moving story of Mario Capecchi, whose struggle to get funding for his experiments tells us much about where new ideas come from - and how to foster them.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

On Regent Street, Tim Harford looks at heated pants and the business of innovation.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

01Hotpants v the knockout mouse2013011620130218 (R4)

A brand new Radio 4 series in which Tim Harford tells an audience short stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics.

The presenter of Radio 4's "More or Less" weaves together economic ideas with remarkable personal histories in some unusual locations.

In a shop window on London's Regent Street Tim turns his attention to heated pants - oh yes! - and the business of innovation. We hear the moving story of Mario Capecchi, whose struggle to get funding for his experiments tells us much about where new ideas come from - and how to foster them.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

On Regent Street, Tim Harford looks at heated pants and the business of innovation.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

02The Kidney Matchmaker20130123The story of Al Roth, who worked out how to create a clearing-house for kidneys.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

02The Kidney Matchmaker2013012320130127 (R4)The story of Al Roth, who worked out how to create a clearing-house for kidneys.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

03War-gaming Armageddon20130130Tim Harford tells the story of Thomas Schelling, who used economics to avert war.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

03War-gaming Armageddon2013013020130203 (R4)Tim Harford tells the story of Thomas Schelling, who used economics to avert war.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

04The Indiana Jones of Economics20130206

"I'd really like to re-model all of your economic systems in plumbing," Bill Phillips said to his incredulous tutor.

The tutor agreed and Phillips set to work on a kind of wardrobe-sized fish gym with sluice gates, floats and trap doors where everything was connected and revenues literally flowed from one place to another. It was the first computer anyone had built of any economy, and it was astonishingly accurate.

Tim Harford tells the extraordinary story of how Phillips - war hero, engineer and crocodile-hunter - became one of the fathers of macroeconomics.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

How Bill Phillips - war hero, croc-hunter - became one of the fathers of macro-economics.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

04The Indiana Jones of Economics2013020620130218 (R4)

"I'd really like to re-model all of your economic systems in plumbing," Bill Phillips said to his incredulous tutor.

The tutor agreed and Phillips set to work on a kind of wardrobe-sized fish gym with sluice gates, floats and trap doors where everything was connected and revenues literally flowed from one place to another. It was the first computer anyone had built of any economy, and it was astonishingly accurate.

Tim Harford tells the extraordinary story of how Phillips - war hero, engineer and crocodile-hunter - became one of the fathers of macroeconomics.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

How Bill Phillips - war hero, croc-hunter - became one of the fathers of macro-economics.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

05When Geeks Took Over Poker20130213

Tim Harford tells the story of a geek called Jesus.

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson applied game theory to poker and won. Big time.

He became a star, albeit a geek star "whose idea of a trick was to throw a card in a way that sliced through vegetables, whose idea of fun was swing dancing and who even in his forties as a millionaire lived with his mum and dad".

But, as Ferguson would find out, there's always a bigger game.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

Tim Harford tells the story of Chris Ferguson, who applied game theory to poker, and won.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics

05When Geeks Took Over Poker2013021320130218 (R4)

Tim Harford tells the story of a geek called Jesus.

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson applied game theory to poker and won. Big time.

He became a star, albeit a geek star "whose idea of a trick was to throw a card in a way that sliced through vegetables, whose idea of fun was swing dancing and who even in his forties as a millionaire lived with his mum and dad".

But, as Ferguson would find out, there's always a bigger game.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

Tim Harford tells the story of Chris Ferguson, who applied game theory to poker, and won.

Tim Harford tells an audience stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics