Tim Harford OBE

Often labelled as ‘Britain’s Malcolm Gladwell’, he’s been lauded as “a genius at telling stories that illuminate our world” by Gladwell himself, as well as being dubbed “perhaps the best popular economics writer in the world” by the New Statesman. Tim brings a unique blend of storytelling, humour, insight, and intelligence to the realm of risk, economics and statistics.

Tim’s popular Radio 4 show and podcast, More or Less, delves into the truth behind the dubious statistics and manipulated figures that pervade the news, from the numbers politicians use to business claims and social media hype. Other shows and podcasts include How To Vaccinate The World (produced during the Covid-19 pandemic), Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy (which was accompanied by two books written by Tim), and Cautionary Tales, which narrates stories of human error and the lessons from mistakes big and small with guests including Russell Tovey and Alan Cumming.

Despite his extensive background as a ‘serious’ economist, with experience spanning Oxford, Shell, and the World Bank, Tim’s FT columns offer insightful perspectives on the economics of everyday life, often accompanied by tongue-in-cheek solutions to readers’ dilemmas. His debut book, The Undercover Economist, sold nearly two million copies and garnered comparisons to Freakonomics for its insights into diverse topics ranging from coffee shops to organised crime to development aid. Since then, Tim has solidified his reputation as one of the leading and most accessible writers on economics.

Among his other notable titles are The Logic of Life, which applies economic theory to dissect the rationality (or lack thereof) of human decision-making; Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure, which underscores the importance of learning from failure in tackling challenges of all kinds; Messy: How to Be Creative and Resilient in a Tidy-Minded World, which challenges conventional notions of tidiness and predictability in fostering innovation; and How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers, a guide to understanding and critically analysing the numerical data that pervades our lives.

Tim’s exploration spans a wide array of topics, including the significance of learning from mistakes, coping with uncertainty, the mechanics of forecasting, and the implications of innovation. Drawing from diverse realms such as the military, game shows, aviation, and ballet, he scrutinises established wisdom, common sense, and statistical certainties. With his accessible and engaging style, Tim provides thought-provoking insights relevant to individuals and organisations alike. He holds a membership at Nuffield College, Oxford, and is the sole journalist to be an honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. A two- time recipient of the Bastiat Prize for economic journalism, Tim has also been honoured as Science and Data Commentator of the Year and Economics Commentator of the Year, in addition to winning prestigious awards such as the Society for Business Economists writing prize and the Royal Statistical Society prize for journalism.