Episode 2182: Andrew Leigh on how economics explains the world
Andrew Leigh is a minister in the Australian parliament with a doctorate in economics from Harvard. Unlike many academic economists, however, Leigh has the gift of simplifying economics for all of us. His new book, How Economics Explains the World, presents economics as the prism to understand the human story. From the dawn of agriculture to AI, Leigh tells the story of how ingenuity, greed, and desire for betterment have, to an astonishing degree, determined humanity’s past, present, and future.
Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, and Federal Member for Fenner in the Australian Parliament. Prior to being elected in 2010, Andrew was a professor of economics at the Australian National University. He holds a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard, having graduated from the University of Sydney with first class honours in Arts and Law. Andrew is a past recipient of the Economic Society of Australia's Young Economist Award and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences. His books include Disconnected (2010), Battlers and Billionaires: The Story of Inequality in Australia (2013), The Economics of Just About Everything (2014), The Luck of Politics (2015), Choosing Openness: Why Global Engagement is Best for Australia (2017), Randomistas: How Radical Researchers Changed Our World (2018), Innovation + Equality: How to Create a Future That Is More Star Trek Than Terminator (with Joshua Gans) (2019), Reconnected: A Community Builder's Handbook (with Nick Terrell) (2020), What's the Worst That Could Happen? Existential Risk and Extreme Politics (2021) and Fair Game: Lessons From Sport for a Fairer Society & a Stronger Economy (2022). Andrew is a keen triathlete and marathon runner, and hosts a podcast called The Good Life: Andrew Leigh in Conversation, about living a happier, healthier and more ethical life. Andrew is the father of three sons - Sebastian, Theodore and Zachary, and lives with his wife Gweneth in Canberra.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Major Tom Schueman and Zainullah Zaki: Remembering the US War in Afghanistan and the Bond Between a Marine and an Interpreter
Wendy Smith on Profit AND Social Responsibility? How Today's Leaders Should Confront Our Toughest Problems
Nick Kostov on the Carlos Ghosn Story: A Modern-Day Greek Tragedy or the Parable of a Shameless Criminal Mastermind?
Kate Finn: Today Is International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. But What Should We Be Celebrating?
Elliot Ackerman: Why the American "Retreat" From Afghanistan Was a Giant Fuck-Up And How It Represents the Final Act of a Classic Five-Part Tragedy
Sabine Hossenfelder: An Existential Physicist Answers Life's Biggest Questions: Does God Exist? Is There Life in the Universe? Are We Living In a Simulated Reality?
Alan Murray: Tomorrow's Capitalism: Searching For that Elusive "Soul" of American Business
Anthony Marra: The Tools Which Allow Novelists to Create More "Realistic" Characters Than Those You See on the Screen
David Chalmers: If the World Itself Is a Giant Simulation, Then What's the Difference Between the Virtual Reality of Cyberspace and "Real Life"?
Liska Jacobs on The Pink Hotel: A California Novel Where You Can Check In But You Can't Check Out
Steven Thrasher: In the Age of Covid and Monkeypox, Should We Be Prioritizing the Health of the "Viral Underclass"?
Dwyer Murphy: How to Write About the City? Go Out Without an iPhone
Isaac Saul: Yes, "Truth" Still Exists in the Misinformation Age, But It's Unlikely to Make Many of Us Happy