50 inventions that shaped the modern economy

Harford, Tim 1973- (author.).

Summary: "In [this book], author and economist Tim Harford paints an epic yet intimate picture of economic change by telling the stories of the ideas, people, and tools that have had far-reaching and unexpected consequences for all of us. Drawing on his hugely popular BBC radio program and podcast ..., Harford expands on them with fascinating glimpses into the inventions that have transformed the ways, we work, play, and live. From the plow to artificial intelligence, from Gillette's disposable razor to IKEA's Billy bookcase, Harford recounts the memorable story of each invention and introduces us to the characters who developed them, profited from them, and were in some cases ruined by them."--Jacket.

Item details

ISBN: 9780735216143
ISBN: 0735216142
Physical Description: print
321 pages ; 22 cm
Edition: First Riverhead trade paperback edition.
Publisher: New York : Riverhead Books, [2018]
Copyright: ©2017

Contents / Notes

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-308) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

The plow -- I: Winners and losers: The gramophone ; Barbed wire ; Seller feedback ; Google search ; Passports ; Robots ; The welfare state -- II: Reinventing how we live. Infant formula ; TV dinners ; The Pill ; Video games ; Market research ; Air-conditioning ; Department stores -- III: Inventing new systems. The dynamo ; The shipping container ; The bar code ; The cold chain ; Tradable debt and the tally stick ; The Billy bookcase ; The elevator -- IV: Ideas about ideas. Cuneiform ; Public-key cryptography ; Double-entry bookkeeping ; Limited liability companies ; Management consulting ; Intellectual property ; The compiler -- V: Where do inventions come from?. The iPhone ; Diesel engines ; Clocks ; Chemical fertilizer ; Radar ; Batteries ; Plastic -- VI: The visible hand. The bank ; Razors and blades ; Tax havens ; Leaded gasoline ; Antibiotics in farming ; M-Pesa ; Property registers -- VII: Inventing the wheel. Paper ; Index funds ; The S-bend ; Paper money ; Concrete ; Insurance -- Conclusion: Looking forward -- Epilogue: The lightbulb.