Chapters
There are plenty of resources you can use to study economics. Whether you’re an economics A-level student, an economics undergraduate, or an economics aficionado, there are lots of ways you can improve your understanding of economic principles.
There are, for example, economics blogs, online courses, and news sites out there that help provide context and insight into economic ideas, which in turn help provide you with insight into how international trade and economy activity shape the world around us.
Additionally, there are online tutoring sites available, such as Superprof that can help improve your economics knowledge. Tutoring is especially helpful if you are looking to improve your academic performance in subjects such as economics, as your A Level Economics tutor can work with you to solve common economic problems you may see in exams.
However, if you’re looking for a way to deepen your understanding of economics on the go, then listening to an economics podcast is a great option. There is a range of informative podcasts out there, which bring their own philosophy and perspective to current events. What's more, you can listen to these podcasts at home or on the move, which makes it easy to find time to listen to them even with our busy schedules. To help you, we've outlined some of the best economics podcasts below.
Tune into the Financial Times Podcast
The financial times has a range of widely listed-to podcasts that are added on a regular basis, which is great if you like to have a little variety in what you listen to.
For example, there is the UK politics broadcast, which provides a weekly review of the main political stories in the UK. Alternatively, there is the news and world weekly podcasts, which covers global finance and news stories as well as the major political stories of the week, respectively.
Equally, if you prefer to listen to something more directly related to economics or banks, there are the banking weekly podcasts, which as the name suggests, focuses on news stories within the banking sector. There are also the hard currency podcasts, which examines market trends in global currencies, along with politic and economic trends that may be impacting them.
For issues closer to home, there’s also the FT Money Show, which sheds some spotlight on the major personal finance issues that arise each week.
The podcasts are generally short, with most lasting anywhere between 10 to 30 minutes. This means they are easy to tune into on the bus or train as you make your way to school or work, and it doesn’t take much effort to listen to their podcaster's commentary whilst going about your daily routine.
We’ve provided a short summary of the above financial times podcasts in the following table:
| Name of Podcast | Regularity | Normal Length |
|---|---|---|
| Banking Weekly | Weekly | 15 to 25 minutes |
| FT Money Show | Weekly | 15 to 25 minutes |
| Hard Currency | Weekly | 10 minutes |
| News | Daily | 5 to 10 minutes |
| UK Politics | Weekly | 25 to 35 minutes |
| World Weekly | Weekly | 10 minutes |
Try Out The Economist Radio
Of course, the Financial Times isn’t the only place to find a good economics podcast. Another firm favourite of anyone studying or working within economics, business or finance is the Economist Radio.
The Economist Radio is an influential podcast that is an offshoot of the Economist magazine. It contains a number of different podcasts that seek to discuss the important economic issues of the day from around the world.
There’s a new podcast providing economic analysis almost every day, which is great in helping you keep up with current affairs, and the topics are interesting to boot. For example, some of their previous podcasts have included:
- The Economist asks: Does the screen image of women need to change?
- Babbage: Big data versus privacy;
- The Economist asks: Is Russia waging war on the West?; and
- Money talks: The oil club
Like the Financial Times podcasts, the Economist Radio podcasts are usually fairly short and sweet, with an average run time of between 10 and 25 minutes. For example, the podcasts are also available on Apple iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and the Economist Radio website to name a few, so they are very easy to find. Equally, the podcasts can be downloaded, so you can listen to them wherever you are.
The podcasts are also available on the SoundCloud, where the channel has 832,000 followers and a collection of over 2,000 tracks to listen to, so you know you’re in good, and very popular, hands with the Economist Radio.
My Economics tutor London recommended I listen to this one!
Want to Try a Different Economics Podcast?
If you’re already familiar with the Financial Times podcasts and the Economist Radio, or if you’re looking for something a bit different, there are other podcasts available that discuss local and global economic and political issues.
More or Less: Behind The Stats
The podcaster for this BBC Radio 4 podcast is Tim Harford. Along with his team, Tim hosts weekly podcasts that focus on the world of statistics and how it shapes the world around us.
From an examination into Russian voting data to see whether there was election fraud in the recent Russian presidential election to an investigation into the tulip mania in the Netherlands in the 17th century, the content is engaging, different, and you walk away having learnt something new.
You can also subscribe to the latest podcasts, meaning that you don’t have to miss any upcoming podcasts from the show.
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics Radio is another widely popular and compelling weekly podcast hosted by Stephen J. Dubner, who was the co-author of the Freakonomics book series.
The podcast has been running since 2009, which means there are hundreds of podcasts to listen to if you’re new to the show. Although there is a focus on American issues at times, many of the podcasts discuss wider themes and topics. In particular, behavioural economics is this podcast's prime school of thought, so often any debate centre around how economics can influence how we behave.
There have also been special series, such as “The Secret Life of a C.E.O” that included interviews with individuals such as Mark Zuckerberg and Richard Branson, so there’s plenty of star power to be found in the podcasts.
International Monetary Fund Podcasts
Although the IMF’s intellectual podcasts aren’t released as regularly as some of the other shows we have discussed, there is still a wealth of information available from them.
With a focus on global economics, the podcasts are held by some of the leading minds in economic theories and economic systems, which helps you to stay ahead of the latest trends and developments.
BBC Business Daily
From the BBC World Service comes the BBC Business Daily free podcast, which captures provides new episodes on the latest news in money and business on a daily basis. Although some podcasts aren’t necessarily focused on business and economics, others are, including podcasts such as:
- Economists in the Doghouse; and
- How Economists Forgot Housework
You can only access podcasts from the last 30 days, so it pays to be proactive in seeing what podcasts are uploaded daily. You can also subscribe to the channel, making it easier to stay up to date with the latest podcasts.
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The Choice is Yours
In conclusion, there is a wide range of entertaining podcasts you can listen to if you want to increase your understanding or appreciation of economics. As there is no single best podcast out there, you have the freedom to decide which podcaster you like the most, and who helps explain economic principles in the best way.
Podcasts such as the Economist Radio, the Freakonomics Radio show, and More or Less are examples of podcasts that present current global economic issues in a unique and interesting way, often discussing topics that you had no idea could be related to economics in the first place.
For more traditional podcasts, you have the Financial Times, BBC Business Daily, along with the IMF’s podcasts. These podcasts tend to present the news of the day from a journalist or economics expert in a concise, accessible way and can be great resources for examples to use in an upcoming piece of homework, coursework, or an exam.
The other benefit of listening to podcasts is that the shows are usually short, as most of the shows listed above last for around 30 minutes or even less. This means that podcasts are great to listen to on the go, and aren’t overly time demanding in our busy lives.
However, if you are listening to economics podcasts to help you with your economics classes or to understand your economics curriculum better, it may also be a good idea to hire an economics tutor to help supplement your own learning.
This is because tutors can give you study strategies and fundamental exam tips that podcasts can’t provide. Additionally, tutors can provide you with a focused learning plan that is designed to help you achieve academic success.
So whether you're looking at economics courses at university, want to refine your knowledge on Keynesian principals, microeconomics, or financial economics, or you just want to improve your exam technique, an economics tutor online - or in person can really help you.
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