The South African Civil Society Information Service

Ha-Joon Chang: 'Economics Is Too Important to Leave to the Experts'

2 May 2014

Acclaimed economist, Ha-Joon Chang, professor in the faculty of politics and economics at Cambridge University argues that economics is too important to leave to the experts. By publishing his latest book, Economics: The User's Guide, he crosses the chasm separating academic theory and regular life and produces a book that seeks to turn every one of us into an economist. Chang contends that 95% of economics is common sense. You don’t need a degree to understand it. He visited the RSA on May Day to run through some of the fundamental questions every responsible citizen needs to know, and provides a clear and accessible roadmap to understanding the political and economic world – and how to change it.

Chang argues, "If you can have a very strong view on the Iraq war without having a degree in international relations, you should also have a very strong view on government economic policy without a degree in economics."

N.B. The event starts at 3:40 in the clip above.

© RSA

Editor's Note: Read "Economics Is Too Important to Leave to the Experts" by Ha-Joon Chang on the Guardian website.

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