Andrew Leigh on "How Economics Explains the World"

Join us for a virtual event with Harvard-trained economist, prolific author and member of the Australian House of Representatives Andrew Leigh, as he discusses his latest book. In How Economics Explains the World, Leigh presents a new way to understand the human story. From the dawn of agriculture to AI, this is the story of how ingenuity, greed and desire for betterment have—to an astonishing degree—determined our past, present and future. 

 

Named one of The Economist's Best Books of the Year, this small book tells a big story. It is the story of capitalism—of how our market system developed. It is the story of the discipline of economics and some of the key figures who formed it. And it is the story of how economic forces have shaped world history. Why didn’t Africa colonize Europe instead of the other way around? What happened when countries erected trade and immigration barriers in the 1930s? Why did the Allies win World War II? Why did inequality in many advanced countries fall during the 1950s and 1960s? How did property rights drive China’s growth surge in the 1980s? How does climate change threaten our future prosperity? You’ll find answers to these questions and more in How Economics Explains the World.

 

Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, and Federal Member for Fenner in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). 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), Fair Game: Lessons From Sport for a Fairer Society and a Stronger Economy (2022) and How Economics Explains the World (2024).

 

Andrew is a keen Ironman triathlete and marathon runner, and he 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. He has been a member of the Australian Labor Party since 1991.