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Queuing Backwards

Would life be better if we served the last person to join a queue not the first. And Guru Madhavan tells us why we should think like an engineer.

Queuing backwards
Britons love to queue, but have we been getting it wrong? Lars Peter Osterdal from the University of Southern Denmark discusses his theory of how to make queuing more efficient.

Thinking Like an Engineer
Engineer Guru Madhavan tells the story of the development of the barcode and argues that those making policy should ask engineers as well as economists about solving social problems.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Wesley Stephenson

(Photo: Commuters queue for buses Credit: AFP Wires)

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9 minutes

Last on

Mon 7 Sep 201513:50GMT
BBC World Service Australasia

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  • Mon 7 Sep 201513:50GMT
    BBC World Service Australasia

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