What can economics learn from sport?
From loss aversion to game theory, how sports provide evidence for economic theories
The great theories of economics seem to have great explanatory power, but the actual world is often far too complicated and messy to fully test them out.
Professor Ignacio Palacios-Huerta, an economist at the London School of Economics has an answer – sport. In the contained setting of competitive sport, he says, the rules are clear and you know who is doing what. This means, with some analysis, you can see vibrant illustrations of well-known economic theories playing out before your eyes.
Ignacio talks to Tim Harford about some of his favourite economic theories, demonstrated in action in sporting competition.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Natasha Fernandes
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: John Scott
Editor: Richard Vadon
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- Sat 2 Nov 202405:50GMTBBC World Service
- Sat 2 Nov 202411:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & Europe and the Middle East only
- Sat 2 Nov 202416:50GMTBBC World Service News Internet
- Sun 3 Nov 202409:50GMTBBC World Service West and Central Africa
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- Sun 3 Nov 202422:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Mon 4 Nov 202400:50GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
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