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15 Fascinating TED Talks for Econ Geeks

If you dream of a career in accounting, economics or finance, there’s a pretty good chance you love learning more about the global economy, monetary decision-making and other fiscal topics. Through these talks, you’ll get to hear some of the world’s foremost experts on behavior, economics, and politics discuss a wide range of issues, from inequality to consumerism– often with an interesting and unique take on the subject matter that’s perfect for stimulating your inner (and not-so-inner) geek.

1. Loretta Napoleoni: The intricate economics of terrorism: You might be surprised at the economic and political issues that go on behind terrorist organizations. In this talk from Loretta Napoleoni, you’ll learn about the money laundering, dirty deals and political subterfuge that goes on all over the world, helping to fuel terrorist organizations.
2. Steven Levitt analyzes crack economics: Freakonomics author Steven Levitt presents some interesting data on the financial aspects of drug dealing in this talk, showcasing the dangers that go along with the work– sometimes with little or no reward for anyone outside of the top echelons.
3. Laurie Santos: A monkey economy as irrational as ours: Humans can behave pretty irrationally when it comes to money or just making decisions in general. Laurie Santos shows in this talk that we’re not the only primates that make silly decisions– some of our closest genetic relatives do so as well.
4. John Gerzema: The post-crisis consumer: In this talk, you’ll hear about a surprising possible upside to the recent financial crisis– more thoughtful consumers and businesses who are adapting to meet their needs.
5. Hans Rosling: Asia’s rise — how and when: Today, Asian nations like China and India are economic powerhouses, and could soon outstrip the US and many other nations– something researcher Hans Rosling demonstrates in an amusing and clear way in this talk.
6. Paul Collier on the "bottom billion": Much attention is focused on the wealthy and successful, but what about the world’s billions of individuals living in poverty? This talk from Paul Collier discusses some ways that we can all work to help close the gap between the rich and the poor.
7. Nandan Nilekani’s ideas for India’s future: Discussing India’s recent economic success, author and IT expert Nandan Nilekani addresses what the country will need to do to maintain its recent progress in the coming years.
8. Martin Jacques: Understanding the rise of China: Economist Martin Jacques addresses the rise of China as an economic power in this talk, explaining how the country has changed, what has allowed it to do so and how it will continue to change in the future.
9. Amory Lovins on winning the oil endgame: Because so much of the world depends on oil it is an incredibly precious commodity, one that makes us very dependent on international trade and certain regions of the world. Here, Amory Lovins explains his plan to wean the US off of oil and start building a different kind of energy industry here at home.
10. Eleni Gabre-Madhin on Ethiopian economics: Ethiopia is currently the world’s largest recipient of food aid but Eleni Gabre-Madhin doesn’t think it should have to be that way. Instead, she lays out a plan to help revolutionize the economy of the country, creating wealth and large commodities market.
11. Kevin Bales: How to combat modern slavery: From an economic standpoint, slavery is a quick and easy way to make more money but from a moral standpoint, it’s simply reprehensible. Unfortunately, many businesses around the world still operate and profit from slavery– something activist Kevin Bales wants to change, making significant economic and political changes to limit the possibility of slavery around the world.
12. Misha Glenny investigates global crime networks: An expert on organized crime networks worldwide, Misha Glenny explains how these groups now make up 15% of the global economy– a frightening statistic for any law-abiding citizen.
13. Geoff Mulgan: Post-crash, investing in a better world: While the money has already been spent today, Mulgan presents an interesting option for those stimulus dollars that might have been a better solution in the long run: invest them into new, sustainable businesses, focusing on the future instead of the past.
14. Peter Eigen: How to expose the corrupt: Corruption is a pretty common thing worldwide when it comes to politics and business, but it’s not something that’s ultimately good for the citizens of any nation in the world. Here, Peter Eigen shares his mission to improve transparency and fight corruption.
15. Matt Weinstein: What Bernie Madoff couldn’t steal from me: Matt Weinstein lost his life savings to scammer Bernie Madoff, but in this lecture, he shares some of the lessons he’s learned from the experience and the wisdom financial disaster helped him to gain.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 17th, 2011 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Personal Finance, Tips and Tools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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